Hoops Haven

With a week before conference play, the season so far has had a surprising number of upsets. March Madness looks more wide open than in recent years.

Philly Local Teams

 Villanova running with 6 McDonalds All-Americans has jumped out to a 10-1 start. The Cats are an average defensive team at best and not a strong rebounding team thus far. Scottie Reynolds can break down any opponent’s defense and Taylor King is a serious 3 pt. threat, but the program misses its lunch pail players from last season. Jay Wright’s teams usually jell as the year progresses, but right now they are not good enough to return to the final four.

Temple is 8-2 and playing its usually murderous schedule. Lavoy Allen and a bunch of hard nosed role players have been impressive. After upsetting Villanova, the Owls have a nice out of conference resume. Just once before he retires, I’d like to see Coach Fran Dunphy operate with some blue chip recruits, this guy is one awesome coach.

St. Joes is 3-6 having dropped six straight, with a noticeable lack of scoring punch and a serious lack of half court defense. Phil Martelli was preening over the new Hagan Center . Perhaps he should hit the recruiting trail this year. Hey Phil, predicting Eagle scores on WIP radio is not going to bring in players!

LaSalle (6-3) lost to No. 1 Kansas, showing flashes of a tournament team. The Explorers can run and are physical, but have defensive lapses and silly turnovers. Rodney Green and company need to play with more discipline. Coach Giannini has to settle this group down before A-10 Conference play.

Penn (0-7) has shown no signs of life thus far. AD Steve Bilsky should reevaluate this program because the Quakers are lost on both ends of the court.

National Surprises thus far:

Syracuse is undefeated with future NBA player Wesley Johnson and two talented point guards in Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine, who continue to impress.

The Charlotte 49ers going into Freedom Hall and dismantling the Louisville Cardinals behind Dijuan Harris was a shocker.

Wisconsin beating Duke with their trademark man-man, in your face defense. Is there a more underrated coach than the Badger’s Bo Ryan ?

Duke is still struggling in their half-court offense without a true point guard. Coach K. should be accountable, after all he played turnover machine Greg Paulis for 3 years at the position-don’t see the Blue Devils making a serious run this season.

The Florida Gators have reappeared as a team to be reckoned with after a two year hiatus. Guards Erving Walker and Kenny Boyton are lightning quick and with many capable shooters they are a dangerous match up.

West Virginia has brought into Coach Huggins rugged style of play. With all the componets, the Mountaineers are a serious Final Four threat.

Kentucky is the best show in college basketball. Calipari has a stable of future NBA players including freshmen John Wall and Eric Bledsoe. These two guards go end to end faster than any tandem in college basketball. Do I hear Memphis fans gagging? These two were headed there until Cal resigned.

UCLA is 2-6 including loses to Portland , Fullerton ,and Long Beach State . Coach Ben Howland’s roster has been raided by the NBA the past few years, but a losing season in Westwood is a disaster. Ben may be a very lonely guy this winter.

Kansas and Texas rosters might be better than the 76ers. They might need 5 basketballs at once to keep everyone happy.

Finally, when one is basketball fan for many years you have a tendency to think you have seen it all. Sunday at the Temple-Villanova game, I witnessed a first. Villanova color man Whitey Rigsby ,a former player, took off his headset to argue a half court violation with official Jim Burr during a timeout. Are you kiddin me Whitey?

St. Joe’s Club definition: Anyone who ever coached, played, or was a ticket manager at St. Joseph ’s University and was hired by the 76ers as GM or Coach to the detriment of the franchise. Also anyone hired in said position that drank and played golf with the aforementioned group (i.e. Ed Stefanski).

The real story behind the demise of the Sixers in 2009 is the St. Joe Club. It’s a trend that started in 1966 with the hiring of Jack Ramsey and continues to this day. Ramsey devastated the franchise by trading 2 Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain (for Darrel Imhoff, Archie Clark, and Jerry Chambers) and Chet Walker(for Jim Washington). The result of these deals eventually led to the infamous 9-73 season, the worst in NBA history.

