A Night of Nova Basketball

In the past the fall was peppered with a series of Villanova Coaches events at which fans could hear what the team expectations were for the coming season and have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A session with Coach Wright. Now, as Coach Wright enters his 10th season as Villanova's head coach his hair is peppered with gray but he speaks with the same passion and enthusiasm for Villanova basketball as always.

The event tipped off with a Basketball Practice. Attendees were able to watch Coach Wright and his Assistants in action as they ran the 2010-11 edition Cats through a series of team drills. Last weekend during Homecoming festivities, the Blue-White scrimmage was called short when an injury left the Cats with only 9 players remaining. Coach Wright has added a couple walk-ons to the mix to hopefully avoid such stoppages in the future.

Antonio Pena and James Bell did not participate in the practice. Pena at times appeared to be in a bit of pain as he walked the sidelines nursing a mild ankle sprain. He is expected to return to practice within a week. Bell is still recovering from surgery on both tibias - the latest news on him is that he could return to practice as early as late November with the hope of being able to see some game action in December.

The team looked much crisper in practice than at the B/W scrimmage a few days earlier. Maalik Wayns is in great shape and looks ready to emerge, Dominic Cheek looks stronger and more aggressive off the dribble, Corey Fisher is shooting the ball well, and Corey Stokes is lean and ready. Maurice Sutton and Mouphtaou Yarou continue to be works in progress but both showed flashes. Sutton attacks the rim at every opportunity and is improving his ability to set high ball screens. Yarou appears to be in better shape coming off his medical issues last season. Isaiah Armwood has added some strength but is still searching for an identity on offense. His defense and rebounding will earn him PT. The lone scholarship newcomer who was on the court was Jayvaughn Pinkston. The McD AA is agile and can handle the ball well for a player of his size. He has a nice first step and can dribble with either hand. Expect him to play the 3. He is more 6'5"/6'6" than 6'7". Pinkston is in better condition than he was back in February when VUSports reported on his play at the Prime Time Shootout - but he still has a ways to go to be conditioned well enough to defend hard on every possession for double-figure minutes each game.

After practice, the event moved behind the student section for a buffet dinner and the formal program. Ryan Fannon provided an introduction of each player before running off to host Andy Talley's Radio Show. Each player took a spot at a table - intermingled with the event attendees.

Jay Wright took over from there after a brief word from the Block V Club about The Fund for Villanova Athletics. Coach Wright introduced his staff including the newly added DBO, Baker Dunleavy and the newly promoted Asst., Keith Urgo.

The Senior Class: Antonio Pena, Corey Fisher, and Corey Stokes at one point stood next to Coach Wright to field questions from the audience in addition to those being asked of Coach Wright.

The team is quite excited about the coming season. Coach Wright expects that having more size up front this season will lead some changes in both offense and the defense (more zone looks). Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes will be given the green light to fill the pail at will. Maalik Wayns will be expected to be the primary distributor as Fisher picks up some of the scoring lost with the departure of Scottie Reynolds.

The topic of Scottie Reynolds possibly leaving his team in Italy to return to the States due to homesickness was broached. There is a strong possibility that Reynolds will decide to return and give the NBA's D League a shot.

One rule change for the coming season that was mentioned is that players will not be allowed to rebound with elbows out and clear space - a technique perfected by former Cat, Dante Cunningham. Expect that to be a point of emphasis for officials this year.

On the recruiting front, attendees seemed excited about the addition of Ryan Arcidiacono to the Villanova family. The Class of 2012 Point Guard from Neshaminy HS recently gave a verbal to Villanova - leaving the Cats with one scholarship remaining open for the HS Classes of 2011 and 2012. The positive side of that is that the staff can now focus on recruiting the Class of 2013 - a particularly important recruiting class for Villanova which will back-fill for the 5 Sophs currently on the roster.

The event wrapped up a little before 9PM. Years ago, they seemed to last quite a bit longer as fans queried Coach Wright regarding how he was going to get the Wildcats back in the hunt in the Big East. Now that Villanova is riding a six year string of NCAA Tournament bids and entering the season ranked in the AP Top 10 and among the Big East favorites, the fans have a tendency to simply say "Thanks, Jay".