• Recruiting
• Possible Schedule
• Jay Wright’s suits
• Villanova Football
• Barney Rubble vs. Boss Hogg

Photo from Scout.com

The recruitment, commitment, and progress of Villanova signee Markus Kennedy is confusing for a lot of Wildcat fans.

Last school year, Kennedy prepped at the Winchendon Academy (after being at the Living Faith Academy the prior year, St. Pat’s the year before that, and Bonner the year before that). In April, we shared with you that the Big Man was taking a prep year and reclassifying as a 2011 player. Now that decision is down to Kennedy’s transfer to another school; either Brewster Academy in New Hampshire or NIA Prep in New Jersey for the 2010-11 school year.

A good number of fans are wondering about Kennedy. Is the Big Man too big? Is Jay trying to run him out of the program? Is Jay trying to prep him more for the Big East rigors? Seemingly, the answers are Yes, No, and Yes.

Markus has been playing on the full AAU circuit this summer against top notch competition. In early July, recruiting analysts noted that he has “amazing hands” and was a “load in the paint”. Playing for NE Playaz, another analyst noted he “used his wide shoulders to muscle past defenders”. Although that Scout.com article went on to note that “the future Villanova bound big man looks a lot bigger than the last time he was seen, and he needs to work on getting back into playing shape.”

BUT Kennedy “still has the hands and scoring ability around the rim. He was very effective on the block, and used his wide body to carve space and give him a chance to score down low.”

As the summer continued, Seth Davis just commented on Markus’s play in Las Vegas. Davis noted,

“another player I hadn’t heard about who jumped out at me was Markus Kennedy, who is a 6-10 forward and a rising senior. Kennedy is, shall we say, a mite prodigious around the waistline, but he had terrific footwork and drew a ton of fouls on Dream Vision. I later learned that Kennedy has committed to play for Villanova. That should help ‘Nova escape the label that big men need not apply.”

Hardwood Elite also got their first glimpse of the Big Man whose height is noted between 6-8 and 6-10 and they came away “very impressed”.away very impressed.

First of all, he’s got great hands. He used his big body to get deep postition all weekend and when his teammates were able to get him the ball, he finised almost everytime. He’s surprisingly athletic for his size. On one play he outran the entire defense before taking off of one foot and dunking on two defenders. He also has surpising lateral quikness. When he was forced to guard mobile big guys or switch onto guards, he was rarely beat off of the dribble. After reclassifying, he certainly looks to be one of the top 100 players in the country.

To add on those great remarks, Evan Daniels of Scout.com added it was “By far the best” he’s seen of Kennedy. He continued on saying that Markus, “flat out got it done inside against one of the Magic squads. He finished everything around the basket and showed mobility and strong moves inside. He was aggressive around the basket and made some nice passes out of the post.”

Right now, the Recruiting Class of 2011 looks strong and well-rounded. Another year of improvement by the class’s big man, will only bolster that.

Video/Interview by Dewey Hammond of PlaymakerMobile.comA few takeaways from the interview:

• TRADITION: Jay Wright really believes that the history and tradition of the Villanova program is what will drive his teams to succeed.
• Jay seemed to suggest that last season was as much about getting his young players experience as it was about winning and getting back to a Final Four.
• He wasn’t surprised that Scottie Reynolds went undrafted.
• On his NBA aspirations: “I have no plans to go anywhere else.
• August 30th was mentioned as the date for Summer Jam

Villanova’s 1985 NCAA Championship run is considered by most (Barney Rubble ‘87 excluded) the greatest Cinderella story in NCAA tournament history and became the inspiration for the term now commonly used to refer to the tournament — “March Madness.”  However, Villanova’s tournament run that year also was partly responsible for a rule change that would have a profound effect on the future of the college game.  Rollie Massimino had elevated “the stall” to an art form in 1985 (the Cats attempted only 28 field goals in the Championship game, connecting on 79% of them).   NCAA officials feared that teams increasingly would use the delay game against superior opponents, slowing games to an unwatchable pace.  Villanova’s win over Georgetown in the Championship game would be the last game played without the shot clock.  The NCAA Rules Committee adopted the 45-second shot clock in the 1985-86 season, later shortening it to 35 seconds in 1993.

