Nova’s 2009 Recruiting Class Ranked #2
Following up on the heels of this week’s verbal commitment by Mouphtaou Yarou, Villanova’s 2009 Recruiting Class has been ranked #2 by Rivals and ESPN. The Class also includes point guard Maalik Wayns from Roman Catholic in Philadelphia and Power Forward Isaiah Armwood from Maryland’s Montrose Christian.
Both recruiting services rank North Carolina’s class as #1.
- Yarou is ranked #27 by ESPN and #14 by Rivals
- Wayns is ranked #22 by ESPN and #25 by Rivals
- Armwood is ranked #31 by ESPN and #62 by Rivals
Wayns in the Boost Mobile Elite 24
Villanova commit Maalik Wayns along with main recruiting target Dominic Cheek played in the Boost Mobile Elite 24 last night at Rucker Park in NYC last night. The event was a Who’s Who of High School players which included Lane Stephenson, Kenny Boynton, and John Wall.
Wayns held his own, with some nice dishes and scoring 10- he was named Co-MVP of his team with Lance Stephenson. Cheek dropped in 23 and was a Co-MVP (along with John Wall) for his team.
Maalik Wayns and USA Lose to Argentina in Championsip
In the FIBA Americas U18 Championship, Maalik Wayns and the US lost to Argentina 77-64. Wayns was held scoreless in 12 minutes of play (along with 2 rebounds and an assist).
Wayns Scores 7 as the US U18 Teams Advances to the Gold Medal Game
Villanova Commit Maalik Wayns scored 7 points on 3 for 9 shooting as the USA beat Canada 82-66 in the Semifinal for the FIBA Americas U18 Championship. Wayns nabbed 4 rebounds, had an assist and two steals.
The US will play Argentina in today’s Championship Game.
Post Game Quotes- Maalik Wayns (Roman Catholic H.S. / Philadelphia, Pa.)
Was this a little bit of a wake-up call for tomorrow night’s gold medal game?
Yeah. I think we got a little lax because we were beating teams by 30, 40 points. I think tonight we got a little lax, but tomorrow we have to come out and play like we played in the first games: team defense, team offense and things like that.On Canada’s play:
They came out and had a lot of confidence today. We didn’t play like ourselves today, but we got the win.Canada cut the game to eight points in the fourth quarter. What was the team’s mindset at that point?
We knew we needed to get some stops. We needed to get some easy transition buckets off of our defense, get as many stops as we could and run it right into our offense.How important is it to have the depth that this team has when you’re playing five games in five days?
That’s big because a lot of these teams are only playing eight, nine guys and by the fourth quarter since we’re running the whole game we wear them down. We’re playing 12 guys so it’s helping us a lot.
Wayns scores 8 in U18 FIBA Action against Puerto Rico
Villanova Commit Maalik Wayns scored 8 points on 4 for 9 shooting (0/3 from behind the arc) as the US beat Puerto Rico 106-64 to win Group B in the U18 FIBA Americas Championship.
Wayns also tallied 5 rebounds and 7 assists with 3 turnovers and a steal.
The US will play the loser of the Argentina-Canada game in the tournament’s semifinals tomorrow.
Maalik Wayns Shot Chart
Wayns nets 10 in U18 FIBA Action against Bahamas
Villanova Commit Maalik Wayns saw an increase in minutes on the floor in today’s U18 FIBA Americas game against the Bahamas. Wayns was leading all scorers at the half and finished with 10 as the US won 115-51 over the Caribbean Island.
Maalik Wayns’s Box Score
Points: 10
Min: 17:22
FGM/FGA: 3/5
3FGA/3FGM: 2/3
FT/FTA: 2/2
Rebs: 1
Assts: 3
Turnovers: 6
Steals: 2
Wayns in U18 FIBA Action against Venezuela
The USA U18 team beat Venezuela today 82-73.
Here are Maalik Wayns’s numbers…
Mins: 12
Points: 5
FGM/FGA: 2/4
3FG/3FGA: 0/1
FT/FTA: 1/2
Rebs: 1
Assts: 1
Turnover: 1
Post Game Quotes
How challenging is it to play a team you know nothing about?
