Nov. 26, 2003
VILLANOVA WILDCATS (3-1)
vs.
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (1-2)
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2003
2:00 p.m. eastern time
ESPN2 TV
WZZD Radio (990 AM)
The Men's Basketball team concludes play in the Maui Invitational with today's fifth place game against Ohio State. Click on the PDF link below for a complete version of the game notes.
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Perseverance Paid Off
Although it won't be recorded as any kind of artistic success, Villanova head coach Jay Wright did not issue any complaints. Villanova's 53-51 overtime victory over Santa Clara in the consolation round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational on Tuesday offered him an element his staff finds especially valuable.
"This win was truly a tribute to the character of our young guys," stated Wright. "We were down five points with 17 seconds to go and at that point we were playing for pride. We teach our guys to play through to the end and that's what we were trying to do.
"We got some breaks at the end but we created a few of our own. The defensive effort that forced a turnover after we had cut the lead to two was outstanding.
"We just kept playing and never stopped."
The morning had begun with a 3-point field goal from Santa Clara's Doron Perkins and the Broncs held that early lead for the next 39 minutes, 53 seconds. Villanova forged a tie at 47 when sophomore guard Randy Foye dropped in a pair of free throws with seven seconds left in regulation and overtime followed.
This time, freshman guard Mike Nardi scored four points before Santa Clara rallied to tie the game at 51. Allan Ray then missed from deep but Curtis Sumpter collected the rebound and was fouled as he put up a shot. Sumpter then made both free throws with 2.3 seconds on the clock to secure a Villanova victory.
Ray Had it Rough
Although his nine points in the win over Santa Clara represented a season low, Allan Ray was still a key to victory on Tuesday. Ray drained a big late 3-point field goal and he did so despite a contusion above his left eye that required five stitches following the game.
"Tom Grace's dad (Dr. George Grace) is a plastic surgeon," explained Wright. "He came in and stitched Allan up in our locker room. His wound wouldn't close. Allan has great heart and we saw it by his willingness to hang in there in this game."
Charles in Charge
The expression all or nothing took on new meaning to Chris Charles. After sitting idle for all of 2002-03 as a redshirt and the first two games of 2003-04 (due to suspension), Charles went from watching in street clothes to playing the full 40 minutes on Monday.
The product of Crispus Attucks Youth Build (York, Pa.) showed that he had been paying attention as a spectator. Charles scored eight points, blocked five shots and collected 12 rebounds, establishing new career highs in each category.
Charles served his final game of suspension on Tuesday. He is available and expected to start against Ohio State.
Defense Did The Trick
If there was one element above all others that allowed Villanova to rally it was its defensive work. The Wildcats limited Santa Clara to 28 points in the final 25 minutes. Santa Clara connected on only 5-of-21 (.238) from the field in the second half and 2-of-8 (.250) in overtime.
"We had a bad shooting day as a whole," stated Foye, "so we concentrated on getting stops."
Over the course of its first four games, Villanova is limiting its opponents to .325 shooting from the field and just .317 from beyond the 3-point arc. This took place despite a roster featuring no more than five scholarship players in any single game.
A Heavy Load
Villanova is scheduled to remain in Maui until Friday afternoon for a bit of rest and relaxation. The rest will be welcome to a quartet of freshmen and sophomores who have carried an extraordinary load.
Foye, Nardi, Ray, and freshman Will Sheridan have played 599 of Villanova's 825 minutes in 2003-04. That accounts for 72 percent of all minutes logged to this point.
Of the group, Sheridan probably has attracted the least amount of attention. Yet his contribution has been significant. He is averaging 8.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per outing, connecting on .789 of his field goal attempts.
What's more, Sheridan has committed just one turnover in 155 minutes.
Nardi's Prospered Early
Although circumstance has dictated that his role be large from the outset, freshman Mike Nardi has wasted little time in taking hold of the point guard position at Villanova.
At Temple, Nardi calmly guided the 'Cats against the maze that is the Owls matchup zone. Although his 11 points, seven assists and only two turnovers were impressive enough, there were other items that hinted at how efficient the native of Linden, N.J. was against John Chaney's often stifling defense.
The eye-raising factor was Villanova's team field goal percentage. The 'Cats connected on 26-of-43 from the floor (.605), an unheard of number against the Owls.
What's more, Villanova's 73 points were the most the 'Cats have scored against John Chaney's club since the 1987-88 campaign, when it posted 86 in a loss to the then No. 1 team in the nation.
Nardi also helped Villanova keep its composure in the hothouse that was Currier Gym on Saturday. He dished out 13 assists, only three shy of the school record shared by Jim Huggard and Fran O'Hanlon (currently the head coach at Lafayette.) He also contributed 19 points.
Then, in his poorest performance to date against Santa Clara, Nardi hung tough and scored four points in overtime. He also led the team with five assists.
Through four games, Nardi has 28 assists to 14 turnovers.
Glass Work
One area of concern in this opening week was rebounding. In the opener at Temple, Villanova only had two players taller than 6-7 available in freshman Will Sheridan and sophomore Curtis Sumpter. Against the Redlands, only Sheridan was on the floor.
