Feb. 21, 2003

Each week during the school year, VU director of media relations Mike Sheridan takes you inside the Villanova Men's Basketball program with notes, quotes and anecdotes from the Wildcats.

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Fourteen years have passed yet when Jay Wright sees Gary Massey today, one of the first things he thinks about is the former Wildcat's senior night in 1989.

"I remember it," says Wright, "like it was yesterday. Gary really helped me as a young assistant coach and I still recall everything about his farewell.

"But then that's true of every senior night I've been a part of, especially here at Villanova."

The customary ritual of bidding farewell to a senior class is upon us again. On Feb. 25 at the Pavilion five members of the Villanova basketball family will mark their final regular season appearance at the Pavilion: manager Rico Lunardi; guard Lou Ruskey; forwards Andrew Sullivan and Ricky Wright; and guard Gary Buchanan. The ceremonies prior to the Big East contest against Miami get underway at 7:15 p.m. and Jay Wright hopes ticket-holders will make plans to be on hand a little earlier than usual.

"It's such an important thing to us," says Jay Wright. "These people have made great contributions to this program and we want to give them a terrific sendoff. We'd love to have all our fans there to let them know how much they are appreciated."

Though each member of the coaching and support staffs have their own unique bonds with the class of 2003, no one's ties run deeper than assistant coach Joe Jones. As a member of Steve Lappas' staff, Jones played a large role in recruiting each of the scholarship seniors in the class. He is the only current staff member to have coached these seniors throughout their careers on the Main Line.

Jones can recall his first - and by extension Villanova's first - contact with the three seniors who have played important on-court roles here during their careers.

"I first got a look at Rick at the Nike camp in the summer of 1998," said Jones. "I just loved his tenacity. He played on a team with Al Anagonye, who's now at Michigan State, and they were just clobbering people on the offensive glass. I looked his name up in the book and made a note of it.

"For the next month I tried to get him on the telephone and couldn't reach him, which is pretty unusual in this business. I happened to mention his name to (former Wildcat) Bobby Smith's father and he said they were good friends with Rick and that Rick might have some interest in coming East for college. So I kept trying.

"Finally, I was on vacation with my wife Kristin and our friends in Nantucket. We were on the beach and I got Rick on the cell phone. Rick didn't say a lot - he wasn't too talkative then - but I felt like we had a good conversation."

In the fall of 1998, Ricky Wright committed to Villanova. As a freshman he was an important contributor off the bench. His skills were apparent and when he exploded for 50 points in a three game span in February of 2000, it was obvious that this was a talented youngster.

"The toughest thing for Rick was just coming off the bench at that point in his career," says Jones. "His attitude about it was good. He was a great teammate right from the beginning. It was just that with Malik (Allen) and Brooks (Sales) already here, he wasn't able to be on the floor for stretches of 8-10 minutes at a time."

By the time he was a junior, though, the interior spotlight focused on Ricky Wright and he has delivered. As a junior he was named second team All-Big East and has averaged 12.8 points and 7.7 rebounds for the 'Cats in his senior season. On Dec. 31 against Temple he became the 45th player in school history to score 1,000 or more career points.

For all of his on-court skill, those around the program are most impressed by his off-court gains.

"Rick's always been a solid kid," states Jones. "But he was awfully quiet in his early days here. Now he's very talkative with everyone and that's great to see. He's grown a lot and we're very happy with how he's taken on the leadership role with this team. The fact that we have had some success is a tribute to him and the rest of the seniors."

When Sullivan played his first game at St. Augustine's in New Jersey after emigrating from England in 1997, Jones was on hand.

"Right away," Jones recalls, "you saw what a great athlete Sully was and how he could impact a game."

Sullivan became a coveted property quickly. He made several unofficial visits to Villanova and developed a comfort zone that may have tipped the scales in the school's favor.

"I think he wanted to stay close to New Jersey and he got to know and like a number of the guys on the team," states Jones.

As a freshman in 1999-00 Sullivan made some intangible contributions that helped the cause. His defense on Robert O'Kelley helped the 'Cats upend No. 19 Wake Forest in the Rainbow Classic.

"Sully was able to come into a game and fill in the pieces," says Jones. "He did it by running the floor, rebounding and defending."

As a junior, Sullivan was challenged to become more of a factor in those areas by Jay Wright and he responded, starting all 323 games in a 19-13 season. This season he continues to be an important cog for the 'Cats, averaging 5.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 23.6 minutes per contest.

"Sully deserves a lot of credit," notes Jones. "He gave up his starting role because he thought it would make the team better. Whatever we've asked him to do, he's done."

While both Ricky Wright and Sullivan were signed in the fall period, Buchanan was the last member of the class of 2003 to sign a letter of intent. After an unheralded career at Valley Park High School in his native St. Louis, the 6-3 guard elected to spend a prep school season at St. Thomas More in Connecticut.

"I'm good friends with Jere Quinn, who coached St. Thomas More," Jones states. "Jere mentioned Gary's name to me so I went up to see him play. When I saw him, I thought he was perfect for the motion offense we were running at the time. I also thought he was more athletic and a good all-around scorer, not just a 3-point shooter. I really liked him a lot and in my mind decided this was the kid for us.

"Then as I got to know Gary as a person, I was really excited. He's laid-back but he's a terrific kid once you get to know him. The more I talked to him, the better I liked him."

Buchanan made his official visit on Feb. 27 on a weekend when the 'Cats wrapped up an NCAA Tournament bid with a 66-60 victory over St. John's. He verbally committed to the school in early March.

It was Buchanan who made the greatest immediate impact here. He became a member of the starting lineup midway through his freshman season and has essentially remained in it ever since. During his career he has scored 1,748 points (eighth all-time) and established new benchmarks for free throw shooting prowess (he has converted .919 of his career attempts from the line and once held the Division I streak of 73 consecutive made free throws).

"I thought Gary could have a nice career here," states Jones, "but I never expected him to do what he did as quickly as he did it. I also have a lot of respect for the way he has responded to the challenges Jay has put in front of him over the last two years to become a more complete player."

There are those who have suggested that the legacy of this trio will be that of its near-misses on Selection Sunday. In its first three years, this class was within one or two wins of reaching the NCAA Tournament, only to be left out. Its fate this season (VU is 14-9 as this is written) could very well go down to the wire again.

The close calls, though, are only a small part of this story. Rather, ponder for a moment what life might have been like in the Nova Nation if they had not provided what they did.

"These guys should be commended and celebrated," says Jones. "They aren't solely responsible for what's happened the last few years. They've been on teams that have knocked on the door, and through some bad luck and a few bad bounces, come up a little bit short. But they've never failed for a lack of effort or heart. And they went through a lot with a coaching change midway through their careers."

Indeed, this class has in many ways been a bridge from one generation of Villanova hoops to the next.

"When you are trying to build a program, one of the most important issues is the perception of your program," explains Jones. "Because of these guys, and Derrick Snowden, Brooks and the rest of the guys, people were impressed with what they saw last year. We played hard and were extremely competitive. The young guys out there had a very good impression of our program because of these guys."

"You can't imagine how critical that is."

And the seniors have served as willing mentors for one of the nation's most touted recruiting classes.

"There haven't been any issues with jealousy and that's really amazing when you think about it," states Jones. "When Rick's in foul trouble, he's on the bench cheering his teammates or offering them tips during timeouts. Sully is extremely vocal when he's not in the game. When Gary was struggling with injuries he never complained or grumbled when he lost some of his minutes.

"These are all high quality people. And we are really going to miss them."