It’s different. It’s really different, their press is different, they just play a different type of basketball. We’re just going to have to adjust to that through the tournament.What was Venezuela doing to disrupt your offense?
They were being a little more physical than us and I think there were (setting) a lot of screens, there was a lot of help defense on their part so we couldn’t get really get into our flow. We weren’t making a lot of shots early, but we were making shots at the end, which is what we want.What kind of adjustments were you making to combat that?
Keep running so we could wear them out so that by the third quarter came they’d be worn out. We just ran on them. Run, run, the whole game.
Maalik Wayns with the U18 Basketball Team in Argentina
VBTN beat us to it… Villanova Commit, Maalik Wayns, (along with Villanova Recruiting target, Dominic Cheek) is now in Formosa, Argentina competing in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship. USAbasketball.com has a quick interview with Maalik:
- What are the changes the team has gone through over the last week and a half?
It’s real different. We’re playing an offense and I’ve never really played a set offense with back screens and stuff like that. I’m getting used to that now, but that’s different for me.- Was your first practice a little bit of a culture shock for you?
Oh yeah, the college coaching, that’s all new to me. We have to get used to it to get ready for college.- How’s the team chemistry?
I think we’re all coming together really well. We hang together at the hotel, go out to eat together, we’re all bonding pretty good.- Have you ever been overseas?
No, it’s my first time.- Do you know anything about Argentina?
No, not at all.- Are you looking forward to it?
Yes, a lot. I want to see how they live over there. Is it nice, is it like us, is it different? I just want to see how it is.
U18 Schedule
- July 14: Venezuela
- July 15: Bahamas
- July 16: Puerto Rico
Wayns & Cheek make U18 National Team
Villanova Commit Maalik Waynsof Roman Catholic and Villanova Recruit Dominic Cheek of St. Anthony’s in Jersey City have made the USA U18 National Basketball Team. The 12-man squad will travel to Formosa, Argentina for the FIBA Americas U18 Championship July 14-18.
The Roster
- Dominic Cheek (Uncommitted/ St. Anthony HS/ Jersey City, NJ)
- JaMychal Green (Alabama/ St. Jude HS/ Montgomery, AL)
- Matt Humphrey (Oregon/ Hales Franciscian HS / Chicago, IL)
- Ryan Kelly (Uncommitted/ Ravenscroft HS / Raleigh, NC)
- Malcom Lee (UCLA/ John W. North HS / Riverside, CA)
- Leslie McDonald (North Carolina/ Briarcrest HS/ Memphis, TN)
- Mason Plumlee (Duke/ Christ HS/ Arden, N.C.)
- Travis Releford (Kansas/ Bishop Miege HS/ Shawnee Mission, KS)
- Kemba Walker (UConn/ Rice HS / New York, NY)
- Maalik Wayns (Villanova/ Roman Catholic HS/ Philadelphia, PA)
- David Wear (North Carolina/ Mater Dei HS/ Santa Ana, CA)
- Travis Wear (North Carolina/ Mater Dei HS/ Santa Ana, CA)
Coaches
- Bob McKillop - Head (Davidson)
- Anthony Grant - Assitant (Virginia Commonwealth)
- John Thompson III - Assistant (Georgetown)
Maalik Plays D on one of the Wear Twins
USA Today Article on Maalik Wayns
There is a great article in the USA Today, Philadelphia guard Wayns shows toughness in U-18 bid, talking about Villanova Commit Maalik Wayns’s being from the true mold of a “Philly Guard” and what he is bringing to the U18 National Team Tryouts.
While Wayns’ mother tells him that his first name means “King of the World,” a more literal translation for Maalik in Arabic is that of “an angel who guards hellfire,” appropriate for someone who prides himself on his defense.
“It’s the environment I grew up in,” Wayns says. “Everybody where I come from can play defense. You can come down and score, but if your man comes down and scores, you don’t get any joy out of it. Guarding your man and locking him down, that’s what’s important.”