In 1984 after a successful run, Billy Cunningham resigned and Matt Goukas(a St. Joe product) was hired. Guokas openly feuded with Hall of Famer Moses Malone during the 1985 season and a mutual disgust was created .In 1986 John Nash(former St. Joe ticket manager), was hired as GM and the two collaborated on arguably the worst trade in NBA history. Our numbskulls traded Moses Malone and a lottery pick for Jeff Ruland(who played 2 career games with the 76ers), Cliff Robinson, and Roy Hinson. When Goukas resigned the crafty Nash decided to hire Jimmy Lynam. Lynam decided to draft Shawn Bradley instead of Penny Hardaway or Jamaal Mashburn.This genius also brought in Manute Bol for his defensive skills, but thought that it was a good idea for him to shoot uncontested 3’s.

After the recent incompetence of Billy King and a carousel of coaches, Eddie Stefanski is brought in as GM to restore order. Stefanski found his way into the NBA by way of the New Jersey Nets organization. He was hired by none other than John Nash during his tenure as GM of the Nets. Stefanski ’s 2 big moves were to sign a crippled Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala as a franchise player. The Sixers have no serious post presence, no outside shooting, a lousy defensive team, and more importantly no cap room. Another brilliant Stefanski move was to ink John Nash as head of scouting.

Unless someone steps in, history is bound to repeat itself for many years. This franchise has been reduced to absolute rubble with no end in sight. It’s pretty obvious to even the casual observer that the St. Joe Club should not have an input in any NBA franchise. The Allen Iverson signing was total desperation and signaled that these idiots now have no answers. The ultimate decision maker is Ed Snider, and why do I think about Al Davis when he comes to mind?   And the wheels of the bus go round and round.

NCAA Basketball in November is a time for coaches to experiment with rotations and to showcase new talent. Often, I find that coaches who take risks during this period (i.e. trying new defenses and players) are rewarded in March. Mid-major teams also have an opportunity to put up some quality wins to bolster their resume. Early season games provide a glimpse into contenders and pretenders.

Philly Local Teams

Villanova has a loaded roster. One of the keys to their success is their trapping defenses which lead to easy transition baskets and limit the opponent’s ability to knock down 3’s. Probably the toughest job Jay Wright will have is to find playing time for all his blue chip players, especially 5 guards. Newcomer Maurice Sutton looks to be solid in the paint and Antonio Pena has emerged as force down low.

 Temple missed a chance for a quality win against Georgetown in its opener; an old nemesis, foul shooting, plagued the Owls. Without a true point guard they struggled against the press. A very short bench and lack of scoring other Lavoy Allen, will limit their fortunes this season.

St. Joes has many of the same problems Temple has but minus Lavoy Allen. Their defense is competitive, but the ball must find the basket. Newcomer Carl Jones looks to be a talented scorer but the Hawks are in for a difficult year.

LaSalle showed lots of athleticism but must eliminate turnovers. Rodney Green and company had 27 in a double-digit loss to Nova. Hopefully they can settle down before A-10 Conference play.

Penn is just brutal under Coach Glenn Miller. Miller uses flash cards to set his offense and defense from the sidelines. Maybe a game a game show host is in his future. The bottom half of the Ivy League is not what the Quaker’s fans are accustomed to.

National Teams

Syracuse was probably the biggest surprise early on after losing Johnny Flynn to the NBA. Their acrobatic and deep team is perfect for Jim Boeheim’s 3-2 zone, and 6’7 transfer Wesley Johnson appears to have star power.

Gonzaga won the Maui Invitational Tourney with a young team that will be reckoned with in March. Mark Few’s group is strong in all aspects of the game. 6’11 frosh Kelly Olynyk, a member of the Canadian National team, can shoot, dribble, and run the floor.

