Nova 2010

"They're all right this year. But next year? Look out."

by E. James Beale

	print	email	reply	rss feed

Published: Apr 7, 2009

It was late January, the New York Knickerbockers had just lost a (fairly meaningless) game in Philadelphia, and Knicks forward Tim Thomas, in a chatty mood despite the loss, was standing near Nate Robinson and talking Villanova, the school where he once starred. "They're all right this year," he started, not sounding entirely confident. Then he warmed up. "But next year?" He shook his head and smiled knowingly. "Look out."

He's right.

In the wake of Nova's impressive run to the Final Four, a common refrain has emerged: This year's team hit its ceiling; they did their best. It isn't meant as a backhanded compliment, but it says plenty by omission: The 2008-2009 Villanova Wildcats played great, but talent-wise, they were probably just all right, at least as far as national powers go.

Now, that statement needs a qualifier: These Wildcats were a legitimate top-15 team once they hit their stride, and the ability to hustle and focus is not a talent that every team has. Still, talent is also a talent. And as the UNC game proved, this year's Wildcats weren't on the Tar Heels' level. Next year's could be.

Yes, the Cats are turning over (as college teams do), and losing this year's seniors. They'll lose a full 60 percent of their starting lineup, their leading scorer, and the heart that made this particular team so special when leaders Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson and Shane Clark hang up their jerseys.

Next year, though, Scottie Reynolds and Reggie Redding will be seniors and multiple-year starters. They'll be joined by Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes, two hard-nosed, talented players who care about the program and play as hard as they play well. Each will start the season in their age-appropriate roles as team leaders, knowing exactly what it takes to get to the Final Four.

Better still, they'll have help getting there. Dominic Cheek, Maalik Wayns, Mouphtaou Yarou and Isaiah Armwood make up the Villanova recruiting class of 2014, one that will be, on paper, the most talented ever to walk into the Pavilion.

Wayns, the Roman Catholic star, is blessed with a true point guard's mentality. His toughness and demeanor draw comparisons to Kyle Lowry, but his combination of quickness, handle and court vision are closer to another local product, former Penn Charter standout and current Charlotte Bobcats guard Sean Singletary. As a pure PG, with athletic scorers and three-point shooters surrounding him, Wayns will have the tools to thrive.

He won't be the only one. Cheek, the last player to sign and the jewel of the class, has the potential to be the go-to scorer in a big-time program. He led perennial power St. Anthony's to an undefeated season his junior year and scored at will against the nation's best at the McDonalds All-American game (15 points on 6-8 shooting, including 2-2 from deep).

Nor is it just the little guys who will be joining Coach Jay Wright's bench. Yarou and Armwood, high school teammates in D.C., will do much to battle Nova's reputation as "Guard U." The two bigs are important not just for their talent — one scouting service rates Yarou as high as 14 in his class, and another places Armwood at 31 — but also their backgrounds. Both played in D.C., and are proof that the Wildcats now draw top talent from that area; Yarou, originally from Benin, an African country Coach Wright visited to meet his parents and obtain their blessing, shows the Cats' reach goes even further.

Together the freshmen make up what may be the best class in the nation, and they'll be joined by Taylor King, a Duke transfer with an All-American pedigree. The 6-foot-6 forward is open the minute he gets into the gym, and will spread the floor better than any Wildcat since Allen Ray.

This influx of talent will create a problem in terms of minutes — but that's not a bad problem to have. While this year's Nova team went eight deep on a good day, next year's could feasibly run out two units like hockey lines, then ride the hot hands late. Think about the combinations: Put Stokes and King at the forward spots, Scottie at the two and see what Fisher, already perhaps the Big East's most dangerous player in transition, can do with an open floor. Let Wayns run an offense around Dom Cheek with tough defenders like Redding and Antonio Pena. Remember the four-guard offense, and how fun it was? Well, next year the Wildcats can run it with nothing but All-Americans. In short, they'll be able to play fast and slow, big and small, and with anyone in the nation. When Villanova fell to UNC, Nova Nation more or less took it in stride. Stocked with future pros from across the nation, Carolina was simply better than the Main Line Power. They showed firsthand the difference between playing great and being great. Next year, if the Wildcats can keep up this year's intensity (granted, a big if), Nova has the chance to show others.

Will they get back to the Final Four? Who knows? An excellent recruiting class doesn't always translate to on-court success. But if they do, it might not be just because they played great. And if they do play great, well, as Thomas suggested, look out.

Hall Together Now
Thrasher on Blast
A Million Stories
Icepack
Running Numbers
Free Will Astrology
The Bell Curve