Coach Graham Sims: A Pennsylvania Story (FBCB)

[Chas in Cinti]

Where did Ezra end up for college?

[MoonlightGraham]

Where did Ezra end up for college?

Oh, I thought I posted that. He's at Kentucky, the centerpiece of the nation's third-ranked recruiting class.

Once Ezra has been through his first training camp, I'll post his player card so you can see how well he's developing.

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2031

As I wrote earlier, I'm approaching recruiting a bit differently from now on. Rather than collecting all the five-star recruits I can, and possibly stockpiling unhappy players who languish deep on my bench, I'm trying to create a team with a mixture of stars and supporting actors.

This recruiting season, we have three scholarships to offer. Forward Tony Ezell, center Clemens Schwaiger, and guard Blake Norton are seniors this year.

As I project our roster two years into the future, it appears we'll need at least one post player who will be good enough to make an impact his first year on campus. He will be our most important recruit, and I've found the player I want.

#12 PF Chris Woolstenhulme
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 208
High School: Harriton High School
Hometown: Bryn Mawr, PA
GPA: 3.04
Test Score: 1180
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 58 46 50 14 24 17 54 68 57 35 15 48 52 64 71 33
Potential: A C C D D C B B C D C C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.1 3.5 12.0 1.8 2.2 0.80 1.4 2.0 2.5

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.5 15.7 .604 3.1 4.7 .660 0.1 0.4 .143

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #16 Overall, #4 PF, East Region #4 Overall, East Region #2 PF
High School Awards: All-State, All American
Top 5 Schools: *Villanova, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Rutgers, West Virginia


Chris Woolstenhulme is a local player whom we'd like very much to keep close to home. He's a lean, athletic big man who profiles as a productive scorer at the next level. His rebounding and post defense are not elite, but he doesn't neglect those areas of his game, either. Chris could pair effectively with a Blue Collar Man to form a balanced, effective post duo.

As you might expect, three other Big East powers are on Chris's top five list, and I'm sure they are all recruiting him, too. With three offers available, I can move quickly with this player. We offered him a scholarship in July, hoping his film would reveal the player we thought we'd see.

We've got an abundance of talented guards right now, and almost all of them will still be on campus when the players we're recruiting now will arrive. Even if Justice Stafford decides to turn pro after this season, we'll still have Ernest Adcock and Reed Weisberg, and we'll probably have Peter Segal and Michael Petit (unless one of them decide to transfer). We can, therefore, target a guard who fills a particular role, rather than one we need to project as a four-year starters.

Among the players who have expressed strong interest in playing for us is Trey Partridge, a three-star player from upstate New York.
#15 PG Trey Partridge
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 5-8
Weight: 164
High School: Warwick Valley High School
Hometown: Warwick, NY
GPA: 2.42
Test Score: 1030
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 24 53 39 59 53 33 26 26 7 30 16 50 73 41 43 16
Potential: D B B C A B D C F C D C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13.8 1.8 4.8 5.3 1.6 3.39 0.9 0.6 2.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.0 12.1 .496 0.8 1.4 .571 1.0 3.1 .306

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: East Region #42 Overall, East Region #12 PG
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Villanova, North Carolina, Georgetown, Fordham, Army

We like Trey's ballhandling and passing, and he shows some promise as a shooter. He's named us as his first choice, too, and none of the other schools he likes have offered him.

Our third offer will probably go to another big man. The top-ranked center who has qualified academically is Savion Wells.
#41 C Savion Wells
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 7-0
Weight: 228
High School: Loomis Chaffee School
Hometown: Windsor, CT
GPA: 3.24
Test Score: 1220
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 55 40 49 46 28 24 67 63 44 21 16 40 35 52 47 27
Potential: A D A C D D B B A C D C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20.5 3.2 12.2 1.6 2.2 0.70 1.2 1.3 3.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.3 14.1 .589 3.7 4.8 .779 0.2 0.7 .286

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Average
Rankings: #19 Overall, #2 C, East Region #5 Overall, East Region #1 C
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Connecticut), All American
Top 5 Schools: Boston College, Villanova, Connecticut, Georgetown, St. John's

Savion is a multi-talented big man, a dangerous scorer who is comfortable operating more than a few feet from the basket. On the defensive end, the seven-footer has quite a bit to learn, but he has the potential to be outstanding.

Like most of the top players in New England, Savion can see himself playing for Boston College. It might be difficult to turn his attentions to us.

Villanova has had considerable success recruiting Canadian players. Kris DeMello is the most recent example of a group that also includes Charles Vancleave and Bruno Le Fleurquin. Will John David Collard be the next in this series?
#5 PF John David Collard
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 227
High School:
Hometown: Wolfe Island, Canada
GPA: 2.61
Test Score: 1020
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 51 14 32 34 28 21 50 64 43 62 24 30 41 71 36 56
Potential: C D D C D C B A A B D B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14.6 3.1 9.7 1.4 2.6 0.55 0.8 2.4 3.1

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.3 11.8 .534 1.7 3.4 .493 0.3 1.9 .158

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: High
Rankings: #25 Overall, #8 PF, Foreign #1 Overall, Foreign #1 PF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Villanova

John David possesses several of the qualities of the Blue Collar Man. He hits the boards hard, especially on the defensive end. He hasn't been a frequent shot blocker in high school, but his long frame and his willingness to work indicate his potential as a rim protector.

We decide to bring all four of these players to campus for a visit, and Coach Sims will visit all four of them at home. We can also afford to send Coach Wells to visit Woolstenhulme and one other domestic player.

I'm going to go ahead and offer Trey Partridge this month. What to do about the big men? I feel good about our chances of signing Woolstenhulme and Partridge, so I'm going to take a shot at Savion Wells. If Savion doesn't show more interest in us after a month, I'll shift the offer to John David Collard instead.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2031

Oh, this is going to be tough.

Chris Woolstenhulme updates his list, which now includes Villanova, Georgetown, West Virginia, and Lafayette. We're still the only program who has offered him a scholarship. Have the other schools conceded Chris to us, or are we the only one who thinks he's this good?

Five teams have now made offers to Trey Partridge. St. Bonaventure, with a 78 prestige score, is the biggest rival for Trey's attentions. The other elite programs he listed last month have failed to reciprocate.

Then there's Savion Wells. He still lists us below Boston College, but the Eagles haven't made him an offer yet. Connecticut and St. John's have, but Savion seems to prefer us over those schools.

If BC had offered Savion, I would have pulled our offer and moved on. John David Collard is now mentioning Southern California and Brigham Young, but neither program has offered him.

I'm going to stick with Wells for another month. We can afford full recruiting efforts with all four of these players, so that's what we'll do.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2031

I think we're very close to signing Trey Partridge. We are the only program left on his list.

Chris Woolstenhulme still lists five Top Schools. Lafayette, with their 95 Prestige, is the "weakest" program on his list. However, we're the only one who has made him an offer, so I feel good about landing him, too.

And then there's Savion Wells. He's basically saying "come and get me" to Boston College, who are still not offering him. The Eagles have three scholarships available, and one of their graduating seniors is a center. I can't imagine why they haven't made their move.

John David Collard has added Stanford to his list, but they haven't made him an offer. We still hold his top spot, and we haven't offered him, either.

Most top players will make their decisions on November 1 if they have the offer they want. I'll give Savion Wells one more month to make his decision. If Boston College swoops in with a late offer, he'll probably accept it. If that happens, I'll have to hope John David Collard doesn't snap at the first offer he gets.

Recruiting is so agonizingly fun.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2031

As I expected, Trey Partridge announces his commitment to Villanova today. Recruiting Trey was a fairly safe move. He never expressed a desire to play anywhere else, and he isn't so highly regarded that other top programs were tempted to try to lure him away.

Trey is just outside the top 50 players at his position in the nation. At an Atlantic 10 school, he'd probably start for four years. At Villanova, he'll probably come off the bench, but he just might get an NCAA championship ring. It's good to have you aboard, Trey.

Chris Woolstenhulme also commits to us today. Chris is a Top 20 player nationally, ranked in the top five at his position, but he's only given four stars. That surprises me. However many stars Chris has, he'll have an opportunity to play from Day One.

While Chris was recruited by programs all over the country, he's always seen himself playing for Villanova. After all, his high school is almost outside Villanova's gates.

https://i.imgur.com/roky1UH.jpg

It won't take one of the nation's top basketball players half an hour to walk from his high school gym to the arena where he'll play his college ball.

We had a bit of good recruiting luck this year, too. Giving Savion Wells a chance to fall in love with Villanova worked out well, and he commits today, too. I'm still wondering how Boston College and UConn failed to offer a scholarship to Connecticut's Mr. Basketball, but he's ours now.

Savion isn't going to bully opposing big men into submission; there's a lot of finesse in his game. However, we have a freshman, Zach Cohen, who should be capable of doing a lot of heavy lifting in the post. Wells, Woolstenhulme, and Cohen should give us three talented big men whom we can rotate, matching them up against our opponents for best advantage.

Note: Both Woolstenhulme and Wells were added to the game through my Create-a-Recruit routine. Woolstenhulme is based on the Scoring Post archetype, and Wells is an Athletic Big.

I added about a dozen players to the recruiting pool. I created a simple system to assign the Create-a-Recruits to a geographical area. I roll a d20 and apply the result:


1: Foreign
2: Pacific Coast
3: Mountain States
4: Midwest
5: Southeast
6-7: Northeast
8-10: Virginia
11-13: Maryland and D.C.
14-16: New Jersey and Delaware
17-19: Pennsylvania
20: Backyard


There's definitely an Eastern bias built in, because I've lived all my life in that part of the country, and I know those teams and conferences better. It would be easy to load the recruiting classes with superstars who live within walking distance of Villanova and scoop almost all of them up, but that would get old quickly. This routine provides some randomness.

I rolled a 20 when I was creating Chris Woolstenhulme, so he landed in Villanova's backyard. The odds say the natural 20 won't happen very often. I rolled a 7 for Savion Wells. That's why I'm a bit surprised they both ended up at Villanova.

Most of the Create-a-Recruits turn out to be three- or four-star players. They're often ranked between #100 and #300. I hit some very good rolls for both Chris and Savion. I rolled even better for Ezra Love, whom Chas asked me to bring to life. :)

[MoonlightGraham]

November 9, 2031

It's time to meet the players who will attempt to win their second straight NCAA tournament.

#1 VILLANOVA General

Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Noah Gardner 0 SF So 6-5 208 Yes 80 OK Jenkintown, PA
Ernest Adcock 1 SG So 6-1 206 Yes 68 OK Pasadena, MD
Blake Norton 4 PG Sr 6-2 177 Yes 31 OK Palmyra, NJ
Justice Stafford 10 PG Jr 5-9 167 Yes 92 OK Midlothian, VA
Asher Wise 13 SF Jr 6-6 210 Yes 77 OK Berwyn, PA
Peter Segal 15 SG Jr 6-3 180 Yes 78 Unhappy Fort Lee, NJ
William Collins 20 PF So 6-5 232 Yes 75 Redshirt Moreauville, LA
Darius Pettway 23 SF Jr 6-8 242 No 29 Redshirt Copenhagen, NY
Michael Petit 24 SF So 6-5 197 Yes 72 OK Medford, NJ
Tony Ezell 31 PF Sr 6-7 214 Yes 58 Injured Somerville, NJ
Clemens Schwaiger 33 C Sr 6-11 322 Yes 44 OK Apolda, Germany
Chris Ramos 34 C So 6-10 237 No 53 OK Warwick, NY
Kris DeMello 40 C Jr 6-9 253 Yes 58 OK Grimsby, Canada
Zach Cohen 44 C Fr 6-10 220 Yes 64 OK Edison, NJ
Reed Weisberg 55 SG So 6-5 189 Yes 54 OK Colonia, NJ
Goodness gracious, they did *work* in training camp!

#1 VILLANOVA Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Noah Gardner 3 3 3 3 2 2 3 3 1 4 2 1 1 3 1 5
Ernest Adcock 2 4 4 1 5 5 2 2 3 7 5 1 1 3 0 9
Blake Norton 3 2 1 1 4 1 2 2 3 3 2 3 1 2 1 9
Justice Stafford 2 13 13 13 11 11 2 2 2 12 12 1 0 1 0 4
Asher Wise 14 13 10 13 9 5 5 9 5 8 8 1 2 3 1 6
Peter Segal 3 2 2 4 2 3 0 1 3 4 1 0 2 2 1 12
William Collins 0 1 1 0 1 1 2 4 5 1 1 4 1 2 1 9
Darius Pettway 1 4 3 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 0 5
Michael Petit 3 3 1 3 3 3 2 4 1 3 3 2 0 2 1 9
Tony Ezell 0 2 2 0 3 0 2 5 5 1 1 1 0 2 0 9
Clemens Schwaiger 7 2 3 0 1 3 9 9 11 1 1 6 0 0 1 4
Chris Ramos 1 1 1 0 1 1 5 5 5 1 1 6 1 3 1 10
Kris DeMello 12 2 2 2 6 3 12 12 7 2 1 14 0 0 1 8
Zach Cohen 6 2 2 1 2 2 6 6 8 0 0 12 2 12 0 32
Reed Weisberg 3 8 2 2 4 0 1 5 3 6 1 5 0 3 0 12

Graham Sims will guide a deep and talented team in his sixth season as head coach at Villanova. All but one player returns from the team that won the 2031 national championship last April.

This year's Wildcats will be led by All-American forward Asher Wise. Returning for what will almost certainly be his final season on the Main Line, Asher has grown into the player we hoped he would be.

Wise's classmate, Kris DeMello, will start alongside him at the four. The Grimsby, Ontario product made great strides in his first season as a starter, and will enter the year as a fixture in our starting five. Kris, too, is expected to turn professional at the end of the season, and early mock drafts project him to join Wise among the top five picks.

Senior Clemens Schwaiger has waited patiently for his turn to start, and it's finally here. Clemens is a massive human being who hits the boards with authority, defends assertively, and has developed some inside scoring moves.

Everyone who likes Villanova basketball is rooting for Tony Ezell. His junior season was spoiled by a severe knee injury; before he got hurt, he was averaging 14 points a game as the team's indispensable sixth man. Easy E will reprise his role this year, giving us a weapon few other teams can match.

Sophomore Reed Weisberg is, simply, fun. The designation "shooting guard" was created for him. He performs this basketball task often and well, and from great distance. The presence of Weisberg, a member of the Big East All-Freshman team who averaged 15.1 PPG last season, keeps opponents from smothering Asher Wise with too much defensive attention.

Justice Stafford has emerged as the team's fifth starter from a pack of talented point guards. Nobody worked harder in camp than the junior from Virginia. He has developed into a classic point guard with a secure handle and top-tier passing ability.

It's hard to find playing time for both Blake Norton and Ernest Adcock. Norton, a senior, started his sophomore year and played well, but he fell victim to the potential of Stafford and, then, Adcock. Blake is the more reliable conductor, while Ernest is an extremely good on-ball defender.

A similar "problem" arises at the wing spots, too. Peter Segal, Michael Petit, and Noah Gardner are talented players who do things well. Segal is an especially good defender. Petit can shoot and score. Gardner hasn't developed as fully as we hoped he would, and that's making it difficult for us to get him onto the court.

Freshman big man Zach Cohen was the team's unquestioned star in pre-season conditioning. I hope he'll be patient, work hard, and learn from experienced players like Kris DeMello and Clemens Schwaiger while he waits his turn to contribute. He's good, and he should get better.

It says a lot when your best player improves more in camp than anyone else. Asher Wise and his teammates don't seem content with one national championship. Let's see if they can make it happen.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 9, 2031

@Chas in Cinti: The word out of Lexington is that Kentucky's highly-touted freshman Ezra Love arrived at preseason training ready to work.

#30 PF Ezra Love - Kentucky - Freshman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 246
High School: William Henry Harrison High School
Hometown: Evansville, IN

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 42 30 52 13 47 28 87 80 71 41 32 73 37 90 52 34
2030: 36 28 48 11 44 26 77 70 61 39 30 63 34 78 47 22
Potential: C D C D C D A A A C C A

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 84

Ezra is a baller. When I created him, he got some very good rolls in categories a Blue Collar Man needs, and he made big strides in his first training camp. Ezra is already a force to be reckoned with as a rebounder, defender, and shot blocker.

Looking at Kentucky's roster, Ezra will very likely open the season in the starting five.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 10, 2031
Travelers Invitational Semfinal
#1 Villanova 75, Cleveland State 67
After twenty minutes, it looks like the Vikings are about to pull off a shocking upset over the #1 team in the nation. And even after we settle into the game and begin to turn it around, the underdogs from the Horizon League manage to keep it close.

Asher Wise encounters early foul trouble; he eventually fouls out after only 12 minutes of action. Kris DeMello shoots 17 times and makes only 4, but he does grab 10 rebounds. Reed Weisberg plays well, with 16 points and 7 rebounds, Justice Stafford scores 11, and Tony Ezell and Peter Segal come off the bench to score 10 points each.

The best part of the game is the return to action of Tony Ezell. We've missed you, boss.
Record: 1-0.


November 12, 2031
Travelers Invitational Final
#1 Villanova 71, Tulane 62
Asher Wise drills 6 of 9 three-point tries en route to a 24-point night, and we ride our star to a Travelers Invitational championship over Tulane, who upset San Diego State in the first round.

Kris DeMello also plays much better, notching a 16p/10r double-double with 2 blocks on the side. Clemens Schwaiger (8p/10r/2b) plays well against the Green Wave's good young pivotman, Chris Kinder. Justice Stafford finishes with 8 assists and 1 turnover.

On the other side of the ledger, Reed Weisberg can't find the range from behind the arc (1-for-10), but he manages to score 12 points by making twos and free throws.
Record: 2-0.

https://i.imgur.com/yMvLYMT.jpg

[MoonlightGraham]

November 16, 2031
@#1 Villanova 94, Penn State 48
Coach Thomas Liang brings his Nittany Lions to the home of his mentor, Graham Sims, and the teacher teaches the student another lesson.

The top six players in the Wildcat rotation--the starters, plus Tony Ezell--all have either 10 points or 10 rebounds. The big guys reach double figures in rebounds and the others in points. Asher Wise (25) and Justice Stafford (17) are the high scorers. Kris DeMello blocks 3 shots, Clemens Schwaiger 2.

Zach Cohen plays 12 minutes and fills them with action: 7 points, 7 rebounds.

In Lexington, Kentucky's Ezra Love starts at center, scores 6 points and claims a game-high 10 rebounds in his first collegiate game. I probably won't highlight every one of Ezra's games, but I'll always check out how he does so I won't miss a big moment.
Record: 3-0.


November 21, 2031
@#1 Villanova 114, Davidson 69
It's former Villanova assistant Dario Ferreira's turn to bring his team to the Pavilion, and the Wildcats break the school record for points in a single game.

Kris DeMello's 25-point, 12-rebound, 3-block performance sets the tone. Asher Wise (24p/4r/4a/3s), Reed Weisberg (15p), Justice Stafford (11p/7a/3s), and Tony Ezell (11p/4r) also acquit themselves well.

We shoot .532/.882/.632 (FG/FT/3P). It's one of those wonderful nights when everything drops.
Record: 4-0.


November 25, 2031
@#1 Villanova 82, Pennsylvania 57
Kris DeMello commits 4 turnovers, but that's the only flaw in an otherwise outstanding performance from the junior center (20p/9r/2b/2s) against a Big Five opponent.

Reed Weisberg (19p) Asher Wise (12p) and Tony Ezell (10p) also score in double figures, while Clemens Schwaiger pulls in 11 rebounds. Ernest Adcock plays 25 minutes in relief of foul-plagued Justice Stafford, and he responds with 6 points, 3 assists, and 5 steals.
Record: 5-0.


November 29, 2031
@#1 Villanova 85, Canisius 55
First half score: Villanova 35, Canisius 34.
Second half score: Villanova 50, Canisius 21.

The Golden Griffins' senior star, Randall Rice, scores 21 points and captures 10 rebounds, but a whole den of Wildcats make similarly impactful contributions. Kris DeMello (18p/10r/3a/4b) plays like a future lottery pick. So does Asher Wise (15p/8a/7r). Justice Stafford hands out 8 assists. Zach Cohen grabs 8 rebounds in 13 minutes. This isn't all that unusual for the freshman center; he's averaging 10.4 minutes and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Record: 6-0.

Love Watch: Ezra Love is listed at PF, but he's started all four games at center for the undefeated, #5 ranked Kentucky Wildcats. Ezra, a powerful 6'9" and 246 pounds, has traded positions with nominal center Jeremiah Allen, who's 6'9", 208 pounds.

Ezra has made 13 of his 20 field goal attempts. He's averaging 24.0 minutes, 8.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. Pro scouts have their eyes on him; he's considered the #10 professional prospect in all of college basketball.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 3, 2031
#1 Villanova 89, #6 Lafayette 81

----------------------------------------------------------
Lafayette (6-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Joshua Dent C 37 8-24 7-11 4 20 5 2 23
Henry Gallman PF 26 2-3 0-0 1 3 0 2 4
E. O'Reilly C 37 5-9 0-2 4 7 2 3 12
Tracey Burger SF 23 3-9 2-2 1 2 1 5 10
Lindsey Lawrence PG 24 2-3 0-0 0 2 4 2 5
Joey Shoffner SG 17 5-9 0-0 1 1 6 1 12
Paul Helms SF 28 3-8 2-3 0 3 0 3 9
Maynard Benz SG 13 1-2 0-0 0 2 2 3 2
Garret Terrell PG 14 0-1 2-5 0 0 0 2 2
Armando Clark C 4 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2
Steven Gammon SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (J.Dent 1, H.Gallman 2, E.O'Reilly 1,
T.Burger 4, L.Lawrence 3, J.Shoffner 1, P.Helms 2)
Blocked Shots: 6 (J.Dent 4, H.Gallman 1, A.Clark 1)
Steals: 5 (J.Dent 1, L.Lawrence 1, J.Shoffner 1,
P.Helms 2)
3P FGs: 8-26 (J.Dent 0-2, E.O'Reilly 2-5, T.Burger 2-7,
L.Lawrence 1-2, J.Shoffner 2-6, P.Helms 1-3, M.Benz
0-1)

Villanova (7-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Clemens Schwaiger C 14 0-1 0-0 2 6 0 4 0
Kris DeMello PF 36 7-16 4-4 5 8 0 1 19
Asher Wise SF 36 4-13 7-7 3 8 5 2 16
Reed Weisberg SG 34 3-17 9-10 4 12 0 2 16
Justice Stafford PG 33 2-6 2-2 1 4 8 2 8
Tony Ezell PF 12 2-3 3-3 0 2 1 4 7
Ernest Adcock SG 15 2-4 1-2 0 1 3 2 7
Blake Norton PG 8 2-4 0-0 0 1 0 1 5
Peter Segal SF 8 1-2 1-2 1 2 1 1 4
Zach Cohen C 15 3-4 1-1 2 6 0 4 7
Michael Petit PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Chris Ramos C 12 0-4 0-0 3 4 0 0 0

Turnovers: 16 (C.Schwaiger 2, K.DeMello 1, A.Wise 1,
R.Weisberg 3, J.Stafford 3, B.Norton 1, P.Segal 2,
Z.Cohen 1, C.Ramos 2)
Blocked Shots: 8 (K.DeMello 6, R.Weisberg 1, T.Ezell 1)
Steals: 9 (K.DeMello 2, A.Wise 2, R.Weisberg 2,
J.Stafford 2, Z.Cohen 1)
3P FGs: 9-32 (K.DeMello 1-1, A.Wise 1-6, R.Weisberg
1-13, J.Stafford 2-4, E.Adcock 2-4, B.Norton 1-2,
P.Segal 1-2)

Player of Game: PF Kris DeMello (VLNV)
With each passing year, Lafayette demonstrates that their excellence is not dependent on Graham Sims' presence. Coach Sims built the Lafayette program into a "high major team in a mid major conference," but five years after his departure, the Leopards are still among the toughest teams in the nation.

They reinforce that impression again tonight, standing toe to toe with a Villanova team that enters the game undefeated, with an average victory margin of 25 points.

Joshua Dent is a full-grown man. He's a junior, and we had him on our call list until we saw how clearly his sights were set on playing for Lafayette. I don't think I've seen a 20/20 double-double in this dynasty until tonight, and we're in our 21st season.

Reed Weisberg must have heard me mentioning how much better his shoot tool is than anything else in his toolkit. He proves tonight that he can rebound, too. And, while Kris DeMello obviously takes exception to a visiting player dominating the post in his house, his 19-point, 8-rebound, 6-block, 2-steal performance doesn't exactly look like submission.

I'm thinking about finding out whether Zach Cohen can maintain his production if he starts. Zach is averaging 12.5 points and 15.2 rebounds per 30 minutes, so even if that rebounding rate falls off some, he'll still be really good.
Record: 7-0.


December 6, 2031
@#1 Villanova 60, Creighton 50
Asher Wise's effectiveness is limited by foul trouble, but Reed Weisberg picks up the scoring slack as we win a hard-fought game against the Blue Jays.

The first half looks like a game of college basketball. We take a 39-32 lead into the break. The second half turns into an ugly slugfest that sees the two teams combine for 39 points.

Weisberg scores 22 points, sinking 4 of 8 threes. We only score 21 baskets, but 14 of them are assisted; Justice Stafford contributes 6 of these. Kris DeMello scores 8 points and claims 11 rebounds.

Tony Ezell tweaks his knee, and just to be safe, we'll let him sit out until he's fully healed. It's the same knee he tore up last winter.
Record: 8-0.


December 9, 2031
@#1 Villanova 69, Columbia 53
First year Zach Cohen scores 12 points in his first start, helping us to a victory over the visiting Lions of the Ivy League.

Asher Wise turns in another signature performance (15p/7r/6a/3s). I'm thoroughly enjoying watching Asher do what he does. Kris DeMello, who averages exactly 10 rebounds per game, finishes with exactly 10 rebounds. Reed Weisberg contributes a balanced 8 points and 8 boards. We don't shoot well, but we win this one with solid defensive play.

I thought I had buried Tony Ezell far enough down the depth chart, but the AI coach finds him and gives him 10 minutes of playing time. Fortunately he didn't hurt himself any worse.
Record: 9-0.


December 13, 2031
#1 Villanova 62, @Delaware 61
You read that right. We have Kris DeMello to thank for this very, very narrow victory.

The Blue Hens have two chances to win this one at the end of the game. The first time, DeMello blocks Joe Jesse's shot at the rim, and when the Blue Hens regain possession, Ernest Adcock ties up the ballhandler and forces a jump ball. The possession arrow goes to the home team, giving them another chance. Again, the Blue Hens try to pound it into Jesse on the low block. Again, DeMello turns his shot back. Bradley Martin grabs the ball, shoots, and misses. Crisis averted.

DeMello finishes with 11 points, but more significant are his 8 blocked shots. A dude named Larry Vanegas, who played at Villanova a decade ago, rejected 9 or more shots five times in his career, but Kris's output is the highest by a 'Nova player since Larry protected the Wildcats' rim.

Reed Weisberg leads us with 18 points. Justice Stafford contributes 5 assists (non-remarkable) and 11 rebounds (remarkable). We consider how lucky we are on the ride back home from Newark.
Record: 10-0.


December 20, 2031
#1 Villanova 79, @Princeton 77
Several teams, in several different sports, have been nicknamed the Cardiac Cats. This month, this moniker fits the Villanova breed of cat very well.

With 46 seconds left, we trail Princeton, 75-74. That's when Asher Wise makes a steal and starts the fast break. The Tigers get back and defend, we go into our half-court offense, and we get the ball in Justice Stafford's hands. That's a good thing. Justice locates Reed Weisberg for a catch-and-shoot three. Villanova 77, Princeton 74.

We set an aggressive trap for the Tigers and execute it well. Stafford steals the ball, and the Tigers foul him. Justice is shooting 73 percent from the line this year, and he makes both ends of a one-and-one. Princeton manages to cut the lead to two in the last moments of the game, but Stafford's assist-steal-free throw sequence ends up being the difference-maker.
Record: 11-0.


Love Watch: Kentucky finishes December with a 13-0 record and the #3 spot in the polls, behind us and a resurgent Georgetown.

Ezra Love has started every game so far. He's part of a three-man rotation in the post, along with juniors Jeremiah Allen and Tim Hanrahan. Ezra plays the fewest minutes of the three, averaging 22.4 per game. He's quite a productive player, though; he's shooting .548 from the floor (23-for-42), scoring 4.8 points per game, and averaging 6.4 rebounds.

He's almost a statistical twin for our Zach Cohen, except that Ezra blocks more shots (1.2 per game, to Zach's 0.3).