The most compelling case for the shot clock involved Big Five rival, Temple, in a game played twelve years earlier against Tennessee.  Basketball Digest wrote an amusing account of the game, saying,  “with no shot clock to stop them, the underdog Owls decided before the game that no matter how ugly or boring it was, or how badly they desecrated the game,  they were going to stall. For Temple coach Don Casey, this was the Owls’ best, and perhaps only, way to beat Tennessee.  Temple’s best ball-handlers, Rick Trudeaux and John Kneib, stood like Easter Island statues in their Chuck Taylors, passing the ball back and forth for minutes at a time.”  In the end, their stall was for naught, as Tennessee prevailed by a score of 11-6, the lowest score in a  major college basketball game since 1938.

In writing  Scottie’s Stats Under Howard’s Rules, I initially was frustrated in my attempts to find statistics from the pre-shot clock era, something I needed to normalize Scottie’s career scoring totals to take into account the effect of the shot clock.  Mr. Miller’s book solved my problem, providing box scores for every game of the 1984-85 season.  I tabulated the field-goal attempts for all games played that season (having decided out of necessity that the 1984-85 team was a reasonable proxy for Howard Porter’s 1971 NCAA finals team) and compared the result with the full-season field goal statistics of Villanova’s 2008-09 Final Four team.  The impact of the shot clock on the pace of play was palpable.  The 1984-85  team averaged 51.0 field goal attempts per game, converting 50.8% of them.  The 2008-09 team averaged 57.7 (6.7 or 13.1% more), converting 45.1% (49.8% from inside the arc).  

While far more data (more teams, more seasons) would be needed to make a statistically valid assessment of the impact of the shot clock on the college game, I’d bet my VUHoops salary that my analysis is at least directionally correct.  I leave any further research and analysis on this topic to our statistically-inclined cohort, GreyCat, over at Villanova By The Numbers.  Good luck finding the data, GreyCat!

What impact does this newly discovered data have on my calculations normalizing Scottie’s career scoring totals to reflect the NCAA rules in effect when Howard Porter played?  Click here to find out (Scottie fanatics should proceed at their own peril).

Villanova by the Numbers

The most memorable game in the Invitational series is probably the LSU-Villanova game from the Invitational’s first season (December 2007). Played in the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Villanova, down through most of the game, and trailing by 15 with 3:30 left in the second half, put on a closing blitz which stunned the Tigers and allowed the Wildcats to win it at the buzzer, 68-67.

VBTN also notes that the Invitational was flawed from the beginning, playing only four games, rather than a true top-to-bottom challenge format like the ACC/Big Ten and without the possibility of the Battle for the Bluegrass match-up between Louisville and Kentucky ever being a part of it.

With the recent conference shake-up between the Pac-10 and Big XII conferences, we may also see their challenge, the “Hardwood Series” come to an end. Could the Big East find a match with either of those conferences? The Big XII could potentially provide more compelling match-ups for television audiences.

Video produced by Sean Donovan (but you probably guessed that).

• Greatest Coach
• Greatest Forward / Center

To come up with the nominees, we considered players whose Villanova jerseys have been retired, were among the all-time Villanova statistical leaders, earned All-America recognition,  had success in the NCAA tournament,  or were selected in the NBA draft.  Active Villanova players are not eligible.  The NCAA has made significant rule changes over the years that make statistical comparisons of players across generations difficult. To read more on this topic, see our post “Scottie’s Stats Under Howard’s Rules.”

SELECT TWO NAMES from the nominees, listed chronologically on the next page, that represent the two best forwards in Villanova history.  In a subsequent poll the readers will determine Villanova’s all-time starting five from the ten finalists. 

Alex Bradley… 6’6” forward … played from 1977 to 1981 … scored 1,634 points (#15 all-time) over 111 games (14.7 ppg; #22 all-time), 797 rebounds (#12 all-time) … set the single-game freshman scoring record in 1978, a record that stood until it was eclipsed by Scottie Reynolds in 2007 … was the first three-year captain at Villanova since 1952 and was selected to the 1981 Big East All-Tournament Team … led the Wildcats to three NCAA Tournament appearances … selected by the New York Knicks as the 86^thpick of the 1981 NBA draft, and played one season, averaging 3.5 ppg and 1.7 rpg.