North Carolina misses Ty Lawson desperately. Larry Drew, the heir apparent at the point, needs to step up for Carolina to contend.

Cincinnati has showed real promise with their veterans and freshmen Lance Stephenson is proving he can be a prime time player.

West Virginia’s problem will be peaking too early. The Mountaineers are among the class of the Big East right now.

It will be an interesting and fun season to watch, as parity reigns in 2010 NCAA Basketball.

We wore high top Converse and played on cement courts with chain linked baskets. On the playgrounds of Philly, we shared an obsession-THE BIG 5. Our heroes were Hawks, Wildcats, Quakers, Explorers, and Owls. We often imitated and sometimes argued about the players and coaches, the blacktop was the perfect venue for our passion.

Many winter nights, with my transistor strategically placed next to my pillow, I would listen to the great Les Keiter crackling over the airwaves about our teams’ fortunes. Hearing Les call a game was like watching an artist paint a portrait. Keiterisms were legendary in that deep gravely voice like, “Going up in the ozone, barn burner, beat on the bucket, in again out again Finnegan, a ring tailed howitzer, pandemonium at the Palestra, a Hawk of a ballgame, sashay-ing for two”  were some of his best monikers. Something in his voice conveyed we were all family (players, coaches, and fans). We lived and died with every dribble.

Clearly Dr. Jack Ramsey (St. Joes coach) and his Hawks were Les’ favorites. With their pressure defense and unselfish play, they spent much of the 60’s in the Top 10. Their undersized high scoring center Cliff Anderson and little point guard Billy Oakes usually prevailed against all odds.  Jack Kraft(Villanova’s coach), and his famed ball defense gave opponents fits with the indomitable Billy Melchionni leading his charges, and later with the scoring and shot blocking by Howard Porter carrying them to National Final. The militaristic Dick Harter and his Penn Quakers, marching to an undefeated season with defensive stopper Corky Calhoun and silky smooth Bobby Morse.

The ’69 LaSalle Explorers, perhaps the best team never to play for a national championship, led by 6’10 Kenny Durrett, was the prototype to the modern NBA power forward, he could dribble and finish with either hand. Harry “The Chief” Litwack, the cigar smoking boss of the Temple Owls, confounded even the best teams with his 3-2 zone, starring Johnny Baum.

The stage where this drama unfolded was the Palestra. For $2 bucks every Wednesday and Saturday, you got to watch a doubleheader featuring the greats of the game, Wes Unseld from Louisville, Calvin Murphy from Niagara, Julius Erving from UMASS, Bob Lanier from St.Bonaventure, and many more too numerous to mention.

A visit to the Palestra was pure magic! The adrenalin rush was amazing. There was the cacophony of sounds from the pep bands, the ceaseless chants from the student section, the streamers covering the court after the first bucket, a YO-YO sighting, the paper roll-outs, the smell of hot dogs and soft pretzels, and the fierce competition.

They say all goods things come to an end. Inevitably money was the culprit, and eventually the BIG 5 of my youth was finished, but the memories, like the Hawk, will never die!

After one of the most successful seasons in conference history which saw 5 teams in the Elite Eight and 2 teams in the Final Four, the Big East has emerged as the marquee conference in the nation. While they may not have as many elite level teams, the bottom of the conference is catching up to the top, creating much more depth. This year’s competition should again be fierce and fun to watch.