[MoonlightGraham]

January 6, 2031
2031 Big East Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------
#2 Georgetown 0 0 .000 12 0 1.000 13 100
#1 Villanova 0 0 .000 11 0 1.000 4 100
#17 Seton Hall 0 0 .000 11 0 1.000 51 54
#15 Providence 0 0 .000 11 0 1.000 83 70
#12 Notre Dame 0 0 .000 10 2 .833 2 81
#25 Louisville 0 0 .000 10 3 .769 28 91
#23 Pittsburgh 0 0 .000 10 2 .833 49 86
West Virginia 0 0 .000 9 3 .750 120 100
Connecticut 0 0 .000 8 3 .727 36 72
St. John's 0 0 .000 8 3 .727 115 73
South Florida 0 0 .000 7 4 .636 14 68
Cincinnati 0 0 .000 7 5 .583 81 62
Rutgers 0 0 .000 7 5 .583 122 75
Syracuse 0 0 .000 6 6 .500 86 69
DePaul 0 0 .000 6 5 .545 130 54
Marquette 0 0 .000 4 7 .364 167 61
There are seven ranked teams in the Big East right now. Four of us are unbeaten. It's shaping up to be another very competitive season in our conference.

One of those top seven teams isn't West Virginia. The Mountaineers are very young, struggling through the growing pains of freshmen that aren't quite ready for the Big East. But they're still West Virginia, and they're still dangerous.


January 8, 2032
@#1 Villanova 72, Syracuse 66
Trailing the Orange by five points at halftime, we settle down and play Villanova basketball for the remaining 20 minutes. That enables us to take care of a pesky Syracuse team.

It's clear that our opponents try to do everything in their power to stop Asher Wise from beating them. However, that emphasis can leave lots of room for players like Reed Weisberg, who smites the Orange for 25 points, knocking down 5 triples. And Wise still manages to score 17 of his own.

Kris DeMello scores 12, Zach Cohen pulls in 12 rebounds, and Justice Stafford hands out 8 assists.
Record: 12-0 (1-0).


January 10, 2032
#1 Villanova 86, @Marquette 55
Our Big East schedule is rather lopsided. We have only two away games in January, and in the first of these, we win big against the hapless Golden Eagles.

All-action Asher Wise (23p/10r/3a) leads the way, with lots of assistance from Reed Weisberg (16p/10r), Kris DeMello (17p/6r/3b), Justice Stafford (11p/5a/4s), and Ernest Adcock (10 points in 16 minutes).
Record: 13-0 (2-0).


January 14, 2032
@#1 Villanova 86, #25 Louisville 59
We make short work of a ranked Cardinals team at the Pavilion, with balance being the key ingredient in our winning formula.

Five Wildcats finish with at least 10 points, led by Asher Wise's 20 and Reed Weisberg's 18. Justice Stafford's 11 assists mark a career high for him, and he adds 3 steals. Tony Ezell supplements 11 points with 3 blocks, and enjoys a special moment when he scores his 1000th career point.
Record: 14-0 (3-0).


January 17, 2032
#1 Villanova 79, @West Virginia 57
The Mountaineers are enduring a season much like Georgetown's 2030/31 campaign. Several members of coach Joseph Owens' successful team from the year before have graduated or turned professional, so they are no longer available. Still, I didn't expect to be leading West Virginia, 50-29, going into halftime.

We push the pace more than I'm used to doing against the Mountaineers, finishing the game with 72 field goal attempts. Reed Weisberg (21 points), Kris DeMello (19) and Asher Wise (19) lead our scorers.

I've begun choosing our starting center based on our opponent. Against teams with potent inside scorers, I give the start to Clemens Schwaiger. Zach Cohen gets the nod when I want a bit more offense. Clemens gets the task of controlling WVU's productive big man, Rusty Lollar, and he holds Lollar to 9 points--7 below his average. Meanwhile, Clemens hauls in a game-high 13 rebounds, and Zach grabs 7 more off the bench.
Record: 15-0 (4-0).


January 21, 2032
@#1 Villanova 89, Providence 58
The Friars played very well in November and December, but they're struggling in Big East competition. We handle them with no problems at the Pavilion tonight, but we do it in unusual fashion.

Besides Asher Wise (18p/4a/6r/3s), who does all the Asher Wise things, none of our usual scorers put up big numbers. The Friars seem content to let Justice Stafford shoot, so he does. He scores 18 points, dishes out 4 assists, and wins Player of the Game recognition.

Peter Segal comes off the bench with guns blazing, knocking down 4 triples and scoring 14 points in 11 minutes. Reserve point guard Ernest Adcock hands out 5 assists. Kris DeMello pulls down 9 rebounds and blocks 3 shots.
Record: 16-0 (5-0).


January 24, 2032
@#1 Villanova 89, #3 Georgetown 75
The Hoyas are back this year, their roster replenished by a strong recruiting class. They enter the game with only one loss, away to #7 Notre Dame. Those realities make this a big win for us.

We force the Hoyas into 23 turnovers, which helps us mitigate the effects of their excellent shooting (51 percent overall, 48 percent from three-point range). Meanwhile, five of our guys score in double figures (Reed Weisberg 17, Tony Ezell 16, Kris DeMello 14, Asher Wise 13, Justice Stafford 10). Justice also dishes out 11 assists.

One of Georgetown's starting big men, Nick Dishman, is out with an injury, and our pairing of DeMello and Zach Cohen outplay their young star, Jacody Hinton. All in all, it's a very pleasing night at the Wells Fargo Center.
Record: 17-0 (6-0).


January 28, 2032
@#1 Villanova 91, South Florida 75
For 20 minutes, South Florida makes this a very competitive game. It's tied at 35 going into the intermission. The Bulls, however, discover that fouling Reed Weisberg is not a good defensive strategy. The sophomore has made 89 percent of his free throws over the course of his career, and he sinks 11 of 12 tonight to help us pull away.

Reed finishes with a game-high 23 points, taking only two shots that would be worth two points if they went in, and missing both of them. Tony Ezell drops in 21, Asher Wise 15. Point guards Justice Stafford, Blake Norton, and Ernest Adcock combine for 14 assists, with 7 coming from backup Ernest tonight. Clemens Schwaiger, getting the start at center, amasses 12 rebounds.
Record: 18-0 (7-0).


January 31, 2032
@#1 Villanova 68, DePaul 36
Basketball purists would not appreciate this game, a dull, slow-paced slog that features very little action.

The one example of quality basketball play is the long-range shooting of Reed Weisberg. Reed fires 13 threes, making 6 of them. His 22 points easily lead all scorers. Clemens Schwaiger notches his second double-digit rebound game in a row with 11.

Our schedule is about to become more challenging, as seven of our remaining ten Big East games will be played on the road. Trips to Cincinnati and Rutgers will be stern tests, and so will a home date with Notre Dame.
Record: 19-0 (8-0).

Love Watch: Third-ranked Kentucky (19-1) keeps rolling on, with a loss at #7 Tennessee the only blemish on their record. Ezra Love is certainly doing his part. The freshman big man's statistics aren't eye-popping--he averages 4.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game--but he's started every game for a very, very good team. Ezra leads the team in blocked shots. He's a very efficient shooter, making 52 percent of his field goal attempts and 73 percent of his free throws.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 4, 2032
@Cincinnati 85, #1 Villanova 83
Our string of 25 consecutive victories ends when the Bearcats' Lowell Law hits a three with 10 seconds remaining. It's the only shot Law, a junior guard, takes all night.

We have a chance to respond, but Justice Stafford's three-point attempt rims out.

Asher Wise is magnificent in defeat, scoring a career-best 34 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. Kris DeMello adds 18 points and 4 blocks, and Reed Weisberg scores 14. Clemens Schwaiger leads us with 10 rebounds and blocks 3 shots.
Record: 19-1 (8-1).

2031 Big East Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
------------------------------------------------------------
#1 Villanova 8 1 .889 19 1 .950 2 100
#6 Notre Dame 8 1 .889 18 3 .857 4 81
#2 Georgetown 7 2 .778 19 2 .905 1 100
Cincinnati 6 3 .667 13 8 .619 19 62
Rutgers 6 3 .667 13 8 .619 71 75
West Virginia 4 5 .444 13 8 .619 29 100
South Florida 4 5 .444 11 9 .550 12 68
Seton Hall 4 5 .444 15 5 .750 37 54
Pittsburgh 4 5 .444 14 7 .667 35 86
St. John's 4 5 .444 12 8 .600 110 73
Connecticut 3 6 .333 11 9 .550 45 72
Marquette 3 6 .333 7 13 .350 124 61
Syracuse 3 6 .333 9 12 .429 70 69
DePaul 3 6 .333 9 11 .450 69 54
Providence 3 6 .333 14 6 .700 42 70
Louisville 2 7 .222 12 10 .545 24 91
We're now tied with Notre Dame for the Big East lead, which makes the Fighting Irish's upcoming visit to the Main Line even more important.


February 7, 2032
#1 Villanova 96, Louisville 73
Louisville's struggles in Big East play continue, as we return to our winning ways with a decisive victory in the Bluegrass State.

Our outside shots aren't falling (5-for-16 from three), so we focus on getting the ball to the big guys close to the basket. Asher Wise (22p/8r/6a) can get to the rim, and that's where Kris DeMello (18p/11r/3b) does his best work. Tony Ezell (15p/5r) also finds lots of room to operate.
Record: 20-1 (9-1).


February 11, 2032
#1 Villanova 86, @Rutgers 68
We get the better of a symmetrical scoreline against the Scarlet Knights at their place.

15 points and 6 assists in 22 minutes from Reed Weisberg earn him a PotG award. Tony Ezell (13 points), Asher Wise (11p/9r/3s), and Zach Cohen (10p) also reach double figures. Kris DeMello blocks 6 shots. Peter Segal splashes 3 triples in 4 tries in 9 minutes of action.

Meanwhile, South Florida surprises Notre Dame, 55-53, in South Bend. The Irish fall into a second-place tie with Georgetown, returning us to the top of the table.
Record: 21-1 (10-1).


February 14, 2032
#1 Villanova 101, @Seton Hall 77
Reed Weisberg makes 8 three-pointers tonight, a career high, and scores a season-best 29 points as we sink the Pirates.

Weisberg adds 3 steals, and Tony Ezell (17p/7r), Asher Wise (17p/5r/5a), and Kris DeMello (16p/2b) are their usual productive selves. Clemens Schwaiger's ability to fetch missed shots has earned him the full-time gig as our starting center. The big German grabs 11 boards tonight, extending possessions 5 times with offensive rebounds.
Record: 22-1 (11-1).


February 18, 2032
#8 Notre Dame 65, #1 Villanova 63

---------------------------------------------------------
Notre Dame (21-4, 11-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ahmed Sexton C 31 7-10 0-1 7 9 0 0 14
Jonas Reinhold PF 27 2-6 2-2 3 8 3 2 6
Derek Stines SF 35 7-18 0-1 1 7 1 3 17
David Jones SG 35 2-6 0-0 3 4 2 3 6
Grover Jenkins PG 34 4-16 4-4 1 4 6 3 13
Anthony Hooks C 13 1-4 0-0 0 1 0 1 2
Joe Smiley PF 7 1-2 0-1 1 3 0 0 2
Vernon Denson PG 7 0-1 3-4 0 1 3 0 3
Scottie Parker SG 6 0-1 0-0 2 3 1 0 0
Roderick Peacock C 2 1-1 0-2 0 1 0 0 2
Noble Burwell SF 3 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 1 0

Turnovers: 14 (A.Sexton 1, J.Reinhold 2, D.Stines 4,
G.Jenkins 4, A.Hooks 1, S.Parker 2)
Blocked Shots: 2 (A.Sexton 2)
Steals: 6 (A.Sexton 2, D.Jones 2, G.Jenkins 2)
3P FGs: 6-26 (D.Stines 3-12, D.Jones 2-4, G.Jenkins
1-9, V.Denson 0-1)

Villanova (22-2, 11-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Clemens Schwaiger C 32 2-4 0-0 1 4 0 4 4
Kris DeMello PF 33 2-5 4-4 0 4 0 1 8
Asher Wise SF 36 12-23 1-2 3 11 4 2 32
Reed Weisberg SG 30 1-4 2-2 1 5 0 1 5
Justice Stafford PG 21 4-4 1-2 0 1 5 4 10
Tony Ezell PF 17 1-6 2-2 0 2 0 3 4
Ernest Adcock PG 20 0-3 0-0 0 2 3 2 0
Zach Cohen C 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 2 0
Blake Norton PG 4 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Peter Segal SF 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 16 (C.Schwaiger 1, K.DeMello 2, A.Wise 2,
R.Weisberg 5, J.Stafford 2, T.Ezell 3, B.Norton 1)
Blocked Shots: 14 (C.Schwaiger 3, K.DeMello 7, A.Wise
1, T.Ezell 2, E.Adcock 1)
Steals: 8 (C.Schwaiger 1, K.DeMello 1, A.Wise 2,
J.Stafford 3, E.Adcock 1)
3P FGs: 9-25 (C.Schwaiger 0-1, A.Wise 7-16, R.Weisberg
1-4, J.Stafford 1-1, E.Adcock 0-2, P.Segal 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Asher Wise (VLNV)
Notre Dame hands us our second loss of the season. Both losses have come by two-point margins.

This time, a buzzer-beater by Ahmed Sexton stuns the capacity crowd at Finneran Pavilion into silence, so soon after Reed Weisberg's game-tying three made it explode with joy.

The crowd applauds Asher Wise off the floor, recognizing the fight he put up tonight. They understand how few more times they'll get to see Asher play, and they want him to know how much they love him. They sense that Kris DeMello's collegiate career might also end soon, and they show him their appreciation for his hard work--demonstrated tonight with 7 blocked shots.

The result creates a three-way tie atop the Big East standings, including Notre Dame, Villanova, and Georgetown. And, it also gives the Fighting Irish the edge in a head-to-head tiebreaker.
Record: 22-2 (11-2).


February 21, 2032
#1 Villanova 79, @Connecticut 57
We travel up to New England and lay the wood to our hosts, strangling their offense and picking up a resounding victory.

Asher Wise posts another emphatic double-double: 27 points and 11 rebounds. Clemens Schwaiger (11p/10r) does the same trick, but his features a perfect 5-for-5 night shooting the basketball.

For the second straight game, we record 14 blocked shots. Kris DeMello again provides 7 of these, and Schwaiger gets 4. No Graham Sims-coached team has ever rejected more in a single game, not even when Samuel Davis patrolled the paint for Lafayette back in the 'teens.

Reed Weisberg scores only 8 points--half his season's average--but among them is his 1000th career point.
Record: 23-2 (12-2).


February 25, 2032
@#1 Villanova 79, Marquette 50
Tony Ezell achieves a career high in points and a season high in rebounds as we roll over an overmatched Marquette team.

The senior goes 11-16 from the free throw line, providing a good portion of his 27 points. He also corrals 8 rebounds. Reed Weisberg adds 18 points and 3 steals, Justice Stafford has 7 rebounds and 7 assists, and Asher Wise contributes 11 points and 6 boards.
Record: 24-2 (13-2).


February 28, 2032
@#1 Villanova 93, Pittsburgh 69
Coach Sims sees to it that a player who stays for four seasons always starts his Senior Night game, the final appearance he makes at Finneran Pavilion. Tonight, the men of the hour are Clemens Schwaiger, Blake Norton, and Tony Ezell.

Schwaiger, the only regular starter in his class, is burdened with foul trouble and finishes with 4 points and 6 rebounds. Ezell, who usually stars as our sixth man, scores 10 and rebounds 6. Norton, who surrendered some playing time to the dynamic young point guards we've recruited, scores 6 points,
hands out 5 assists, and makes 3 steals.

It's also almost certainly the last home game for Asher Wise, and he goes out in spectacular style. The junior, who is predicted to be one of the very first players drafted if he joins this year's pro draft, scores a career-high 35 points. Asher goes 8-for-9 from three-point distance.

Kris DeMello, another junior Wildcat who is expected to pass up his final season of eligibility, scores 9 points and blocks 4 shots. And Reed Weisberg, a sophomore whom we'll all enjoy watching next year, finishes with 19 points and 7 rebounds.

Notre Dame stumbles in an away game at Cincinnati, so we're now tied with Georgetown for the Big East Lead. We hold the advantage in head-to-head competition.
Record: 25-2 (14-2).

Love Watch: The beat goes on for #5 Kentucky and their freshman big man, Ezra Love. Ezra has started all 28 games for the 26-2 'Cats. He averages 4.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game, and while he's been in a bit of a shooting slump lately, he's still shooting over 46 percent from the field and 75 percent from the line. Ezra has more assists than turnovers, and he's UK's second best player by plus-minus.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 3, 2032
#1 Villanova 64, @Syracuse 58
Both teams roll up their sleeves for a gritty, classic Big East battle, which we win for two reasons. Not necessarily listed in order of importance, they are:

1. We shoot 37 free throws, making 25. Syracuse shoots only 10, and even though they make all of them, that's a big advantage for us. Needless to say, their crowd is most unhappy.

2. We have Asher Wise, and they do not. Asher's torrid streak continues, as he drops 30 on the Orange tonight.

Tony Ezell scores 13, including 9-of-12 from the charity stripe. Kris DeMello blocks 5 shots, and Justice Stafford assists on 5 baskets.
Record: 26-2 (15-2).


March 6, 2032
@St. John's 76, #1 Villanova 70
Oh, dear.

We fall behind, 44-34, at the half, while a raucous crowd at the Carnesecca Arena roars wildly. Graham Sims makes some adjustments that bring the Wildcats to within a point, 59-58, with seven and a half minutes to play. The Johnnies' shoulders seem to slump a bit at this point. No doubt they've seen the Wildcats grab hold of a game like this one and blow it apart.

But St. John's flips the script tonight. They reel off a short run that gives them back a seven-point lead. Again, we claw our way back, and a Reed Weisberg three-point dagger cuts the Johnnies' lead to 69-67. Kris DeMello delivers a huge rejection on St. John's next possession, and it appears we have momentum on our side. There's under a minute left now.

Asher Wise misfires on a three that would have tied the game. That's our last chance. The Red Storms the court, celebrating an upset victory they'll remember for the rest of their lives.

Reed Weisberg finishes with 25 points, and Justice Stafford passes out 11 assists.
Record: 26-3 (15-3).

https://i.imgur.com/rsvdf5S.jpg

March 13, 2032
Big East Tournament Quarterfinal
(3) #1 Villanova 88, (11) Seton Hall 62
"That three seed stings a little bit," Tony Ezell says in the locker room before our quarterfinal matchup with Seton Hall. Then, the senior scores 11 points and grabs 8 rebounds, playing a key role in our victory over the Pirates.

Tony is one of five 'Cats in double figures, led by Reed Weisberg with 24. Justice Stafford adds 13 points to his 11 assists, and Kris DeMello pulls in 16 rebounds to go with 10 points. Asher Wise rests his shooting arm a bit, taking only 9 shots and scoring 13 points.

The four top seeds all advance to the semifinals.
Record: 27-3.


March 12, 2032
Big East Tournament Semifinal
(2) #6 Notre Dame 74, (3) #1 Villanova 64
We squander a 37-30 halftime advantage and exit the Big East tourney at the hands of the Fighting Irish.

Tony Ezell buries his head in a towel as he sits on the bench at the end of the game, his shoulders visibly shaking. He scores 15 points, leading us in scoring in his final Big East tournament contest. Reed Weisberg finishes with 14; Justice Stafford 13 and 5 assists; Asher Wise 10 and 5 rebounds.
Record: 27-4.


March 13, 2032
Georgetown defeats Notre Dame, 85-71, to win the Big East tournament. Senior Boyce Hutton scores 25 for the Hoyas, and freshman DeQuinn Baldwin adds 19.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 14, 2032
We're the first team announced when the field for this year's NCAA tournament is announced. This year, we're off to the West Region, seeded first.

The other top seeds are Notre Dame, Kentucky, and Georgetown.

Eight Big East teams are off to the Big Dance: the seven who have at least 20 wins, and the 19-12 Pitt Panthers.


March 18, 2032
NCAA West Region, First Round
(1) #2 Villanova 98, (16) North Texas 62
There's no drama here, as we rout a North Texas team who finished the season with an 11-23 record and made the team through an upset victory in the Sun Belt Conference tournament.

Tony Ezell delivers a magisterial performance, with 25 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. Reed Weisberg scores 18 points and pulls down 7 rebounds. Kris DeMello provides a robust 14-point, 13-rebound double-double. Asher Wise emphasizes his role as a playmaker, providing 6 assists and scoring 12 points.

Next up is Florida State, who bounced Vanderbilt out of the tourney.
Record: 28-4.


March 19, 2032
NCAA Region, Second Round
(1) #2 Villanova 76, (9) Florida State 71
We hold the ACC's leading scorer, Charles Williams, to 15 points--seven below his average--as we win a close one against the Seminoles. Had Charles, a senior who's scored nearly 2000 points in his career, hit his average, we'd be going home.

We endure a night of poor shooting, making only 7 of our 30 three-point tries. We also turn the ball over 16 times. We're lucky to win this one.

Reed Weisberg, the only shooter who can find the range, finishes with 22 points. Asher Wise (13) and Tony Ezell (12) also score in double figures.

Justice Stafford contributes 7 assists, and we get 11 rebounds from Clemens Schwaiger.

Lafayette, the 7 seed in the Midwest Region, is eliminated from the tournament by 2-seed Kansas, 81-69.
Record: 29-4.


March 25, 2032
NCAA West Region Semifinal...the Sweet Sixteen
(1) #2 Villanova 96, (4) #18 Alabama-Birmingham 71
The Wildcats flash their claws again tonight, ripping a good UAB team in the Sweet Sixteen.

We get between 14 and 20 points from five players, led by Reed Weisberg's 20. Senior Blake Norton, who knows each game he plays might be his last in Villanova colors, fires in 14.

Justice Stafford's 11 assists give him a career total of 508. Only two Villanova players have handed out more, and if Justice returns for his senior season, he should own the career record by Christmas.

Our victory extends a nice streak for Graham, whose teams have won at least 30 games for ten consecutive seasons. The first four came at Lafayette. This is the thirteenth 30-win season in Graham's career.
Record: 30-4.


March 27, 2032
NCAA West Region Final...the Elite Eight
(1) #2 Villanova 90, (2) #12 Stanford 62
Elite Eight matchups aren't supposed to look like this.

Tonight's game is over before halftime. It's 47-24, Villanova, at the break; very little of this game is shown on TV, as the network cuts to a closer contest. So Wildcats fans have to stream the action as Reed Weisberg nails 6 threes en route to 22 points. He's ably supported by Kris DeMello (15p/8r/3b), Justice Stafford (14p/7r/7a), and Tony Ezell (11p/8r).

Determined not to let Asher Wise beat them, the Cardinal hold him to 9 points on 4-10 shooting. As a team, however, we shoot .526/.600/.706 (FG/3P/FT), assisting on 21 of our 33 made field goals.

We're champions of the West, and we're off to the Final Four!
Record: 31-4.


April 3, 2032
NCAA National Semifinal: the Final Four
#2 Villanova 73, #9 North Carolina 69

---------------------------------------------------------
North Carolina (30-7, 12-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jeffrey Hickox C 33 2-4 1-4 3 5 0 3 5
Heath Brill PF 35 3-8 5-8 1 8 0 3 11
Rolland Hyde SF 28 8-10 2-2 1 8 7 5 18
David Beaver SG 30 6-15 1-3 0 0 1 2 16
Jaden Foley PG 34 5-7 2-2 1 5 5 2 14
Bennett Lee PG 19 0-3 2-2 0 1 4 2 2
Everette Shipman SF 8 1-2 0-0 0 2 0 0 3
Stanley Jones PF 11 0-4 0-0 0 1 1 1 0
Kurt Barros C 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Robert Godsey SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Charles Kempf SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (H.Brill 3, R.Hyde 3, D.Beaver 3, J.Foley
1, B.Lee 3, E.Shipman 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (J.Hickox 2, H.Brill 3, S.Jones 2)
Steals: 8 (J.Hickox 1, H.Brill 1, R.Hyde 2, D.Beaver 1,
J.Foley 2, B.Lee 1)
3P FGs: 6-18 (D.Beaver 3-9, J.Foley 2-4, B.Lee 0-2,
E.Shipman 1-1, S.Jones 0-2)

Villanova (32-4, 15-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Clemens Schwaiger C 32 1-3 0-0 3 6 1 0 2
Kris DeMello PF 25 0-3 4-4 4 7 0 4 4
Asher Wise SF 34 2-15 3-3 2 6 3 2 7
Reed Weisberg SG 31 8-14 1-2 1 5 3 2 23
Justice Stafford PG 35 4-7 0-0 1 4 9 3 11
Tony Ezell SF 19 5-8 2-2 0 2 0 4 12
Ernest Adcock PG 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 2 0 3
Blake Norton SG 5 3-6 0-0 0 1 0 2 7
Peter Segal SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Zach Cohen C 11 2-5 0-0 1 3 1 2 4
Michael Petit PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (C.Schwaiger 3, K.DeMello 2, A.Wise 3,
R.Weisberg 2, J.Stafford 2, T.Ezell 1, B.Norton 1,
Z.Cohen 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (C.Schwaiger 2, K.DeMello 2, A.Wise 1,
R.Weisberg 1, T.Ezell 1)
Steals: 5 (C.Schwaiger 1, K.DeMello 1, R.Weisberg 1,
J.Stafford 1, T.Ezell 1)
3P FGs: 11-26 (A.Wise 0-6, R.Weisberg 6-11, J.Stafford
3-5, E.Adcock 1-1, B.Norton 1-3)

Player of Game: SG Reed Weisberg (VLNV)

We advance to the championship game with a narrow victory over the Tar Heels.

"If we lose that game, it's on me," declares Asher Wise, whose late basket and free throws--our final four points of the night--don't make him forget his otherwise tough night, shooting-wise.

As usual, Asher does other things to help us win, and several of his teammates step up to make sure their seasons didn't end one game short of the final. Reed Weisberg defies UNC's attempts to deny him the ball with room to shoot, and knocks down more than half the threes he shoots. Justice Stafford touches the paint again and again, setting up Tony Ezell for easy buckets near the rim or kicking it out to Weisberg.

Meanwhile, Kansas defeats Memphis, 69-48, so we'll face the Jayhawks in Monday's championship game. It will be Villanova's fourth trip to the final, and Graham Sims' fifth.
Record: 32-4.


April 5, 2032
NCAA Championship Game
[B]#4 Kansas 83, #2 Villanova 76

---------------------------------------------------------
Kansas (34-3, 14-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Nathan Haynes C 31 4-11 9-12 3 6 0 2 17
Richard Gomez PF 29 3-11 4-4 2 7 2 3 10
Carl Farmer SF 22 5-8 3-3 2 5 1 2 16
Larry Craig SG 35 3-11 1-1 2 10 5 3 8
Renato Sylvia PG 27 2-5 2-4 0 2 7 3 8
Carey Nobles PF 14 4-4 2-2 0 3 1 1 10
Jerrell Tomas C 6 0-0 0-2 0 0 1 0 0
Robert DaSilva PG 15 3-3 0-0 0 2 2 0 7
Andrew Green SF 19 3-5 0-0 0 0 1 2 7
Monte Watson SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Matthew Koss PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 8 (R.Gomez 2, L.Craig 2, R.Sylvia 3,
R.DaSilva 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (N.Haynes 1, R.Gomez 4, C.Nobles 2)
Steals: 5 (R.Gomez 1, L.Craig 3, R.Sylvia 1)
3P FGs: 8-18 (C.Farmer 3-3, L.Craig 1-7, R.Sylvia 2-5,
R.DaSilva 1-1, A.Green 1-2)

Villanova (32-5, 15-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Clemens Schwaiger C 25 2-2 1-2 1 3 1 5 5
Kris DeMello PF 34 3-10 2-6 2 8 0 4 8
Asher Wise SF 29 10-18 6-7 2 5 3 4 30
Reed Weisberg SG 30 5-11 0-0 0 7 2 3 13
Justice Stafford PG 34 4-9 0-0 4 7 11 3 11
Tony Ezell PF 12 1-6 2-2 1 1 0 4 4
Ernest Adcock PG 6 0-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 0
Blake Norton SG 8 0-1 3-3 0 0 0 0 3
Peter Segal SF 11 1-4 0-0 0 0 0 0 2
Zach Cohen C 11 0-0 0-0 2 5 0 1 0

Turnovers: 9 (C.Schwaiger 1, K.DeMello 1, A.Wise 2,
R.Weisberg 4, E.Adcock 1)
Blocked Shots: 10 (C.Schwaiger 3, K.DeMello 6, Z.Cohen
1)
Steals: 3 (A.Wise 1, R.Weisberg 1, B.Norton 1)
3P FGs: 10-27 (A.Wise 4-8, R.Weisberg 3-7, J.Stafford
3-6, T.Ezell 0-1, E.Adcock 0-2, B.Norton 0-1, P.Segal
0-2)

Player of Game: SF Carl Farmer (KS)
One of tonight's finalists would become the first program to win three national championships. It turns out to be the Kansas Jayhawks.

Coach Joshua Williams wipes tears of joy from his face as he lifts the championship trophy. At age 66, Coach Williams might have coached his final game. If he has, he'll retire with 513 wins to his credit, none bigger than this one. Coach Williams becomes the sixteenth coach to lead his team to a national championship.

We lead by as many as 11 points in the first half, and as many as 10 in the second half. But, each time, the Jayhawks battle back.

Tony Ezell deserves a better final chapter to his Villanova basketball story. Plagued by foul trouble, he plays only 12 minutes and misses five of the six shots he attempts. Clemens Schwaiger, too, would like to rewrite his personal script; he fouls out with 5 points, 3 blocked shots, and 3 rebounds.

