2009-10 Result: 25-8 (13-5 Big East) lost to St. Mary’s, 75-68 in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Coach Jay Wright: 325-184 in 16 seasons (203-99 in nine campaigns with the Wildcats).
Thirty-eight Wildcats have graduated to the National Basketball Association with current players including Malik Allen, Dante Cunningham, Randy Foye and Kyle Lowry.
Villanova has made 31 appearances in the NCAA torunament winning the title in ’85 and making Final Four appearances in ’39, ’71 and ’09.
Notable Non-Conference Tilts: 11/16-26 NIT Season Tip-Off, 12/3 vs. St. Joe’s, 12/8 at Penn, 12/12 at LaSalle, 12/30 vs. Temple, 1/15 vs. Maryland
Stat of Identity: 75.5 percent from the free throw line (13th in the nation).
Key Returners:
Corey Fisher 27 mpg, 13.3 ppg, 3.9 apg
Antonio Pena 24.9 mpg, 10.5 ppg, 7 rpg
Corey Stokes 26 mpg, 9.5 ppg
Maalik Wayns 15 mpg, 6.8 ppg
Dominic Cheek 13.9 mpg, 4.9 ppg
Mouphtaou Yarou 15 mpg, 4.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Isaiah Armwood 11 mpg, 2.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg
By Paul Casey Gotham
Villanova’s biggest asset a year ago was Scottie Reynolds. Villanova’s biggest liability a year ago was Scottie Reynolds.
Sound confusing.
It’s really not.
Villanova’s talented point guard and inspirational leader propelled the ’09-’10 Wildcats to great heights. Unfortunately, Reynolds and his teammates could not sustain that level of play. Reynolds played with reckless abandon that opponents found difficult to defend one-on-one. Often times, his teammates relied too much on their leader. Come tournament time, opposing defenses adjust, and the Wildcats exited early.
This year, the Wildcats will come at opponents in waves with a balanced attack.
Eleven players logged double digit minutes per game for the Wildcats last year. But foul trouble doomed Jay Wright’s squad. The Wildcats played aggressively and dictated a quick tempo. At times, they lacked discretion when committing fouls. The result was a team scoring defense ranked outside the top 200.
Seven of those players return, and hopefully, they are a little wiser.
Corey Fisher will grab the reins at point guard this year. Villanova’s point guards have been the leading scorer since Reynolds came to campus. That might need to change for the Wildcats to be successful over the long haul. Fisher led Villanova with almost four assists per game. This will need to continue.
Corey Stokes is the top returning three-point threat for Wright. Fisher will need to establish Stokes early to open up the paint.
Antonio Pena led the ‘Cats in rebounding including 75 on the offensive end. Pena will need to prove himself as a option scoring option.
Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek bring depth to the backcourt.
Mouphtaou Yarou (6’10”) gives Villanova size in the paint that Wright has not had much of during his tenure in Philadelphia. It will be interesting to see the sophomore develop.
Isaiah Armwood is Villanova’s best-kept secret. At 6’7″ he is active around the glass, but he is athletic enough to take the ball off the dribble. If he develops, opponents will struggle to neutralize him.
Freshmen, James Bell and JayVaughn Pinkston will compete for playing time.
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