Villanova returns probably the best backcourt in the nation. Scottie Reynolds has been brilliant as Jay Wright’s QB, and Corey Fisher could emerge as one the best shooting guards in the country. Their weakness has been post play, or lack of it. Bringing in 2 Top 50 frontcourt players should help that. Some nights the 3’s don’t go down. If they can be more consistant with inside-outside play, the Cats will be back in the Final Four. UConn lost Hasheem Thabeet and A.J. Price to the NBA, but Jim Calhoun is well acquainted with McDonald’s and I don’t mean hamburgers (All-Americans). They return super shooting guard Jerome Dyson, sophmore point Kemba Walker, and smooth small forward Stanley Robinson. Jim Calhoun is one of the best in the business and will have the Huskies in the hunt. West Virginia’s coach Bob Huggins, welcomes back a tough veteran group which includes Devin Ebanks (6’9 F, 15.2 ppg) and DaSean Butler(11.2ppg) to lead a potential Final Four team in 2010. The fiery and volatile Huggins, who left Cincinnati in turmoil, would relish a Big East championship as answer to his critics. Louisville lost its top two players in Earl Clark and Terrence Williams. The Cardinal completed an impossible double play last year winning the regular season and the conference tournament titles . Guard Edgar Sosa and forward Samardo Samuels will once again lead a talented, athletic group. Newcomer guard Peyton Siva is the real deal, and Rick Pitino is a master at mixing and matching the right combinations. Cinncinnati may very well be a contender after two consecutive 8-10 campaigns. Look for the Bearcats to join the upper echelon of the Big East. Deonnta Vaughn and Yancy Gates are all-conference, and newcomer Lance Stephenson might be the best freshman in the country. If the Bearcats can steal a few on the road, they will be in the hunt for a NCAA berth.

Georgetown was a huge disappointment a year ago. Losing close games in the last 5 minutes, the Hoyas are still a very dangerous group. 6’11 Greg Monroe, who is a future NBA player and star defender, is back and watch out for a major turnaround from John Thompson Jr. and company.  Syracuse lost All-American Johnny Flynn(17.4 ppg) and Eric Devendorf (15.7 ppg), but Andy Rautins is an excellent player and 6’7 Wesley Johnson, an Iowa State transfer, will be an impact player for the Orange . Coach Jim Boeheim, like Calhoun, regularly visits McDonald’s. The problem is he sometimes coaches like Ronald McDonald. Notre Dame spent the early part of last season in the Top 10 before disappearing. They have, All-American Luke Harangody(23.6 ppg), who will keep them in most games, but they need to play much better defense under overrated coach Mike Brey. Pitt lost 4 starters from an Elite 8 team. Coach Jamie Dixon won’t be down for long, since he has proven that he knows how to win(the last six years in the top 20). Jermaine Dixon will lead a young and inexperienced team that welcomes highly recruited 6’9 Dante Taylor as a replacement for Dejuan Blair in the paint. Seton Hall has all league selection Jeremy Hazell(22.7 ppg) along with a cast Bobby Gonzalez calls his most talented. The Pirates were 15th out of 16 in scoring defense, which is not acceptable in this high-powered league. This year is critical for Gonzalez, who is on the hot seat

St John’s once proud program has spent the 21st century at the bottom of the conference. Coach Norm Robert’s starts the year with his best player injured(Anthony Mason Jr), and unless a miracle occurs, the Red Storm will fire him in the spring. Marquette’s coach Buzz Williams had an awesome 1st year in the league, but most of former coch Tom Crean’s players have departed. Now we shall see if Buzz can handle the big stage. Providence finished 10-8 in the league, on their way to their first winning season in 6 years under 1st year coach Keno Davis, but loses their starting five. They return only 3 scholarship players, which will leave them on the wrong side of many blowouts. Rutgers is 8-44 in coach Fred Hill’s 3 years in Big East play. The Scarlet Knights were near the bottom in almost every statistical category(not exactly a recipe for success). Hill will pound the final nails in his coaching coffin at Rutgers in 2010. South Florida is still overmatched on a nightly basis in the country’s premier league. DePaul was 0-18 last year in conference play. Put it this way,………it can’t get any worse!