It's almost certainly the last dance for Asher Wise, and he makes it a memorable one. So, too, for Kris DeMello, who turns back 6 Jayhawk shots in his likely swan song. We hope this isn't the end of the road for Justice Stafford, and that another season of double-doubles lies ahead for him in a Villanova jersey.

It's been a fun ride, and I'm sorry it's over.
Record: 32-5.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 5, 2032

Two Villanova commits play for the East All-Stars in the high school All-American game.
West 132, East 98

---------------------------------------------------------
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Savion Wells C 27 6-15 4-6 2 8 0 0 16
Kelvin Fey PF 21 1-2 0-0 0 2 1 4 2
C.Woolstenhulme SF 26 4-14 5-7 5 13 2 3 13
Linwood Damiano SG 27 5-9 0-0 1 6 0 2 10
Eldon Castanon PG 27 4-11 1-2 1 4 3 2 12
Charles Garland PG 17 2-4 0-1 0 0 1 2 5
Scott Hinrichs SF 25 7-11 6-6 2 7 1 0 24
Jeffrey Ewers C 17 4-7 3-3 3 4 1 3 12
Lorenzo Holmes SG 10 1-3 0-0 0 0 1 0 3
R.Crutchfield SF 4 0-2 1-2 0 1 0 0 1

Turnovers: 17 (S.Wells 4, K.Fey 1, C.Woolstenhulme 2,
L.Damiano 2, E.Castanon 3, C.Garland 1, S.Hinrichs 2,
J.Ewers 1, L.Holmes 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (K.Fey 1, E.Castanon 1)
Steals: 2 (C.Garland 1, S.Hinrichs 1)
3P FGs: 10-23 (L.Damiano 0-1, E.Castanon 3-9, C.Garland
1-3, S.Hinrichs 4-6, J.Ewers 1-2, L.Holmes 1-1,
R.Crutchfield 0-1)

West:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Erick Grady C 8 4-5 0-0 1 3 1 4 8
Harold Rosenbaum PF 18 2-3 2-4 2 6 4 3 6
Galen Dewitt SF 18 7-16 0-0 5 6 3 2 19
Daryl Babcock SG 25 8-15 1-2 2 3 1 2 21
Charles Hill PG 30 7-14 0-0 0 6 4 3 20
Kelley Hillard SG 18 3-7 2-2 0 1 3 2 10
Ed Argo SG 16 5-7 2-2 1 3 2 0 13
Everett Fiske C 33 8-12 1-1 1 9 2 2 22
F.Warrington SF 13 2-6 0-0 1 4 0 2 4
David Holm PF 21 2-9 5-6 5 10 0 2 9

Turnovers: 8 (G.Dewitt 1, D.Babcock 1, C.Hill 4, E.Argo
1, F.Warrington 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (E.Grady 1, F.Warrington 1, D.Holm 1)
Steals: 6 (H.Rosenbaum 2, G.Dewitt 1, D.Babcock 2,
E.Fiske 1)
3P FGs: 23-45 (G.Dewitt 5-8, D.Babcock 4-9, C.Hill
6-11, K.Hillard 2-5, E.Argo 1-2, E.Fiske 5-7,
F.Warrington 0-3)

Player of Game: C Everett Fiske (West)
Savion Wells and Chris Woolstenhulme play well, but their East team is routed by the West.

As expected, Asher Wise and Kris DeMello enter the professional draft. We're delighted to learn that Justice Stafford has decided to return for his senior year.

2031 OVERALL AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SO PG Grover Jenkins Notre Dame 13.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 8.3 APG 2.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SG DeQuinn Baldwin Georgetown 12.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.8 APG 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Brooks Runyan Kentucky 34 - 3 (14 - 2)

All-league 1st Team:
C JR Joshua Dent Lafayette 17.6 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 2.9 BPG
PF JR Israel Choi Louisville 14.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 4.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.4 BPG
SF SO Gernot Schornick Seton Hall 20.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG SR Charles Williams Florida State 22.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SO Grover Jenkins Notre Dame 13.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 8.3 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SO Andrew Parker UCLA 14.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.7 SPG, 3.5 BPG
PF SR Dong Rideout Southern Methodist 22.2 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.1 BPG
SF JR Asher Wise Villanova 17.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG JR Rodolfo Ibanez Baylor 22.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PG SR Gerard Navarrette Southern California 10.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 7.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-league 3rd Team:
C JR Derek Chesson Vanderbilt 12.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.6 SPG, 4.4 BPG
PF JR Daniel Hinojosa Boston College 18.3 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.5 SPG, 3.0 BPG
SF JR Garret Driver Michigan State 14.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.0 BPG
SG SR Gerald Rivera Duke 12.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 5.5 APG, 2.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG JR Renato Sylvia Kansas 10.1 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 7.0 APG, 3.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Carl Patterson Delaware 13.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PF FR Jacody Hinton Georgetown 6.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.6 SPG, 2.1 BPG
SF FR Sam Marshall Boston College 10.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG FR DeQuinn Baldwin Georgetown 12.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR Joaquin Kimura Kentucky 11.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Asher Wise further cements his status as a Villanova legend, becoming the first two-time All-American in Wildcat history.
2031 BIG EAST AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SO PG Grover Jenkins Notre Dame 13.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 8.3 APG 2.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SG DeQuinn Baldwin Georgetown 12.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.8 APG 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Paul Gilbertson Notre Dame 29 - 7 (15 - 3)

All-league 1st Team:
C JR Olen Davis Pittsburgh 12.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.5 BPG
PF JR Israel Choi Louisville 14.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 4.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.4 BPG
SF SO Gernot Schornick Seton Hall 20.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG JR Steve Casey Seton Hall 17.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SO Grover Jenkins Notre Dame 13.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 8.3 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C JR Ahmed Sexton Notre Dame 6.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.6 SPG, 3.7 BPG
PF SR Rusty Lollar West Virginia 13.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.5 SPG, 4.1 BPG
SF JR Asher Wise Villanova 17.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG SR David Jones Notre Dame 13.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG JR Justice Stafford Villanova 8.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 6.2 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Anthony Hooks Notre Dame 3.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.8 BPG
PF FR Jacody Hinton Georgetown 6.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.6 SPG, 2.1 BPG
SF FR Davis Alonzo West Virginia 8.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG FR DeQuinn Baldwin Georgetown 12.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR Blake Williams Connecticut 9.0 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Seton Hall star Gernot Schornick edges Asher for the first team at the national and conference levels. It's hard to argue with that choice. Schornick had a fantastic season.

I do, however, wish to register my disappointment that Reed Weisberg didn't earn Big East honors. No offense to David Jones, but I'd trade him for Reed (16.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG) anytime.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 5, 2032

#2 VILLANOVA TEAM INFO

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 100 Record Vs 1-50: 13-4 Poll Rank: #2
Season Record: 32-5 Record Vs 51-100: 4-1 RPI Rank: #3
Conference Record: 15-3 Record Vs 101-200: 12-0
Home Record: 15-1 Record Vs 200+: 3-0


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 81.5 2 4 Points 64.7 3 59 Points 16.8 2 3
O.Reb 12.5 2 41 O.Reb 9.5 4 56 O.Reb 3.0 2 21
D.Reb 27.8 2 17 D.Reb 23.9 7 104 D.Reb 3.8 1 6
Rebounds 40.2 2 18 Rebounds 33.4 7 73 Rebounds 6.8 1 6
Assists 18.7 3 3 Assists 14.2 10 297 Assists 4.5 3 9
Steals 6.6 6 65 Steals 4.8 2 33 Steals 1.8 4 35
Blocks 6.4 2 11 Blocks 4.6 10 335 Blocks 1.8 3 29
Turnovers 12.9 4 78 Turnovers 15.6 5 36 Turnovers -2.7 3 26
Fouls 17.6 9 33 Fouls 18.4 9 281 Fouls -0.8 7 111
FG% .464 4 12 FG% .402 2 20 FG% .062 2 11
FT% .740 3 8 FT% .694 7 270 FT% .046 2 29
3P% .386 4 17 3P% .336 4 154 3P% .050 2 25
PPS 1.33 3 23 PPS 1.13 1 14 PPS .198 2 10
Adj. FG% .539 4 15 Adj. FG% .465 2 44 Adj. FG% .074 2 10
This year's team was one of the highest-scoring Villanova squads in history. We were extremely accurate shooters, and I like the fact that such a large number of our baskets were assisted. Our margin stats once again reflect our status as one of the toughest teams in the nation.

Our offensive efficiency was 112.5, fourth in the nation. Georgetown (119.2) was crazy good by this measure, and the Kansas team that beat us in the national final came in at 114.7.

We ranked seventh in defensive efficiency, at 89.9. Kansas (88.1) and Georgetown (89.1) were once again just a bit better.

#2 VILLANOVA Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kris DeMello PF 37 36 30.1 11.7 2.9 8.0 1.2 0.5 3.2 1.5 2.0 15.2
Asher Wise SF 37 37 28.8 17.1 1.6 5.7 3.0 1.2 0.2 1.6 2.9 13.8
Reed Weisberg SG 37 37 28.4 16.8 0.9 4.8 2.2 0.9 0.2 2.9 2.2 13.1
Justice Stafford PG 37 36 27.3 8.1 1.2 3.5 6.2 1.5 0.1 1.6 2.4 13.3
Clemens Schwaiger C 37 29 23.6 4.5 2.2 6.5 1.2 0.4 1.3 1.6 2.0 10.8
Tony Ezell PF 37 1 20.9 10.6 1.0 4.4 0.9 0.6 0.9 1.3 2.1 6.7
Ernest Adcock PG 37 0 13.3 3.9 0.3 1.1 1.9 0.7 0.1 0.7 1.4 4.6
Zach Cohen C 36 8 13.2 2.8 1.6 4.4 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.6 1.2 4.2
Peter Segal SF 36 0 7.0 3.0 0.2 0.8 0.5 0.1 0.0 0.5 0.7 1.4
Blake Norton PG 36 1 6.9 2.9 0.2 0.9 0.9 0.5 0.0 0.5 0.6 0.9
Chris Ramos C 8 0 3.3 0.3 0.8 0.9 0.3 0.0 0.1 0.3 0.4 1.1
Michael Petit SF 21 0 1.4 0.3 0.0 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 1.1

My rosters tend to be deep, and I tend to use fairly large rotations. Twenty-four Big East players averaged more minutes per game than our leader, Kris DeMello. Occasionally, this prevents Villanova players from finishing at the top of statistical leader boards. Asher Wise, for example, finished fifth in the league in scoring; the four players ahead of him averaged three more minutes per game than he did. Asher finished second among qualifiers in points per 30 minutes.

Justice Stafford was second in the Big East in assists. Reed Weisberg placed seventh in scoring. Kris DeMello was seventh in rebounding and third in blocked shots.

#2 VILLANOVA Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kris DeMello PF 37 36 1115 432 108 296 44 19 119 55 74 563
Asher Wise SF 37 37 1064 633 61 211 110 45 9 59 109 512
Reed Weisberg SG 37 37 1050 621 35 178 82 35 9 108 83 485
Justice Stafford PG 37 36 1011 299 45 128 230 54 2 61 88 492
Clemens Schwaiger C 37 29 874 168 81 241 45 14 48 58 73 399
Tony Ezell PF 37 1 775 394 37 161 35 22 33 47 76 249
Ernest Adcock PG 37 0 493 145 12 42 72 25 2 27 51 172
Zach Cohen C 36 8 476 102 59 158 17 9 12 23 44 150
Peter Segal SF 36 0 253 108 8 28 18 4 0 19 25 52
Blake Norton PG 36 1 250 104 8 31 33 18 1 19 23 34
Chris Ramos C 8 0 26 2 6 7 2 0 1 2 3 9
Michael Petit SF 21 0 30 7 1 7 3 0 0 1 2 23

#2 VILLANOVA Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kris DeMello PF 163 348 .468 102 149 .685 4 12 .333 1.24
Asher Wise SF 220 462 .476 92 120 .767 101 238 .424 1.37
Reed Weisberg SG 201 440 .457 88 99 .889 131 334 .392 1.41
Justice Stafford PG 102 223 .457 46 61 .754 49 134 .366 1.34
Clemens Schwaiger C 65 117 .556 38 54 .704 0 1 .000 1.44
Tony Ezell PF 141 321 .439 112 161 .696 0 2 .000 1.23
Ernest Adcock PG 44 94 .468 38 49 .776 19 54 .352 1.54
Zach Cohen C 41 102 .402 19 34 .559 1 4 .250 1.00
Peter Segal SF 36 80 .450 15 21 .714 21 56 .375 1.35
Blake Norton PG 37 69 .536 20 23 .870 10 34 .294 1.51
Chris Ramos C 1 6 .167 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0.33
Michael Petit SF 2 6 .333 2 2 1.000 1 4 .250 1.17

Reed Weisberg's 131 threes are the third highest single season total in school history. Only Asher Wise, who hit 142 last year, and Jacob Allen, who finished the 2030/31 season with 141, have made more.

I'll provide the historical setting for a few other notable accomplishments in the Farewells and Senior Tributes, which are up next.

[MoonlightGraham]

2031/32 Farewell

KRIS DeMELLO

This import from Ontario turned out to be exactly what was described on the box: a no-nonsense big man whose willingness to do hard work in the paint helped lift his team to championship levels.

#40 PF Kris DeMello - Villanova - Junior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 253
High School:
Hometown: Grimsby, Canada

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 77 45 32 34 42 21 79 62 63 23 18 86 46 100 56 68
2030: 65 43 30 32 36 18 67 50 56 21 17 72 46 100 55 60
2029: 59 41 28 30 33 16 61 44 52 20 16 64 46 96 54 52
2028: 51 39 26 28 29 14 53 36 46 18 14 54 44 86 52 32
Potential: B C D C C D B B C D F A

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 58

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 34 2 8.3 2.8 0.7 2.1 0.2 0.4 0.46 0.2 0.5 0.6
2030 40 33 26.6 7.3 1.8 5.6 1.2 1.2 0.96 0.2 1.8 2.3
2031 37 36 30.1 11.7 2.9 8.0 1.2 1.5 0.80 0.5 3.2 2.0
Career 111 71 22.2 7.4 1.8 5.3 0.9 1.0 0.80 0.3 1.9 1.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 1.1 2.2 .500 0.6 0.8 .731 0.1 0.2 .333 1.28 3.21
2030 2.9 6.5 .448 1.4 2.4 .585 0.1 0.4 .235 1.12 10.95
2031 4.4 9.4 .468 2.8 4.0 .685 0.1 0.3 .333 1.24 15.22
Career 2.8 6.1 .464 1.6 2.4 .654 0.1 0.3 .286 1.20 10.00

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 34 2 282 95 23 72 6 13 6 16 22
2030 40 33 1062 291 73 224 46 48 9 73 93
2031 37 36 1115 432 108 296 44 55 19 119 74
Career 111 71 2459 818 204 592 96 116 34 208 189

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 37 74 19 26 2 6 109
2030 116 259 55 94 4 17 438
2031 163 348 102 149 4 12 563
Career 316 681 176 269 10 35 1110

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 25 7 16 4 2 8 4 9 17 7 12 1 2
Career 25 7 16 5 2 8 4 9 17 7 12 2 4

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 8
2028 High School: Rated ***** and #74 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2030 NCAA Champion

A four-star player when we recruited him, Kris picked up a fifth star along the way. I thought Kris might have to spend some time developing his skills before he was ready to make an impact in the Big East. Some recruits with credentials like his aren't willing to do that, but Kris was. He waited his turn, grabbed it with both hands when it came along, and now he'll make millions of dollars playing professional basketball.

Blocking shots became Kris's signature skill. He ranks sixth all-time at Villanova in this category, and his 119 blocks this year is the third best single-season mark. He's steadily improved his offensive game, and pro scouts believe he has the potential to keep getting better. Kris will be invited to Draft Night, and he shouldn't have to wait long to hear his name called.

Thanks for the memories, Kris.

[MoonlightGraham]

2031/32 Farewell

ASHER WISE

Thousands of children bounce basketballs in their driveways, dreaming of wearing the uniform of their favorite college team. In their minds, they hear crowds cheering as the announcer calls their name. Perhaps they make a crucial basket or an important defensive stop in a championship game, and they and their teammates lift a trophy over their heads in jubilation.

Asher Wise was one of these kids. And then he made his dreams come true.

#13 SF Asher Wise - Villanova - Junior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 210
High School: Conestoga High School
Hometown: Berwyn, PA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 61 96 72 96 85 49 35 55 65 54 48 21 72 54 77 62
2030: 47 83 62 83 76 44 30 46 60 46 40 20 70 51 76 56
2029: 36 73 55 73 66 39 26 39 53 39 33 19 70 49 75 52
2028: 30 65 49 65 58 35 24 35 47 35 29 17 67 43 74 40
Potential: B A B A A C D C B C C D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 77

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 35 35 31.0 10.9 1.7 5.3 2.8 1.8 1.53 1.2 0.2 2.9
2030 40 40 31.8 17.5 1.4 5.5 3.0 1.6 1.95 1.1 0.3 2.4
2031 37 37 28.8 17.1 1.6 5.7 3.0 1.6 1.86 1.2 0.2 2.9
Career 112 112 30.5 15.3 1.6 5.5 2.9 1.7 1.86 1.2 0.3 2.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 3.7 8.7 .428 1.6 2.1 .757 1.8 5.3 .339 1.25 10.71
2030 5.9 12.3 .476 2.3 3.1 .726 3.6 8.1 .441 1.42 11.23
2031 5.9 12.5 .476 2.5 3.2 .767 2.7 6.4 .424 1.37 13.84
Career 5.2 11.3 .464 2.1 2.8 .748 2.7 6.7 .410 1.36 11.93

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 35 35 1086 381 59 184 98 64 41 8 102
2030 40 40 1271 700 55 219 121 62 44 11 97
2031 37 37 1064 633 61 211 110 59 45 9 109
Career 112 112 3421 1714 175 614 329 185 130 28 308

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 131 306 56 74 63 186 375
2030 234 492 90 124 142 322 449
2031 220 462 92 120 101 238 512
Career 585 1260 238 318 306 746 1336

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 35 4 11 8 4 2 4 12 23 8 13 8 16
Career 35 4 11 9 4 2 5 12 23 8 13 9 16

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 26
2028 High School: Rated ***** and #1 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2028 High School: All-State (Pennsylvania)
2028 High School: Mr. Basketball (Pennsylvania)
2028 High School: All-American
2029 Freshman All-American
2029 Freshman All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2030 NCAA Champion
2030 2nd Team All-American
2030 1st Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2031 2nd Team All-American
2031 2nd Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)

Pennsylvania's Mr. Basketball and a high school All-American, Asher grew up rooting for Villanova. He went to a camp at Lafayette when he was in middle school, and Graham Sims said he was the best player his age he'd ever seen. "I knew we weren't going to sign him," Graham recalls. "He was polite about it, but he made it clear he wanted to play for Villanova."

Asher's name pops up all over the Villanova record boards. The 700 points he scored as a sophomore is the highest single season total in school history, and his junior total ranks fourth by a single point. His 142 three-point baskets in 2030/31 is another school record, and his total of 306 ranks second. In three seasons, Asher scored enough points to rank fourth all-time, between three men who stayed for four years. And he was no selfish gunner, either. I was surprised to discover that Asher ranks ninth among all Villanova players in career assists...while playing with three other members of the top ten at some point in his career. Without doubt, Asher is the best all-around player Villanova has produced.

Asher leaves Villanova as the first two-time All-American in school history. There's a beautiful NCAA championship ring on his right hand. He was the #1 recruit in the nation as a high school senior, and he might be the first player chosen in the pro draft next month.

When I announced Asher's signing, I wrote, "We will almost certainly have Asher with us for only three years. But if he lives up to his potential, they'll be a lovely three years."

He did. They have been.

Thanks for the memories, Asher.

[MoonlightGraham]

2031/32 Senior Tribute

CLEMENS SCHWAIGER

When you recruit a player like Asher Wise or Avery Sullivan, you plan on having him on your team for only three seasons. These stars add the sparkle to a recruiting class, but I think it's good to supplement them with guys you envision as four-year players. Clemens Schwaiger was one of these four-year recruits.

#33 C Clemens Schwaiger - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-11
Weight: 322
High School:
Hometown: Apolda, Germany

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 64 27 48 0 19 43 77 84 85 35 38 58 23 66 38 64
2030: 57 25 45 0 18 40 68 75 74 34 37 52 23 66 37 60
2029: 53 24 43 0 17 38 62 69 67 33 36 48 22 66 36 56
2028: 47 23 41 0 16 36 55 62 58 32 35 44 22 66 36 52
2027: 39 21 39 0 14 34 45 52 46 30 33 38 20 66 35 44
Potential: B D C F D C B A A C C C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 44

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2028 35 3 7.8 1.5 0.7 2.2 0.2 0.5 0.38 0.0 0.2 0.7
2029 23 1 7.6 1.8 0.3 2.0 0.3 0.3 1.17 0.0 0.3 0.9
2030 40 5 15.0 3.0 1.3 4.3 0.7 1.0 0.65 0.4 0.9 1.1
2031 37 29 23.6 4.5 2.2 6.5 1.2 1.6 0.78 0.4 1.3 2.0
Career 135 38 14.2 2.8 1.2 4.0 0.6 0.9 0.78 0.2 0.7 1.2

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2028 0.6 1.0 .571 0.3 0.7 .478 0.0 0.0 .000 1.46 1.86
2029 0.6 1.5 .412 0.6 1.0 .591 0.0 0.0 .000 1.21 1.04
2030 1.1 2.4 .453 0.9 1.3 .700 0.0 0.0 .000 1.27 2.48
2031 1.8 3.2 .556 1.0 1.5 .704 0.0 0.0 .000 1.44 10.78
Career 1.1 2.1 .505 0.7 1.1 .651 0.0 0.0 .000 1.36 4.35

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2028 35 3 274 51 25 78 6 16 0 7 26
2029 23 1 175 41 8 45 7 6 1 6 20
2030 40 5 600 121 50 173 26 40 14 36 45
2031 37 29 874 168 81 241 45 58 14 48 73
Career 135 38 1923 381 164 537 84 120 29 97 164

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2028 20 35 11 23 0 0 65
2029 14 34 13 22 0 0 24
2030 43 95 35 50 0 0 99
2031 65 117 38 54 0 1 399
Career 142 281 97 149 0 1 587

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 11 6 13 6 3 4 4 5 7 5 6 0 1
Career 11 6 13 6 3 4 5 5 10 5 6 0 1

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2027 High School: Rated **** and #19 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2030 NCAA Champion

We managed to find playing time for the big man from south central Germany right away, getting him on the court in low-pressure situations so he could accustom himself to Big East basketball. As a junior, he was a core member of the rotation of a team that won a national championship. As a senior, he was a regular starter for a team that played in a championship final. Clemens came a long way in his four years in our program.

He lived up to his promise as a stalwart post defender and a vigorous rebounder. Never a great athlete, Clemens nevertheless became a fairly agile shot blocker. And he had a remarkably soft touch on his shot, which went in over half the time over the course of his Villanova career.

Clemens will receive his degree in Environmental Science next month. He is almost certain to play professional basketball, most likely in his homeland.

Thanks for the memories, Clemens.

[MoonlightGraham]

2031/32 Senior Tribute

BLAKE NORTON

Blake Norton grew up in New Jersey, just across the Delaware River from the northern suburbs of Philadelphia. He is the son of Villanova graduates, and he never wanted to play anywhere else. We gave him the chance to do that, and we're all glad we did.

#4 PG Blake Norton - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-2
Weight: 177
High School: Palmyra High School
Hometown: Palmyra, NJ

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 45 25 59 71 87 75 27 33 46 32 79 40 77 31 80 100
2030: 42 23 58 70 83 74 25 31 43 29 77 37 76 29 79 91
2029: 37 21 57 64 71 72 23 29 40 26 67 34 76 28 78 79
2028: 34 19 54 59 62 65 22 28 38 24 61 32 75 26 78 62
2027: 32 17 50 53 52 57 20 26 36 22 55 30 73 22 75 28
Potential: C D C B A B D D C D B C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 31

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2028 38 0 12.7 3.8 0.3 1.7 2.4 0.7 3.46 0.8 0.2 1.3
2029 35 35 25.6 7.7 0.9 2.3 4.9 1.6 2.98 1.6 0.2 2.6
2030 38 4 13.1 4.8 0.4 1.4 2.2 0.5 4.47 1.0 0.0 1.3
2031 36 1 6.9 2.9 0.2 0.9 0.9 0.5 1.74 0.5 0.0 0.6
Career 147 40 14.5 4.8 0.4 1.6 2.6 0.8 1.74 1.0 0.1 1.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2028 1.2 2.9 .413 0.8 1.3 .627 0.6 1.8 .319 1.32 5.21
2029 2.6 5.7 .453 1.1 1.4 .760 1.5 3.6 .408 1.35 11.00
2030 1.6 3.5 .466 0.8 1.1 .721 0.7 2.1 .333 1.36 4.26
2031 1.0 1.9 .536 0.6 0.6 .870 0.3 0.9 .294 1.51 0.94
Career 1.6 3.5 .459 0.8 1.1 .725 0.7 2.1 .356 1.37 5.30

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2028 38 0 484 144 11 64 90 26 29 6 51
2029 35 35 897 271 30 81 170 57 56 8 91
2030 38 4 496 181 16 53 85 19 37 1 48
2031 36 1 250 104 8 31 33 19 18 1 23
Career 147 40 2127 700 65 229 378 121 140 16 213

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2028 45 109 32 51 22 69 198
2029 91 201 38 50 51 125 385
2030 62 133 31 43 26 78 162
2031 37 69 20 23 10 34 34
Career 235 512 121 167 109 306 779

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 14 2 4 5 3 1 3 6 7 4 4 2 4
Career 19 3 7 9 4 2 7 6 11 6 7 4 8
ie
Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 1
2027 High School: Rated *** and #213 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2028 Freshman All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2030 NCAA Champion

I recruited Blake because his ballhandling and passing were high major tools, even if his overall game might not reach that standard. He made the Big East All-Freshman Team, and he followed it up with a good run as our starting point guard as a sophomore. As advertised, Blake took good care of the ball and kept the scorers well-fed.

It's not Blake's fault that we recruited more dynamic point guards like Justice Stafford and Ernest Adcock, both of whom cut into Blake's playing time as they developed their skills. Whenever we needed him, Blake stepped up and gave us a safe and steady hand at the controls of our team. He finishes his career tied for fifth on the career assists leaderboard, and his assist/turnover ratio is outstanding.

Blake had to work hard to complete his degree, and he'll proudly accept his diploma in Geography next month. Then, he'll move to the Boston area, where he's accepted a job with a company that plans educational tours for students.

Thanks for the memories, Blake.

[MoonlightGraham]

2031/32 Senior Tribute

TONY EZELL

This year's senior class contained three players who loved everything about playing basketball at Villanova. It's possible that Tony Ezell valued the experience most of all, because he came so close to losing it completely.

#31 PF Tony Ezell - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-7
Weight: 214
High School: Somerville High School
Hometown: Somerville, NJ

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 97 42 39 9 43 11 34 71 57 30 40 54 41 68 55 100
2030: 97 40 37 9 40 11 32 66 52 29 39 53 41 66 55 91
2029: 97 38 35 9 36 11 29 59 46 27 37 47 40 64 54 82
2028: 87 35 32 9 32 10 26 51 40 25 35 41 39 61 52 67
2027: 79 33 30 8 28 8 24 45 34 23 33 35 37 55 51 37
Potential: A C C F C F C B C C C C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 58

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2028 36 29 25.0 9.0 1.5 5.3 1.0 1.3 0.77 0.5 0.6 1.8
2029 32 2 19.9 10.4 0.9 4.4 1.5 1.4 1.04 0.6 0.4 1.4
2030 15 3 24.9 14.1 1.3 5.6 2.0 1.8 1.11 1.0 0.9 1.9
2031 37 1 20.9 10.6 1.0 4.4 0.9 1.3 0.74 0.6 0.9 2.1
Career 120 35 22.4 10.5 1.2 4.8 1.2 1.4 0.74 0.6 0.7 1.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2028 3.1 6.8 .459 2.7 4.3 .622 0.0 0.0 .000 1.31 10.17
2029 4.1 8.2 .498 2.3 3.9 .584 0.0 0.0 .000 1.28 8.06
2030 5.6 10.6 .528 2.9 4.4 .667 0.0 0.0 .000 1.33 8.93
2031 3.8 8.7 .439 3.0 4.4 .696 0.0 0.1 .000 1.23 6.73
Career 3.9 8.2 .474 2.7 4.2 .642 0.0 0.0 .000 1.28 8.39

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2028 36 29 901 323 53 189 37 48 18 21 66
2029 32 2 638 333 30 140 47 45 18 14 44
2030 15 3 373 212 19 84 30 27 15 13 28
2031 37 1 775 394 37 161 35 47 22 33 76
Career 120 35 2687 1262 139 574 149 167 73 81 214

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2028 113 246 97 156 0 1 366
2029 130 261 73 125 0 1 258
2030 84 159 44 66 0 0 134
2031 141 321 112 161 0 2 249
Career 468 987 326 508 0 4 1007

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 27 4 8 4 2 3 5 9 17 11 16 0 1
Career 27 7 11 7 3 3 6 10 19 11 16 0 1

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 9
2027 High School: Rated **** and #48 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2027 High School: All-State (New Jersey)
2028 Freshman All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2030 NCAA Champion

Tony was a regular starter as a freshman, and played well enough to earn a spot on the Big East All-Freshman Team. The next year, he stepped into the role of sixth man, and was even more productive than he had been as a starter.

