Nov. 7, 2003

Each Friday Villanova director of media relations Mike Sheridan takes you inside the men's basketball program.

It is a rare instance when an athlete beginning his second season of collegiate competition finds himself in a leadership role.

Yet as he looks ahead to 2003-04, that is the circumstance Allan Ray finds himself in.

Derrick Snowden, Villanova's most experienced player, remains sidelined following knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament on Aug. 27. Fellow sophomore Jason Fraser is modeling a walking boot as he recovers from a stress fracture in his heel. The only other scholarship upperclassmen on the roster, senior Andreas Bloch and junior Marcus Austin, won't be available at the outset of the season as they serve suspensions for their role in the telephone access code issue of last spring.

So in November the men out front speaking for their teammates to the media have been Ray and backcourt partner Randy Foye. The performance of both will be vital as Villanova looks to weather what looms as a manpower shortage through the 2003-04 season's opening weeks.

"The pressure is just to be as focused as you can be, especially at the start of the year," Ray states. "We know we have to play hard. But we also know that if we do that we can be in a position to win. We saw that last year against Pittsburgh and Georgetown. Pittsburgh was one of the top teams in the country but because we played hard and were smart, we were right there with a chance to win at the end of the game."

On a day when only five scholarship athletes were available on March 9, Villanova rallied to come within a basket of forcing the Panthers to overtime. The final was 56-54. The 'Cats then gave Georgetown a good run before dropping a 46-41 decision to an eventual NIT finalist at the Big East Tournament.

Although the circumstances that surrounded the conclusion to the 2002-03 campaign were less than ideal, the experience did have an impact that wasn't entirely negative.

"Our young guys, especially Allan, Randy and Curtis (Sumpter), went through more than most freshmen do," states head coach Jay Wright. "It's something that they learned from and can help them as we move forward."

"The phone code situation was tough," states Ray, "but I think it brought us closer together. This is a very close team now. We're always together off the court, hanging out."

Ray was a trailblazer of sorts in the 2002 recruiting class that ultimately would be ranked among the nation's best. The native of the Bronx, N.Y., was the first of the current sophomores to commit to the Wildcats, doing so in July of 2001. Perhaps then it is fitting that he will shoulder a significant burden this season.

"Allan has great toughness and he's worked very hard to improve this off-season," notes Wright.

As debuts go, Ray's was filled with the kinds of highs and lows that often characterize freshman efforts.

The good news was that the product of St. Raymond's High School never appeared out of place in the Big East. He got off to a quick start and his 19 points keyed a 74-71 victory over La Salle at the Palestra on Dec. 7. There was also an 18-point explosion that helped the 'Cats end a six-game losing streak to Boston College at the Pavilion on Jan. 22.

But Ray's role was new to him. Serving primarily as an understudy to senior guard Gary Buchanan, Ray had to adjust to coming off the bench after starting most of his career. There were some nights his impact was minimal or his long-range touch was off (he connected on .299 of his 3-point field goals for the season.)

For the most part, it was a typical rookie run, full of ups and downs.

Ray may have delivered a sneak preview of his potential in the final three games of the campaign. He scored 15 points in the loss to Pittsburgh, including some key baskets in the second half. Indeed, he looked quite comfortable in the role of perimeter go-to man.

When the final statistics were entered, Ray had a 9.9 ppg scoring average.

Since the buzzer sounded in an NIT loss at Siena, the Bronx native has toiled diligently to enhance his game.

"The summer went by fast, partly because I spent a lot of it working on my game," he says. "I played a lot in open gym with the guys, lifted weights and really tried to concentrate on the things the coaches had asked me to think about as I went through the summer."

So how is this Allan Ray different from the youngster who debuted at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 15, 2002?

"I'm stronger and just a lot more confident in myself," he says. "I think I make better decisions now than I did then and I've been able to do a better job at knocking down the three."

For all the high-caliber basketball he had been a part of on the prep level in New York City, Ray says the Big East took a lot of getting used to.

"In high school, there are certain teams you pretty much know you just have to show up to beat," Ray states. "Your team just has so much more talent than the other team on those nights, there's not a lot to worry about.

"It's completely different in college. You have to play hard every time out. If you aren't ready to play, you are going to get beat."

Ray understands his workload in the first few games will be heavy. Villanova, with only one big man (freshman Will Sheridan) likely to be available in the first three games, must be scrappy and will lean heavily on its trio of scholarship guards, including Ray, Foye and freshman Mike Nardi.

"We're all going to have to do a good job of rebounding," says Ray.

Yet Ray isn't shying away from the challenge. He plans to keep it simple and trust that effort will be rewarded.

"This year," he says, "I just want to play as hard as I can. I want to do everything I can to help us win."

Spoken like a true leader.