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Villanova

2) West Virginia

3) UConn

4) Louisville

5)Cinncinnati

6) Georgetown

7) Syracuse

Notre Dame

9) Seton Hall

10) Pitt

11) St John’s

12) Marquette

13) Providence

14) Rutgers

15) South Florida

16) DePaul

Teams on the Rise:

Cincinnati,    Georgetown,    Seton Hall

Teams on the Decline:

Pitt,    Marquette,    St. John’s

Coach of the Year Candidates:

Huggins, WV      Thompson, G-Town      Wright, Villanova

Player of the Year Candidates:

Scottie Reynolds, Villanova      Luke Harangody, ND      Devin Ebanks, WV

Other Big East Players to Watch For:

Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati

Jerome Dyson, Connecticut

Samuardo Samuels, Louisville

Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall

Corey Fisher, Villanova

Greg Monroe, G-Town

DaSean Butler, WV

Freshman of the Year Candidates:

Lance Stephenson, Cinncinnati

Dante Taylor, Pitt

Dominick Cheek, Villanova

Mouph Yarou, Villanova

Peyton Siva, Louisville

Alex Oriachi, UConn

Top Transfers:

Wesley Johnson, Syracuse from Iowa St

Taylor King, Villanova from Duke

As a mid major conference, the Atlantic 10 saw three teams advancing to the big dance last season, with Temple going as conference champ, and with Xavier and Dayton receiving at large bids. This year the conference is again loaded with strong balance, and is poised for another very competitive season.

Dayton is the obvious favorite with 10 of their 11 top scorers returning from a team which won a round in last season’s NCAA Tourney. They are anchored by Wooden Award candidate Chris Wright who is a lock for the NBA someday. Look for the Flyers to knock off Xavier’s streak of 3 consecutive regular season crowns. Duquesne returns four starters from an extremely athletic team that was a couple of Dionte Christmas bombs away from an NCAA bid. Coach Ron Everhart’s “10 men for 40 minutes” gives teams fits, with it’s ball hawking defense. LaSalle is poised for its best season since the early 90’s. Coach Giannini’s group is led by Rodney Green(17.8 ppg) and Ruben Guillandeaux, who was the conference’s 3rd leading scorer and 2nd in assists last season. The most exciting addition is newcomer, 6’10 Aaric Murray, who was a Top 50 recruit and gives the Explorers a powerful post presence. Xavier is one 9 teams in the nation to have 25 or more wins in each of the past 3 seasons. The Musketeers, like Dayton , rarely lose on their home court. However, they lost head coach Sean Miller to Arizona, and 3 seniors who combined for 37 ppg. Under new coach Chris Mack, Xavier will be hard pressed to duplicate the last 3 seasons. Richmond’s point guard Kevin Anderson, is one of the best in the country. Losing only one player to graduation, the Spiders could be a dark horse to win the conference. They must find a way to win on the road, which has proven to be (their Achilles heal) under Philadelphia native Chris Mooney. Temple lost leading scorer Dionte Christmas, Sergio Olmos, and guard Smardge Inge. Lavoy Allen returns, and he may be the best big man in the conference. Fran Dunphy’s teams always play tough defense, but desperately need scoring other than Allen. TU also had a sub par recruiting year. Charlotte returns preseason 2nd team selection point guard Dijuan Harris who is excellent. The 49ers are young and deep. Massachusetts had the best recruiting year in the A-10. Highly touted 6’5 guard Fred Riley and 6’7 Terrell Vinson were both pursued by Big East and ACC teams. The Minutemen only return one starter, but if the frosh develop………….lookout!  St. Joseph’s lost all world Ahmad Nivins, last year’s MVP of the conference and their only true scorer, to the NBA. The cupboard looks bare for 2010.  St. Louis’ two best players from 2009, Tommy Lindell and Kevin Lisch have departed. The Billikens always play excellent defense under Rick Majerus, but need offense desperately. George Washington has struggled under Coach Karl Hobbs. After last year’s 10-18 season, his job could be on the line. Fordham and St. Bonaventure have been buried at the bottom of the standings seemingly forever, and this year will be no exception.

