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
Brett Gunning is Headed to the Houston Rockets
It’s official, assistant coach Brett Gunning has inked a 3-year deal with the NBA’s Houston Rockets to become director of player development there. The position used to be held by Kenny Atkinson who is now an Assistant Coach with the New York Knicks.
Gunning has been an assistant coach for Jay Wright since 1994 at Hofstra. Earlier this year, he was rated the 13th best Assistant Coach in the NCAA by Jeff Goodman.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to coach in the NBA and this was an exciting opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. It wasn’t an easy decision to leave Villanova but I will always be grateful for the time spent here and the many great people I got to know.”
Villanova will miss Gunning and his knowledge & expertise on the basketball court, but we wish him well in the NBA.
The general consensus is that Jay Wright will promote Jason Donnelly from his current position of Coordinator of Basketball Operations to the coaching staff.
Still Time to Win a Free T-shirt
There’s still time to head on over to the 1st VUhoops.com Contest post and submit a comment for a shot to win a free t-shirt.
Summer Jam Recap
A lot of recent alumni made it back to campus for the 2008 Summer Jam; Alvin Williams, John Celestand, Jason Lawson, Randy Foye, Kyle Lowry, Allan Ray, Jason Fraser, Eric Eberz, John Pinone, Lance Miller, Mike Nardi, Larry Herron, Jonathan Haynes, Curtis Sumpter, Dwayne McClain, Doug West, Chris Charles, Malik Allen. As we mentioned earlier, Curtis Sumpter will be signing with the LA Clippers.
The Alumni game featured a split up of “Legends” and “Pros” (which featured recent Villanovans). Celestand scored 16 to lead all scorers.
Update: CSTV recap
Curtis Sumpter to Sign with LA Clippers
It was announced at Summer Jam today that Curtis Sumpter ‘07, will be signing with the LA Clippers. We’ll keep you posted when we come across an official release.
It seems the Clippers have had their eye on Sumpter for a while now. He practiced and worked out for them last summer.
Summer Jam Today
Just a reminder… Summer Jam is this evening.
Schedule of Events:
- 4p-7p Carnival
- 6p Alumni Games
WHERE: All events - carnival and games - will be held in The Pavilion.
COST: $10 per person at the door
All you can eat BBQ.
Blog Ranks Top 75 Big East Players
The University of Louisville Basketball blog, Cards Hoops, has just finished their pre-season ranking of the Top 75 Big East Players. Here is where the Wildcats fell.
#70 Cassiem Drummond- Drummond is a solid interior player with great potential. He missed 14 games last year due to a stress fracture in his right ankle. He then broke his ankle in the second round of the NCAA tourney and was forced to have surgery. His injury issues have drawn comparisons to former Wildcat Curtis Sumpter.
#63 Antonio Peña- Pena redshirted his first year at Villanova while undergoing surgery on his knee. Last year he showed that he is able to finish down low and clean up the boards. Pena can face up and hit jumpers or he can play underneath the basket and post up. He’s a banger who will continue to eat up boards and put away easy baskets for the Wildcats.
#60 Shane Clark- Clark is a talented forward who can either put it on the floor or knock down a jumper. He has range that extends to the 3-pt line. He is also athletic enough to defend well and crash the boards. Last year, Clark’s contributions seemed to diminish as the season progressed. The Wildcats will need for him to be sharp all year if they hope to move into the top shelf of the Big East.
#57 Corey Stokes- Stokes got off to a slow start last year, but turned it on in February and March when he found his shooting stroke. He might have the purest shooting stroke in the Big East, and Wildcats fans are expecting big things from this kid this year. Stokes is an athletic wing and also an adequate defender and rebounder. He still needs to show that he can create his own shot; if he does, he is a legitamite NBA prospect.
#50 Corey Fisher- Fisher is a combo guard who can both score and create for others. His speed and quickness make him difficult to stay in front of, however his size makes him a defensive liability on the other end. His production dropped off at the end of the year and he even lost his starting job. Despite his struggles, he was named to the Big East All-Rookie Team. Expect Fisher to bounce back for a strong sophomore season.
#49 Dwayne Anderson- Dwayne Anderson has come a long way during his Villanova career. Struggling to find playing time in his first two years, he was advised to transfer to play elsewhere. However Anderson only used that as motivation, and his hard work paid off last year when he won a starting spot in Nova’s frontcourt. Anderson is a hardnosed, athletic swingman who can play a multitude of positions. He has a decent jumper that extends to the 3-pt line, but is known for his defense, rebounding, and leadership skills. He returns as a senior and locker room leader of this talented Villanova squad.
#40 Dante Cunningham- The always dependable Dante Cunningham is an extremely athletic big who has the quickness to take bigger opponents off the dribble. While he was reliable, Cunningham wasn’t the dominant force that Jay Wright hoped he would be last year. Expect Cunningham to lead an extremely experienced Villanova frontcourt that should complement their dangerous backcourt nicely.
#8 Scottie Reynolds- An All-Big East Second Team selection, Reynolds stepped up as the leader of Jay Wright’s Villanova squad as a sophomore. He is a natural scorer with deep 3-pt range, averaging nearly 16 points a game last year. He can play either guard positions and showed that he can incorporate others into the flow of the offense. He still needs to take better care of the ball, but Reynolds will be one of the premier players to watch this year.
James Bell Commits to Villanova
Jay Wright has just picked up his first commitment from the Class of 2010 from James Bell according to Adam Zagoria and Scout.com.
“I like the coaching staff. I met the players. There’s a 100 percent graduation rate. I want to get my degree and be a part of the family that Coach Wright has created.”
Bell is a 6′4″ Shooting Guard from Florida. He played last year at Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville but will move to Montverde Academy. Bell has been tearing up the AAU circuit this summer for Team STAT.
Bell is currently rated as a 4* Player by Scout and Rivals. He is ranked #65 in the Class of ‘10 by Scout and #73 by Rivals. He is also ranked #31 by ESPN.
Other VUhoops.com Articles on James Bell
James- Welcome to the Villanova Family!
Villanova vs. Texas in Jimmy V. Confirmed
The University of Texas released their schedule today and a December 9th Matchup against Villanova in the Jimmy V Classic is confirmed.
The game will be at Madison Square Garden and will be part of a doubleheader broadcast on ESPN.
This confirms our posts on July 17th and June 24th.
Princeton Review: Villanova #12 “Jock School”
The Princeton Review released their recent group of College Lists & Rankings. In the “Jock Schools” ranking, Villanova was ranked #12. The Review’s rankings are “based on a combination of survey questions concerning intercollegiate and intramural sports and the popularity of the Greek system.”
Villanova was also ranked #19- Best Career Placement, #19- Students Dissatisfied with Financial Aid, and #9 Best Quality of Life.
Top 20 Jock Schools
1. Clemson
2. Florida
3. Wabash
4. Penn State
5. Notre Dame
6. Nebraska
7. Wake Forest
8. Michigan
9. Florida State
10. Purdue
11. Georgia
12. Villanova
13. North Carolina
14. UCLA
15. Virginia
16. UConn
17. Duke
18. Texas A&M
19. Tennessee
20. Kansas State
