This squad will practice against the US’s team for the World Championship’s during that team’s practice in New York City from August 10th through the 13th.

The 2010 USA Basketball Select Roster is…

• JaJuan Johnson (Purdue University / Indianapolis, Ind.)
• Jon Leuer (University of Wisconsin / Orono, Minn.)
• Shelvin Mack (Butler University / Lexington, Ky.)
• Kyle Singler (Duke University / Medford, Ore.)
• Chris Singleton (Florida State University / Canton, Ga.)
• Nolan Smith (Duke University / Upper Marlboro, Md.)
• Howard Thompkins (University of Georgia / Lithonia, Ga.)
• Mike Tisdale (University of Illinois / Riverton, Ill.)
• Kemba Walker (University of Connecticut / Bronx, N.Y.)
• Chris Wright (University of Dayton / Trotwood, Ohio).

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

Wright has coached for USBasketball on three previous occasions; in 2000 he was an assistant coach for the World Championship for Young Men Qualifier, in 2005 he was the Head Coach for the World University Games, and in 2007 he coached the Pan Am games.

Members of the USA Select Team will converge on Las Vegas and conduct a private training session July 19, then train with the USA National Team July 20-23.

Select Squad Invitees

• Lavoy Allen (Temple University/Morrisville, Pa.)
• William Buford (Ohio State University / Toledo, Ohio)
• LaceDarius Dunn (Baylor University/Monroe, La.)
• Jimmer Fredette (Brigham Young University/Glens Falls, N.Y.)
• Scotty Hopson (University of Tennessee/Hopkinsville, Ky.)
• Scoop Jardine (Syracuse University/Philadelphia, Pa.)
• JaJuan Johnson (Purdue University / Indianapolis, Ind.)
• Jon Leuer (University of Wisconsin / Orono, Minn.)
• Shelvin Mack (Butler University / Lexington, Ky.)
• Marcus Morris (University of Kansas / Philadelphia, Pa.)
• Jacob Pullen (Kansas State University / Maywood, Ill.)
• John Shurna (Northwestern University / Glen Ellyn, Ill.)
• Kyle Singler (Duke University / Medford, Ore.)
• Chris Singleton (Florida State University / Canton, Ga.)
• Nolan Smith (Duke University / Upper Marlboro, Md.)
• Howard Thompkins (University of Georgia / Lithonia, Ga.)
• Mike Tisdale (University of Illinois / Riverton, Ill.)
• Kemba Walker (University of Connecticut / Bronx, N.Y.)
• Chris Wright (University of Dayton / Trotwood, Ohio)
• Tyler Zeller (University of North Carolina / Washington, Ind.).

“Besides putting his heart and soul and a tremendous amount of work into it, he’s taken a great Villanova tradition and been able to build upon it,” Nicastro said. “When you meet him, you can immediately tell there’s something special about him. He got every piece of the [coaching] package. His vision and mission values are in direct alignment with Villanova’s. It’s a great combination.”

Mike Kern of Phillynews.com wrote a great article about our new Sportsperson of the Year, together with a video interview of Jay after he received the news that he had won .  Congratulations Jay, we’re all proud of you!

Go. Vote Now!

We’re right in the middle of working on it. Two days ago a sportswriter called us and said I found this FIBA Africa website and it had his name on it and had his birthdate as being 25.

Obviously It was the first time we ever hear do of it- we brought Mouph in, we asked him ‘did you ever play on this team?’, he said No, I don’t know the name of the team…

We showed him the roster, ‘do you know any of these guys?’  No. Is there any way you can call one of these guys and say “no I didn’t play on the team” He said No, I don’t even know these guys.

When something like that comes up it’s serious. We have to do some research. We have his passport, his I-20 and all of that- his birthdate is 19.

In the meantime we called back to Africa and got a family member to send us a birth certificate. And now we have his birth certificate that says he’s 19.

We’re working with the NCAA right now. The NCAA just needs to see it. And they said there’s no reason to deem his ineligible. They feel good about it. Let him play on Friday. Then, when they see it, they’ll make a statement.

Jay goes on talking about how international sites can’t be too credible. He brought up the story that Mike Nardi’s name, picture and stats were on the site of an Itallian team before his senior year.

In short Mouph is good to go. Villanova feels that they have all of their proverbial ducks in a row on this and that there should be no problem with the NCAA and Yarou’s eligibility.

Here is Jay Wright‘s record that make up his 178-91 record for each of the venues he has coached at while being at the helm of Villanova.

Enjoy!

Here are the Big East All-Time Winningest Coaches in Conference Games.