Ed Pinckney… 6′9″ forward … played from 1981-1985 … scored 1,865 points (#10 all-time) over 129 games (14.5 ppg; #23 all time), 1,107 rebounds (#4 all-time), 226 assists (#32 all-time), and 196 steals (#7 all time) and 253 blocks (#3 all-time) … “E-Z Ed” led Villanova to its only NCAA title, winning over the Patrick Ewing’s Georgetown Hoyas in 1985 in the “perfect game.” … awarded the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after scoring 16 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in the 66-64 victory … Consensus Third-Team All American in 1983 … #54 jersey retired by Villanova … selected tenth overall in the 1985 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns … went on to play for the Sacramento Kings, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat over a twelve-year career … averaged 6.8 ppg and 5.0 rpg … went on to become a radio and television analyst for the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers … served as an assistant coach for the Villanova from 2003-2007 before moving on as an assistant coach at the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Harold Pressley… 6’7” forward … played from 1982-1986 … scored 1,572 points (#19 all-time) over 135 games (11.6 ppg), 1,016 rebounds (#5 all-time), 213 steals (#2 all-time), 152 blocks (#6 all-time) and 300 assists (#21 all-time) …  became the first player in Big East history to record a triple-double, with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 blocked shots against Providence … was a member of their 1985 National Championship team, scoring 11 points in the Championship Game, and named to the 1985 NCAA Southeast Regional All-Tournament Team, 1986 All Big East First Team, 1986 Associated Press honorable mention All American, 1986 Big East All-Tournament Team, and the 1986 Big East Defensive Player of the Year … selected by the Sacramento Kings in the 1st round (17th overall pick) of the 1986 NBA Draft … played four years for the Kings averaging 9.0 ppg … later went on to co-host the Sierra Central Sports Roundtable TV sports show that aired in the Sacramento area … later became Director of Player Development for the Sacramento Kings

Tim Thomas … 6′10″ forward … played one season (1996-97) before jumping to the NBA … known for his versatility and soft shooting touch,  may have been Villanova’s all-time most touted recruit and at one point was considered better than future great Kobe Bryant … averaged 16.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.0 bpg and 1.8 spg, as a freshman and earned AP Honorable Mention All-American honors … was drafted seventh overall by the New Jersey Nets in the 1997 NBA Draft and was immediately traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for the Sixers’ draft pick (Keith Van Horn) … now entering his 14^thseason in the NBA, Thomas has averaged 11.5 ppg and 4.1 rpg over his NBA career.

Curtis Sumpter … 6′7” forward …played from 2002-07 … scored 1,651 points (#13 all-time) over 124 games (13.3 ppg;), 794 rebounds (#13 all-time), and 111 steals (#26 all time) and 70 blocks (#13 all time). … named to the All-Big East second team, and the first team All-Philadelphia Big Five in the 2004-2005 season …  averaged 15.3 points per game and 7.2 rebounds in 2004-05 NCAA tournament,  leading Villanova to the Sweet 16 … considered by many the most talented of the Nova players on that team, he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the Cat’s 76-65 victory over Florida in the in that year’s NCAA Tournament, which necessitated Villanova’s move to the four-guard lineup … red-shirted during the 2005-2006 season returning for the 2006-2007 season … earned first team All-Big East honors …  name was not called in the 2007 NBA draft, but he signed with the German team Köln 99ers and later with the French team JA Vichy.

Dante Cunningham …  6’8” forward … played from 2005-09 … finished his career with 1,334 points (#31 all-time) over 139 games (9.6 ppg), 118 blocks (#7 all-time), 819 rebounds (#11 all-time) and 162 steals (#12 all-time) … led the Cats back to their first Final Four appearance in 24 years, losing to eventual champion, North Carolina …  named Big East Most Improved Player, Second Team All-Big East, and one of 15 finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy … was drafted in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA, where he scored 3.9 ppg and grabbed 2.5 rpg in 11 minutes per game in his rookie season.

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Full List of Nominees

Big East Roundtable July: Pt 1

The second installment discusses each school’s new freshman class of players, and how the bloggers think they will fit into the mix.

Big East Roundtable July: Pt 2

The third part is a discussion of 2011 recruiting around the Big East. Who has already committed, offers outstanding, and guys that coaches would love to have.

Big East Roundtable July: Pt 3

The fourth part poses the question: Will 2010-2011 be a “down year” for the Big East? Has it been “down” recently?

Big East Roundtable July: Pt 4

I’ll warn you that some of these get a little repetitive with three Villanova blogs participating: Villanova By the Numbers, The Nova Blog and, of course, VUhoops.com. However, the roundtable is a must-read if you want to know what to expect from our Big East rivals this season.

The 6′3″ point guard will play a competitive national schedule under the tutelage of Stu Vetter who also coached current Villanovans Moupthaou Yarou and Isaiah Armwood.

In the past 10 months, Ed, Brian, and I have dropped an average of 50 posts per month for your reading enjoyment.

Happy Thursday, and thanks for reading and participating in the comments.