Aug. 24, 2007
The Nova Notebook, by Villanova director of media relations Mike Sheridan, appears weekly beginning in September through February with monthly updates in the off-season. In this entry, we catch up with former Wildcat Kyle Lowry as he prepares to begin his second year with the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association.
Seated in a folding chair a few feet from the baseline of the Pavilion floor where he once confounded opposing guards, Kyle Lowry appears perfectly relaxed. On a rare day of rest from a workout schedule that typically finds him in a gym by 6:30 a.m., the 6-0 guard is taking in the 2007-08 Wildcats as they begin preparations for a four game exhibition tour of Canada over Labor Day weekend.
"Everything," he says, "is good."
Fresh from a rookie campaign that tested his maturity in a fashion he never envisioned, the product of Cardinal Dougherty High School is healthy again and eagerly anticipating 2007-08. A broken wrist suffered in December limited him to 10 games in his debut, but a pair of surgeries and months of rehab have had their intended affect: he is ready for training camp.
There is a small irony in his visit to the Pavilion today. For had things worked out differently, Lowry would today be on that court as the only senior on Villanova's roster.
"I thought about that the other day," he says with a chuckle. "As the only senior, I would be the guy Coach (Jay) Wright was yelling at all the time."
On a more serious note, Lowry says he appreciated his time at Villanova but has never second guessed his choice to leave for the National Basketball Association draft following two stellar seasons.
"It wasn't something that any of us had planned on when I came to Villanova," Lowry notes of his early exit to become a 2006 NBA first round draft choice. "But the opportunity presented itself and it was the best thing for me and my family."
Lowry, like so many of his basketball contemporaries, remains close to the program. Junior forward Shane Clark and Lowry have known one another since kindergarten and view one another as brothers. Fellow Philadelphian Reggie Redding is someone Lowry played with frequently on the AAU circuit. And Lowry has developed a bond with sophomore guard Scottie Reynolds as well.
He also remains close to the coaching staff. In June, a nattily attired Lowry and his mother, Marie Holloway, were in attendance at the wedding and reception of assistant coach Patrick Chambers. And there aren't many weeks that go by when there isn't a phone call or text message exchange with Wright.
"Even when I was at Villanova, Coach Wright and I talked about much more than basketball," he says. "That's really how it is now. Our conversations are about life. He always wants to know how I'm doing as a person and that's something I really appreciate."
The 2006-07 season wasn't easy on Lowry. After enjoying a remarkable performance off the bench in an overtime loss to the New York Knicks on opening night, Lowry had begun to carve a niche for himself in Mike Fratello's playing rotation. He appeared on target to assume a spot in the starting lineup before breaking his wrist in a game at Cleveland.
There were three broken bones in Lowry's wrist. The initial surgery began the healing process in two of those. But the smallest of those - and the smallest bone in the human body - proved more problematic. A second surgery was needed to induce healing in that bone and effectively shelved Lowry for the balance of the season.
Lowry's injury was only one of many negative developments in a year in which the Grizzlies finished with the NBA's worst record.
"Not playing basketball for that length of time was so tough," he states. "I had been through two months of that when I hurt my knee here (a torn ACL in his knee that was repaired in the fall of 2004, causing Lowry to miss the first seven games of his college career), but this was even harder."
The energy Lowry brings to the court is part of who he is. Finding outlets for that became difficult.
"The doctor didn't want me to do anything else," says Lowry, who wore a cast that ran the length of his arm after the January surgery. "I just tried to stay focused on my rehab."
Wright often noted how much Lowry learned during his stint on the sidelines in 2004. He incessantly peppered the Villanova coaches with questions in practice and Wright has stated that the insight he gained smoothed his learning curve when he did return to action. Lowry took the same approach this time during his layoff.
"I learned a lot," he says. "I sat next to our coaching staff during the games and really watched what went on. I talked to our veterans and tried to learn some of the things they do to be effective."
It could be argued that Lowry's luck did not much improve when the season ended. Despite the league's worst record, the Grizzlies did not take home the top pick and the opportunity to select center Greg Oden at the draft lottery. Choosing fourth, Memphis went with the consensus top point guard in the pool, Ohio State guard Mike Conley.
Yet where others might see the negatives, Lowry detects the kind of challenge he relishes.
"One thing we learned last year is that you can never have enough point guards," he says. "Now there are three of us who can run our team - Damon Stoudamire, Mike and myself. We have a new coaching staff and I think they are going to find ways to utilize us all."
The new head coach is former Philadelphia 76ers forward Marc Iavaroni, who comes from the staff of the Phoenix Suns. The plan is to install an up-tempo attack that should play well to Lowry's quickness and ability to make plays in the open floor. Conley and Lowry were often on the court together in the Las Vegas summer league and the combination was impressive to the point where Lowry was named to the all-league squad.
"I am ready to get started," he says.
Lowry also likes the promise of the 2007-08 Wildcats. He is especially familiar with his pal Clark.
"From when I left to where Shane is now is really amazing," he says. "Watching him now, you can see that he has put the time in the weight room and on the court. He is stronger and really has added things to his game. I'm really excited for him."
As for Reynolds, whom he developed a relationship with in 2006 as he pondered his decision to enter the NBA draft, Lowry is similarly upbeat.
"Scottie easily could have gone pro," he says. "He had a great freshman year. But we all have flaws in our game and he decided that it was important to him to come back and work on those."
As he travels to and fro this winter while pursuing his NBA dream, Lowry will do his best to follow the `Cats. There will doubtless be phone calls and messages exchanged with Clark, Redding, Reynolds and the coaching staff. And when the season comes to a halt, Lowry will return to home to Philadelphia.
The 6:30 a.m. workouts will resume shortly thereafter, with a new spot likely worked into the rotation. Villanova's IARC will be open then and Lowry likes the sound of that.
"I'm going to have get myself a key to that place," he says with a laugh.
It's fair to assume that won't be a problem.