His junior season began wonderfully, but it ended on January 11, 2031, when he landed wrong and ruptured his ACL in a game at Louisville. His teammates went on to win the Big East regular season title, and then the NCAA championship, without Tony being able to provide more than moral support. It was an unforgettable moment, but it wasn't the same.

Tony never thought about leaving the team, and he made his doctor's most optimistic prognosis come true when he suited up for our season opener this fall. He didn't miss a game, and there were moments throughout the season when he reminded us of the player he'd been: able to get to the rim against big or quick opponents, able to score with an arsenal of floaters and short jumpers.

Until his injury, Tony was committed to a future in professional basketball. Now, he's considering another career path. While he'd still like to try his luck playing overseas, he's also envisioning a career as a physical therapist. He'll graduate with a degree in Comprehensive Science in May.

Thanks for the memories, Tony.

[MoonlightGraham]

I'm going to step out of character for a moment here.

One year ago today, I began my dynasty story here. I wouldn't have predicted I'd still be with it a year later, but I've enjoyed writing it and sharing it with this forum very much. Immersing myself in my college basketball universe has become a favorite pastime, in the midst of a busy, often crazy "real life" world. I occasionally have to remind myself that James Sanders, Kenton Lashley, Douglas Gillum, and Asher Wise aren't real college basketball personalities.

The story has been viewed over 12,000 times now, which is both amazing and flattering. I hope you've enjoyed it, too. Even if you don't join the conversation with a comment (I welcome them), it's heartening to know someone's reading along.

Thank you for that. I hope you'll enjoy the story as it continues to unfold.

-Graham

[MoonlightGraham]

April 10, 2032
Asher Wise and Kris DeMello are invited to Brooklyn for the pro draft. They don't have long to wait before their names are called. Asher is the fourth player chosen, and Kris comes off the board immediately after.

Both men are at the top of their suit games for the occasion, and both fan bases are delighted with the players their teams chose.

Two Lafayette players are chosen later in the draft. Junior Tracey Burger is chosen at #15, and senior Ellsworth O'Reilly is the #52 pick.

2031 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Texas Big 12 SG Denny Jordan ***** 2 2 1 0 0
2. West Virginia Big East SG Linwood Damiano ***** 2 1 1 0 0
3. Tennessee SEC PF Gary Flores ***** 1 2 0 0 0
4. Memphis Conference USA SF Abraham Skipper ***** 1 2 1 0 0
5. Washington Pacific-10 PF Chris Mars ***** 1 1 2 0 0
6. Lafayette Patriot League PF Daniel Geisler **** 0 4 0 0 0
7. California Pacific-10 C Carl Levin **** 0 1 5 0 0
8. New Mexico Mountain West SF Cristobal Thiele ***** 1 2 1 0 0
9. Kansas Big 12 SG Cody Gonzales ***** 1 1 1 0 0
10. UNLV Mountain West SF Maynard Belanger ***** 1 2 0 0 0
11. Wake Forest ACC SG Harold Romano ***** 2 0 1 0 0
12. Kentucky SEC SG Daryl Babcock ***** 1 1 1 0 0
13. Texas A&M Big 12 C David Holm **** 0 2 2 0 0
14. Baylor Big 12 PG Peter Dirks **** 0 3 1 0 0
15. Temple Atlantic 10 PG Nelson Martinez **** 0 2 3 0 0
16. Villanova Big East PF Chris Woolstenhulme **** 0 2 1 0 0
17. Iowa State Big 12 SF Joseph Hernandez **** 0 3 0 0 0
18. North Carolina ACC SF Sydney Rundell **** 0 3 0 0 0
19. Georgetown Big East PF David McDermott ***** 1 0 2 0 0
20. Stanford Pacific-10 SG Ed Argo ***** 1 2 0 0 0
21. Duke ACC PF Mason Copeland ***** 1 1 2 0 0
22. Auburn SEC SG Marcel Mullins **** 0 1 3 0 0
23. Louisville Big East SF John Davis **** 0 2 2 0 0
24. Texas Christian Mountain West PG Jackson Hemphill ***** 1 1 1 0 0
25. Georgia Tech ACC PF Ronald Palm **** 0 2 2 0 0

A few of the more negative members of 'Nova Nation are dismayed by the news that Lafayette out-recruited the Wildcats this year. The more optimistic Wildcats fans point out that Daniel Geisler was the only player Villanova had on their list that ended up signing with Lafayette, and that Coach Sims chose Chris Woolstenhulme over him.

It looks like we scouted Woolstenhulme and Savion Wells accurately. They arrive on campus as Yellow/Blue players. Trey Partridge isn't quite as ready for college basketball as we'd like, but we can be patient with him.

2031 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. West Virginia Big East SG Linwood Damiano ***** 2 1 1 0 0
16. Villanova Big East PF Chris Woolstenhulme **** 0 2 1 0 0
19. Georgetown Big East PF David McDermott ***** 1 0 2 0 0
23. Louisville Big East SF John Davis **** 0 2 2 0 0
27. St. John's Big East SG Freeman Blanchette **** 0 2 1 0 0
30. Notre Dame Big East C Douglass Lomas **** 0 2 1 0 0
59. South Florida Big East C Jason Shine *** 0 0 3 3 0
77. Pittsburgh Big East SF Tony Hadlock **** 0 1 1 0 0
104. Connecticut Big East PF Andrew Morales *** 0 0 2 0 0
108. Providence Big East SF Roland Schoen *** 0 0 2 0 0
112. Syracuse Big East SF Gabriel Jefferies *** 0 0 2 0 0
161. Marquette Big East PF Joe Lukas *** 0 0 2 1 0
191. Cincinnati Big East PG Gil Penner *** 0 0 1 1 0
269. Rutgers Big East SF Albert Wood *** 0 0 1 0 0
281. Seton Hall Big East SF Paul Peake *** 0 0 1 0 0
343. DePaul Big East 0 0 0 0 0

West Virginia looks poised to pull off the kind of comeback Georgetown did last year, as a depleted roster is restocked with blue-chip freshmen. Linwood Damiano looks like he'll be an excellent scoring guard, and their other five-star recruit, Cardarion Cross, is a point guard with a wide range of skills.

Georgetown recruit David McDermott is a 6'6" power forward who plays bigger. He's raw, but he could develop into a beast.

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2032
Today we learn that Lafayette head coach Leland Tingle has retired. Lafayette's position is not among the nine offers that appear in Graham's inbox in the first Head Coach round.

In the second round, we learn that Thomas Liang will be returning to College Hill to coach the Leopards. Coach Liang spent the last three years at Penn State, where he took a team that won 8 games his first season and turned it into a squad that went 49-20 over the past two years and reached the Elite Eight. Coach Liang spent 12 years as Graham's assistant at Lafayette.

We'll need to hire a new Recruiting Coordinator, because Weston Wells has been hired as the head coach at Bowling Green.

An offer of $198,000 for two years is enough to persuade the first coach on our wish list, Tyler Twombly, to join our staff. Coach Twombly is from Manheim, PA, and he played his college ball at Michigan. A well-traveled coach, he spent the last six years on Kenneth Burrough's staff at USC, serving as Recruiting Coordinator and Scouting Director. Now 48, Twombly has also coached at George Mason, Illinois State, and Missouri.

With Recruiting and Scouting scores of 100, Coach Twombly knows talent when he sees it, and knows all kinds of ways to persuade talented players to play at his school. Welcome to the staff, Coach!

We have three players who are currently unhappy, and I'm surprised that none of them have entered the transfer portal. I'm delighted that they didn't, because I didn't identify anyone in the portal I wanted to sign.

[MoonlightGraham]

June 1, 2032

It's recruiting season!

We have two seniors on scholarships: wing Peter Segal and point guard Justice Stafford. I had four walk-ons, so I cut one of them, a lad who couldn't shoot, wouldn't play defense, and was a horrific student. Now I have a third scholarship available.

As I look at our roster, we have a good assortment of young big men who are projected starter-quality (Blue) players. Unless a post player really, really dazzles me, I'm not likely to offer one this time around.

On the other hand, we could use a small forward. Segal might be the starter there this season, and if it's not him, it's likely going to be Michael Petit, who might turn pro even though he's barely played. We have nothing but seniors and juniors at those positions, so I'll be looking for the next Asher Wise.

I'll also be looking for a blue chip point guard. Our need will become acute if Ernest Adcock turns pro at the end of this season, because we know this is Justice's last year.

So, to put it simply, our shopping list looks like this:

blue chip point guard
blue chip small forward/wing
rotation wing or guard


Now, let the fun begin.

[Chas in Cinti]

Did Ezra end up going pro? or back to Kentucky?

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2032

It's already looking like it will be an exciting, tension-packed recruiting season.

The nation's top-ranked recruit is a small forward from the suburbs of Rochester, NY. Blake Phillips is, naturally, attracting attention from the top programs in the country.
#24 SF Blake Phillips
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-7
Weight: 193
High School: Pittsford Sutherland High School
Hometown: Pittsford, NY
GPA: 3.32
Test Score: 1320
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 44 57 51 48 51 44 43 39 40 58 40 24 64 60 77 42
Potential: C B B B A C C C C A C C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.2 2.0 8.1 4.3 1.6 2.74 2.1 1.1 2.3

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.1 16.3 .558 3.2 4.2 .771 0.8 2.8 .273

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #1 Overall, #1 SF, East Region #1 Overall, East Region #1 SF
High School Awards: All-State, All American
Top 5 Schools: *North Carolina, *Georgetown, *Villanova, *Lafayette, *Notre Dame

If we're scouting him accurately, Blake is almost literally a positionless basketball player, who could handle any of the five positions in a pinch. I offered him a scholarship in July, and so did the other four schools on his list. We have some catching up to do. We're making a full recruiting effort on Phillips this month, bringing him to campus and sending Coaches Sims and Twombly to visit him at home.

Mason Reynolds is a shooting guard from the same northern Virginia high school from which Graham Sims graduated over thirty years ago. He's similar to Blake Phillips, a well-rounded basketball player with no real weaknesses.
#10 SG Mason Reynolds
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-4
Weight: 190
High School: St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School
Hometown: Alexandria, VA
GPA: 3.51
Test Score: 1400
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 47 56 71 71 54 50 47 44 43 52 43 27 66 56 98 51
Potential: C B B B B B C C C B C D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23.4 2.8 7.6 5.3 2.3 2.28 2.4 0.7 2.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.9 20.9 .474 2.0 2.9 .672 1.7 6.0 .275

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: High
Rankings: #7 Overall, #3 SG, Southeast Region #2 Overall, Southeast Region #2 SG
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Villanova, Kentucky, *Lafayette

Mason has an offer from Lafayette, and we're going to give him one this month, too. A full recruiting effort will follow, with Coach Twombly accompanying Coach Sims to the place where the legend began.

Of course, there would have to be a tempting big man in eastern Pennsylvania. His name is Lavel Lawrence, he's Pennsylvania's Mr. Basketball, and he's interested in playing for Villanova.
#2 C Lavel Lawrence
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-8
Weight: 214
High School: Perkiomen School
Hometown: Pennsburg, PA
GPA: 3.44
Test Score: 1290
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 41 19 87 24 28 24 62 59 44 32 21 43 65 58 88 54
Potential: B C A C D C B B C C B C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20.2 3.1 12.5 2.5 2.1 1.22 1.3 1.7 2.3

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.9 14.7 .602 2.2 2.8 .800 0.3 1.1 .273

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #10 Overall, #2 C, East Region #3 Overall, East Region #1 C
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Pennsylvania)
Top 5 Schools: Boston College, *Georgetown, West Virginia, *Villanova, Pittsburgh

Lavel is nominally a center, but his lean frame and his plus athleticism make me think he could play either forward spot well, too. Venceslás Castillo played the three at Lafayette, and he weighed almost 250 pounds. Bret Bryant, who was nearly seven feet tall, played on the wing sometimes, too.

I offered Lavel a scholarship in July, and so did Georgetown. Right now, he lists the Hoyas ahead of us, but we'll continue to recruit him actively and see if we can lure him this way.

[MoonlightGraham]

Did Ezra end up going pro? or back to Kentucky?

In my universe, players can't go pro until after their junior year. Ezra will, therefore, be at UK for at least two more years.

Thank you for reminding me that I'd planned to post a snapshot of how he's coming along...
#30 PF Ezra Love - Kentucky - Sophomore
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 246
High School: William Henry Harrison High School
Hometown: Evansville, IN

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 42 30 52 13 47 28 87 80 71 41 32 73 37 90 52 34
2031: 36 28 48 11 44 26 77 70 61 39 30 63 34 78 47 22
Potential: C D C D C D A A A C C A

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 84

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 37 37 24.3 4.6 3.1 7.4 1.1 0.8 1.40 0.6 1.2 1.8
Career 37 37 24.3 4.6 3.1 7.4 1.1 0.8 1.40 0.6 1.2 1.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 1.7 4.1 .414 1.2 1.6 .733 0.0 0.0 .000 1.12 10.84
Career 1.7 4.1 .414 1.2 1.6 .733 0.0 0.0 .000 1.12 10.84

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 37 37 898 170 113 273 42 30 22 46 68
Career 37 37 898 170 113 273 42 30 22 46 68

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 63 152 44 60 0 0 401
Career 63 152 44 60 0 0 401

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 15 6 14 6 3 4 4 5 8 5 6 0 0

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 3
2030 High School: Rated ***** and #3 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2031 Freshman All-Conference (Southeastern Conference)

Ezra is developing very nicely, but that doesn't surprise me. Kentucky has very good facilities (81) and a top-notch coaching staff. Head coach Brooks Runyan is a Level 14 coach, rated 100 for Coaching Offense and 80 for Coaching Defense. UK's Coaching Assistant, a talented young coach named Justin Kuhn, has 100 ratings for Coaching Offense and Coaching Defense. I'm not sure how much effect playing time has on a young player's development, but Ezra played almost 900 minutes as a freshman. To put it simply, there's every reason to believe he will achieve his full potential.

I'll post an update after camp, so you can see how much Ezra gained from the experience. Thanks again for stopping in!

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2032

Blake Phillips has narrowed his choices to two schools: North Carolina and Villanova, in that order. Can we come from behind and win a recruiting battle with the Tar Heels? Blake's interest in our program remains Very High.

Pitt has the inside track with Mason Reynolds right now. The Panthers have offered him; so have we and Lafayette. Mason is also interested in Tennessee, who haven't made him an offer.

Lavel Lawrence holds three offers: Boston College, Villanova, and Georgetown.
We're moving up Lavel's list, but he says he still prefers the Eagles.

Let's take a look at some of the players who have Villanova at the top of their lists. One of them is Oscar Duncan, a wing from the DC suburbs.
#11 SF Oscar Duncan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-8
Weight: 192
High School: St. Mary's Ryken High School
Hometown: Leonardstown, MD
GPA: 3.17
Test Score: 1160
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 26 40 57 30 36 12 34 44 50 60 28 36 60 47 82 37
Potential: C C B D C D C C B C C C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.1 2.1 6.4 2.0 2.9 0.70 1.8 2.0 3.3

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.9 9.5 .513 1.1 1.6 .656 0.3 1.4 .222

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #57 Overall, #12 SF, East Region #11 Overall, East Region #3 SF
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: Villanova, Georgetown, *George Mason, North Carolina, Tennessee

Oscar is a long, lean small forward who takes pride in playing good defense. He hasn't been a high-volume scorer in high school, but he makes a high enough percentage of his shots that he could possibly develop into a secondary scorer at the next level.

Point guard Connor Baxter enjoyed his visit to campus last month, and now he has us first on his Top Schools list.
#22 PG Connor Baxter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-2
Weight: 177
High School: Slippery Rock Area High School
Hometown: Slippery Rock, PA
GPA: 3.48
Test Score: 1310
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 51 66 68 65 58 45 26 11 34 38 44 10 57 42 51 42
Potential: B A B B A B D C C B B F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14.1 1.8 5.4 5.1 1.9 2.76 1.9 0.4 2.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.1 11.8 .513 1.0 1.5 .655 1.0 2.9 .351

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #28 Overall, #4 PG, East Region #6 Overall, East Region #1 PG
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Villanova, *Ohio State, Georgetown, Kentucky, Vanderbilt

Connor is a true lead guard in the making, a player who can run his team's offense with skill, distribute the ball to his teammates, or score baskets himself.

Here's where things get interesting. We need a young boss of a point guard in our program, and Connor Baxter looks the part. I want to free up an offer for him. So whose offer do I pull?

Blake Phillips and Mason Reynolds are similar players. It probably makes sense to choose one of them.

Wait! I've still got only 12 scholarship players! I can cut another walk-on, and that will free up a roster spot and, with it, a scholarship offer! That's what I do, and just like that, I can make an offer to Baxter, too.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2032

Connor Baxter now lists two schools: Villanova and Ohio State. I'm feeling good about our chances of landing him.

Lavel Lawrence, too, has narrowed his list to two finalists: Boston College and Villanova. I comfort myself with the thought that if Lavel slips away, I won't have to coach against him in the Big East.

Same thing with Blake Phillips, who still seems to prefer Carolina blue to Villanova navy. When we visit him this month, we'll make sure to tell him that we wear light blue sometimes, too.

Three schools are still in the running for Mason Reynolds: Pitt, Villanova, and Tennessee. Once again, we're the player's second choice.

Oh, no. Georgetown has turned Oscar Duncan's head with a scholarship offer. I'm not too surprised, since he's from the DMV, but it's feeling like we'll be the bridesmaid again, not the bride.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2032

First, the bad news. Lavel Lawrence commits to Boston College, and Blake Phillips signs with North Carolina.

Now, the good news! Connor Baxter says yes, and commits to play for us next season. In a perfect world, Connor will serve a one-year apprenticeship, learning the art of playing point guard in the Big East while backing up senior Ernest Adcock. In an imperfect one, Ernest goes pro, and Connor and Trey Partridge run the point for us. Either way, we have a player who should be able to orchestrate our offense for the next several years.

Now, the really good news! Mason Reynolds picks Villanova, too! I had almost given up on luring him away from Pitt, but it looks like the wheel of fortune spun our way this time. Again, signing Mason gives us insurance against Michael Petit and Reed Weisberg turning pro and leaving us short at the two/three spots.

Now we have two offers in hand, and the pool of players just got much shallower. I wonder who slipped through the cracks so far? I spend some money evaluating some of the players who haven't received offers yet. The most intriguing of them are a five-star talent from California named Kyle Gribble, a 6'8" forward, and a product of England, 6'5" forward Toby Hanshaw. If either Kyle or Toby come through their evals with flying colors, I'll share more of what I discover with you.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 7, 2032

Here's the team Villanova will send into action in the 2032/33 season:

#1 VILLANOVA General

Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Noah Gardner 0 SF Jr 6-5 212 Yes 80 Unhappy Jenkintown, PA
Ernest Adcock 1 PG Jr 6-1 207 Yes 68 OK Pasadena, MD
Trey Partridge 2 PG Fr 5-8 167 Yes 40 OK Warwick, NY
Justice Stafford 10 PG Sr 5-9 170 Yes 92 OK Midlothian, VA
Chris Woolstenhulme 12 PF Fr 6-9 218 Yes 78 OK Bryn Mawr, PA
Peter Segal 15 SF Sr 6-3 181 Yes 78 Unhappy Fort Lee, NJ
William Collins 20 PF So* 6-5 232 Yes 75 OK Moreauville, LA
Darius Pettway 23 SF Jr* 6-8 244 No 29 OK Copenhagen, NY
Michael Petit 24 SF Jr 6-6 200 Yes 72 Unhappy Medford, NJ
Chris Ramos 34 C Jr 6-10 239 No 53 OK Warwick, NY
Savion Wells 41 C Fr 7-0 249 Yes 87 OK Windsor, CT
Zach Cohen 44 C So 6-10 226 Yes 64 OK Edison, NJ
Reed Weisberg 55 SG Jr 6-5 189 Yes 54 OK Colonia, NJ


#1 VILLANOVA Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Noah Gardner 2 3 3 3 1 1 2 2 1 3 1 1 1 3 0 5
Ernest Adcock 3 5 5 1 6 6 3 3 3 9 7 1 2 2 0 8
Trey Partridge 2 6 4 6 8 6 2 2 0 4 2 2 4 2 2 28
Justice Stafford 3 9 9 0 2 2 3 3 2 11 3 1 1 1 1 4
Chris Woolstenhulme 10 4 4 2 2 2 8 8 6 2 2 6 1 10 2 14
Peter Segal 3 3 3 6 3 4 0 2 6 6 2 0 1 1 1 8
William Collins 0 1 1 0 1 1 3 5 5 1 1 4 0 2 1 8
Darius Pettway 1 3 2 0 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 2 1 5
Michael Petit 4 4 1 4 2 2 3 5 1 3 3 2 1 2 1 7
Chris Ramos 1 1 1 0 1 1 4 4 4 1 1 5 1 3 0 9
Savion Wells 8 4 4 2 2 2 6 6 6 2 2 6 3 16 3 16
Zach Cohen 6 3 2 0 1 2 8 8 8 1 1 11 1 3 0 10
Reed Weisberg 3 1 1 1 3 0 0 7 3 7 1 5 1 3 1 12


Coach Graham Sims will rely heavily on a guard rotation that returns every player from last year's national finalists.

Point guard Justice Stafford is a rarity, a former five-star recruit who has decided to play four years of college basketball. Justice returns for his senior season as a fully-developed lead guard, a dazzling passer and sure ballhandler who has polished his jumper into a formidable weapon. He could become Villanova's all-time assists leader with a productive first game; he's 8 helpers short of the record.

Playing alongside Stafford will be shooting guard Reed Weisberg. The 6'5" junior has averaged 16.0 points per game in two years, while sharing the ball with Asher Wise. Now that Reed is the unquestioned top marksman on the team, will that average go up?

Ernest Adcock will be the first man off Coach Sims' bench this year. Always a terrific defensive player, Ernest has quietly developed the rest of his game to the levels that caused him to be regarded as one of the nation's top high school guards.

Coach Sims is also considering a three-guard lineup, which would feature Stafford and Adcock at guard and Weisberg at small forward.

If he decides to go with a more conventional setup, junior Michael Petit will start at the three spot. Once a heralded recruit, Michael has found playing time hard to come by, but he's shot well in limited action. Also available on the wing are senior Peter Segal, who has hit some big shots in his Villanova career, and junior Noah Gardner.

The Wildcats will need to rework their frontcourt, which was cleared out through graduation and the lure of professional basketball. Sophomore Zach Cohen will open the season as the starting center, after making eight starts as a first year. He is a powerful inside presence who can rebound and block shots, and he worked on his inside moves in camp.

A pair of highly touted freshmen will join Cohen in the post rotation. Seven-footer Savion Wells and lean Chris Woolstenhulme were high school All-Americans, and both players project as potent inside scorers.

Expectations are high on the Main Line every year, and this year is no exception. Pro scouts identify eight current Wildcats who might eventually be drafted, so there is no shortage of talent. One of Coach Sims' toughest tasks is keeping all his players satisfied with their playing time. It's a problem most coaches would love to have.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 7, 2032
Coaches Invitational, First Round
(1) #1 Villanova 94, (16) Wagner 59
The opening game of the Wildcats' 32/33 campaign goes as planned, with a comfortable victory in the first game of the Coaches Invitational.

Senior Justice Stafford becomes the all-time leader in assists at Villanova, as he hands out a career-high 13. He now has 548 assists to his credit, surpassing Severiano Tipaldo's mark of 543, set in 2015.

Justice adds 14 points, making him one of five Wildcats in double figures. Among them are freshmen Savion Wells (15p/7r/2b) and Chris Woolstenhulme (10p/5r off the bench). Reed Weisberg scores 13, and Michael Petit a career-high 17 in his first collegiate start.
Record: 1-0.


November 8, 2032
Coaches Invitational Quarterfinal
(1) #1 Villanova 84, (9) Creighton 58
Reed Weisberg sinks 6 three-pointers in 11 tries, and leads us with 22 points as we advance to the semifinals.

Zach Cohen scores 11 points, and Chris Woolstenhulme and Michael Petit add 10 more apiece. Petit also reaches a double-double with 11 rebounds. Justice Stafford has 7 assists, and Woolstenhulme adds 8 rebounds.
Record: 2-0.

November 14, 2032
Coaches Invitational Semifinal
(4) #17 Missouri 74, (1) #1 Villanova 65
We're outplayed by a very good Missouri team, and our pursuit of the Coaches Invitational ends at the next-to-last hurdle.

The Tigers roar back from a 38-32 deficit, locking us up on defense and forcing us to take shots we'd rather not have taken. We fire up 30 three-pointers and make only 9 of them.

Reed Weisberg leads us with 19 points, but it takes him 21 shots to score them, including 17 threes (he makes 5). Michael Petit scores 12 with 8 rebounds, and Zach Cohen adds 10 and 6.
Record: 2-1.


November 24, 2032
#8 Villanova 89, @#20 Southern California 48
We travel to sunny California for a matchup of the two winningest coaches in this universe's history. Graham Sims (634-119) and Kenneth Burroughs (579-169) have five NCAA championships between them. Today, we play as well as we played badly against Missouri.

Reed Weisberg torches the Trojans for a career-high 34 points, including 8 threes in 11 attempts. Zach Cohen, Michael Petit, and Justice Stafford each score 11 points. Cohen adds 9 rebounds, Petit 8, and Stafford 9 assists. We hold the Trojans to 31 percent shooting, and only 11 percent from behind the arc.

We enter the game with the lowest national ranking we've had since March 13, 2027, when we were ranked #10.
Record: 3-1.


November 28, 2032
@#8 Villanova 88, #1 Kentucky 68
I confess; I was really worried about this game after our loss to Missouri. But the Wildcats have responded very positively to that setback, first with an assertive win at USC and, now, by defending the Wells Fargo Center against the number one team in the nation.

#8 Villanova 88, #1 Kentucky 68

---------------------------------------------------------
Kentucky (5-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ezra Love C 22 2-6 0-0 6 12 1 4 4
David Aguilar PF 26 2-7 5-9 1 3 1 3 9
Timothy Hanrahan SF 32 7-14 2-3 5 7 2 2 17
Daryl Babcock SG 8 2-3 0-0 1 2 0 4 6
Daniel Davis SG 24 3-11 2-3 1 4 4 2 10
Joaquin Kimura PG 21 1-3 2-2 0 1 4 4 5
David Crawford SG 14 1-5 0-0 0 0 1 0 3
Rudy Ober C 13 4-7 2-2 2 5 0 3 11
Frank Stanger C 18 0-5 0-0 1 3 1 1 0
Sammy Jamerson PG 13 1-3 0-0 0 0 0 1 3
Ali Billiot PF 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Clyde Robinson SG 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 20 (E.Love 2, D.Aguilar 4, T.Hanrahan 2,
D.Davis 5, J.Kimura 3, D.Crawford 1, R.Ober 1,
S.Jamerson 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (E.Love 2, R.Ober 1)
Steals: 6 (E.Love 1, T.Hanrahan 1, D.Davis 2,
D.Crawford 1, A.Billiot 1)
3P FGs: 9-26 (T.Hanrahan 1-4, D.Babcock 2-2, D.Davis
2-9, J.Kimura 1-3, D.Crawford 1-3, R.Ober 1-2,
S.Jamerson 1-3)

Villanova (4-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 23 1-2 0-0 3 10 1 3 2
Savion Wells PF 16 1-1 0-0 0 1 1 4 2
Michael Petit SF 13 2-4 4-4 1 1 2 0 9
Reed Weisberg SG 28 7-13 4-4 1 5 0 2 23
Justice Stafford PG 33 5-10 3-4 0 2 9 2 16
Ernest Adcock SG 16 4-5 0-1 0 3 1 0 8
Peter Segal SF 19 3-8 4-5 0 2 2 0 10
C. Woolstenhulme PF 27 3-6 6-7 2 10 2 2 12
Noah Gardner SF 7 1-3 0-1 0 1 0 2 2
Trey Partridge PG 4 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 1 2
William Collins PF 13 0-1 2-2 0 1 0 1 2
Darius Pettway SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (Z.Cohen 1, M.Petit 2, R.Weisberg 2,
J.Stafford 1, E.Adcock 3, P.Segal 2, N.Gardner 3,
W.Collins 1)
Blocked Shots: 8 (Z.Cohen 2, S.Wells 1, M.Petit 1,
C.Woolstenhulme 2, W.Collins 1, D.Pettway 1)
Steals: 8 (M.Petit 1, J.Stafford 2, E.Adcock 4,
C.Woolstenhulme 1)
3P FGs: 9-24 (M.Petit 1-1, R.Weisberg 5-10, J.Stafford
3-6, E.Adcock 0-1, P.Segal 0-5, N.Gardner 0-1)

Player of Game: PG Justice Stafford (VLNV)

Chris Woolstenhulme and Peter Segal step up today, their presence made necessary by Savion Wells' foul trouble and Michael Petit's injury. Michael is diagnosed after the game with a stress fracture, and we hope to have him back by the start of Big East play.

