March 5, 2004
Each week during the regular season Villanova director of media relations Mike Sheridan takes you inside the Villanova Men's Basketball program. This time we visit with sophomore guard Allan Ray.
For most of Villanova's student population, the first week of March 2004 represents a pause. Classes have recessed for spring break, freeing the campus population to return home or, if they are among the fortunate, to head south to catch an early glimpse of summer.
Here, as well as across, the land, spring break is all about rejuvenation.
As he enters the Pavilion on a warm March afternoon, however, Allan Ray's thoughts are far removed from the simple pleasures of down time. Ray is fixated on helping his team, the Villanova Wildcats, solve the riddle of a season that has offered more than its share of twists and turns.
"Sometimes people say, 'well, they're young," states Ray, who leads the Wildcats in scoring at 17.5 ppg. "But we have the talent to do it this year."
There is no simple formula for success. No owner's manual exists. Rather it is a matter of trial and error.
"We are on a journey," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright after a wrenching 75-74 overtime defeat to No. 8 ranked Connecticut on Feb. 28. "This is a painful part of that journey."
Indeed, as the Wildcats have moved into the homestretch they have been tantalizingly close to the kind of breakthrough that could generate instant momentum. In the last two weeks alone, there have been four losses by a total of 11 points, two of them to nationally ranked Syracuse and Connecticut.
"We've been close," says Ray. "But we've made a couple of mistakes each time that have been the difference between winning and losing.
"It's tough. After these games, you go back to your room and don't sleep very much. I just keep replaying the game in my mind."
Although he knows not when the reward for the effort will come, Ray remains focused on the path that can make it a reality.
"We just have to keep working at it, in practice and in games," he says. "We can still finish strong. We just have to give it our all when we are out there."
On an individual level, there is no denying Ray's progress in 2003-04. The native of the Bronx, N.Y., has been Villanova's most consistently potent offensive weapon this season. His .415 percentage on 3-point field goals is tops in the Big East and no Wildcat has logged more minutes than Ray. In addition, he averages 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
One of the items that Wright found most appealing about Ray was his fortitude. As a prep player at St. Raymond's High School in the Bronx, N.Y., Ray emerged as a standout in 2000-01, working alongside All-American Julius Hodge. He committed to Villanova in July of 2001, becoming the first of Villanova's touted sophomores to give the Wildcats the nod.
Yet as a senior, Ray faced challenges. Hodge had moved on to North Carolina State University and, just as the spotlight focused upon him, there was a setback. Ray suffered a broken foot early in the 2001-02 season at St. Ray's and was forced to watch from the sidelines as his pals fought to carry on without him.
Ray didn't fold under the weight of that adversity.
Instead be arrived at Villanova with less fanfare than classmates Jason Fraser, Curtis Sumpter and Randy Foye. He was not a McDonald's All-American, as Fraser was. He was not New York City Catholic League Player of the Year as Sumpter had been. Nor did he have an award like Foye's New Jersey Player of the Year plaque.
However, Ray became an immediate force on the Main Line. Although he started only five games, he was a critical component off the Villanova bench. He ended the year with a 9.9 ppg scoring average and the knowledge that he could prosper at this level.
"At the end of last season, Coach (Wright) told me he wanted me to work on my shooting during the summer," Ray recalls. "I did that and I think it's helped."
This season Ray has taken a major step forward. He has enhanced his assist-to-turnover ratio in year two, though he acknowledges there is still work to do in that regard. This year he carries a larger defensive burden than he did as a rookie and there have been strides made there too. In Villanova's last two outings he exploded for 47 points, including a huge shot in traffic with 20 seconds left in regulation in the loss to Connecticut at the Wachovia Center.
All of it, however, feels far less satisfying than it would if the Wildcats were making more progress in the won-loss category.
"I can't really enjoy it," he says.
As he ponders it all, Ray often leans on his family and friends for perspective.
"My father (Allan Ray Sr.) used to play so I talk to him about it a lot," Ray states. "He understands what it's like and he just tells me to keep playing hard and not to let it overwhelm me." Ray is also comforted by the bond he shares with his teammates, in particular fellow sophomores Mike Claxton, Foye, Fraser and Sumpter.
"We're very close friends," he states. "Our whole team is close but I think the sophomores might be the closest of any of the classes. We know that people say our recruiting class was overrated. We want to use that as motivation and prove people wrong."
The fact that his team has been within striking distance in the final moments against the Big East's elite does give Ray a measure of solace.
"To me, that's a positive," he says. "It's not like we've been out of games. We've lost because of a little play here or a little play here. That's where we have to improve.
"I feel like I've had a pretty good year and made a big improvement. But it won't feel right until we are back on track, getting wins.
"Right now, we're just focused on getting wins and being the best team we can be now."
Helping his team turn a corner would complete what is already a nice picture for Ray.
"I really enjoy Villanova," he says. "The people are great. I like everything about it."