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Dayton

2) Duquesne

3) LaSalle

4) Xavier

5) Richmond

6) Temple

7) Charlotte

UMass

9) Rhode Island

10) St Joe’s

11) St Louis

12) George Washington

13) St Bonaventure

14) Fordham

Teams On the Rise

LaSalle, Duquesne, UMass

Teams On the Decline

St.Joe’s, St. Louis, Xavier

Coach of the Year Candidates

Giannini, LaSalle      Everhart,Duquesne      Kellogg, UMass

Player of the Year Candidates

Lavoy Allen, Temple      Chris Wright, Dayton      Kevin Anderson, Richmond

Other A-10 Players to Watch For:

Rodney Green, LaSalle

Rickey Harris, UMASS

Andrew Nicholson, St Bonaventure

Damian Saunders, Duquesne

Kenny Frease, Xavier

Freshman of the Year Candidates

Terrelle Vinson, Massachusetts

Fred Riley, Massachusetts

Aaric Murray, LaSalle

Chris Gaston, Fordham

Chris Braswell, Charlotte

John Calipari was brought in as the head man at Kentucky because its fans are starved for the primetime. Oh, there’s no doubt, show time in Lexington, Kentucky will be coming to an arena near you. Coach Cal will win in Bluegrass Country……..and surely Final Fours and maybe even a few of those elusive national championships are in their future.

Great players flock to Calipari, not for his slicked back charm, but for national exposure and the chance to play at the next level. His wide open dribble-drive offense and pressing man to man defense mimic the pro game like no other.

His first foray at UMASS, started from scratch,……….. an empty gym, limited funds, no tradition. But he built it and they(recruits) came: Marcus Camby, Lou Roe, Dante Bright. It culminated in a Final Four in 1996. And then the bombshell was dropped (recruiting violations). The Final Four appearance was stricken from the records, and the subsequent sanctions sent John packing for the New Jersey Nets (for a pile of money of course).

After a few unproductive years in the NBA, mostly spent feuding with players and management, he was off to Memphis . There, with an unlimited budget, a spanking new arena, and a trove of rabid fans, he found his nirvana. As an admitted control freak, he called all the shots and it was a complete dictatorship. The result: he spent most of his tenure in the Top Ten of the rankings and almost won a National Championship in 2008. Then………… lightning struck again! After a half-hearted denial to any wrong doing, he was off to Kentucky, amid numerous recruiting violations.

To be fair, he has never been implicated in either scandal, he is too smart and too well insulated. It has long been rumored Cal has intricate relationships with street agents through his assistant coaches and associates. Street agents are runners for legitimate agents (they need clean hands).They are NCAA basketball’s dirty little secret. They funnel money, cars, and other necessities to potential pro players. A year or two of seasoning in the college game is usually necessary, and what a better place to learn then under Calipari.

Kentucky should hope the third time is not the charm. The basketball program has never recovered at UMASS, and the Memphis program was left in shambles for years to come. Meanwhile in Lexington, no one seems to notice. For now, they will give the devil his due!

Check out Ed Quarry’s funny take on some of college basketball’s oddest domes and hairstyles:

Rick Majerus- St Louis Billikens

This Uncle Fester look-alike has been known to sleep on a bed of nails.

Phil Martelli- St. Joes Hawks

With all the bumps and dents on his head, he resembles Frankenstein, but without the bolts.

Jim Boeheim- Syracuse Orangemen

With the high forehead and glasses, he resembles the creature that attacked Neumann,(from Seinfeld), in the first Jurassic Park .

Fred Hill-Rutgers Scarlet Knights

With his bald head and short stature, doesn’t he look like one of the munchkins in the Wizard of Oz, singing about following the yellow brick road, as a member of the lollipop guild?

Joe Mihalich-Niagara Purple Eagles

Joe’s two wisps of hair on his barren skull gives him a Fred Flintstone look. Yabba Dabba Do!

Seth Greenberg-Virginia Tech Hokies

I’ve heard that his shiny dome gives off dangerous levels of radiation in Blacksburg!