Kentucky's sophomore big man, Ezra Love, engages the Villanova post players in a rugged battle. Ezra, a true Blue Collar Man, doesn't shoot much, but he is the game's leading rebounder and he blocks a pair of shots.
Record: 4-1.


Love Watch: As I mentioned above, Ezra Love is playing the role of Blue Collar Man to a T. Here's how his profile looks after his second training camp, and the first month of his sophomore season:
#30 C Ezra Love - Kentucky - Sophomore
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 249
High School: William Henry Harrison High School
Hometown: Evansville, IN

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 49 32 56 15 51 30 100 93 85 44 34 87 38 96 54 41
2031: 42 30 52 13 47 28 87 80 71 41 32 73 37 90 52 34
2030: 36 28 48 11 44 26 77 70 61 39 30 63 34 78 47 22
Potential: C D C D C D A A A C C A

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 84

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 37 37 24.3 4.6 3.1 7.4 1.1 0.8 1.40 0.6 1.2 1.8
2032 6 6 25.7 4.8 3.3 8.3 1.3 0.7 2.00 0.7 2.8 2.2
Career 43 43 24.5 4.6 3.1 7.5 1.2 0.8 2.00 0.6 1.5 1.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 1.7 4.1 .414 1.2 1.6 .733 0.0 0.0 .000 1.12 10.84
2032 2.0 4.7 .429 0.8 1.2 .714 0.0 0.0 .000 1.04 21.17
Career 1.7 4.2 .417 1.1 1.6 .731 0.0 0.0 .000 1.11 12.28

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 37 37 898 170 113 273 42 30 22 46 68
2032 6 6 154 29 20 50 8 4 4 17 13
Career 43 43 1052 199 133 323 50 34 26 63 81

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 63 152 44 60 0 0 401
2032 12 28 5 7 0 0 127
Career 75 180 49 67 0 0 528

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 7 6 14 4 1 5 2 3 6 3 3 0 0
Career 15 6 14 6 3 5 4 5 8 5 6 0 0

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 3
2030 High School: Rated ***** and #3 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2031 Freshman All-Conference (Southeastern Conference)

Ezra's work in the weight room has turned him into one of the most physically formidable big men in college basketball. His rebounding, shot blocking, and post defense all improved greatly during camp. And, while he doesn't shoot often, opponents can't neglect him, either.

Pro scouts consider Ezra the 6th best draft prospect in college ball. Only one sophomore, Boston College's Sam Marshall, is more highly regarded.

[Chas in Cinti]

Cool, you even got him on the schedule! LOL

[MoonlightGraham]

Cool, you even got him on the schedule! LOL

Yes! I'd already been planning to play a tougher pre-conference schedule, so adding a game against Kentucky seemed to make sense. I'll keep UK on the schedule until Ezra graduates, or turns pro. The latter seems more likely to happen.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2032

Today we learn that Kyle Gribble will be taking his talents to the Main Line next season.
#20 SF Kyle Gribble
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-8
Weight: 213
High School: Artesia High School
Hometown: Lakewood, CA
GPA: 3.52
Test Score: 1110
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 50 47 61 42 49 35 40 19 37 4 23 7 46 46 55 39
Potential: B B A C B C B D D F D F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24.1 4.0 7.2 3.5 1.5 2.30 1.1 0.2 3.2

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.0 16.5 .603 2.6 3.9 .675 1.6 4.0 .388

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Committed to Villanova
Rankings: #22 Overall, #6 SF, West Region #4 Overall, West Region #2 SF
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: Miami, *Villanova, California, Utah, New Mexico

We haven't been recruiting Kyle very long. I discovered him on a list of players who had not yet been offered a scholarship. He stuck out like the sorest of thumbs.

I was admittedly suspicious when I saw that the top player in the state of California hadn't received a scholarship offer. Why isn't Kenneth Burroughs trying to sign a player who was doing his thing 30 minutes from the USC campus? Why doesn't Zack Lott encourage him to play for Stanford? He's an excellent student who would be able to handle the academic demands of those universities, too.

When I looked at the rosters of USC and Stanford, things began to make a little more sense. Stanford has only one available scholarship, and they need a guard. USC has three, but they need big men and a point guard.

We moved quickly, and so did Kyle and his family.

Somehow Kyle has lost one of his stars in the past month. That doesn't concern me; he still projects as a scoring threat whose high school numbers are backed up with coachable skills. He'll need lots of help defensively, as he's completely lost when he attempts to guard someone on the perimeter.

Remember Micah Rodriguez? A little over a decade ago, I signed Micah to play at Lafayette. Micah wouldn't play defense, either. I used him as a sixth man. He scored over 1300 points in three years, made the winning free throws in the 2025 NCAA championship game, and is now playing professionally. Kyle reminds me a lot of MRod. I'd be delighted if Kyle's career turns out like Micah's did.

While we're here, let's also take a look at our English recruit, Toby Hanshaw.

#24 PF Toby Hanshaw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-5
Weight: 227
High School:
Hometown: Worcester, UK
GPA: 2.91
Test Score: 1170
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 60 5 12 27 41 18 43 52 35 16 41 48 41 60 34 1
Potential: B F C D C D B C C C B A

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.4 2.5 6.1 1.7 1.4 1.21 3.3 1.7 2.5

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.3 5.1 .451 0.7 1.1 .619 0.1 1.4 .074

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: High
Rankings: #19 PF, Foreign #3 Overall, Foreign #1 PF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Kansas, *Duke, *Villanova, *Alabama-Birmingham, *American

Toby is a bit of a 'tweener, a powerfully-built post player who is four or five inches shorter than many of the guys he'll come up against in college. His film reveals a deft touch around the basket, the ability to block and alter shots, and a willingness to stick his head in and rebound.

Four of Toby's top five schools have offered him, including Duke, whom he seems to prefer right now. Coaches Sims and Twombly are finding the time to travel to Worcester this month to see if they can convince him to wear a darker shade of blue next season.

We're looking at a few other players, just in case our efforts don't pay off.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 3, 2032
@#4 Villanova 103, Mount St. Mary's 46
Seven Wildcats play at least 18 minutes today, and all of them score in double figures. Among them are Ernest Adcock (12p/3a), who's making his first collegiate start, and freshmen Savion Wells (19p/4r) and Chris Woolstenhulme (14p/6r/2b).

We tie our school record for assists in a game, with 30. Justice Stafford sets a new single-game record, with 15. The season is young, but Justice is currently leading the nation with 9.2 assists per game.
Record: 5-1.


December 11, 2032
#3 Villanova 72, #7 Stanford 68

----------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (6-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 29 0-5 0-0 0 6 1 4 0
Savion Wells PF 27 3-4 0-0 1 5 3 3 6
Reed Weisberg SG 31 7-12 2-2 0 3 2 3 20
Ernest Adcock SG 20 0-4 0-0 0 1 3 1 0
Justice Stafford PG 35 9-11 6-9 0 1 3 2 29
Peter Segal SF 26 3-8 0-0 1 3 1 0 8
C. Woolstenhulme PF 25 3-6 0-2 2 9 1 3 6
Noah Gardner SF 4 1-3 0-0 2 2 0 0 3
Trey Partridge PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
William Collins PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 20 (Z.Cohen 4, S.Wells 2, R.Weisberg 6,
J.Stafford 5, P.Segal 1, C.Woolstenhulme 1, W.Collins
1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (Z.Cohen 3, E.Adcock 2)
Steals: 5 (R.Weisberg 2, J.Stafford 2, C.Woolstenhulme
1)
3P FGs: 12-22 (R.Weisberg 4-7, E.Adcock 0-2, J.Stafford
5-7, P.Segal 2-5, N.Gardner 1-1)

Stanford (8-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
David Phillips C 30 2-3 1-2 3 7 1 2 5
Stewart Lehr PF 33 3-9 2-4 4 8 1 2 8
C. Steinmetz SF 29 6-13 2-3 4 6 1 3 14
Nikolaus Ulm SG 34 11-25 0-0 3 10 5 2 23
Robert Ebersole PG 26 1-3 0-0 1 2 1 5 2
James McNally PG 14 3-5 0-0 2 2 2 0 7
Hector Mulligan SF 17 1-9 0-0 1 5 2 2 2
James Kennedy SG 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Duane Quesenberry SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Charles Kingston C 10 2-2 3-4 1 4 1 0 7
Theron Atkinson PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 16 (D.Phillips 1, S.Lehr 2, C.Steinmetz 4,
N.Ulm 5, R.Ebersole 1, J.McNally 2, D.Quesenberry 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (D.Phillips 2, R.Ebersole 1,
C.Kingston 1)
Steals: 9 (D.Phillips 1, S.Lehr 1, C.Steinmetz 1, N.Ulm
4, R.Ebersole 1, J.McNally 1)
3P FGs: 2-16 (C.Steinmetz 0-2, N.Ulm 1-7, R.Ebersole
0-2, J.McNally 1-2, H.Mulligan 0-3)

Player of Game: PG Justice Stafford (VLNV)

Our return to California delivers a signature win over another Top 10 team. We defend very well and Stanford's players can't find the range when they have open shots.

Justice Stafford plays the role of "scorer" rather than "provider," outshooting even the renowned marksman Reed Weisberg from behind the arc. Stanford's talismanic guard Nikolas Ulm puts up big numbers in a losing effort.
Record: 6-1.


December 16, 2032
@#4 Villanova 107, Lehigh 68
Peter Segal comes off the bench to drain 5 of 6 three-point tries, scoring 19 points as we return home to the Pavilion and beat the Mountain Hawks.

Reed Weisberg (23p/6f, 5-7 3P), Justice Stafford (16p/8a), Zach Cohen (12p/7r/4b) Noah Gardner (11p), Chris Woolstenhulme (8p/6r) and William Collins (6r) also enjoy productive games.
Record: 7-1.


December 21, 2032
@#2 Villanova 105, Sacred Heart 50
Behind 31 points from Reed Weisberg, we hit the century mark for the third time this month.

Reserves Peter Segal and Ernest Adcock score 15 and 13 points, respectively. Adcock adds 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in a fine all-around performance. Savion Wells posts a double-double (13p/10r), and Zach Cohen comes close (10p/8r).
Record: 8-1.


December 24, 2032
#2 Villanova 77, @American 51
Our Patriot League opponent tries to contain us by slowing the pace of the game, but we still make 58 percent of our shots and win by a comfortable margin.

Red-hot Reed Weisberg scores 28 more points. I know I'm going to jinx him by pointing this out, but he's a perfect 29-for-29 from the free throw line this season.

Joining Reed on the honor roll are Justice Stafford (13p/9a) and Zach Cohen (12p/7r/4b)
Record: 9-1.


December 28, 2032
@#1 Villanova 78, William & Mary 56
We return to the top spot in the rankings after North Carolina loses to Florida. We'll end the calendar year there, after we defeat the visiting Tribe.

Reed Weisberg ties a Villanova record by scoring 37 points, matching Kenneth Scalf's total against Tennessee in 2022. Weisberg also becomes one of five Wildcats to make 9 three-pointers in a game; Scalf, Duncan Sims, Jacob Allen, and Asher Wise are the others. Reed's 20 three-point attempts shatter the previous school record by three shots. And, yes, he misses his first free throw of the season. :(

Reed is averaging 24.0 PPG, fifth in the nation and first in the Big East. The conference's assists leader, Justice Stafford, hands out 6 more today, falling short of his average (7.8 APG). Ernest Adcock does even better, notching 7 assists.

We end the month as the highest scoring team in the nation, averaging 87.5 PPG. Our margin of victory, 28.7 PPG, is also tops. We're making 53 percent of our shots, 78 percent of our free throws, and 43.5 percent of our threes. We lead the nation in APG with 20.2. It's a great year for us so far, numbers-wise.
Record: 10-1.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 1, 2033

Our New Year's celebrations are dampened a bit by the news that Toby Hanshaw will be attending Duke.

Now the barrel of recruits is getting shallower and shallower. There appear to be two high school players in the world who express a High degree of interest in playing basketball for Villanova who aren't already signed somewhere. One is a point guard from Spain named Jacobo Cruz. Jacobo is good, but there's already a boss PG in our incoming class, Connor Baxter.

The other is Charles Peterman, a forward from the Canadian province of Manitoba.
#25 SF Charles Peterman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-7
Weight: 225
High School:
Hometown: Thompson, Canada
GPA: 2.77
Test Score: 930
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***** Player hasn't been evaluated *****


Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17.4 2.2 7.6 1.8 1.8 1.00 3.0 1.4 2.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.4 14.3 .519 2.1 3.0 .712 0.5 2.1 .220

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: High
Rankings: #100 Overall, #24 SF, Foreign #2 Overall, Foreign #1 SF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Tennessee, Utah, American[/B]

We don't have time to shilly-shally with Charles. I'm going to trust that his attributes support his high school stats, and that he's really a Top 100 player. I'm offering him a scholarship, and Coaches Sims and Twombly are readying their passports for a visit to another foreign player.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 1, 2033
#1 Villanova 78, Lafayette 76

---------------------------------------------------------
Lafayette (10-5, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Daniel Geisler C 22 3-9 0-0 3 5 1 2 6
Joshua Dent PF 33 6-14 6-8 0 8 3 1 18
Henry Gallman SF 24 6-10 4-5 1 4 3 2 16
Chris Willman SG 24 6-8 2-2 0 0 3 1 17
Lindsey Lawrence PG 23 3-5 0-0 0 0 5 3 8
Maynard Benz SG 28 3-7 2-2 0 2 3 2 8
Armando Clark C 27 1-4 1-2 1 10 0 3 3
Garret Terrell PG 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Charles Watson PF 7 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 1 0
Emery Liu SF 5 0-2 0-0 0 2 0 1 0
Ervin Duren C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 1 0
Richard Bookman SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (J.Dent 4, H.Gallman 1, C.Willman 3,
L.Lawrence 3, A.Clark 1, G.Terrell 2, C.Watson 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (J.Dent 2, L.Lawrence 1, A.Clark 1)
Steals: 11 (D.Geisler 2, J.Dent 1, H.Gallman 2,
C.Willman 3, M.Benz 1, A.Clark 2)
3P FGs: 5-9 (C.Willman 3-4, L.Lawrence 2-3, M.Benz 0-2)

Villanova (11-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 28 3-8 0-2 4 9 1 4 6
Savion Wells PF 27 2-3 2-2 2 3 2 1 6
C. Woolstenhulme PF 32 5-11 0-0 1 9 1 3 10
Reed Weisberg SG 29 10-14 2-2 0 7 2 4 28
Justice Stafford PG 33 4-12 1-2 0 5 9 2 13
Ernest Adcock SG 24 3-7 2-2 0 1 0 2 9
Peter Segal SG 13 1-3 0-0 0 1 2 2 2
Noah Gardner SF 8 1-3 2-2 0 2 0 0 4
William Collins PF 6 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 18 (Z.Cohen 2, S.Wells 2, C.Woolstenhulme 3,
R.Weisberg 6, J.Stafford 2, P.Segal 1, N.Gardner 2)
Blocked Shots: 5 (Z.Cohen 3, C.Woolstenhulme 1,
R.Weisberg 1)
Steals: 4 (R.Weisberg 1, J.Stafford 1, E.Adcock 1,
P.Segal 1)
3P FGs: 11-26 (R.Weisberg 6-9, J.Stafford 4-9, E.Adcock
1-5, P.Segal 0-2, N.Gardner 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Reed Weisberg (VLNV)

Thomas Liang's first Lafayette team enters the game with four losses. Only a setback at the hands of Rider was a weak performance, so we expect a good game from them. That's what we get, before a capacity New Years' Day crowd at the Wells Fargo Center.

If Chris Willman's last-second three falls, I'll be writing a different story. As it happens, the biggest takeaway from tonight's game is the continuing excellence of Reed Weisberg. The junior's scoring totals from our last games: 23, 31, 28, 37, 28.
Record: 11-1.

2032 Big East Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
-------------------------------------------------------------
#1 Villanova 0 0 .000 11 1 .917 2 100
#17 Rutgers 0 0 .000 11 1 .917 4 73
#4 Georgetown 0 0 .000 11 1 .917 16 100
#8 Pittsburgh 0 0 .000 11 1 .917 35 84
#6 Notre Dame 0 0 .000 10 1 .909 3 83
Cincinnati 0 0 .000 10 2 .833 5 67
#22 Connecticut 0 0 .000 10 1 .909 23 71
#13 St. John's 0 0 .000 10 1 .909 113 73
Providence 0 0 .000 10 2 .833 231 67
Marquette 0 0 .000 9 3 .750 1 60
#18 Louisville 0 0 .000 9 2 .818 88 86
West Virginia 0 0 .000 7 5 .583 166 100
South Florida 0 0 .000 6 6 .500 77 73
DePaul 0 0 .000 6 5 .545 106 53
Syracuse 0 0 .000 6 5 .545 171 66
Seton Hall 0 0 .000 5 7 .417 210 58


January 5. 2033
#1 Villanova 95, @South Florida 55
Justice Stafford is the star as we roll to an easy victory in our Big East opener, on the night he scores his 1000th career point.

The senior point guard scores 22 points, hands out 11 assists, makes 2 steals, and even grabs 5 rebounds. Savion Wells (19p/8r) and Chris Woolstenhulme (10p/8r) barely miss double-doubles, and Zach Cohen blocks 5 shots.

Ernest Adcock (7p/6a) provides quality backup for Stafford, and Peter Segal scores 11 points off the bench.

We make 38 baskets, 27 of which are assisted. I like that evidence of ball movement.
Record: 12-1 (1-0).


January 8, 2033
#1 Villanova 90, @West Virginia 72
We shoot .574/.500/.750 and pass a tough test on the road, but our enthusiasm dissipates quickly when we learn that Reed Weisberg has torn his ACL. It's a bad one, and it will keep him out of action for almost a year.

It couldn't come at a worse time for Reed. He was averaging 21.4 PPG, shooting better than 50 percent from the floor AND from three-point distance. We have good players to replace him, but his absence will be felt acutely.

Noah Gardner, one of the players who will gain some playing time, leads us with 15 points. Chris Woolstenhulme scores 14, Ernest Adcock adds 11, and Zach Cohen dominates the paint (11p/10r/5b).
Record: 13-1 (2-0).


January 12, 2033
#1 Villanova 83, @#24 Connecticut 74
In our first game without Reed Weisberg, Justice Stafford delivers a masterpiece, and we take a big road win against the ranked Huskies.

Justice shoots like Weisberg, taking 12 threes and knocking down 6 of them, scoring 27 points. He passes like Stafford, dishing out 11 assists. Peter Segal offers 17 points and 6 boards in the role of sixth man, and Chris Woolstenhulme (9r) and Zach Cohen (4b) do big man things well.

I notice something distressing when I look at our roster. Injured players' current ability squares decline to Red when they're hurt. Usually, they return to the player's "normal" color when the player recovers, but that hasn't happened yet for Michael Petit. He's still listed as Red/Blue. I don't remember now if his usual color is Green or Blue, but I know it's not Red. I won't start Michael unless he recovers his normal ability.
Record: 14-1 (3-0).


January 15, 2033
#1 Villanova 74, @Seton Hall 58
The Big East scheduler gave us four straight road games, and we finish our odyssey with a victory over the Pirates.

Five Villanovans score in double figures. The backcourt pairing of Justice Stafford and Ernest Adcock delivers 32 points and 13 assists, and commits only 2 turnovers.

Despite his Red status, Michael Petit makes all 3 of his three-point tries and scores 11 points. Zach Cohen completes an 11-point, 10-rebound performance.
Record: 15-1 (4-0).


January 19, 2033
#2 Georgetown 80, #1 Villanova 71

-----------------------------------------------------------
Georgetown (16-1, 5-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jacody Hinton C 29 1-2 5-6 2 10 1 2 7
Nick Dishman PF 27 1-4 0-0 2 6 0 3 2
Jed Spicer SF 32 9-15 1-2 3 7 0 3 21
Damarion Logan SG 30 4-9 3-4 1 4 3 2 12
DeQuinn Baldwin PG 30 2-11 6-6 2 2 7 2 12
David Holliday SG 20 4-5 1-2 0 2 2 0 11
Florian Fleurkin PF 21 2-4 2-2 0 3 0 0 6
Ira Tupper SG 2 1-1 2-2 0 0 0 0 5
David McDermott PF 9 0-0 4-6 0 3 1 2 4
Ronald Holcombe C 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (J.Spicer 2, D.Logan 1, D.Baldwin 3,
D.Holliday 2, F.Fleurkin 3, D.McDermott 1, R.Holcombe
1)
Blocked Shots: 8 (J.Hinton 4, D.Baldwin 1, D.McDermott
2, R.Holcombe 1)
Steals: 6 (N.Dishman 1, J.Spicer 1, D.Logan 1,
D.Baldwin 1, F.Fleurkin 1, D.McDermott 1)
3P FGs: 8-25 (J.Spicer 2-6, D.Logan 1-5, D.Baldwin
2-10, D.Holliday 2-3, I.Tupper 1-1)

Villanova (15-2, 4-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 28 4-9 0-0 2 7 2 1 8
Savion Wells PF 26 5-9 1-2 3 5 0 3 11
C. Woolstenhulme SF 17 3-6 0-1 0 3 1 5 6
Ernest Adcock SG 31 4-9 2-3 2 3 8 3 10
Justice Stafford PG 34 7-12 0-0 1 3 8 4 18
Peter Segal SF 25 4-10 2-2 0 3 2 3 12
Michael Petit SF 10 2-5 0-0 2 4 0 0 6
Noah Gardner SG 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Trey Partridge PG 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
William Collins PF 15 0-4 0-2 1 3 1 3 0
Chris Ramos C 6 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 1 0

Turnovers: 15 (S.Wells 2, C.Woolstenhulme 1, E.Adcock
4, J.Stafford 2, P.Segal 1, M.Petit 3, N.Gardner 1,
W.Collins 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (E.Adcock 1, C.Ramos 1)
Steals: 4 (E.Adcock 1, J.Stafford 2, P.Segal 1)
3P FGs: 8-24 (C.Woolstenhulme 0-1, E.Adcock 0-3,
J.Stafford 4-9, P.Segal 2-7, M.Petit 2-2, T.Partridge
0-1, W.Collins 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Jed Spicer (GTOWN)
We know the Hoyas well. I recruited several of their players as high schoolers and three of them--Jacody Hinton, Damarion Logan, and DeQuinn Baldwin--are Create-a-Recruits). Jed Spicer, a player we recruited heavily, reminds us how good he's turned out to be.

Ernest Adcock has played quite well in Reed Weisberg's absence, but our team still seems to lack cohesion, particularly offensively. I'm not going to break the game plan down and start over, but a few adjustments might be necessary.
Record: 15-2 (4-1).


January 22, 2033
@#1 Villanova 94, Cincinnati 87
A big crowd at the Wells Fargo Center is treated to an exciting comeback victory, sparked by Justice Stafford's 20-point, 7-assist, 4-steal performance.

Michael Petit (his Green status restored) returns to the starting lineup and delivers a double-double (17p/10r). Savion Wells matches Michael's efforts almost exactly (18p/10r). Noah Gardner fires 10 shots in 16 minutes, scoring 16 points.

We commit 23 turnovers, but when we're not coughing up the ball, we're putting it into the basket.
Record: 16-2 (5-1).


January 26, 2033
#4 Villanova 69, @#17 Rutgers 61
Our new starter at shooting guard, Peter Segal, scores 18 points and grabs 5 rebounds, and we fight off a second-half comeback by the Scarlet Knights.

Center Zach Cohen continues to deliver solid performances (12p/9r/4b), and he's named Player of the Game tonight. Michael Petit (12p) and Justice Stafford (9p/7a) do their share, too.
Record: 17-2 (6-1).


January 29, 2033
#4 Villanova 95, Marquette 58

---------------------------------------------------------
Marquette (12-8, 3-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Theodore Bryan C 25 2-7 1-2 0 1 1 3 5
Andy Hamilton PF 27 5-8 6-6 1 6 0 1 16
Tony Benn SF 29 2-9 4-4 1 1 0 1 8
Corey Fancher SG 24 2-12 0-0 2 5 2 2 4
Don Bryan PG 14 2-5 1-2 0 3 1 4 7
Wilfred Johnson PG 30 2-4 0-0 1 4 5 4 5
Dario Davis SG 15 1-3 2-2 0 0 1 0 4
Steven Stroman C 14 0-1 0-0 1 2 1 1 0
Joe Lukas C 15 3-8 3-4 2 3 0 1 9
Chris Hallowell SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Lance Robson SF 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
David White SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Scott Parker C 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (T.Bryan 1, T.Benn 3, C.Fancher 2,
W.Johnson 4, D.Davis 1, J.Lukas 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (W.Johnson 1)
Steals: 4 (C.Fancher 1, W.Johnson 1, D.White 2)
3P FGs: 3-15 (T.Benn 0-2, C.Fancher 0-7, D.Bryan 2-3,
W.Johnson 1-2, D.Davis 0-1)

Villanova (18-2, 7-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 25 6-8 0-1 0 5 2 2 12
Savion Wells PF 22 5-6 1-2 2 5 1 2 11
Michael Petit SF 30 3-7 3-4 1 6 6 3 11
Peter Segal SG 22 6-8 4-4 0 0 2 2 18
Justice Stafford PG 31 2-8 8-8 1 1 12 3 13
Ernest Adcock SG 24 6-10 0-0 1 6 4 0 13
C. Woolstenhulme PF 20 5-8 0-0 3 12 1 2 10
Noah Gardner SF 6 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 2
Trey Partridge PG 7 2-2 0-0 0 0 1 0 5
Chris Ramos C 13 0-1 0-0 1 6 1 2 0

Turnovers: 13 (Z.Cohen 1, M.Petit 2, P.Segal 3,
J.Stafford 1, E.Adcock 3, N.Gardner 2, T.Partridge 1)
Blocked Shots: 8 (Z.Cohen 1, S.Wells 1, C.Woolstenhulme
1, C.Ramos 5)
Steals: 7 (M.Petit 2, P.Segal 3, J.Stafford 1, E.Adcock
1)
3P FGs: 7-22 (M.Petit 2-5, P.Segal 2-4, J.Stafford 1-6,
E.Adcock 1-5, N.Gardner 0-1, T.Partridge 1-1)

Player of Game: PG Justice Stafford (VLNV)
This box score is just so pretty that I had to share it. :)

Every Wildcat who plays at least 20 minutes scores at least 10 points. Plenty of them make other meaningful contributions, too.

Chris Ramos is a 6'10" junior center who's playing his third season as a walk-on. He's very limited offensively, but he is a stout defender and an excellent rim protector. Chris might be the only player I've ever seen whose career high in blocked shots (see above) is higher than his career high in points (3).

Georgetown and Notre Dame remain undefeated in Big East competition, both at 8-0. We're a game back, with Louisville a game behind us.
Record: 18-2 (7-1).


Love Watch: Kentucky remains one of the nation's top teams. A 69-61 loss to Arkansas dropped the Wildcats to the #4 spot in the polls, but they still remain atop the SEC East standings.

Ezra Love stepped up his game during January. Choosing his shots carefully, he's raised his shooting percentage over 52 percent and his scoring average to 5.8 PPG. He's second on the team in rebounding (8.4 RPG), and leads in rebounds per 30 minutes. Ezra blocks 2 shots per game, and is his team's leading plus player at 17.5.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 1, 2033

The city of Thompson, Manitoba, is up north. Way up north.

https://i.imgur.com/fV506c7.jpeg

This time of year, the sun rises there at about 8:30 AM, and sets around 5 PM. That means when our newest commitment, Charles Peterman, arrives at school, it's still dark. It's dark when he finishes practice, too. Moving south to Pennsylvania will probably feel like the journey of a lifetime to Charles.

You might remember that we offered Charles a scholarship before we had a chance to fully evaluate him. Now that we have a fuller picture of his talents, I'm very pleased with his attribute range:
Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 58 34 58 49 22 16 26 28 47 32 34 33 50 63 44 74
Potential: C C A C C D D B B C C C
The picture that emerges is one of a well-rounded, multipurpose player who could, at the very least, serve as a key rotation player over the course of four years in a Villanova uniform. Championship teams always have a player or two like Charles, whom I'm surprised rates only three stars; he's the #100 player in his recruiting class. All I know is I'm glad to have him aboard.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 2, 2033
@#2 Villanova 90, Connecticut 76
This is far from a pretty game, the two teams combining to shoot 60 free throws and commit 31 turnovers. Michael Petit makes 10 of the 11 foul shots he tries, which helps him to a game-high 22 points.

Justice Stafford passes out another 8 assists, which is actually a bit below his season average. He's on his way to shattering every Villanova assist record on the books. And, for good measure, the senior guard scores 13 points and makes 2 steals.

