Oct. 25, 2001

VILLANOVA, Pa. - A pair of Villanova students have joined the Wildcats basketball family as walk-ons, head coach Jay Wright announced today.

Tom Grace, a 6-0 sophomore from Catonsville, Md., and Lou Ruskey, a 6-0 junior from Sewell, N.J., are the newest Wildcats. They bring to 13 the number of student-athletes on the 2001-02 roster.

"We are happy to add Tom and Lou to our Villanova basketball family," said Wright. "Both were a part of outstanding prep basketball programs in high school and have the kind of enthusiasm and intensity we want here at Villanova."

Grace earned a pair of varsity letters as a shooting guard for head coach Bob Flynn at Cardinal Gibbons High School. In addition, he was the valedictorian of his senior class in 2000.

Ruskey played alongside Wildcat junior Andrew Sullivan at St. Augustine Prep in Richland, N.J. He averaged 13 points a game as a senior and helped coach Paul Rodeo's club to a Class B state championship in 1999.