BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: VILLANOVA

April 29, 2010

Verbal Commitment Alert: Markus Kennedy, 6'9 PF/C of Living Faith Christian Academy (NJ)

Fresh off a Final Four appearance, the Villanov recruiting train keeps on rolling along with a verbal commitment from the class of 2010 in Markus Kennedy. Kennedy Makes Decision (ZagsBlog) after visiting with 'Nova head coach Jay Wright and West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins in the last week.


Projected 2009-2010 Roster:

Seniors: Scottie Reynolds (G), Reggie Redding (G)
Juniors: Corey Stokes (G), Corey Fisher (PG), Antonio Pena (F)
Sophomores: Maurice Sutton (C/BF)*, Taylor King (WF)**
Freshmen: Maalik Wayns (PG), Isaiah Armwood (F), Mouphtau Yarou (C/BF), Dominic Cheek (SG)
2010 Commitments: James Bell (SG), Markus Kennedy (PF/C)

* Maurice Sutton is expected to redshirt in the 2008-2009 season which would place him as part of the 2009-2010 freshmen if that holds true.

** Taylor King is sitting out the 2008-2009 season as a transfer. He will have three years of eligibiity beginning with the 2009-2010 season.



READ ON...CLICK "Read More" BELOW


Villanov adds some beef with an early verbal commitment from the class of 2010 when Markus Kennedy pulled the trigger and selected the Wildcats over West Virginia last night. Kennedy, a 6'9, 250-lb BF/C who attended powerhouse St. Patrick's as a sophomore before transferring to Living Faith for his junior season. Kennedy has a big body that with a dedicated strength and conditioning program can turn into a monster on the blocks as he is already very skilled offensively. He can score in the post with a variety of moves and each time out he seems to be improving his ability to face-up and knock down shots away from the ball. Imrpoved conditioning will help him defensivly and on the boards. With Villanova looking to push the basketball, Kennedy will be forced to be in shape and help him reach his excellent potential.

Kennedy is already the second commit for 'Nova in the class of 2010. While Jay Wright and Villanova were in the process of closing a blockbuster class in 2009, they got a head start in the class of 2010 with the early verbal commitment from James Bell. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard, who attends the Monteverde Academy in Florida, chose Villanova over interest from Florida, Clemson, Miami and West Virginia, according to ZagsBlog.com.

Before playing at Monteverde, Bell played at the Arlington Country Day School where he averaged 13 points and 9 rebounds a contest. Bell has performed on the AAU circuit with the strong Team Stat program out of the sunshine state that also recently produced USF guard Dominique Jones. Bell is a native of New Jersey, which, along with 'Nova's excellent graduation rate under Jay Wright, played a key role in his decision. Bell is an athletic guard on the wing.

Jay Wright is now left with two open scholarships for the class of 2010 as the AAU season begins to heat up. Maryland wing Will Barton has been on the 'Nova radar for some time and the Wildcats are also looking closely at his younger brother, Antonio. It was expected that 'Nova would be seriously in the hunt for St. Patrick star guard Kyrie Irving, but the presence of Wayns entrenched as the future point guard has led Irving to look more at other schools. Delaware big man Malcolm Gilbert is on the radar as well.

The cherry on top of the highly touted 2009 recruiting class that could have the Wildcats as a favorite in the NCAA basketball betting pools come next March was delivered just prior to Christmas when Dominic Cheek chose the Wildcats. He joins Maalik Wayns (PG), Isaiah Armwood (F) and Mouphtau Yarou (C/BF) in a recruiting class that moves, not only to the top of the Big East classes for 2009, but at or near the very top of all the classes nationally for the class.

Cheek was highly coveted by programs across the land and had narrowed his choices to the Wildcats, Kansas, Memphis, Rutgers and Pittsburgh. In the end, the two teams that had separated themselves from the rest were his ling-time leader Villanova and the defending national champs, Kansas. In the end, the long, developed relationship that Cheek and the 'Nova staff have won out over the rest.

Cheek is a dynamic scorer with great range and under-appreciated athleticism. He has the size (6'5) to get his shot off over the majority of perimeter players in the college game. Coming from the powerful St. Anthony's program, Cheek is no stranger to tough competition and big games. He will be a great addition for the Wildcats in the Big East and his ability to knock down the three-ball will play very well in the system of Jay Wright.

In addition to the relationship with the VU staff, Cheek had also become very close to fellow 2009 'Nova commitment Maalik Wayns. Cheek and Wayns were teammates this summer on the USA National 18-U team and have become quick friends. Wayns is a typical tough Philly-bred point guard that handles and distributes the ball with the best of the class. He is not afraid to venture into the paint and will hit tough shots when needed. Expect to see Wayns and Cheek develop tremendous chemistry on the court with Wayns finding Cheek often for scores.

With Big East rivals such as Georgetown and Pitt also trying to woo Mouphtau Yarou to their programs, Jay Wright was the winner of the sweepstakes for the 6-foot-10, 250 pound African import late this summer

Just prior to Yarou's commitment, the NBE Basketball Report was lucky enough to talk with Anthony Lewis, the head man of the Cecil Kirk AAU program, who coached Yarou on the AAU circuit to close out the AAU season. Unlike many African imports, Lewis tells us that Yarou is quite advanced in his skill set and is more polished than one would expect, particularly in the paint. He is very agile and can stick the face-up jumper. Above all, Yarou is a "high quality kid," according to Lewis.