Savion Wells scores 11 points, and Zach Cohen provides 8 points and 9 rebounds.
Record: 19-2 (8-1).
2032 Big East Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
---------------------------------------------------------------
#1 Georgetown 9 0 1.000 20 1 .952 2 100
#5 Notre Dame 9 0 1.000 19 1 .950 1 83
#2 Villanova 8 1 .889 19 2 .905 3 100
#12 Louisville 7 2 .778 16 4 .800 20 86
DePaul 4 5 .444 10 10 .500 82 53
Rutgers 4 5 .444 15 6 .714 6 73
Cincinnati 4 5 .444 14 7 .667 4 67
#18 St. John's 4 5 .444 14 6 .700 13 73
Pittsburgh 3 6 .333 14 7 .667 54 84
Connecticut 3 6 .333 13 7 .650 35 71
Seton Hall 3 6 .333 8 13 .381 61 58
Syracuse 3 6 .333 9 11 .450 117 66
Marquette 3 6 .333 12 9 .571 9 60
West Virginia 3 6 .333 10 11 .476 70 100
Providence 3 6 .333 13 8 .619 99 67
South Florida 2 7 .222 8 13 .381 113 73
The Big East race is an interesting contest, with four teams clearly pulling away from the rest. Perennial powers Pitt and West Virginia are in the struggle pack, but they can still beat anyone on any given day.


February 5, 2033
@#2 Villanova 77, Pittsburgh 58
One of those struggling teams, Blaine Boyd's Panthers, visits the Wells Fargo Center tonight. We break open a close game with an assertive second half performance.

Once again, we take our cue from our senior star, Justice Stafford (23p/7a/4r/3s). It still amazes me that pro scouts see so little in him; they can't seem to see past the fact he's listed at 5'9" and isn't really that tall.

The pros are more impressed, however, with 6'6" Michael Petit, who scores 17 points and grabs 5 rebounds tonight. Peter Segal adds 15, and Chris Woolstenhulme contributes 10 points and 7 boards off the bench.
Record: 20-2 (9-1).


February 9, 2033
@#2 Villanova 83, Providence 55
There are currently eight Division I basketball players with torn ACLs or MCLs. Twenty-five percent of them play for Villanova.

Our latest casualty is Ernest Adcock. His ruptured MCL will keep him off the court for at least ten months. He's scheduled to return to action a few days before Reed Weisberg does.

Adcock's injury overshadows a fine performance from Michael Petit, featuring a career-high 27 points and 9 rebounds. Justice Stafford finishes with 22 points and 5 assists.

St. John's defeats Notre Dame, 65-61, leaving Georgetown alone atop the Big East.
Record: 21-2 (10-1).


February 12, 2033
@#12 Louisville 86, #2 Villanova 83
We might very well lose this game if we play it with a full roster. As it is, we give the Cardinals a tough fight on their home court.

The game is decided at the free throw line. Louisville shoots 26-for-34, and we go 8-for-10.

Justice Stafford and Michael Petit each score 21 points, and Justice adds 8 assists. Zach Cohen (11p/9r/2b) and reserve Chris Woolstenhulme (6p/10r) play big.
Record: 21-3 (10-2).


February 16, 2033
#2 Villanova 85, #8 Notre Dame 77

---------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (22-3, 11-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 30 2-4 0-1 2 6 0 0 4
Savion Wells PF 28 6-8 0-0 4 8 0 4 12
Michael Petit SF 35 3-12 0-0 1 9 4 2 8
Peter Segal SG 36 9-15 2-2 0 0 6 1 24
Justice Stafford PG 37 8-15 7-8 3 4 6 2 27
C. Woolstenhulme PF 19 0-4 2-2 1 2 0 2 2
Noah Gardner SG 5 2-3 0-0 2 2 0 3 6
Trey Partridge PG 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Chris Ramos C 6 1-3 0-0 1 1 0 0 2
Darius Pettway SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (Z.Cohen 3, S.Wells 1, M.Petit 5, P.Segal
2, J.Stafford 1, C.Woolstenhulme 2)
Blocked Shots: 6 (Z.Cohen 2, S.Wells 2, C.Woolstenhulme
1, C.Ramos 1)
Steals: 10 (Z.Cohen 1, S.Wells 1, M.Petit 3, P.Segal 1,
J.Stafford 3, N.Gardner 1)
3P FGs: 12-25 (M.Petit 2-4, P.Segal 4-9, J.Stafford
4-9, N.Gardner 2-2, T.Partridge 0-1)

Notre Dame (20-4, 10-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ahmed Sexton C 22 2-8 0-0 2 3 1 3 4
Joe Smiley PF 34 7-15 4-6 2 7 1 1 18
Noble Burwell SF 36 6-11 2-2 3 9 3 1 15
Derek Stines SG 25 6-10 0-0 1 2 4 5 14
Grover Jenkins PG 36 4-6 0-1 1 2 10 4 10
Vernon Denson SG 15 0-4 0-0 0 5 5 1 0
Scottie Parker SG 4 4-4 1-1 0 0 0 1 10
Roderick Peacock C 17 1-2 2-2 4 7 1 0 4
Douglass Lomas C 6 1-1 0-0 1 1 0 0 2
Mark Ritchie SF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Basil Johnsen SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 19 (A.Sexton 1, J.Smiley 2, N.Burwell 2,
D.Stines 6, G.Jenkins 4, V.Denson 2, R.Peacock 1,
D.Lomas 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (A.Sexton 1, J.Smiley 1, N.Burwell 1,
R.Peacock 1)
Steals: 7 (A.Sexton 1, J.Smiley 1, N.Burwell 3,
G.Jenkins 2)
3P FGs: 6-15 (A.Sexton 0-1, J.Smiley 0-1, N.Burwell
1-3, D.Stines 2-5, G.Jenkins 2-2, V.Denson 0-2,
S.Parker 1-1)

Player of Game: PG Justice Stafford (VLNV)
I usually use an eight- or nine-player rotation, but today, six players carry virtually the entire load as we claim a big, big win at Notre Dame.

Justice Stafford and Peter Segal are seniors, and they truly lead their team today. It's a particularly wonderful moment for Peter, who has found playing time tough to come by until this year.

I hope the younger guys are paying attention.
Record: 22-3 (11-2).


February 19, 2033
@#2 Villanova 87, South Florida 52
Once again, the seniors lead from the front as we return home in style.

Justice Stafford ties his own Villanova record with 15 assists, and adds 11 points, a steal, and a blocked shot. The 5'9" Stafford rejects the shot of a 6'9" center, Cody Buchanan.

Peter Segal goes 5-for-11 from long distance, scores 21 points, and makes 5 assists and a steal.

Michael Petit (17p/6r/2s), Chris Woolstenhulme (16p/7r) and Zach Cohen (11p/8r/2b) also score in double figures. The current starting five is Cohen-Savion Wells-Petit-Segal-Stafford, with Woolstenhulme playing significant minutes off the bench.
Record: 23-3 (12-2).


February 23, 2033
#2 Villanova 78, @#14 St. John's 72
St. John's leads this close game at halftime, 37-33. We then open up a lead as big as eight points before the Red Storm closes to within a point with 35 seconds remaining. A layup and a pair of free throws from Justice Stafford and two more foul shots from Savion Wells finally close out the win.

Stafford comes close to a triple-double: 11 assists, 10 rebounds, and 7 points. Michael Petit completes a double feature, too: 21 points, 10 rebounds. Sixth man Chris Woolstenhulme finishes with 19 points.
Record: 24-3 (13-2).


February 28, 2033
@#2 Villanova 76, DePaul 46
We thoroughly smother the Blue Demons offense tonight at the Pavilion. The visitors take 33 shots; meanwhile, we make 29.

Michael Petit, Peter Segal, and Justice Stafford all score exactly 14 points. Chris Woolstenhulme nets 11 points and grabs 9 boards, and Noah Gardner contributes 10 more bench points.

We can't gain ground on a Georgetown team that simply refuses to lose.
Record: 25-3 (14-2).


Love Watch: #5 Kentucky lost a 70-69 heartbreaker to Florida, but they maintain a two-game lead in the SEC East race. Ezra Love has started every game for the 24-3 'Cats. He grabbed the 500th rebound of his career tonight, one of 11 he pulled down in a victory over Tennessee. If he were to decide to stay at Kentucky for four years, he would probably end his career as the Wildcats' all-time leading rebounder. Ezra's not likely to do that, as he's considered a future lottery pick.

Ezra is still making over half his shots (.521), and he averages 5.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per contest.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 2, 2033
@#2 Villanova 99, West Virginia 80
West Virginia, like Pitt, is suffering through a rough season. It doesn't get any better for the Mountaineers when they visit the Pavilion on our Senior Night.

Unfortunately, Justice Stafford encounters foul trouble and a WVU defense that seems determined not to let him shoot. Justice still hands out 9 assists in his last home game. His classmate, Peter Segal, sinks 4 of 7 triples and scores 22 points.

Other notables include Michael Petit (23p/5r/5a) and Noah Gardner (15 points in 17 minutes).

We shoot a gaudy .630/517/.667 for the night, maintaining our status as the most accurate shooting team in all of NCAA basketball.
Record: 26-3 (15-2).


March 5, 2033
#2 Villanova 66, @Syracuse 45
The Orange don't want to get blown out of their own gym, so they grind the pace down as much as they can. They succeed in keeping the total score down, but we win by 21 anyway.

No Wildcat scores more than Michael Petit's 14 points. Justice Stafford pitches in 12 points and 6 assists, while Chris Woolstenhulme comes off the bench to snare 11 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Georgetown defeats Notre Dame to complete a flawless, 18-0 Big East campaign. The Hoyas are the first team to go through the conference schedule without a defeat.
Record: 27-3 (16-2).

[MoonlightGraham]

March 8, 2033

We won't see action until the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament. I really like the double bye.

https://i.imgur.com/t5uzeCY.jpeg

March 10, 2033
It's an eight-team tournament now, with Rutgers, Seton Hall, Pitt, and West Virginia joining the top four seeds. Two of the usual elite, the 10-seed Panthers and the 11-seed Mountaineers, upset better seeds in the last round. We'll play Pitt, who could make things difficult.

Big East Quarterfinal
(2) #2 Villanova 85, (10) Pittsburgh 71
The Panthers probably need to win the tournament to make the NCAA tournament field, so they have more incentive than usual to advance.

Justice Stafford (29p/9a) and Michael Petit (17p/10r) lead the effort to keep that from happening. Peter Segal (10 points), Savion Wells (10) and Noah Gardner (10) join them in double figures.

All four of the top seeds advance to the semifinals.
Record: 28-3.


March 11, 2033
(2) #2 Villanova 81, (3) #8 Notre Dame 73
When we played the Fighting Irish last month, we defeated them by eight points. We achieve the same margin of victory today, and it puts us in the Big East championship game once again.

Notre Dame's big stars play like big stars. Derek Stines, who averages 20 PPG, finishes with 28. Elite point guard Grover Jenkins, the reigning Big East and National Player of the Year, scores 17 points and hands out 13 assists. He averages almost 16 and almost 9 a game, respectively.

Still, that's not enough to overcome our balanced excellence today. Four starters plus Noah Gardner score in double figures, led by Michael Petit's 19. Justice Stafford is the odd man out, but he passes out 9 dimes.

Georgetown routs Louisville, so we'll meet them in the Final. Can we do what no other Big East team has done this season: beat the mighty Hoyas, whose only blemish is a loss to Stanford in the Maui Shootout, back in November?


March 12, 2033
Big East Tournament Final
(2) #2 Villanova 90, (1) #1 Georgetown 77

---------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (30-3, 16-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 18 3-4 2-2 1 4 1 3 8
Savion Wells PF 22 2-5 4-5 2 8 2 2 8
Michael Petit SF 31 7-11 0-0 0 5 4 1 16
Peter Segal SG 33 8-12 3-3 0 3 3 3 23
Justice Stafford PG 32 3-10 2-2 0 2 9 2 10
C. Woolstenhulme PF 28 6-9 1-3 3 9 0 2 13
Noah Gardner SG 14 3-4 2-2 1 2 1 1 10
Trey Partridge PG 5 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Chris Ramos C 11 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 2
Darius Pettway SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
William Collins PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (Z.Cohen 1, S.Wells 1, M.Petit 5, P.Segal
1, J.Stafford 3, C.Woolstenhulme 1, N.Gardner 2,
D.Pettway 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (C.Woolstenhulme 1, C.Ramos 1)
Steals: 2 (P.Segal 1, J.Stafford 1)
3P FGs: 10-23 (S.Wells 0-1, M.Petit 2-5, P.Segal 4-6,
J.Stafford 2-7, N.Gardner 2-3, T.Partridge 0-1)

Georgetown (31-2, 18-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jacody Hinton C 28 7-8 3-5 4 8 1 4 17
Nick Dishman PF 16 3-5 1-2 2 5 1 4 7
Jed Spicer SF 32 8-13 3-4 2 7 5 1 24
Damarion Logan SG 28 2-6 0-0 0 2 5 2 4
DeQuinn Baldwin PG 30 0-14 0-0 0 1 7 3 0
David Holliday SG 17 3-5 0-0 2 4 0 0 8
Florian Fleurkin PF 24 4-10 3-4 2 4 0 0 11
Ira Tupper SG 7 2-2 0-0 1 1 1 0 6
David McDermott PF 13 0-3 0-2 2 2 1 4 0
Ronald Holcombe C 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Paul Melendez PF 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (J.Hinton 1, J.Spicer 3, D.Logan 1,
D.Baldwin 2, D.Holliday 3, F.Fleurkin 1, D.McDermott 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (J.Spicer 1, F.Fleurkin 1)
Steals: 3 (D.Logan 1, D.Baldwin 1, I.Tupper 1)
3P FGs: 9-21 (J.Spicer 5-8, D.Logan 0-2, D.Baldwin 0-5,
D.Holliday 2-3, F.Fleurkin 0-1, I.Tupper 2-2)

Player of Game: SG Peter Segal (VLNV)
Yes, we can!

We shoot .579/.435/.824, which is enough to win almost every time. The fact we didn't run the Hoyas out of the gym, while shooting like that, says a lot about how good Georgetown is.

Point guards Justice Stafford and DeQuinn Baldwin D-up on each other all night long. Justice, a wily senior, knows a few tricks that sophomore DeQuinn is still learning, and he holds the Georgetown man scoreless.

Another senior, Peter Segal, earns the Player of the Game award by scoring 23 points. That's one fewer than G-town's Jed Spicer, the league's top scorer, who matches his season average.

We lead by a point, 38-37, at halftime, but we pull away slowly over the course of the second half. In fact, we don't relinquish the lead again.

This is the fourth Big East tournament championship Graham Sims' teams have won.
Record: 30-3.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 13, 2033

We're seeded first in the South Region. The other top seeds are North Carolina, Stanford, and Georgetown. Kansas (31-3) is also placed in the South. Ezra Love's Kentucky team (28-4) is the 2 seed in the East.

The Patriot League is sending four teams to the Dance this year: tournament champion Colgate, regular season champion Holy Cross (!), runner-up Lafayette, and Duquesne.


March 17, 2033
NCAA South Region, First Round
(1) #2 Villanova 87, (16) Kennesaw State 65
Today I learn that Kennesaw State is located near Atlanta. The 22-10 Owls are the champions of the Atlantic Sun conference. They're led by high-scoring sophomore wing Chris Reiter.

Reiter is the real deal, and he shows it: 18 points, 4-for-7 from range. However, we're too deep and talented for them. Our three perimeter guys combine for 62 points, including 22 each for Justice Stafford and Michael Petit. Michael grabs 8 rebounds, and Justice passes out 7 assists.

We shoot over 50 percent from the floor, and from three-point range, and we miss only two of 14 foul shots. Well done.
Record: 31-3.


March 19, 2033
NCAA South Region, Second Round
(1) #2 Villanova 68, (9) Florida 54
A balanced attack, combined with rock-solid defense in the second half, sees us through to the Sweet Sixteen.

Peter Segal's 18 points lead us in scoring. Savion Wells adds 11, and we benefit from double-doubles by Michael Petit (10p/11r) and Justice Stafford (12p/13a). Zach Cohen pitches in with an 8-point, 7-rebound, 3-block performance.
Record: 32-3.


March 25, 2033
NCAA South Region Semifinal: the Sweet Sixteen
(1) #2 Villanova 81, (5) Auburn 55
The 24-10 Tigers were runners-up in the solid SEC West division. They make their second trip to the Sweet Sixteen this year, but we end their dreams with a decisive victory.

We play at a brisk pace, but we still pass up good shots for better ones, and we make 30 of the 60 shots we do take. Justice Stafford turns in a performance we've come to consider the usual: 19 points, 9 assists, only 2 turnovers, and a steal. Michael Petit, the PotG, scores 18 and rebounds 9. Noah Gardner heats up with 11 points in 13 minutes.

Zach Cohen submits the most interesting stat line: 3 points, 3 rebounds, 3 fouls, and 3 blocked shots. Put it all together, and it's enough to advance to a date with Cinderella for the region championship.
Record: 33-3.

https://i.imgur.com/tVxJId3.jpeg

The College of Charleston Cougars earned their ticket by winning the Southern Conference tournament. They're a team who knows how to win; they've done so 24 times this season, and they made the NCAA field after a 20-win campaign in 31/32.

Look at the ride they've taken this March! They walloped 3-seed Miami in the first round. They beat 6-seed Tennessee by 25 points in the second. They edged 2-seed Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen. Unlike some Cinderellas whose waltz through the field are helped by other upset-winners along the way, the Cougars have knocked off three favored seeds.

Seven scholarship upperclassmen get significant playing time. Their talisman is senior guard Angelo Hileman, an All-Conference player who has scored almost 1800 career points. They're a dangerous team.


March 27, 2033
NCAA South Region Final: the Elite Eight
(1) #2 Villanova 92, (14) College of Charleston 76

---------------------------------------------------------
College of Charleston (24-12, 13-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Cameron Newsome C 27 1-4 0-0 1 7 0 1 2
William Brown PF 26 3-8 2-2 4 6 0 1 8
Elwood Lemos SF 22 4-8 0-0 0 2 1 4 10
Angelo Hileman SG 26 4-10 6-7 2 9 1 4 16
Napoleon Godwin PG 34 4-7 0-2 0 1 4 1 8
Homer Burchett SF 24 5-16 0-1 1 2 3 4 14
Mack Campbell PG 3 0-1 0-0 1 1 0 0 0
Eddy McMichael SG 8 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 0 3
Gerry Lima PF 10 1-4 3-4 0 1 0 2 6
Gregory Stiltner C 13 2-4 0-0 1 2 1 0 5
Rashad Rousseau SF 2 1-1 2-2 0 1 0 0 4
Mack Verdugo PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (C.Newsome 2, E.Lemos 2, A.Hileman 3,
N.Godwin 3, H.Burchett 1, G.Lima 1, M.Verdugo 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (H.Burchett 2)
Steals: 9 (C.Newsome 1, N.Godwin 4, H.Burchett 3,
G.Lima 1)
3P FGs: 11-25 (W.Brown 0-1, E.Lemos 2-3, A.Hileman 2-5,
N.Godwin 0-1, H.Burchett 4-11, E.McMichael 1-1, G.Lima
1-2, G.Stiltner 1-1)

Villanova (34-3, 16-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 29 5-11 1-2 4 10 3 3 11
Savion Wells PF 28 5-8 0-0 3 8 3 0 10
Michael Petit SF 25 6-15 2-3 0 3 4 4 17
Peter Segal SG 34 2-4 3-4 0 5 1 3 9
Justice Stafford PG 36 5-13 0-0 1 5 8 3 13
C. Woolstenhulme PF 25 4-7 11-12 4 8 1 2 19
Noah Gardner SG 11 3-5 2-2 0 2 0 3 10
Trey Partridge PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Chris Ramos C 8 1-1 0-0 1 3 0 0 2
Darius Pettway SF 2 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 0 1
William Collins PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (Z.Cohen 2, S.Wells 3, M.Petit 2, P.Segal
2, J.Stafford 3, C.Woolstenhulme 2, C.Ramos 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (Z.Cohen 2, N.Gardner 1, D.Pettway 1)
Steals: 4 (S.Wells 1, M.Petit 2, J.Stafford 1)
3P FGs: 10-25 (Z.Cohen 0-1, S.Wells 0-1, M.Petit 3-9,
P.Segal 2-3, J.Stafford 3-8, N.Gardner 2-3)

Player of Game: PF Chris Woolstenhulme (VLNV)

The final score makes the game look a lot less exciting than it was. We take a 15-point lead to the locker room at halftime, but the Cougars claw their way back. For much of the second half, the margin is three or four points.

The Cougars' roster is filled with Yellow players. Only one of them, senior guard Napoleon Godwin, is Green. Angelo Hileman, the veteran star, is Red/Green. With a prestige of 44, the Cougars would rank in the bottom half of the old Patriot League...before it got to be a Level 4 league.

The College of Charleston couldn't beat the #2 team in the nation, a team with a perfect 100 Prestige. That they came this close, and this far, is greatly to their credit.

And, for the Wildcats, it's our fifth trip to the Final Four. For Coach Graham Sims, it's his seventh.

Meanwhile, Ezra Love and his Kentucky Wildcats come within a bucket of beating Georgetown, falling 80-78 in the East Region final. Ezra scores 7 points, grabs 5 boards, and blocks 2 shots. He wins his individual duel with Hoyas center Jacody Hinton (4p/4r/2b), who's also considered one of the top big men in their class.


Record: 34-3.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 2, 2033

Joining us in the Final Four are West champion Southern California, Midwest victor Notre Dame, and East winner Georgetown. Yes, it's a collection of three Big East teams and regular powerhouse USC.

The three coaches with 600 career victories are all here, too: Graham Sims of Villanova (666), Wallace Hastings of Georgetown (611), and Kenneth Burroughs of USC (605). Notre Dame head man Paul Gilbertson (473 wins) is the "junior" partner of this illustrious group.

NCAA National Semifinal: the Final Four
#2 Villanova 85, #10 Southern California 73

----------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (35-3, 16-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 29 5-7 1-5 2 9 3 2 11
Savion Wells PF 28 5-8 5-5 5 6 2 2 15
Michael Petit SF 32 3-5 0-0 1 4 5 4 8
Peter Segal PG 34 4-5 4-6 2 6 4 0 16
Justice Stafford PG 15 2-8 2-3 2 3 2 4 8
C. Woolstenhulme PF 23 1-8 0-0 2 5 4 4 2
Noah Gardner SG 18 4-7 1-1 0 1 1 2 12
Trey Partridge PG 6 2-3 0-0 0 1 0 0 6
Chris Ramos C 8 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0
Darius Pettway SF 4 2-3 0-0 1 1 0 3 4
William Collins PF 3 1-1 1-2 1 1 1 0 3

Turnovers: 20 (Z.Cohen 2, S.Wells 4, M.Petit 3, P.Segal
5, J.Stafford 2, C.Woolstenhulme 2, N.Gardner 2)
Blocked Shots: 2 (Z.Cohen 1, C.Ramos 1)
Steals: 2 (S.Wells 1, C.Woolstenhulme 1)
3P FGs: 13-21 (M.Petit 2-2, P.Segal 4-4, J.Stafford
2-6, N.Gardner 3-6, T.Partridge 2-3)

Southern California (29-8, 14-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Foster Crawford C 16 1-4 0-0 1 3 2 4 2
Winston Mackey PF 27 6-10 4-6 5 10 1 4 16
Brian Hartz SF 9 3-5 4-4 0 0 4 0 11
Marcos Currin SG 27 1-4 0-0 0 1 3 3 2
Vicente Nieto PG 33 7-9 2-2 1 3 0 3 19
John Wood PF 23 1-7 2-2 2 3 0 2 4
Steven Burns C 10 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Chet Appling SF 21 4-10 3-4 1 1 0 5 13
Erick Grady PF 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 1 0 2
Bud Covington PG 7 0-0 0-0 0 1 2 0 0
John Sarabia SG 9 0-0 0-0 0 2 1 0 0
Charles Boyd SF 14 1-4 2-3 0 0 1 1 4

Turnovers: 14 (W.Mackey 1, B.Hartz 1, M.Currin 2,
V.Nieto 5, J.Wood 2, C.Appling 2, J.Sarabia 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (F.Crawford 1, V.Nieto 1, J.Wood 1,
C.Appling 1)
Steals: 5 (W.Mackey 1, B.Hartz 1, M.Currin 1, J.Wood 1,
C.Appling 1)
3P FGs: 6-14 (B.Hartz 1-2, M.Currin 0-3, V.Nieto 3-4,
C.Appling 2-5)

Player of Game: SG Peter Segal (VLNV)
USC's active, opportunistic defense forces us into 20 turnovers. That's not like us, and it might have proven decisive if we don't shoot the lights out from distance. We hit 13 of our 21 three-point attempts.

Peter Segal decides he'd like to play for Villanova one more time. He's a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the arc, and he fills out the rest of his stat line nicely.

Our two top scorers combine for a total of 16 points. If Coach Burroughs had known his defense would do that well against Justice Stafford and Michael Petit, I'd understand if he'd thought he would win the game. Honestly, I would too. But their teammates step up and write a different ending.

Georgetown awaits us, again.
Record: 35-3.


April 6, 2033
NCAA National Championship Game
#1 Georgetown 89, #2 Villanova 67

---------------------------------------------------------
Georgetown (37-2, 18-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jacody Hinton C 28 3-5 2-5 2 9 1 3 8
Nick Dishman PF 26 2-3 2-2 3 6 3 0 6
Jed Spicer SF 30 4-18 0-0 0 5 3 2 9
Damarion Logan SG 27 5-8 5-5 1 2 2 0 15
DeQuinn Baldwin PG 30 6-12 4-4 0 2 2 3 20
David Holliday SG 20 3-3 4-5 0 2 2 1 13
Florian Fleurkin PF 23 0-1 0-0 1 3 2 1 0
Marcus McLean C 5 2-2 2-2 3 4 1 1 6
Ira Tupper SG 10 3-4 4-4 0 4 1 1 12

Turnovers: 10 (J.Hinton 2, N.Dishman 1, J.Spicer 1,
D.Logan 3, D.Baldwin 1, F.Fleurkin 1, I.Tupper 1)
Blocked Shots: 8 (J.Hinton 4, N.Dishman 3, F.Fleurkin 1)
Steals: 8 (N.Dishman 1, J.Spicer 1, D.Logan 3,
D.Baldwin 2, I.Tupper 1)
3P FGs: 10-26 (J.Spicer 1-9, D.Logan 0-3, D.Baldwin
4-8, D.Holliday 3-3, I.Tupper 2-3)

Villanova (35-4, 16-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 21 4-9 0-0 5 10 0 4 8
Savion Wells PF 15 1-2 0-0 1 4 1 4 2
Michael Petit SF 31 4-11 0-0 1 4 4 3 10
Peter Segal SG 32 4-14 2-3 1 1 3 1 14
Justice Stafford PG 26 3-7 0-0 1 4 5 3 9
C. Woolstenhulme PF 33 3-8 2-2 1 3 5 3 8
Noah Gardner SG 16 5-9 0-2 1 1 0 2 12
Trey Partridge PG 7 1-2 0-0 0 1 2 0 2
Chris Ramos C 15 1-2 0-0 0 2 0 1 2
Darius Pettway SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
William Collins PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (Z.Cohen 3, M.Petit 3, P.Segal 2,
J.Stafford 2, N.Gardner 1, C.Ramos 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (C.Woolstenhulme 1)
Steals: 3 (P.Segal 2, J.Stafford 1)
3P FGs: 11-33 (Z.Cohen 0-1, M.Petit 2-7, P.Segal 4-11,
J.Stafford 3-6, C.Woolstenhulme 0-1, N.Gardner 2-5,
T.Partridge 0-1, C.Ramos 0-1)

Player of Game: PG DeQuinn Baldwin (GTOWN)
We're one of only two teams to defeat Georgetown this season, and we did it with a championship at stake. We can't do it again tonight, for the biggest prize of all.

Damarion Logan and DeQuinn Baldwin harass our perimeter guys all night, and David Holliday comes off the bench to do an even better job of it. We miss 22 threes, the most we've missed all year.

When we try to work the ball inside, Jacody Hinton just says no. We're good at post defense, but Georgetown is world-class. Zach Cohen and Savion Wells found joy against USC, but tonight's a different story.

We'll try it again next year.
Record: 35-4.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 4, 2033

Professional scouts had listed Michael Petit as a likely first-round pick in this year's draft, and today he announces that he'll forgo his final year of college eligibility and turn pro. I'll say Farewell to him in a bit.

Other Big East teams are saying goodbye to juniors who are turning pro. Among them are Georgetown's Jed Spicer and Marcus McLean, Notre Dame's Grover Jenkins, and West Virginia's George Shultz.

I'm not sure how much his injury affected his decision, but Reed Weisberg will be returning to play his senior season for us. Yes, I'm delighted.

