Aug. 2, 2002
Coach Jay Wright and his staff spent much of the month of July at the center of a whirlwind of activity. This the final installment of a 10-part series taking you behind the scenes of life on the recruiting trail during this critical period. (Please note that NCAA rules prohibit member institutions or its staff from mentioning or commenting on individual prospects.)
Today's Traveler: Jay Wright
Monday, July 29
Maui/Los Angeles/Chicago/Philadelphia
Somewhere during the month of July there is one day when events beyond your control conspire against you.
Today is that day for me.
Flight delays are the order of the day.
One thing about travel, though, is that you can't let it get to you. Every one of the people with tickets on my flights has somewhere else they'd rather be than waiting at an airport. Yet you have to realize that delays are a part of the deal and, the truth is, I've been very fortunate in my travels up to this point.
I departed Maui, where I spent the weekend at a tournament, at 10:30 p.m. The flight was delayed, though, which set off a chain reaction that caused me to miss my connections in Los Angeles and Chicago. I was originally scheduled to land in Philadelphia at 3:30 p.m. but didn't arrive until 10:30 p.m.
So, as I have done in the past, I tried to make the most of the time. In the air, I caught up on paperwork. On the ground I wore out the battery in my cell phone.
Bottom line?
I made it home safely and am ready to get after it in the final two days of the recruiting period.
Tuesday, July 30
Villanova, Pa.
The first item on my agenda this morning was a meeting with Brooks Sales, who just graduated last spring. We have a great tradition of Villanova seniors rising to the occasion and Brooks did that in 2001-02. His acceptance of some of the things we wanted to get across to our players and willingness to work hard set a great tone for our program. We all owe him a debt of gratitude.
Brooks spent July with the Indiana Pacers' rookie league team and now is assessing his options. There are several fairly lucrative offers on the table for Brooks to play in Europe. However, if he elects to sign with a European pro team now, he won't have the opportunity to attend a National Basketball Association training camp. Should he choose to wait, then go to an NBA franchise's camp he will face an uphill battle to make the team as an undrafted free agent. Should he fail to make the team, he would probably be looking at spending the year in the IBL, which doesn't offer the same kind of financial opportunity that the good pro leagues in Europe do.
It's never an easy decision and I mainly tried to outline what I see as the pros and cons of both situations. While Europe is very lucrative, it's tough to walk away - even temporarily - from your NBA dream.
The good news is that Brooks has some solid options to continue his career. And he needs look no further than Malik Allen to know that being cut by an NBA team as a rookie does not end a career. Malik, a 2000 Villanova grad, wasn't drafted and spent the 2000 fall in training camp with the Sacramento Kings. Malik played well but, as often happens, was in a spot where the Kings had 15 guaranteed contracts. He was cut.
Malik never pouted. He went to the ABA, enjoyed a terrific year, and then got a chance in Miami. He spent the entire year on the roster and had some big games in April for the Heat. There are also plenty of cases where guys went to Europe, added to their games, came back and made the NBA.
Brooks can make it happen too. He just needs to work hard and continue doing all the intangibles that Villanova fans came to appreciate in 2001-02.
After watching some Philadelphia summer league games in late afternoon and early evening, Joe Jones and I capped our day off with a cheese steak at Max's. It tasted great and it felt good to be back home in Philly.
Wednesday, July 31
Ewing, N.J./New York City
This is the final day of the evaluation period and it begins for me at the College of New Jersey, home of the Eastern Invitational. This has always been a regular stop on our tours dating back to my days as a Villanova assistant and an event I always look forward to.
Later in the day I drive north to the City where I speak at a camp and then watch more action at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
While I'm driving one of the things I keep thinking back to is the Sonny Hill game I watched last night that featured our sophomore forward Chris Charles. As most of you know, Chris missed eight games and much practice time last season after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. But he has received terrific medical care from our team of physicians led by Dr. Frank Furman and was cleared to resume activity on June 13. It's just so good to see him out there.
Chris got into some foul trouble, which was unfortunate. But it was wonderful to see him competing again. He is a tremendous young man and a talented guy who can help our basketball team.
Epilogue
It seems hard to fathom, but we have reached the end of our Journey. The end of July signals the close of the evaluation period.
Truthfully, I am spent. Yet it's a good kind of fatigue, the kind that's there when you're doing what you love. Sometimes you really do have to pinch yourself. For someone who grew up as a huge sports fan, rooting for Villanova and all the Philly teams, the opportunity to travel the country and watch basketball in awesome places like Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Maui, is really special.
On a day in Maui I could watch six games and during my break spend an hour sitting by the pool in a tropical vacation spot. It's a hoops junkie's dream.
Of course, there's much to look ahead towards. On Sunday night we will have our Summer Slam Alumni doubleheader. Players from the 1950s, 60s and 70s will play at 5:00 p.m. while some of our great Villanova pros will compete in a game at 6:15 p.m. Admission is free and we hope to fill the Jake Nevin Field House. That will be followed by the Wildcat Summer Jam on Monday, a fan-fest that begins at 4:00 p.m. in the Pavilion parking lot. I'm looking forward to greeting our alums and Villanova basketball fans.
Thanks for taking the time to follow us this summer. I've enjoyed sharing some thoughts with you from the road and we'll be adding more Villanova Basketball features as we approach the 2002-03 season. I hope you will check us out again at villanova.com.
