Feb. 20, 2007
The Nova Notebook, by Villanova director of media relations Mike Sheridan, appears each week from September through February and monthly from April through August. This week we spend time with one of four seniors who will bid farewell to the Pavilion crowd in his final regular season home appearance on Saturday against Rutgers at 4:05 p.m.
The irony of this Saturday afternoon is not lost on senior guard Mike Nardi. The native of Linden, N.J., will play his final regular season home game at the Pavilion against one of the most instrumental people in bringing him to Villanova in the first place - Rutgers head coach, and former Villanova associate head coach, Fred Hill.
"The BIG EAST," he says with a wry smile, "did a great job in setting it up this way."
It was Hill who first introduced Nardi to Villanova basketball. The two had known each other since Nardi was in grade school and when Hill joined Jay Wright's staff in 2001, he wasted little time in pointing out to the 6-2 guard how his tenacity and skills would be an ideal fit at Villanova. Wright reinforced that impression and now, some six years later, Nardi is nearing the conclusion of a most productive college career.
"It's been just what Coach Wright and Coach Hill said it would be," states Nardi. "Sometimes coaches sell you on how their school is a family and you wonder if it's real. It's sincere here. People care about you, not just as players, but as people. I know that helped me, especially when things were tough early on."
The intensity which Nardi brings to the court is not manufactured. It accompanies him to the class room, film room and weight room. In the early stages of his Villanova experience, it occasionally overwhelmed him. Wright has spoken about how Nardi's transition to the business school as a sophomore in 2004-05 had a direct correlation to his 3-point shooting slide at the start of that season.
In retrospect, Nardi appreciates the guidance he received from those who touched him at Villanova - Wright, his staff, the support staff, and faculty.
"I can remember talking to Coach (Billy) Lange and his wife (Alicia) that first year," he says. "We would talk about basketball, about academics, everything. And there have been so many people since then who have been that supportive."
When Nardi chose Villanova, its basketball program was in a period of transition. In Wright's first full season in 2001-02, the Wildcats landed the most touted recruiting class in school history, including Randy Foye, Allan Ray, Jason Fraser and Curtis Sumpter. Just as those four had a year earlier, Nardi saw promise, tradition and hope where others saw less.
"I think it's something special," he says. "At the time, Villanova wasn't in the spotlight where it had been. We helped change that, though, and I think that's something we'll always be remembered for here."
As a junior at St. Patrick's High School, Nardi missed most of the 2001-02 campaign with a broken ankle. He returned to lead his club to the 2003 Tournament of Champions crown at Continental Airlines Arena yet he openly pondered the prospect of accepting a redshirt as a freshman to build strength and hone his game. The possibility was broached with Wright, who was amenable. But a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the knee of senior guard Derrick Snowden and the residue of suspensions left over from the telephone access incident of the previous March created a manpower shortage. Both Nardi and classmate Will Sheridan were pressed into immediate service.
Each held up remarkably well. Nardi was an instant starter and voted to the BIG EAST All-Rookie team in 2003-04. As a sophomore he played an integral role in Villanova's 24-8 season that included a trip to the Sweet 16. Last season, he stood alongside Foye, Ray and Kyle Lowry in the memorable four guard attack.
In his career, he has played on the ball and off the ball. He has screened bigs and smalls. He has covered cat-quick ballhandlers and wing men with wing spans of a 747. In short, he has done whatever the coaching staff has asked.
"I think it's helped me grow as a player," he notes. "The team is the most important thing and there are a lot of different ways to help."
In 2006-07, Nardi and his fellow seniors - which include Sheridan, Ross Condon and Sumpter - have been assigned a new charge as mentors to a core group of 10 freshmen and sophomores that constitutes the next generation of Villanova Basketball. In particular, Nardi has helped ease the assimilation of freshman standout Scottie Reynolds.
"The most important thing is that Scottie came in with the right mindset," Nardi says. "He wants to be part of something and is willing to give it up for the team. I've been as helpful as I can but he is the one who deserves the credit."
The senior also will take with him fond memories of his classmates.
"I really respect Ross," Nardi says. "He plays in practice every day whether he's hurt or sick. Ross is a ballplayer - he can really play.
"Bump will always be one of my best friends. He's always been there for me and he's given everything he has to this team. There's never been a time when he's worried about what's in it for him - shots, points, minutes. He just sacrifices for his teammates and coaches.
"Curt has had a great career. He's been so mentally strong through the injuries. I think it's made him a better player and it's probably given him a greater appreciation for playing the game."
As for his own legacy, Nardi views it simply.
"If there is one thing I would hope people would say it would be that `every time he stepped on the court, he played hard and tough,'" he says.
At the moment Nardi's hoops focus is aimed at the final three regular season games and whatever lies beyond for Villanova. When the season ends, he will begin to mull his future basketball options. It is uncertain whether that future will lie here or abroad - he possesses dual citizenship in Italy, so he could conceivably play in Europe and not count against the team's quota of Americans - yet that decision won't be made until summer.
For now, it's all about the ending he wants to write at Villanova.
"Believe it or not," he says, "we're coming towards the end. As a team we're going to keep pushing and keep striving to improve until the last buzzer."
It's been Nardi's mantra throughout and it's hard to quibble with the results. Why change now?