2032 OVERALL AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR PG Renato Sylvia Kansas 14.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 8.1 APG 3.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SG Cody Gonzales Kansas 13.2 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.7 APG 2.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Javier Hamilton Wichita State 25 - 10 (12 - 6)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR Arron Yingling Oklahoma 16.7 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.8 BPG
PF SR Joshua Dent Lafayette 21.6 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.6 SPG, 2.8 BPG
SF JR Jed Spicer Georgetown 22.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG SR Chris Meister Charlotte 18.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PG SR Renato Sylvia Kansas 14.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 8.1 APG, 3.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C JR Andrew Parker UCLA 12.7 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.1 SPG, 3.1 BPG
PF JR Blaine Whalen Miami 12.9 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 2.3 BPG
SF SR Rolland Hyde North Carolina 16.0 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG JR John Crook Duke 17.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG JR Grover Jenkins Notre Dame 15.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 8.3 APG, 2.5 SPG, 0.0 BPG

All-league 3rd Team:
C JR Lonnie Hayes Auburn 14.6 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 3.3 BPG
PF JR Thaddeus Boudreaux Pittsburgh 15.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.5 SPG, 4.9 BPG
SF SR Aaron French Murray State 18.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG JR Jonathan Newton Louisville 20.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SR Justice Stafford Villanova 14.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 8.2 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Daniel Geisler Lafayette 11.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PF FR Chris Woolstenhulme Villanova 7.9 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG
SF FR Jesse Lofton Oral Roberts 13.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG FR Cody Gonzales Kansas 13.2 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG FR Arnold Hewett Florida State 16.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG

I admit; I like it when players come back for their senior seasons. I'm happy to see so many four-year guys on the All-American teams.

Returning to school was absolutely the best decision for Joshua Dent. The pros don't consider him a draft prospect, but his big senior season should enable to him to find a team, somewhere in the world, who'd like to pay him to play some basketball.

The same goes for our Justice Stafford, who adds an All-American award to his list of honors.

And it's wonderful to see the contributions of Chris Wolstenhulme, who did everything we asked of him, being recognized with a spot on the Freshman All-American team. He joins Lafayette's fine big man, Dani Geisler.

2032 BIG EAST AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

JR PG Grover Jenkins Notre Dame 15.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 8.3 APG 2.5 SPG, 0.0 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR PG Cardarion Cross West Virginia 11.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.7 APG 1.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Wallace Hastings Georgetown 37 - 2 (18 - 0)

All-league 1st Team:
C SO Reggie Johnson Pittsburgh 13.3 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.6 BPG
PF JR Thaddeus Boudreaux Pittsburgh 15.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.5 SPG, 4.9 BPG
SF JR Jed Spicer Georgetown 22.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG JR Jonathan Newton Louisville 20.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG JR Grover Jenkins Notre Dame 15.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 8.3 APG, 2.5 SPG, 0.0 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Ahmed Sexton Notre Dame 7.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 3.7 BPG
PF SR Blair Klaus Louisville 15.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 3.8 BPG
SF JR Michael Petit Villanova 14.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG SR Derek Stines Notre Dame 19.6 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SR Justice Stafford Villanova 14.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 8.2 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Joe Lukas Marquette 3.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PF FR Chris Woolstenhulme Villanova 7.9 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG
SF FR John Davis Louisville 7.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG
SG FR Gil Penner Cincinnati 6.4 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.0 BPG
PG FR Cardarion Cross West Virginia 11.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Besides the two Wildcats who won All-American accolades, Michael Petit earns a spot on the Big East Conference honor list.

Before I go, I want to tip my cap one more time to Grover Jenkins, one of the greatest players in Big East history. The Notre Dame point guard is a two-time Big East Player of the Year, and the 2032 National Player of the Year. He's been a worthy opponent, and I wish him well in professional basketball.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 4, 2033

#2 VILLANOVA TEAM INFO

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 100 Record Vs 1-50: 18-4 Poll Rank: #2
Season Record: 35-4 Record Vs 51-100: 8-0 RPI Rank: #2
Conference Record: 16-2 Record Vs 101-200: 5-0
Home Record: 14-1 Record Vs 200+: 4-0


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 83.9 1 3 Points 65.3 7 68 Points 18.6 2 2
O.Reb 9.8 12 270 O.Reb 10.6 11 167 O.Reb -0.9 14 231
D.Reb 27.0 5 47 D.Reb 21.4 1 10 D.Reb 5.6 3 4
Rebounds 36.7 6 118 Rebounds 32.0 3 22 Rebounds 4.7 3 25
Assists 20.3 1 1 Assists 13.4 7 209 Assists 6.9 1 2
Steals 5.6 12 159 Steals 5.8 8 186 Steals -0.2 10 176
Blocks 4.6 8 55 Blocks 3.2 2 172 Blocks 1.5 7 54
Turnovers 14.2 10 228 Turnovers 15.7 5 33 Turnovers -1.6 6 65
Fouls 19.0 10 126 Fouls 17.6 13 328 Fouls 1.4 13 272
FG% .513 1 1 FG% .401 4 23 FG% .112 1 1
FT% .754 2 2 FT% .695 9 272 FT% .059 1 12
3P% .419 1 2 3P% .312 1 38 3P% .107 1 2
PPS 1.43 1 1 PPS 1.16 7 46 PPS .269 3 3
Adj. FG% .601 1 1 Adj. FG% .454 3 21 Adj. FG% .146 1 1

What. A. Team.

Despite losing our top gun, Reed Weisberg, to a season-ending injury about a third of the way through the season, we still end the season as the best shooting team in the nation. And, since we also played solid defense, our margins are also outstanding.

I love that we're the only team to average 20 assists a game, and that we're the only team that made at least half its shots (Kansas was second, at .495). Our offensive efficiency (116.3) was second in the nation to...you guessed it, Georgetown. Our defensive efficiency (91.1) wasn't as sparkling, but it still ranked seventh. Georgetown (84.1) was first.

We weren't the best team in the country; Georgetown was. But I'd stack us up against any of the rest.

#2 VILLANOVA Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Justice Stafford PG 39 39 31.7 14.6 0.7 2.7 8.2 1.6 0.2 2.3 2.3 16.7
Michael Petit SF 31 27 26.7 14.4 1.4 5.9 2.6 1.0 0.1 2.7 2.2 12.3
Reed Weisberg SG 14 14 25.6 21.9 0.4 4.1 1.6 0.7 0.2 3.0 2.5 17.9
Peter Segal SG 39 22 25.1 12.1 0.6 2.5 2.5 0.7 0.0 1.9 2.4 10.2
Zach Cohen C 39 39 24.6 8.0 2.0 6.8 1.1 0.3 1.9 1.2 2.4 11.3
Chris Woolstenhulme PF 39 9 24.4 7.9 1.9 6.5 1.4 0.4 0.8 1.3 2.5 10.0
Savion Wells PF 39 39 23.5 8.6 1.4 5.4 1.0 0.4 0.4 1.2 2.5 12.1
Ernest Adcock SG 23 6 21.8 7.0 0.7 2.3 3.6 1.0 0.1 1.5 2.0 12.2
Noah Gardner SF 39 0 9.5 5.8 0.6 1.6 0.4 0.3 0.1 1.1 1.1 4.1
Chris Ramos C 32 0 8.7 1.1 0.5 1.8 0.3 0.1 0.8 0.4 0.8 3.1
William Collins PF 27 0 7.8 0.9 0.4 2.0 0.4 0.1 0.4 0.4 0.9 4.3
Trey Partridge PG 38 0 4.5 1.4 0.2 0.6 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.4 0.5 0.3
Darius Pettway SF 17 0 3.2 1.4 0.2 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.4 -0.9

I like the fact that nine Wildcats averaged more than 5.8 PPG. And, unlike last season, every player on the roster ended the season content with how things are going. Nobody is complaining about playing time, etc. I hope that's simply not the result of the injuries to Reed Weisberg and Ernest Adcock.

#2 VILLANOVA Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Justice Stafford PG 39 39 1237 569 28 106 321 62 6 88 90 651
Michael Petit SF 31 27 827 446 43 183 81 30 2 83 68 381
Reed Weisberg SG 14 14 358 306 5 57 23 10 3 42 35 250
Peter Segal SG 39 22 977 472 24 99 99 27 1 74 92 397
Zach Cohen C 39 39 960 311 78 264 43 12 76 47 92 439
Chris Woolstenhulme PF 39 9 951 308 73 253 53 15 31 50 99 390
Savion Wells PF 39 39 916 336 54 209 40 15 16 45 99 471
Ernest Adcock SG 23 6 502 161 15 54 82 24 3 35 46 280
Noah Gardner SF 39 0 371 227 24 62 16 13 2 44 41 160
Chris Ramos C 32 0 279 35 15 59 8 3 27 13 26 99
William Collins PF 27 0 211 23 11 55 11 3 11 12 25 116
Trey Partridge PG 38 0 172 54 8 22 15 5 0 15 20 11
Darius Pettway SF 17 0 55 23 3 9 1 1 2 4 7 -15

#2 VILLANOVA Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Justice Stafford PG 190 392 .485 77 95 .811 112 262 .427 1.45
Michael Petit SF 154 298 .517 66 80 .825 72 162 .444 1.50
Reed Weisberg SG 101 177 .571 39 42 .929 65 129 .504 1.73
Peter Segal SG 161 318 .506 68 90 .756 82 203 .404 1.48
Zach Cohen C 135 256 .527 39 78 .500 2 5 .400 1.21
Chris Woolstenhulme PF 112 231 .485 84 109 .771 0 2 .000 1.33
Savion Wells PF 131 225 .582 70 95 .737 4 11 .364 1.49
Ernest Adcock SG 63 134 .470 21 27 .778 14 67 .209 1.20
Noah Gardner SF 79 143 .552 29 35 .829 40 84 .476 1.59
Chris Ramos C 15 35 .429 5 7 .714 0 1 .000 1.00
William Collins PF 8 22 .364 7 10 .700 0 1 .000 1.05
Trey Partridge PG 17 42 .405 11 16 .688 9 28 .321 1.29
Darius Pettway SF 9 16 .563 5 7 .714 0 0 .000 1.44

Hidden about halfway down this list is the identity of the nation's leader in field goal percentage: our freshman big man, Savion Wells. If Reed Weisberg had played enough to qualify and had kept shooting as accurately as he did, he would have placed second. Reed would have been fifth in three-point percentage too, while taking at least three times as many triples as all but one of the players ranking higher. And he would have placed second in free throw percentage.

Simply put, Reed Weisberg was the best shooter in college basketball this year.

Would we have won the NCAA championship if Reed and Ernest Adcock not gotten hurt? We'll never know, but we came awfully close without the sizable contributions they would have undoubtedly made.

Next: a Farewell and two Tributes.

[MoonlightGraham]

2032/33 Tribute

MICHAEL PETIT

I somewhat wish I could tell you that Michael Petit had always been patient as he waited for his turn to shine. But that's not true. The wing from New Jersey expressed his unhappiness more than once during his days at Villanova. Perhaps that's because he always knew he was good.
#24 SF Michael Petit - Villanova - Junior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 200
High School: Lenape High School
Hometown: Medford, NJ

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 56 62 85 66 40 44 43 67 23 43 44 39 81 58 54 81
2031: 52 58 84 62 38 42 40 62 22 40 41 37 80 56 53 74
2030: 49 55 83 59 35 39 38 58 21 37 38 35 80 54 52 65
2029: 43 51 77 55 29 33 34 50 19 31 32 31 78 48 51 45
Potential: B B A B C C C A D C C C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 72

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 19 0 5.5 3.3 0.3 1.3 0.5 0.6 0.82 0.1 0.1 0.4
2031 21 0 1.4 0.3 0.0 0.3 0.1 0.0 3.00 0.0 0.0 0.1
2032 31 27 26.7 14.4 1.4 5.9 2.6 2.7 0.98 1.0 0.1 2.2
Career 71 27 13.5 7.3 0.7 3.0 1.3 1.3 0.98 0.4 0.0 1.1

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 1.1 1.7 .606 0.8 1.0 .842 0.3 0.7 .429 1.88 1.16
2031 0.1 0.3 .333 0.1 0.1 1.000 0.0 0.2 .250 1.17 1.10
2032 5.0 9.6 .517 2.1 2.6 .825 2.3 5.2 .444 1.50 12.29
Career 2.5 4.7 .522 1.2 1.4 .832 1.1 2.5 .439 1.53 6.00

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 19 0 105 62 6 24 9 11 1 1 8
2031 21 0 30 7 1 7 3 1 0 0 2
2032 31 27 827 446 43 183 81 83 30 2 68
Career 71 27 962 515 50 214 93 95 31 3 78

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 20 33 16 19 6 14 22
2031 2 6 2 2 1 4 23
2032 154 298 66 80 72 162 381
Career 176 337 84 101 79 180 426

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 27 4 11 6 3 1 5 8 17 10 11 5 12
Career 27 4 11 6 3 1 5 8 17 10 11 5 12

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 6
2029 High School: Rated **** and #18 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2029 High School: All-State (New Jersey)
2030 NCAA Champion
2032 2nd Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)

Michael probably shouldn't have been surprised to find himself unable to take Asher Wise's position. However, he arrived on campus at the same time as Reed Weisberg, who was not as highly touted as a high school player, and while Reed started from Day One, Michael didn't play much.

This year, we needed Petit's contributions, and he stepped up. He overcame a stress fracture that kept him out of action for a month or so and showed us the player we thought he'd be when we recruited him. He earned that All-Big East second team nomination, and he's leaving with an NCAA championship ring.

And, even though he played less than a thousand minutes of basketball in three years, he's expected to hear his name called on Draft Night.

Thanks for the memories, Michael.

[MoonlightGraham]

2032/33 Senior Tribute

PETER SEGAL

Peter Segal, too, had to negotiate a difficult path to the court during much of his time at Villanova. We signed a whole crop of talented perimeter players over a very short period of time. And, like Michael Petit, Peter let us know he thought he deserved to play more.

#15 SG Peter Segal - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-3
Weight: 181
High School: Fort Lee High School
Hometown: Fort Lee, NJ

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 46 55 54 85 46 55 9 32 65 96 23 6 80 41 69 78
2031: 43 52 51 79 43 51 9 30 59 90 21 6 79 40 68 70
2030: 40 50 49 75 41 48 9 29 56 86 20 6 77 38 67 58
2029: 37 48 47 71 38 44 8 27 52 81 19 6 76 36 66 46
2028: 33 44 43 63 34 38 6 25 46 71 15 4 73 32 66 26
Potential: C C C A C B F C A A D F

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 78

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 34 0 4.4 1.8 0.1 0.5 0.2 0.4 0.50 0.1 0.0 0.5
2030 6 0 4.2 1.7 0.2 0.7 0.3 0.3 1.00 0.2 0.0 0.5
2031 36 0 7.0 3.0 0.2 0.8 0.5 0.5 0.95 0.1 0.0 0.7
2032 39 22 25.1 12.1 0.6 2.5 2.5 1.9 1.34 0.7 0.0 2.4
Career 115 22 12.2 5.7 0.3 1.3 1.1 0.9 1.34 0.3 0.0 1.2

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 0.6 1.1 .541 0.3 0.6 .474 0.3 0.7 .458 1.62 0.32
2030 0.5 1.2 .429 0.3 0.3 1.000 0.3 0.8 .400 1.43 -1.00
2031 1.0 2.2 .450 0.4 0.6 .714 0.6 1.6 .375 1.35 1.44
2032 4.1 8.2 .506 1.7 2.3 .756 2.1 5.2 .404 1.48 10.18
Career 1.9 3.8 .498 0.8 1.1 .712 1.0 2.5 .403 1.47 3.95

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 34 0 151 60 2 16 7 14 4 0 18
2030 6 0 25 10 1 4 2 2 1 0 3
2031 36 0 253 108 8 28 18 19 4 0 25
2032 39 22 977 472 24 99 99 74 27 1 92
Career 115 22 1406 650 35 147 126 109 36 1 138

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 20 37 9 19 11 24 11
2030 3 7 2 2 2 5 -6
2031 36 80 15 21 21 56 52
2032 161 318 68 90 82 203 397
Career 220 442 94 132 116 288 454

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 24 3 6 6 3 1 6 9 15 8 9 5 13
Career 24 3 6 6 3 1 6 9 15 8 9 5 13

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 3
2028 High School: Rated ***** and #14 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2030 NCAA Champion

A five-star player out of New Jersey, Peter saw action in most of our games as a freshman and, then, barely at all as a sophomore. Looking back, I messed that up, even though we won it all that year. I wholly expected to see Peter enter the transfer portal.

He didn't, however, and after becoming a more important member of our rotation as a junior, he became a regular starter for much of his senior season. On a team filled with marksmen, Peter was one of the best, and he finishes his career with a shooting "slash line" that reflects that fact.

There are professional scouts looking at Peter, and he's likely to sign somewhere as a free agent if he's not drafted. He'll graduate with a degree in Communication, and he's mentioned law school as a possible career beyond basketball.

Thanks for the memories, Peter.

[MoonlightGraham]

2032/33 Senior Tribute

JUSTICE STAFFORD

November 1, 2028 should be remembered as one of the greatest days in Villanova basketball history.

It doesn't measure up to those dates in early April when the Wildcats cut down the net to celebrate a national championship. But, on that day, three high school seniors committed to play basketball at Villanova. They were Kris DeMello, Asher Wise...and Justice Stafford.

#10 PG Justice Stafford - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 5-9
Weight: 170
High School: Trinity Episcopal School
Hometown: Midlothian, VA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 41 69 71 79 83 98 31 31 41 75 68 11 81 47 72 87
2031: 38 60 62 79 81 96 28 28 39 64 65 10 80 46 71 83
2030: 36 47 49 66 70 85 26 26 37 52 53 9 80 45 71 79
2029: 34 38 40 57 60 75 24 24 35 44 45 8 79 44 71 76
2028: 32 32 34 51 50 65 22 22 33 38 39 6 75 42 68 64
Potential: C B B B B A C D C B B F

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 92

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 35 0 17.8 6.3 0.6 1.8 3.1 1.7 1.80 1.4 0.0 1.3
2030 38 34 27.9 8.8 1.1 3.2 5.2 1.9 2.66 1.3 0.0 1.6
2031 37 36 27.3 8.1 1.2 3.5 6.2 1.6 3.77 1.5 0.1 2.4
2032 39 39 31.7 14.6 0.7 2.7 8.2 2.3 3.65 1.6 0.2 2.3
Career 149 109 26.4 9.6 0.9 2.8 5.7 1.9 3.65 1.4 0.1 1.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 2.2 4.7 .470 0.8 1.1 .675 1.1 2.9 .379 1.34 5.57
2030 2.9 6.9 .424 1.6 2.3 .670 1.4 4.3 .331 1.28 9.55
2031 2.8 6.0 .457 1.2 1.6 .754 1.3 3.6 .366 1.34 13.30
2032 4.9 10.1 .485 2.0 2.4 .811 2.9 6.7 .427 1.45 16.69
Career 3.2 7.0 .461 1.4 1.9 .736 1.7 4.4 .384 1.37 11.42

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 35 0 622 222 21 62 108 60 48 1 46
2030 38 34 1059 335 42 123 197 74 51 1 62
2031 37 36 1011 299 45 128 230 61 54 2 88
2032 39 39 1237 569 28 106 321 88 62 6 90
Career 149 109 3929 1425 136 419 856 283 215 10 286

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 78 166 27 40 39 103 195
2030 111 262 59 88 54 163 363
2031 102 223 46 61 49 134 492
2032 190 392 77 95 112 262 651
Career 481 1043 209 284 254 662 1701

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 29 3 10 15 4 1 6 10 20 8 9 6 12
Career 29 4 11 15 5 1 6 10 20 8 9 6 12

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 28
2028 High School: Rated ***** and #10 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2028 High School: All-State (Virginia)
2029 Freshman All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2030 NCAA Champion
2031 2nd Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2032 3rd Team All-American
2032 2nd Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)

Justice was Mr. Everything at Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond, VA. He won eleven varsity letters as a three-sport athlete. As a senior, he caught 13 touchdown passes from a quarterback who went on to earn All-ACC recognition at North Carolina, and he placed third in the long jump at the state track and field meet. He graduated second in his class and scored 5 (the highest score) on four different Advanced Placement exams.

After backing up the talented Blake Norton for a season, Justice earned the starting point guard spot as a sophomore. He went on to start over 100 games for the Wildcats, and the 3,929 minutes of court time he logged in a Villanova uniform is the highest total achieved by a player Graham Sims has coached here.

No player on the roster worked harder than Justice. He developed his skills to the fullest extent possible. He took pride in his defense, and is our program's career leader in steals. And Justice is the greatest playmaker in Villanova history, with no pretender to his title.
VILLANOVA PLAYER CAREER RECORDS: ASSISTS

# POS PLAYER SEASON RECORD
----------------------------------------------
1 PG Justice Stafford 2032 856
2 PG Severiano Tipaldo 2014 543
3 PG Douglas Slaton 2020 510
4 PG Heliodoro Jimenez 2021 415
5 SG Lionel Riley 2018 378
6 PG Blake Norton 2031 378
7 PG Devin Guzman 2027 370
8 PG Alan Audley 2018 359
9 SF Asher Wise 2031 329
10 SG Jacob Allen 2028 328
Justice's best single season total would fall only seven assists short of making this leader board. Only one player in Big East history has recorded more helpers, and only five in all of college basketball.

As adept a facilitator as he was, Justice could also put the ball in the basket himself. He made himself into a fine shooter, and after Reed Weisberg went down with a knee injury, Justice was the team's leading scorer for the rest of his senior season.

In May, Justice will graduate with a degree in Philosophy and a Phi Beta Kappa key. If his name is called on Draft Night, he'll play professional basketball. If it isn't, he has an acceptance to graduate school at the University of Richmond and a position as an assistant basketball and football coach at his high school alma mater.

Thanks for the memories, Justice.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 9, 2033

Two Wildcats are chosen in tonight's pro draft. Michael Petit just misses the lottery; he's taken with the #14 pick. Peter Segal, drafted at #50 will place his plans for law school on hold for a while as he pursues his hoop dreams.

Justice Stafford's name wasn't called. He'll finish his semester and move back to Richmond, studying and coaching in his home town.

Four Big East players you might know were lottery picks. Georgetown's Jed Spicer was the #1 pick, and his teammate, Damarion Logan, went at #4. Grover Jenkins of Notre Dame (#10) and the underrated Nathan Smith of St. John's (#11) also hear their names called early.

2032 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Tennessee SEC SF Everett Pulliam ***** 2 2 0 0 0
2. UNLV Mountain West SF Cody Nieves ***** 1 2 2 0 0
3. North Carolina ACC SF Blake Phillips ***** 3 0 0 0 0
4. Vanderbilt SEC PF Otto Cain ***** 3 1 0 0 0
5. Villanova Big East SG Mason Reynolds ***** 1 2 1 0 0
6. Kentucky SEC SF Jack Clary ***** 2 0 2 0 0
7. Lafayette Patriot League SG Charles Loy ***** 1 2 1 0 0
8. Southern California Pacific-10 C Thomas Brown **** 0 4 0 0 0
9. Temple Atlantic 10 SG David Mortenson **** 0 3 1 0 0
10. Miami ACC SG Angelo Davis ***** 1 1 1 0 0
11. UCLA Pacific-10 PG Malcolm Polley ***** 1 2 0 0 0
12. Providence Big East PG Matthew Wortman **** 0 2 3 0 0
13. Oregon Pacific-10 SG Jack Erwin **** 0 3 2 0 0
14. Texas Big 12 C Art Watson ***** 1 1 1 0 0
15. Texas Tech Big 12 SF Anthony Arzola **** 0 2 1 1 1
16. Memphis Conference USA C Robert McMillin **** 0 3 0 0 0
17. Baylor Big 12 SF Albert Finkelstein ***** 1 0 2 0 0
18. Pittsburgh Big East SG John Warren ***** 2 0 0 0 0
19. Georgetown Big East PG Frank Murdoch ***** 1 1 1 0 0
20. Saint Louis Atlantic 10 PG Jess McDougal **** 0 1 4 0 0
I remain delighted with our recruiting class, even if the experts rank four classes better than ours.

Tennessee snagged the #4 and #6 players in the class, Everett Pulliam and SG Foster Simpson. They're both wings, so the Vols' perimeter game should take a big step forward this season.

North Carolina and Vanderbilt each land three five-star players. Blake Phillips, whom we courted heavily, is the top player in the class. They also signed North Carolina's Mr. Basketball, big man Robby Kantor, and a chiseled athlete from Ohio, 6'5" wing Sydney Rundell.

The prizes in Vanderbilt's class are small forward Otto Cain, center John Stevens, and in-state point guard Charles Robinson. We took a very long look at Stevens.

Lafayette pulled its class from New York and Massachusetts. Charles Loy is a high school All-American.

2032 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Villanova Big East SG Mason Reynolds ***** 1 2 1 0 0
12. Providence Big East PG Matthew Wortman **** 0 2 3 0 0
18. Pittsburgh Big East SG John Warren ***** 2 0 0 0 0
19. Georgetown Big East PG Frank Murdoch ***** 1 1 1 0 0
25. St. John's Big East PG Frank Hoey **** 0 1 3 0 0
28. Louisville Big East PF Jerry McCoy ***** 1 1 1 0 0
29. Marquette Big East SF Frank Quiles **** 0 1 3 1 0
30. Connecticut Big East SF Bud Rollins **** 0 2 1 0 0
36. Notre Dame Big East PG Edward Adamson **** 0 2 1 0 0
92. West Virginia Big East C Joel Hogan **** 0 1 0 0 0
102. Cincinnati Big East PG Matthew Clark *** 0 0 2 0 0
120. DePaul Big East PG Tony Cherry *** 0 0 1 2 0
128. South Florida Big East PG Burt Foster *** 0 0 2 1 0
163. Rutgers Big East SG Shawn Tait *** 0 0 3 0 0
187. Seton Hall Big East C Issac Shedd *** 0 0 2 1 0
267. Syracuse Big East PG Tony Millner *** 0 0 1 0 0


Mason Reynolds is considered the best newcomer in the Big East this season. Right behind him is Pitt guard John Warren, the #8 recruit in the nation. The Panthers also signed 7'2" center Charles Cunningham, who's also a five-star player. Our Kyle Gribble is promising, but raw. Connor Baxter's color blocks are better, but he's not as highly regarded.

Our Prestige (100), budget ($800,000) and facilities (86) remain unchanged.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 10, 2033

Graham Sims has leveled up for the last time. He's now a Level 15 coach, with perfect 100 scores in all four coaching categories.

Georgetown's Wallace Hastings is the only other Level 15 master in our universe. Three coaches--Ervin Gadson of Boston College, Joseph Owens of West Virginia, and Brooks Runyan of Kentucky--are at Level 14. Coach Owens is the youngest of the group at age 53, and Coach Hastings, who turns 60 this year, is the oldest.

Graham is 54 now. How time flies...

If you're wondering where USC icon Kenneth Burroughs is, he is retiring this season. More on Coach Burroughs later.


We're over 20 seasons into our college basketball universe now. Which teams have won the most games? Can you guess who's at #1?
Stats Leaders

# Team Wins Losses Pct Conference Champs Conference Tourney Champs
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Kansas 652 132 .832 16 6
2 Lafayette 619 150 .805 17 11
3 North Carolina 615 149 .805 8 8
4 Villanova 605 170 .781 7 8
5 Southern California 605 176 .775 6 6
6 Georgetown 603 167 .783 8 6
7 Boston College 593 177 .770 8 3
8 Kentucky 584 192 .753 6 3
9 Vanderbilt 583 191 .753 6 2
10 Texas 557 197 .739 4 2


Here's the membership roll of the 500 Club, the coaches with at least 500 career victories.
Coach Wins Records

# NAME SEASON RECORD CURRENT TEAM
------------------------------------------------------------
1. Graham Sims 2033 667 Villanova
2. Wallace Hastings 2033 613 Georgetown
3. Kenneth Burroughs 2032 605 Retired
4. Ervin Gadson 2033 593 Boston College
5. Brooks Runyan 2033 583 Kentucky
6. Benton Brimmer 2033 551 North Carolina
7. Joshua Williams 2033 546 Kansas
8. Thaddeus Dorton 2033 544 Texas
9. Tracy Norton 2033 537 Oklahoma
10. Blaine Boyd 2033 534 Pittsburgh
11. Joseph Owens 2033 519 West Virginia
12. Daniel Chouinard 2029 508 Retired
13. Larry Ramirez 2033 506 Miami
14. J.C. Barker 2033 500 Florida

The next initiates will be Clayton Mintz of Oregon (497 wins) and Hans Gatewood of Tennessee (491).

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2033

Kenneth Burroughs is the biggest name among the coaches who have decided to hang up their whistles, but Notre Dame's Paul Gilbertson has also enjoyed a highly respected career. He retires with 473 career victories to his credit.

Both Southern California and Notre Dame honor Graham with job offers, but he politely declines. The chance Graham will ever coach anywhere but Villanova again is very, very close to zero. He won't leave for another job willingly, and if Villanova were to fire him, he'd almost certainly retire instead.

George Doyle becomes the latest member of the Villanova staff to move on to a head coaching position of his own. At the age of 60, the veteran assistant finally gets the big whistle. He's the new coach at Toledo.

Notre Dame poaches their new coach from a Big East rival. Rupert Frazee will move to South Bend from Cincinnati. The new man at Cincinnati? None other than Dario Ferreira, who spent four seasons as Graham's right hand man at Villanova before coaching at Davidson for three seasons. Coach Ferreira went 58-52 with the Wildcats. Now he'll match wits with one of his mentors in the tough setting of the Big East.

It's frankly difficult for us to fill our Coaching Assistant position. The first three coaches I attempt to hire turn us down, and end up taking huge bags from other schools. One of them, DeWitt Keaton, goes to Georgetown instead.

