May 23, 2007

Earlier this week Villanova officials learned of the serious injuries sustained by Wildcat great Howard Porter over the weekend in Minneapolis. Head coach Jay Wright - currently attending the annual BIG EAST Conference meeting in Florida - and the basketball program have been in contact with Porter's family and are closely monitoring the situation.

"All of us in the Villanova basketball family have been hit hard by this news," stated Wright. "Howard Porter is more than just a Villanova legend to us. He is a very generous and caring man who has impacted so many lives on our campus and beyond. Since returning to Villanova in 2001, our staff and players have shared some great moments with Mr. Porter. Our young guys respect him not just for his accomplishments, but for the humble and gracious manner with which he conducts himself.

"This is a tough time for all of us at Villanova, especially for those basketball alums that played and worked with Mr. Porter during his career. As a basketball program, we offer our prayers and best wishes to Howard and his family and will remain in close contact to offer any support we can."

Porter was a three-time All-American at Villanova and in 1971 led the Wildcats to the NCAA Final, where they fell to UCLA 68-62 at the Houston Astrodome. The 6-8 Porter is a native of Sarasota, Fla., and averaged 22.8 ppg in three varsity seasons. He scored 2,016 points and collected 1,317 rebounds (an average of 14.8 rpg) in 89 career games from 1968-71. His jersey was retired in 1997 and today hangs in the Pavilion rafters.