Buzz Williams-Marquette Golden Eagles

The little fireplug with the bald pate looks like Stricker in Back to Future!

Billy Donovan-Florida Gators

With that widow’s peak he could be a stunt double for Eddie Munster. Does Bill do the Monster Mash?

Gene Keady-former Purdue Boilermaker Coach

I could never figure out whether that was shoe polish or hair on that head. Stay out of the rain, Gene!

Lou Henson-former Illinois Fightin Illini and NM State Coach

The famous wraparound called the Lou-Do by the great Dick Vitale. Was that carpet or hair on his head?

This summer, I couldn’t take Rick Pitino anymore. His press conference in connection with his extortion case sent me over the edge. He actually had the gall to suggest he was the injured party.

Poor Rick,………….. it must be tough to be a multi-millionaire thoroughbred owner and have to answer a question about paying for an abortion, and doing your manager’s wife in a restaurant. A father of five who supposedly always extols the value of family and college athletics, he was sorry he got caught,……………. not for what he did!

A dynamic and innovative coach, (probably the first who understood the 3 pt. field goal and its nuances), he has lost support by chasing the almighty buck in a myriad of coaching moves, each time claiming it was his last stop.

In this crazy world off college hoops it seems like players are accountable, but not the coaches. Time after time players are punished while the coaches are not. And what does NCAA do?……………. Absolutely nothing!

The press conference was very cryptic in nature. The alleged liaison happened in 2003, arousing suspicion there’s more to the story. It’s hard to believe Rick has been a choirboy the last six years, and this lewd act in bar was a onetime incident. And when the Grand Jury convenes, we will finally have some answers.

Meanwhile, the administration at Louisville will turn a blind eye. As long as Pitino fills Freedom Hall, lands top recruits, and goes deep in the tourney, they will always support him. After all, it’s not about the principle, it about the MONEY!

Check out some footage of Pitino’s original press conference:

Last year’s amazing run in the NCAA tourney by the Wildcats, gave the program some national buzz. Recently, at the Big East Conference’s coaches luncheon, they were picked as the preseason #1 to win the conference. After their recent success, the program is poised to make the move of becoming one of the nations finest.

What is the primary reason?…………one person, Jay Wright. He is college basketball’s answer to a rock star. His movie star looks, expensive wardrobe, and affable manner, all contribute to his appeal, but Wright also understands the number one rule in big-time college hoops, “That thou shalt recruit, and thou shalt recruit well.” Learning his trade in the fertile New York area, as the former head man at Hofstra, his success on the Philadelphia Mainline has been remarkable. In spite of being handicapped by having an inferior training facility, he has landed some of the top recruits in the country. This year is no different, by reloading with one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, along with bringing in Duke transfer, Taylor King, Nova Nation is extremely loaded with talent. When was the last time we heard of a player transferring from Duke to Villanova? His players play tough, hard-nosed, team basketball, and they are very exciting to watch.

The last time Villanova was in a similar position was late in the Rollie Massimino era(late 80’s) when the roof caved in. He pushed to have the hastily built Pavilion (aka, Ski Lodge) in cahoots with John DuPont (ouch!). Then he brought in his son as a top assistant and spent his final years fueding with the Nova administration over the direction of the program was headed. The result was the demise of Villanova basketball for the next 10 years.

This time, the stakes are much higher. Jay Wright’s star has never been higher, and the money he could demand is through the stratosphere. All Catholic Universities have been known to never embrace the old axiom that, “You must spend money to make money.” Just ask Notre Dame if they would have backed up the truck, and spend an enormous amount of money for Florida coach, Urban Meyer. Meyer understood that the Florida administration would give him all the tools necessary to win.

In my opinion, the first order of business for Nova to continue their success is to resign Coach Wright before the bidding war starts for his services, then attempt an upgrade their facilities to 21st century standards. Only after these moves can Villanova fans expect annual deep NCAA Tournament runs and a dream of raising another championship banner to the rafters!