Let me preface this by stating that I am a Philadelphian through and through, so much so that I bleed green (Eagles), red (Phillies and 76ers), and even at times blue (Villanova). I think you get the point that when it comes to Philly sports, there aren’t many bigger fans of “The City of Brotherly Love” than myself. With that being said, the one thing all native Lehigh and Delaware Valley fans have had to lean on when it comes to basketball over the past decade has been a deep NCAA Tournament run from the Villanova Wildcats.
For the first time in nearly 7 seasons, there’s not much anticipation on the Main Line heading into the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Despite losing in the first round of the Big East Tourney to the sub .500 South Florida Bulls and finishing an underwhelming 5-9 over their last 14 games, including losing 4 straight, the Wildcats are still a virtual lock to make their 7th straight appearance in the “Big Dance” because of some pretty good wins over fellow Top 25 teams early. But is any team playing any worse or headed in the wrong direction than Nova?
After watching virtually all of their games this year either in person or on television, I feel I am qualified to play armchair Athletic Director, so to speak, in order to figure out just what went wrong this season for Nova Nation.
Here are 5 Reasons Why Villanova Stinks This Year:
1) Lack of Leadership
Flat out, the loss of Scotty Reynolds to graduation hit the program hard this season. Although his future as an NBA player was questioned, no one can deny that Scottie was a great collegiate player capable of taking and making the big shot whenever his squad needed it. His void this season was supposed to be filled by a trio of seniors from the likes of” “Mr 105 Points” Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes, and Antonio Pena.
Everyone expected Fisher to be the go-to-guy, but the man known as “Fisher Price” in HS because he toys with everyone, has been inconsistent with his shooting all season long and has had trouble staying on the floor because of foul trouble. He single-handedly has made a bevy of bone-headed plays late in games, like when he fouled Rutgers’ Jonathan Mitchell on a 3 point attempt with under a second remaining, leading to an improbable and rare 4 point play, and Villanova loss. True, he has all the one-and-one moves one would want to succeed on the And 1 Tour and can fill it up better than most in the Big East, he just doesn’t have what it takes to be “the” guy.
Evidence to support Fisher’s deficiencies as a leader is the fact that until the final few ballgames, Corey Stokes was the club’s leading scorer despite suffering through a debillitating turf toe type injury. Arguably, Stokes has been the Wildcats’ most feared offensive player since when hot, he can drain threes as well as anyone in Division I, but those nights have been to far and between because of either inconsistency and the aforementioned injuries. Fifth year senior Pena, has been almost a non factor for most of the season as his numbers dipped in most offensive categories from his junior season. I’m not sure if it was the force feeding of Mouph Yarou into the line-up more or that he just has reached his full potential but he wasn’t the low post threat the Wildcats needed to balance out the always guard heavy Jay Wright line-ups.
2) Injuries
With many fans unsure as to exactly where the departed Reynolds’ production would come from on any given night, as I mentioned before, this season was to be more about a “team oriented” attack rather than relying on just one player. It sounded great but it works if, and only if, a squad doesn’t sustain many injuries. Arguably the most integral and indispensable moving part turned out to be Corey Stokes, playing the Robin role to Fisher as Batman.
Although he stepped his game up to the tune of a career high in scoring(15 ppg), 3 point percentage(.434), and assists(1.4), his unfortunate turf toe injury that forced him out of action for 4 games late in the season seemed to linger and affect the team even at regular season’s end. His absences forced an all too not ready Dominic Cheek into a starting role and seemed to upset the all too fragile and important team chemistry into tilt.
Now the unfortunate shoulder injury of the 6‘10 Mouph Yarou against USF threatens to further weaken their already thin front line which now may feature Isaiah Armwood, Pena, and 2nd year man Maurice Sutton, who desperately needs to add weight to consistently bang against opposing bigs. Not a pretty site going forward.
3) Lack of Development of their Underclassmen
This year’s sophomore class consisting of Maalik Wayns, Dominic Cheek, Yarou, and Sutton were supposed to be studs and the future of the program. But besides the at times above average play of Wayns in the open floor and a few outstanding performances from Yarou, the group which features 2 former McDonalds All Americans and a Top 10 HS player has disappointed mightily.
I’ll give you the fact that Wayns is the gem of the group and has made the biggest improvement in the group but despite being tough as nails and a nightmare to defend on the break, he again has been inconsistent and flat out struggles with the jump-shot. After two seasons of surprising opposing Big East guards, coaches have keyed in on the fact that he can’t shoot and take away his drive. Heading into next season, he rightfully so will be the focal point of the program but must take like 500 jumpers a day to become a bigger offensive threat.
Cheek, a once highly touted McDonalds player who played under Hall of Fame HS coach Bob Hurley at the fabled St Anthony’s in Jersey City, has arguably been the biggest disappointment. Although he has greatly improved his defensive abilities in year 2 of the program, his offense has been non-existent. I’m sorry but averaging just 5.7 ppg for a player so touted just doesn’t cut it.
After battling through a dreaded bout with Hepatitis that limited his development in his freshman campaign, Mouph has shown flashes of what is expected as a former Top 10 player in the ‘09 HS Class. He has the size and athletic ability to get the better of most opposing bigs in any conference but is without a doubt still very raw offensively. Many times in games, surely fans are yelling for him to dunk the basketball only to have him finish short on a potential and-one play, then miss the free throw. The future looks bright for Yarou, it’s just coming a bit slower than expected.
4) Inability To Guard the 3
No doubt, surely by now, the word is out on just how to beat the Wildcats: Bombs away from behind the arc. Seemingly on a game-by-game basis, an opposing player seems to have a career night when it comes to shooting the three. Whether is was Notre Dame’s Ben Hansborough, South Florida’s Shaun Noriega, or Pitt’s Ashton Gibbs, everyone has a big night on treys vs Nova. They ranked in the middle of the pack in Big East 3PT FG percentage where the worst game had to be vs Notre Dame where they allowed Ben Hansborough(7-10) and Tim Abromaitus(9-13) to go absolutely unconscious from behind the arc.
5) Unavailability/Dismissal of Jayvaughn Pinkston
While some may disagree, the untimely suspension and dismissal of McDonalds All American Jayvaughn Pinkston from the program for an on campus altercation with other students prior to the season beginning was brutal. Even though some hold out hope that he will return to campus this Summer since he retains his NCAA eligibility, Pinkston, known as “Baby Barkley” was to be counted upon heavily to bring a physical low post presence to the Wildcats frontcourt this season.
Even as a freshman, his contributions were sorely missed on a team which undoubtedly lacked attitude and the physicality needed to succeed in the post in the rough and ready Big East. After all, he was the reigning NY high school Player of the Year who averaged 27 ppg and 5 assists in earning a spot backing up Jared Sullinger on the 2010 Parade All American squads (http://www.parade.com/news/all-america/2010/meet-parades-all-america-high-school-boys-basketball-team.html). Hopefully we will see Jayvaughn back on the Main Line once again.
Fortunately there’s still time to right the ship as a probable double digit seed in the NCAA Tournament. But I don’t see the Cats making it much farther than the 2nd Round. Once the season is officially over, then it’s time for the Tyrone Johnson, Markus Kennedy, Achraf Yacoubou, and Darren “Money” Hilliard era to begin in ‘11-’12.
Check out PG prospect Tyrone Johnson Serving up a facial against Findlay Prep:
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