1. Jim Boeheim (356)
2. Jim Calhoun (282)
3. John Thompson (231)
4. Lou Carnesecca (139)
5. Rollie Massimino (123)
6. Steve Lappas (97)
7. Mike Brey (92)
8. PJ Carlesimo (90)
9. Rick Pitino (88)
10. Jay Wright (85)

Does #6 surprise anyone else?

Corey Stokes - a St. Ben's Alumn

In another one of those random topics… Jay Wright will be speaking at the Garden State Coaches Clinic on Friday. At the clinic, hosted by St. Benedict’s Prep, Coach Wright will discuss “Zone Offense”.

Pitt’s Jamie Dixon and Arizona’s Sean Miller will also be lecturing coaches.

St. Benedict’s is coached by Dan Hurley and is Corey Stokes and Frank Tchuisi’s alma mater.

Other players who have been through the St. Ben’s basketball program include Samardo Samuels (Louisville), Lance Thomas (Duke), Earl Smith (North Carolina), Tristan Thompson (Texas Verbal), and Greg Echenique (Rutgers).

Chuck Daly, Rollie Massimino & Jay Wright

Coach Wright graciously shared his thoughts with VUHoops.com about a very touching story we came across in an obscure radio interview given by Rollie Massimino days before Nova’s 2009 Final Four game against North Carolina. In vintage form, Rollie covered a lot of ground in that interview. However, a very striking thread emerged from the ramblings of Villanova’s beloved former coach – the richness of the coaching bloodline of the man who now roams the sidelines for the Wildcats.

Coach Mass spoke fondly about his former mentor, Chuck Daly, for whom he served as assistant coach at Penn before taking the head coaching job at Villanova in 1973. Daly went on to coach the Detroit Pistons, win NBA championships and an Olympic gold medal coaching the original “Dream Team,” earn accolades as one of the NBA’s ten greatest coaches and election to The Basketball Hall of Fame.

Rollie, of course, led Villanova to its only NCAA championship in 1985 as an eighth-seeded team, beating Georgetown in the game that is generally acknowledged as the birth of the phenomenon now known as March Madness. He went on to become mentor to Jay Wright, who became Rollie’s assistant at Villanova in 1987. Jay took over as the Cat’s eighth head coach in 2001, and over eight seasons has led Villanova to four “Sweet 16s,” two “Elite Eight’s,” and one “Final Four,” each time eliminated by the eventual NCAA champion.

In a poignant moment in the interview, Rollie told a story about a visit he made earlier that day to Chuck Daly, then hospitalized and in the final chapter of a losing battle with pancreatic cancer. What happened during that visit may well come to symbolize the passing of the torch from Daly through Massimino to Wright. Recalls Rollie, “Chuck [was] not in very good condition at that stage and not feeling well after his chemotherapy session. [When I got to his room] he asked me sit on the bed next to him. He had a piece of paper and [was diagramming] a play that he used when he coached the Pistons. He wanted me to give it to Jay. I felt so good about that. I’ve got it in my pocket. To me that’s very special and I know it’s going to be special to Jay.”

We wondered about the secret play and whether the Cats actually used it during the North Carolina game. Coach Wright agreed to solve the mystery, telling VUHoops that “after seeing [Nova] throw the ball away against the press in the closing seconds of the Pitt game, [Coach Daly] was worried that if Carolina pressed us, we wouldn’t be able to inbound. He wrote up a special press-break play for us.” It appears, however, that the secret play almost didn’t arrive in time, taking a circuitous route before reaching Coach Wright. Said Jay, “Coach Mass was so busy at the Final Four that he handed-off the play to the brother of [Coach] Pat Chambers, who gave it to Pat, who gave it to me. I did have an opportunity to speak to Coach Daley before the Carolina game to thank him and to tell him we were thinking about him. We had a great talk.” Ironically, added Coach Wright, “We didn’t get pressed [by Carolina] so we never used the play!”

Chuck Daly passed away five weeks later at the age of 78. I am sure his press-break play will be forever part of Coach Wright’s arsenal. However, beyond its utilitarian benefits, one cannot help seeing an analogy to “The Last Lecture” by Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch shortly before his untimely death at age 47, also from pancreatic cancer. Just as Professor Pausch’s message had little to do with his expertise in virtual reality, the significance of that nugget of parting wisdom from the greatest of all Philadelphia basketball coaches transcends sport. Coach Mass was right when he said, “it’s going to be special to Jay,” and it certainly means far more to him than simply an elegant solution to the Pitt press.