After winning the battle of the boards in its first three outings, the 'Cats took it on the chin in that area against Santa Clara. The Wildcats were outrebounded 43-27, its worst effort on the boards since it was outdone 45-28 on March 4, 2003 at Boston College.
Villanova grabbed 21 defensive rebounds but was limited to only six offensive boards.
Randy's Role
As a rookie in 2002-03, guard Randy Foye frequently directed the Villanova offense. With the arrival of freshman point guard Mike Nardi, Foye's role has been somewhat altered in his second season on the Main Line.
Foye is a backcourt fixture again, this time concentrating on replacing some of the scoring firepower on the perimeter lost when Buchanan graduated. As a frosh, Foye averaged 10.3 ppg and is the club's leading returning scorer.
In the first four games, Foye has averaged 18.5 ppg and is getting into the lane as part of Villanova's three-guard offense. He is collecting 8.5 rebounds per game as a 6-3 guard playing inside and outside with the diminished roster.
"With the arrival of Mike, I think Randy has a chance to show people more of his offensive game and continue the defensive improvement we saw last season," said Wright.
Foye scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the 53-51 win over Santa Clara, including the game tying free throws with 7.3 seconds left on the clock in regulation.
No Snow in the Forecast
Senior guard Derrick Snowden continues to rehabilitate his left knee after undergoing surgery on Aug. 27 at Bryn Mawr Hospital.
There is no timetable for a return.
"We are going to evaluate this as we go along," said Wright at Villanova's media day earlier this month. "Snow has made remarkable progress and there is a chance we could get him back this season."
Villanova's most experienced player, the product of Baltimore's Archbishop Spalding High School led the Wildcats in minutes played in each of the past two seasons. He also topped the club in assists (3.5 apg) and 3-point shooting percentage (.432). His scoring average was 8.6 ppg.
Snowden has been a Villanova team captain for each of the past three seasons.
Signing In
High school standouts Kyle Lowry (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Dwayne Anderson (Mitchellville, Md.) signed national letters of intent during the early signing period.
"We are extremely excited to have two quality young men like Kyle and Dwayne join the Villanova basketball family," stated head coach Jay Wright in making the announcement on Nov. 20. "Both Kyle and Dwayne come from outstanding programs with exceptional coaching from Mark Heimerdinger and Dave Distel at Cardinal Dougherty and Paul DeStefano at St. John's. They both will be well-prepared to step into our system and contribute."
Lowry, a 6-0 guard from Philadelphia, averaged 15.9 points per game for Cardinal Dougherty High School as a junior in 2002-03. He was a second team Philadelphia Daily News All-City selection and as a candidate for the McDonald's All-American game is widely considered to be one of the top guards in the nation.
"Kyle," said Wright, "comes from a terrific family that has had a great influence on him, especially his brother Lonnie. He is in the mold of great Villanova guards of the past. He's got the Philly guard instincts, toughness and desire to win. Kyle will do anything to help his team win a game."
Anderson is a 6-5 wing player from St. John's High School in Maryland.
"Dwayne is an athletic, strong perimeter player who is an intelligent scorer and defender," said Wright. "He is young and, although he's had a great high school career, as a coaching staff we are convinced his best basketball is ahead of him."
Reinforcements Please
With the manpower shortages owed to suspensions and injury, head coach Jay Wright has turned to several athletes who have seen little action in the past.
Michael Claxton, a 6-2 sophomore, made his first collegiate start on Saturday and held his own. He was 2-of-2 from the field for a career-high four points. His 18 minutes in that contest were more than the Hempstead, N.Y. product saw in all of 2002-03 (14 minutes).
Ross Condon, a 5-11 newcomer out of Springfield, Va., picked up a charge and sank 1-of-2 field goals in 19 minutes of action. He also picked up four assists and zero turnovers.
Senior walk-on Tom Grace saw a career best 14 minutes of time against the Redlands, dropping in his second third career 3-point field goal.
Baker Dunleavy, a 6-5 redshirt freshman, grabbed two rebounds in 16 minutes at the Redlands.
Fraser's Still Down
When the time comes to flip the calendar page to 2004, few may be more eager to do so than sophomore forward Jason Fraser.
Adversity has been an underlying current in the basketball life of this Parade All-American from Amityville, N.Y. throughout 2003.
The troubles began even as the Wildcats rolled through the early portion of their Big East schedule in January. Fraser was a significant factor as Villanova reached the end of the month with a 12-6 record, 5-1 in the Big East.
Yet even as he lent a helping hand, Fraser was battling tendonitis in both knees. By the time February dawned, the 6-10 forward/center rarely practiced because of the condition. His minutes steadily began to shrink as the pain increased.
A nadir was reached when Fraser started against Providence on Feb. 22 but lasted only two minutes before the pain became too much. He was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left foot and was sidelined for two weeks.
Fraser was later cleared to play in the first week of March. However, he did not return to action thanks to his role in the telephone access code incident. (He served a three game suspension).
On April 9, Fraser underwent surgery at Bryn Mawr Hospital on both knees to help relieve the tendonitis. He did not resume basketball action until late September and then participated in the first 10 days of official practice before encountering a problem with his left heel.
In early November, Fraser was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left heel. He was placed in a walking boot and will be re-evaluated in early December. The injury is said by physicians to be healing slowly.