The NBE Basketball Report also viewed Yarou late in the summer at the Reebok Summer Classic East and the Nike Main Event where he backed up Lewis' descriptions of his play. His excellent athletic ability makes him an excellent shot blocker and intimidating presence in the paint as well as a very good rebounder. He also showed solid moves inside as well as the ability to hit the 15-foot jumper and the ability to finish strong.

Anthony Lewis also informed the NBE Basketball Report that is it most likely going to be Montrose Christian this year for Yarou. Previous, he was attending Massanutten (VA) Military Academy during his short time in the United States (only been here for six months or so, according to Lewis).

Earlier last summer, Jay Wright took another step to completing a huge class of 2009 as when forward Isaiah Armwood, who plays at the aforementioned Montrose Christian, committed to 'Nova. Armwood has long been considered Villanova's to lose and he made the call for the Wildcats.

Armwood is a 6'8, 195 lb combo forward who is an intriguing prospect because he has length and athletic ability that few 6'8 players in the class can bring. His skill set seems to be ready to explode with the ability to go beyond the arc and take a big forward to the perimeter. Against a smaller forward, Armwood can take them inside. He has the potential to remind Wildcat fans of Curtis Sumpter with the inside/out match-up problems he can cause opponents.

Armwood averaged about 13 points and 10 rebounds last season for Montrose Christian and coach Stu Vetter. He missed much of the 2nd half of the season with a sprained MCL in his knee. Prior to entering the Big East, he will have to add some weight and strength to battle in the Big East.

Read more!

VILLANOVA MEETS NORTH CAROLINA IN NATIONAL SEMIFINAL

April 3, 2009


The 2009 NCAA Final Four is finally here. After 60 games of March Madness excitement, we are down to the final three games as we crown the national champion for the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Saturday's nightcap at Ford Field in Detroit will feature the Villanova Wildcats, coached by Jay Wright, of the Big East against Roy Williams' North Carolina Tar Heels squad of the ACC. North Carolina was the overwhelming preseason favorite and here they are in the Final Four. Expectations that can make some teams wilt, have been welcomed by coach Williams this year.

"Well, first of all, I love that because that means we've been winning a lot," Williams told gathered media on Friday about how he feels of the overwhelming pressure as the season-long favorite. "So I like that part of it. I like that idea
of people expecting you to be pretty good because you are good."

Read More...Click HERE! or 'Read More' Below!


While this is a return trip for the Tar Heels, who fell in the semifinals a year ago against eventual champion Kansas, this is a new experience for coach Wright and his Wildcats. Villanova last made it to the Final Four in 1985 when an 8th seeded Rollie Massimino coached team upset Georgetown in the classic championship finale.

While the Wildcats are not quite the monumental underdog as they were in '85, they are still a 7-point underdog according to the latest college basketball betting odds posted. Coach Wright does not believe the underdog mentality will work so well with this particular Villanova team.

"Coach Mass was great at creating that atmosphere," said Wright. "He loved being the underdog. I'm not as good at that. Our players believe they can win. We use a term, we don't have to play perfect, we just have to play together."

In '85, it was near a perfect performance that Villanova used to slay mighty Georgetown in the finale, shooting 78% from the field. Wright compares this current UNC squad favorably to that Hoya team.

"That year, Georgetown was just incredible, intimidating," Wright said. "Carolina is probably just as good as that Georgetown team."

However, he also feels his current team, led by junior guard Scottie Reynolds and senior forwards Dante Cunningham and Dwayne Anderson are pretty good as well and will not need the underdog speech about knocking off the mighty Tar Heels.

"You know, they were an 8-seed," Wright said of the '85 Wildcats. "With this group...they just have a confidence about them. They have a belief in what we do."

The Villanova path to the Final Four has been impressive. After rallying from a 14-point deficit early in the second half at the Wachovia Center against American, they hit their stride by punishing both UCLA and Duke. Their Elite 8 win over Pittsburgh was one of the tournament's all-time classics as the Wildcats averted a near collapse down the stretch when Reynolds scored with .5 second left in a 78-76 win over their conference rival.

The Tar Heels have been dominant in the NCAA Tournament, winning their four contests by an average margin of 22.5 points. They did find themselves down in the second half in Round 2 against LSU, but a closing run helped UNC win going away, 84-70.

North Carolina really enjoys a game where they can get out and run in an attempt to outscore their opponent. Villanova will try and be physical, but smart, and play both ends of the court, hoping that a balanced effort will key an upset.

Guards Corey Fisher, Reggie Redding and Reynolds will have to do their best to force the Carolina offense out of their rhythm, similar to the dominating defense effort they employed against Duke in the Sweet 16. If they can disrupt passing lanes and limit the touches of Tyler Hansbrough and Deon Thompson, that will help neutralize UNC's interior edge. Against Pitt, 'Nova was able to limit DeJuan Blair to nine shot attempts, although he made all nine, it was the quantity that was the key.

North Carolina will likely handle the pressure better with Ty Lawson as the point guard compared to Duke and Pitt. The Panthers were hurt by Levance Fields never being fully healthy, a worry with UNC as Lawson has a bad toe, but he has looked his super-quick self throughout the tournament.

With Lawson able to break down the defense, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green will get some open looks. Their ability to make these shots in a pressure situation will open more of the interior. The UNC experience in this situation, having been in the Final Four a year ago, should be their key to victory.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

North Carolina 79
Villanova 71

Read more!