*snarl*

We end up taking a chance on venerable Frank Timberlake. Coach Timberlake is one of the oldest men still prowling the sidelines; he's now 69. His coaching itinerary includes Western Kentucky, Saint Louis, Vanderbilt, Central Florida, Old Dominion, Saint Louis (again), and Arkansas. He's got an NCAA championship ring, which he won with the Commodores in 2018/19.

Coach Timberlake is a Level 6 coach with ratings of 31 for Offense and 100 for Defense. He'll earn a very reasonable $131,000/year on a three-year deal.

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2033

Michael Petit's decision to leave school early gives us a scholarship to offer during the transfer period. And, to our delight, there's a fine player in the portal who plays a position where we aren't absolutely stacked.

#4 PG Eldon Castanon - Villanova - Sophomore
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-3
Weight: 212
High School: Montgomery Blair High School
Hometown: Silver Spring, MD

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 28 57 47 51 52 63 35 41 7 46 41 16 80 37 63 80
2032: 26 51 43 45 48 57 33 37 5 42 37 14 79 33 61 58
Potential: D B C B C A C B F B C D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Redshirting
Academics: 42

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 2 0 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 1.00 0.0 0.0 0.0
Career 2 0 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 1.00 0.0 0.0 0.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.5 .000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.00 0.00
Career 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.5 .000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.00 0.00

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 2 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Career 2 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Career 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 High School: Rated **** and #84 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2031 High School: All-State (Maryland)
2031 High School: Mr. Basketball (Maryland)
2031 High School: All-American
2032 Transfered from Lafayette

Eldon Castanon's high school achievements were considerable: All-State, All-American, and Maryland's Mr. Basketball. I remember seeing him on our recruiting lists, but he didn't express much interest in playing for us. He ended up at Lafayette instead.

Looking at his development, it seems the Leopards coaching staff made him spend training camp running on a treadmill. His Stamina improved quite a bit, but his basketball skills did not. After playing three minutes, grabbing an assist, and missing a free throw, Eldon entered the portal. Now he's moving 68 miles down the road to Villanova.

Eldon is an athletic point guard with considerable potential, especially as a passer. He'll sit out a year, after which he'll have three seasons of eligibility.
We expect he'll contend with Connor Baxter at the one in 2034/35.

Welcome to the team, Eldon!

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2033

Our roster contains five seniors: walk-ons Darius Pettway and Chris Ramos, and scholarship players Reed Weisberg, Ernest Adcock, and Noah Gardner.

All three of the scholarship seniors are perimeter players, so it's logical we'll want to restock the wing cupboard. Picking up transfer Eldon Castanon makes the need to find a point guard less urgent.

There's a chance that graduation and defections to the pros could leave us without a single big man on our roster after the 2034/35 season. That makes it imperative for us to get a good post player or two into the pipeline.

I'm thinking our best possible shopping list would contain:

a big man who projects as an All-Big East player and a future pro, maybe a three-year player
a small forward/shooting guard who could be a star and might play four years
another perimeter guy, possibly a rotation player


There's one five-star player who expresses Very High interest in playing for Villanova. He's Timothy Johnson, a 6'8" power forward from western Maryland. Another Maryland big man who likes us a lot, Dan Roesch, is given three stars, even though he's a high school All-American. Both those players deserve a good, long look.

Two highly-regarded local players are very interested in playing for us. Pennsylvania's Mr. Basketball, Max Bennett, is a four-star shooting guard. Robbie Blades, the #100 player in the Class of 2034, is a power forward. We're the first choice for both Max and Robbie.

I think I'm going to trust the experts' judgement and the stats on Max Bennett, and offer him a scholarship before we evaluate him. I'd like to lock him down quickly. I can always retract our offer if his evals don't look good.

I'm tempted to do the same thing with Timothy Johnson, but he currently prefers two top-tier programs over Villanova. I don't remember ever winning a battle for a player when we had to come from behind and pass two elite teams.

Here is our initial call list:
#2 VILLANOVA Recruiting

Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Timothy Johnson PF 6-8 229 ***** Very High Maryland
Max Bennett SG 6-2 178 **** Very High Pennsylvania
Allan Hagan PF 6-5 206 **** Very High Pennsylvania
Keith Eskridge SF 6-7 220 **** Very High Michigan
Jack Blankenship PG 5-11 158 **** Very High Michigan
Kim Murray PG 6-3 184 **** Very High New York
Dan Roesch PF 6-9 210 *** Very High Maryland
Robbie Blades PF 6-8 224 *** Very High Pennsylvania
Fredrick Delano SF 6-7 242 *** Very High Delaware
Joseph Keys SG 6-4 194 *** Very High New Jersey
Jarrett Brundage PF 6-9 259 *** Very High Delaware
Shaun Bath SG 6-6 188 *** Very High UK
Brian Bishop SF 6-6 225 ***** High Maryland
Luis Williams SG 6-3 171 ***** High New York
Leroy Velez PG 6-1 178 ***** High New York
Tyrese Russell SF 6-7 203 **** High Pennsylvania
Matthew Valentine SG 6-1 181 **** High Delaware
Douglas Wilson PG 6-2 177 **** High Maryland
Colin Ratchford PG 6-0 176 **** High New York

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2033

My first response to July's recruiting efforts: Bleh.

Max Bennett's head was turned by an offer from Georgetown. He downgrades his interest in playing for us to Average.
#25 SG Max Bennett
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-2
Weight: 178
High School: Penncrest High School
Hometown: Media, PA
GPA: 3.46
Test Score: 1280
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 28 51 57 47 35 52 19 20 35 44 35 12 59 36 47 54
Potential: C B B A D B D D D B C F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16.1 1.6 5.7 5.0 1.8 2.78 2.2 0.3 2.2

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.8 12.5 .542 1.7 2.0 .846 1.0 2.9 .333

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Average
Rankings: #49 Overall, #14 SG, East Region #7 Overall, East Region #2 SG
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Pennsylvania)
Top 5 Schools: *Georgetown, *Villanova, St. John's, Boston College, North Carolina
Max is a fairly unpolished player with considerable upside. The potential for him to turn into a useful player who can shoot, pass, and play defense is certainly there. Let's see if a full recruiting effort--visits from Coaches Sims and Twombly, and an official visit to campus--will move us back to the top of Max's list.

Two of the big men we mentioned, Dan Roesch and Robbie Blades, have taken us completely off their lists. That means we can't invite them for campus visits.
#3 PF Dan Roesch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 210
High School: Loch Raven High School
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
GPA: 2.76
Test Score: 1150
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 60 36 45 0 50 29 28 39 41 16 53 44 22 75 52 16
Potential: B C C F B D C A B D A C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17.9 2.4 8.7 0.7 1.9 0.35 2.7 1.6 3.1

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.2 11.7 .618 3.5 4.5 .767 0.0 0.0 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Average
Rankings: #64 Overall, #8 PF, East Region #11 Overall, East Region #2 PF
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Maryland), All American
Top 5 Schools: St. John's, American, *Richmond, *Colgate, George Mason

#35 PF Robbie Blades
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-8
Weight: 224
High School: Episcopal Academy
Hometown: Newtown Square, PA
GPA: 2.64
Test Score: 1270
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 53 43 21 0 3 21 23 32 62 42 41 48 26 56 22 81
Potential: A C D F F D C B A B A B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16.3 1.6 7.5 1.2 2.7 0.45 1.4 1.5 2.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.0 11.0 .632 2.4 4.6 .527 0.0 0.0 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: High
Rankings: #100 Overall, #19 PF, East Region #16 Overall, East Region #4 PF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Temple, *Lehigh, *Delaware, Fordham, Bucknell
I can see why both players are ranked among the best power forwards in their region. Both players are eager defenders and rebounders, and they both make a high percentage of their shots at the high school level.

I wonder if Robbie and Dan are focusing their attention on less prestigious programs because they don't have offers from power conference schools. I think I'm going to bet on both of them. Will offers from Villanova, and visits from both coaches, rekindle their love for the Wildcats?

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2033

We're now in a two-way competition for the signature of Max Bennett. Georgetown still holds the pole position. I'm going to fight a little longer for him.

Robbie Blades now holds four offers: Temple, Lehigh, Delaware, and Villanova. And, because we're now on Robbie's list, we can invite him to campus. Having that card to play makes me feel better about our chances.

Five schools have now made offers to Dan Roesch: St. John's, American, Colgate, Richmond, and Villanova. Again, we're fifth on the list, but we're there. That means we can issue the campus visit invitation if we like.

Why am I hesitating to continue our pursuit of Dan Roesch? Because another intriguing player has moved us up his list: Matthew Valentine.
#31 SG Matthew Valentine
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-5
Weight: 181
High School: Middletown High School
Hometown: Middletown, DE
GPA: 2.40
Test Score: 1040
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 79 54 42 53 40 36 7 39 32 15 11 25 78 33 53 37
Potential: A B B B A A F D C D F C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.3 0.9 4.8 4.5 2.2 2.09 1.0 0.8 2.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.4 14.5 .581 1.0 1.9 .500 0.6 1.5 .379

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #92 Overall, #22 SG, East Region #15 Overall, East Region #3 SG
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Delaware)
Top 5 Schools: Villanova, Pittsburgh, *Duquesne, Georgetown, Boston College
Delaware's Mr. Basketball is a dynamic offensive player who can get to the rim, score from outside, and run his team's offense. He hasn't shown us much potential as a defender, so he'll need some teammates who aren't afraid to do what it takes to protect their house.

I liked Matthew's scouting report enough that I invited him to campus last month. I decide to retract Dan Roesch's offer and present it to Matthew instead.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2033

The last player to receive a scholarship offer is the first to accept it. Welcome to the Villanova basketball family, Matt Valentine!

Matt is more of a lead guard than a pure one or two. Connor Baxter, Mason Reynolds, and Eldon Castanon are all good defensive players, and they're the guys who will be sharing the perimeter spots with Matt, so Matt's reluctance to D-up won't be a fatal flaw.

Unfortunately, Robbie Blades decided to pursue his basketball dreams at Temple. At least we won't have to play against him in the Big East, like we will when Dan Roesch and St. John's appear on our schedule.

Our hopes of signing Max Bennett remain alive. So do Georgetown's. Something is keeping Max from making his decision. Coaches Sims and Twombly don't have to travel far to visit the Bennett family, so that will remain a priority during November.

What to do with our open scholarship? Timothy Johnson hasn't said yes to the Hoyas yet, either. Do we aim for the stars and offer him? Or, do we concentrate on a target that might be easier to hit?

I like the looks of two players who haven't received scholarship offers yet: SF Keith Eskridge, a four-star recruit from Michigan, and PF Charlie Lambert, a four-star player from Maryland.

I'm not really in the mood to potentially deal with losing two players to Georgetown, who have emerged as my arch-nemesis in this dynasty. I'm going to offer Charlie Lambert instead. I'll post his "hero card" if we end up signing him.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 6, 2033

Let's meet the 2033/34 Villanova Wildcats!
#10 VILLANOVA General

Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Noah Gardner 0 SF Sr 6-5 215 Yes 80 OK Jenkintown, PA
Ernest Adcock 1 SG Sr 6-1 207 Yes 68 Injured Pasadena, MD
Trey Partridge 2 PG So 5-8 170 Yes 40 OK Warwick, NY
Eldon Castanon 4 PG So 6-3 213 Yes 42 Redshirt Silver Spring, MD
Mason Reynolds 5 SG Fr 6-4 202 Yes 98 OK Alexandria, VA
Kyle Gribble 11 SF Fr 6-8 224 Yes 92 OK Lakewood, CA
Chris Woolstenhulme 12 PF So 6-9 223 Yes 78 OK Bryn Mawr, PA
William Collins 20 PF Jr* 6-5 234 Yes 75 OK Moreauville, LA
Connor Baxter 22 PG Fr 6-2 193 Yes 98 OK Slippery Rock, PA
Darius Pettway 23 SF Sr* 6-8 245 No 29 OK Copenhagen, NY
Charles Peterman 25 SF Fr 6-7 226 Yes 62 OK Thompson, Canada
Chris Ramos 34 C Sr 6-10 240 No 53 OK Warwick, NY
Savion Wells 41 PF So 7-0 252 Yes 87 OK Windsor, CT
Zach Cohen 44 C Jr 6-10 227 Yes 64 OK Edison, NJ
Reed Weisberg 55 SG Sr 6-5 190 Yes 54 Injured Colonia, NJ

And how did they do in training camp?
#10 VILLANOVA Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Noah Gardner 3 5 5 5 2 2 3 3 2 5 2 2 1 2 1 4
Ernest Adcock 3 1 4 0 1 4 3 3 5 5 1 1 1 3 1 9
Trey Partridge 1 3 2 1 6 4 1 1 1 3 2 2 0 1 0 12
Eldon Castanon 1 2 2 2 1 5 1 3 0 4 3 1 0 1 1 9
Mason Reynolds 4 4 6 2 4 4 4 4 4 6 4 2 2 8 1 36
Kyle Gribble 8 6 8 4 4 4 6 2 4 2 4 2 1 8 3 30
Chris Woolstenhulme 10 4 4 1 3 3 8 8 7 2 2 7 1 6 1 7
William Collins 0 2 2 0 1 2 3 7 6 1 2 5 0 2 1 8
Connor Baxter 4 6 6 0 8 8 2 2 2 8 6 2 1 4 1 10
Darius Pettway 0 3 2 0 2 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 0 5
Charles Peterman 2 4 4 2 4 2 4 2 4 6 6 2 1 4 2 8
Chris Ramos 1 1 0 0 1 1 6 6 6 1 1 8 1 2 1 7
Savion Wells 12 4 4 2 2 2 9 9 5 2 2 5 0 8 1 8
Zach Cohen 2 3 2 0 1 2 12 12 11 1 1 14 1 3 1 14
Reed Weisberg 2 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 2 1 1 3 1 3 0 11

This year's team will take on a different quality right about the time Big East play begins. That's when two senior stars will return from the injury list.

Reed Weisberg and Ernest Adcock might have decided to turn professional if their junior seasons hadn't been cut short by serious knee injuries. Now they're back at Villanova for one more dance.

Weisberg averaged over 21 points per game over the 14 contests in which he appeared last season. The 6'5" wing is quite possibly the best shooter in the nation, with almost unlimited range and a gunslinger's mentality. Reed is far from a one-dimensional shooter, however; he'll pursue rebounds willingly, and he'll play solid defense.

After serving an apprenticeship under peerless point guard Justice Stafford, Adcock will be ready to lead the team himself. Ernest is an elite athlete with incredible quickness and a secure, creative facilitator. And coach Graham Sims calls him one of the best on-ball defenders he has ever seen.

Assuming their skills return unabated, these players should form our starting backcourt. In the meantime, those positions will be in the hands of freshmen Connor Baxter and Mason Reynolds.

Baxter will run the point. He worked hard on his ballhandling and passing during camp, and he's ready to have the keys of the offense as the season begins. Connor also made a commitment to becoming a better defensive player.

Reynolds graduated from the same high school as Coach Sims, where he broke Graham's record for career three-pointers. This five-star recruit has no single eye-popping skill; he does everything well. We'll need him to provide perimeter scoring while the master, Weisberg, mends.

The other wing will be a senior, Noah Gardner. He shot his way into the rotation last season, carving out a role as a provider of instant offense. Noah will probably return to that role once we're healthy, but he'll have a month or so to demonstrate what he can do as a starter.

The same three players who provided a solid rotation in the post last year return for another round. Zach Cohen, now a junior, is the starting center. He's not huge for a center--6'10", and under 230 pounds--but he is as strong as they come. Zach has shown a bit of offensive skill in the past, but his calling cards are rebounding, shot blocking, and defense.

Savion Wells worked hard on his inside game and his rebounding in camp. There's a need to replace about 40 points of scoring a night now that Justice Stafford, Peter Segal, and Michael Petit are gone, and we're hoping that this seven-foot sophomore can help reduce that deficit. Savion made 58 percent of his shots last season. We're hoping he can approach that mark while he plays a larger role in our offense.

The third man made Freshman All-America while starting only nine games. That's Chris Woolstenhulme, another Wildcat who had a very productive training camp. There are 80 minutes available for post players, and Woolstenhulme, a plus player at both ends of the floor, should get his share of them.

Sophomore Trey Partridge gives us another reliable point guard who can shoot a bit. Freshman Kyle Gribble looks like he could be the next in a growing line of Villanova sharpshooters. The rest of the players will have to earn their court time by producing when they have opportunities; first year Charles Peterman is the best example of these.

We begin the season ranked #10, which is the lowest we've been in the opening poll in years. Three Big East teams--West Virginia, Pitt, and Georgetown--rank ahead of us. I don't mind playing the role of "hunter" while we prepare for the return of our injured seniors. We'll be fine in their absence, but we'll be better when they're back.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 10, 2033
Preseason NIT, First Round
(1) #10 Villanova 72, (16) Dartmouth 50
It's not pretty to watch, but we open our season with a win in the first round of the Preseason NIT.

Three Wildcats start their first career game, and all score in double figures: senior Noah Gardner (13p/6r) and freshmen Connor Baxter (13p) and Mason Reynolds (11p/6r). Savion Wells adds 12 points and 9 rebounds. But the big star is Zach Cohen, who combines 9 points with 10 rebounds and 5 blocks.

We do much of our damage from the free throw line, where we shoot 25-for-30. We'll need to play better, but it's a start.
Record: 1-0.


November 12, 2033
Preseason NIT Quarterfinals
(1) #10 Villanova 77, (9) Saint Louis 53
Behind 16 points and 8 rebounds from Noah Gardner, we dispatch the Billikens and advance to the semifinals.

All three frontcourt starters grab 8 rebounds, and sixth man Chris Woolstenhulme does them one better. Savion Wells scores 11 points, and Zach Cohen adds 13 more. Mason Reynolds completes the double figures club with 10.

We haven't made 40 percent of our shots in either game we've played, but we're holding our opponents to under 35 percent, and we're not turning the ball over. How will we fare against stronger opposition?
Record: 2-0.


November 19, 2033
Preseason NIT Semifinal
(1) #6 Villanova 72, (4) #15 Missouri 39
We fare very well against stronger competition today, don't we?

Our defense steps up again, limiting Mizzou to 16 made field goals. That enables us to turn the game into a rout, even though we hit only 5 three-pointers (very low for us) and don't make quite half our shots.

Chris Woolstenhulme plays the starring role off the bench (14p/11r). Noah Gardner (14p/7r), and Zach Cohen (11p/10r) play major supporting roles. Guards Mason Reynolds and Connor Baxter hand out 5 assists each.
Record: 3-0.


November 21, 2033
Preseason NIT Championship
(1) #4 Villanova 100, (3) #7 Memphis 96

---------------------------------------------------------
Memphis (3-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
DeWitt Oliver C 29 3-7 1-1 3 6 3 2 7
Rocco Mendez PF 30 3-6 2-2 6 11 1 5 8
Abraham Skipper SF 25 7-14 5-5 3 5 1 0 23
Harry Mallory SG 21 3-10 0-0 0 1 5 4 8
Ronnie Galindo PG 34 8-20 0-0 4 8 11 4 19
Tim Porter SF 23 7-12 1-2 1 4 0 2 21
Frank Hann SG 9 2-5 0-0 0 0 1 0 6
Robert McMillin PF 18 1-1 0-0 3 6 1 5 2
Keith Book C 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
George Watson SG 5 0-4 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Chris Pham SF 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Jonathan Mannino PG 1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 2

Turnovers: 11 (A.Skipper 1, H.Mallory 2, R.Galindo 2,
T.Porter 5, R.McMillin 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Oliver 2, R.Mendez 1)
Steals: 2 (H.Mallory 1, T.Porter 1)
3P FGs: 17-39 (D.Oliver 0-1, R.Mendez 0-1, A.Skipper
4-9, H.Mallory 2-7, R.Galindo 3-7, T.Porter 6-10,
F.Hann 2-2, G.Watson 0-2)

Villanova (4-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 32 1-4 5-9 2 12 2 2 7
Savion Wells PF 34 8-12 9-10 4 7 1 3 25
Noah Gardner SF 28 4-7 5-5 2 4 5 4 14
Mason Reynolds SG 34 7-14 3-4 3 7 6 0 21
Connor Baxter PG 34 5-8 2-2 0 3 5 2 14
C. Woolstenhulme PF 18 5-9 2-2 2 6 2 2 12
Trey Partridge PG 10 1-4 0-0 0 0 2 0 2
Kyle Gribble SF 7 1-4 0-0 0 0 0 2 3
Chris Ramos C 2 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 0 2

Turnovers: 11 (Z.Cohen 1, S.Wells 2, N.Gardner 2,
M.Reynolds 1, C.Baxter 1, C.Woolstenhulme 3,
T.Partridge 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (Z.Cohen 3, S.Wells 1, C.Baxter 2)
Steals: 7 (N.Gardner 1, M.Reynolds 3, C.Baxter 1,
T.Partridge 2)
3P FGs: 8-22 (N.Gardner 1-3, M.Reynolds 4-9, C.Baxter
2-4, T.Partridge 0-2, K.Gribble 1-4)

Player of Game: SG Mason Reynolds (VLNV)

Another test passed, as we defeat a Top Ten team in a shootout and capture the Preseason NIT trophy. We win it at the free throw line, where we're shooting just over 76 percent for the season.

Mason Reynolds delivers the multi-faceted performance we envisioned when we recruited him, and Savion Wells scores a career-high 25 points.
Record: 4-0.

https://i.imgur.com/MIKgr38.jpeg

[MoonlightGraham]

November 25, 2033
@#4 Villanova 82, Butler 48
The Bulldogs visit the Finneran Pavilion and leave with their stubby tails held low. Our defense swarms them from the opening tip, holding them to 29 percent shooting and 3-for-18 from behind the arc.

Savion Wells and Noah Gardner lead us with 17 points each. Zach Cohen scores only 7 points, but he achieves career highs in rebounds with 17 and blocked shots with 6. Mason Reynolds has 5 assists. But it's Chris Woolstenhulme who wins Player of the Game honors for his 15-point, 9-rebound, 3-block performance.
Record: 5-0.


November 30, 2033
#1 Kentucky 93, #3 Villanova 88

---------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (5-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 31 2-6 2-2 5 13 1 0 6
Savion Wells PF 33 3-8 3-9 1 5 2 4 9
Noah Gardner SF 31 10-18 0-2 2 5 4 4 26
Mason Reynolds SG 33 7-13 3-3 1 4 4 4 20
Connor Baxter PG 33 1-6 6-6 2 3 3 3 9
C. Woolstenhulme PF 18 4-10 3-4 2 7 2 2 12
Trey Partridge PG 12 1-2 0-0 0 1 2 1 3
Kyle Gribble SF 7 1-3 0-0 0 1 0 1 3
Chris Ramos C 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 18 (Z.Cohen 1, S.Wells 1, N.Gardner 4,
M.Reynolds 3, C.Baxter 6, C.Woolstenhulme 1, K.Gribble
2)
Blocked Shots: 4 (Z.Cohen 2, C.Woolstenhulme 1, C.Ramos
1)
Steals: 6 (N.Gardner 5, M.Reynolds 1)
3P FGs: 13-29 (Z.Cohen 0-1, N.Gardner 6-11, M.Reynolds
3-8, C.Baxter 1-4, C.Woolstenhulme 1-2, T.Partridge
1-2, K.Gribble 1-1)

Kentucky (6-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ezra Love C 28 3-5 0-0 4 9 0 3 6
Frank Stanger PF 25 3-7 1-3 0 3 2 4 7
Jack Clary SF 29 7-14 5-6 3 7 1 3 22
Daryl Babcock SG 32 5-10 6-6 1 4 4 1 18
Joaquin Kimura PG 18 1-6 5-6 0 1 2 4 7
David Crawford SG 21 5-10 0-0 1 3 3 3 14
Rudy Ober PF 22 4-6 2-2 0 2 2 2 12
Sammy Jamerson PG 12 1-2 0-0 0 1 3 2 3
Ronald Gifford SG 4 0-0 2-3 0 2 1 0 2
Larry Murray C 8 1-2 0-0 0 4 1 2 2

Turnovers: 16 (F.Stanger 3, J.Clary 2, D.Babcock 3,
J.Kimura 3, D.Crawford 2, R.Ober 1, S.Jamerson 1,
R.Gifford 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (E.Love 1, J.Kimura 1, R.Ober 2)
Steals: 8 (J.Clary 1, D.Babcock 2, D.Crawford 3, R.Ober
1, L.Murray 1)
3P FGs: 12-25 (J.Clary 3-4, D.Babcock 2-6, J.Kimura
0-3, D.Crawford 4-6, R.Ober 2-4, S.Jamerson 1-2)

Player of Game: SF Jack Clary (KY)
A Feast Week journey to Rupp Arena to face #1 Kentucky is a memorable moment for any college player or coach. It's even more memorable if you win, and we came close to doing just that.

In fact, we lead by 11 points at halftime, before the Kentucky breed of Wildcats reel off a 13-2 run in the first five minutes of the second half. That comeback reinvigorates the sellout crowd, and from that point forward the game is a classic.

Noah Gardner pulls off a very satisfactory imitation of prime Reed Weisberg. Kentucky's star freshman, Jack Clary, adds to his 20 PPG average. Big men Zach Cohen and Ezra Love battle like gladiators in the post. There's a lot of good basketball on display.

No loss is fun, but this loss is a noble one.
Record: 5-1.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2033

A new batch of high school seniors make commitments today. Who will visit us this month? St. Nicholas or Krampus?

We must be on the nice list.

First of all, we learn that Charlie Lambert will be playing for us next season. Here's a closer look at him:
#14 PF Charlie Lambert
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 212
High School: DeMatha Catholic High School
Hometown: Hyattsville, MD
GPA: 3.06
Test Score: 1110
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 36 51 52 80 26 23 34 39 22 33 33 56 53 35 67 49
Potential: C B B A D C C C C C C B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15.8 0.7 5.9 1.8 3.3 0.55 1.4 2.2 2.2

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.3 12.9 .490 1.3 1.7 .766 1.9 4.6 .413

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Committed to Villanova
Rankings: #57 Overall, #17 PF, East Region #24 Overall, East Region #10 PF
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: *Villanova, Georgetown, Notre Dame
In modern basketball parlance, Charlie is a stretch four, willing and able to pull jumpers from behind the three-point arc. He's not strictly a perimeter player, however; he's comfortable near the basket, finishing at the rim, rebounding, and altering shots. He can guard four positions decently.

We can be patient with Charlie, since Savion Wells and Chris Woolstenhulme will be around for at least one more year.

Then, we discover we've beaten out Georgetown for the commitment of Max Bennett! The Hoyas made an offer to another player at Max's position, five-star recruit Brian Bishop. Perhaps Max and his family have decided he'll have a better chance for playing time over the course of his career at Villanova. Either way, I'm delighted that he's staying home and playing for us.

Welcome to the Villanova basketball family!

How did we do at hitting our recruiting targets? We landed a big man, Charlie Lambert. He's not a traditional post player, and he's not the kind of player we assume we'll have for only three years, but he could certainly be a starter for a Final Four team. Matt Valentine is listed as a shooting guard, but he has the skills to run our offense, and he can guard players in the post. He looks like a plug-and-play guy whom we can utilize in a variety of roles. Max Bennett projects as an offensive threat from the perimeter, a player who is likely to play for four years and develop into a key player.

We don't have a headline-grabbing, highly-touted recruit in this class, but I like the guys we have.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 3, 2033
@#3 Villanova 94, Siena 56
Junior center Zach Cohen scores 22 points, grabs 13 rebounds, and turns back 4 shots in a comfortable victory over Siena.

Mason Reynolds (18p/6a/5r), Noah Gardner (15p/4a) and Chris Woolstenhulme (13p/6r) also perform well. We make almost 57 percent of our shots, a season's high mark, and hold the Saints to 6-for-24 from behind the three-point line.
Record: 6-1.


December 9, 2033
@#7 Villanova 56, Richmond 52
We survive a scare from a solid Spider team who takes advantage of our sloppy play. We shoot 39 percent, take only 13 threes and make only 3 of them, and commit 19 turnovers. If we do those things against most Big East teams, we're going to get smoked. Fortunately, our defense saves our blushes with an extremely good effort. Zach Cohen (4 blocks) and Connor Baxter (3 steals) stand out on that end of the floor.

Noah Gardner misses 4 of the 5 long shots he tries, but he finishes with 16 points anyway. Savion Wells hits 8 of 9 foul shots en route to a 14-point, 9-rebound day. Mason Reynolds just misses a double-double: 10 points, 9 boards.
Record: 7-1.


December 12, 2033
@#5 Villanova 94, Bucknell 51
Savion Wells scores 21 points, collects 12 rebounds, and is named Player of the Game for the second straight time as we play much better against the Bison. This time, we shoot .526/.450/.781, commit only 11 turnovers, and record assists on 28 of our 30 baskets. (Our school record is 30 assists in a game, recorded four times).

Mason Reynolds (18p/7r/5a) continues to grow into a productive, all-action wing. Noah Gardner (18p/6r/4a) is making a claim for extended playing time, even after our roster is back to full strength. Chris Woolstenhulme is thriving in the sixth man role Graham Sims likes to employ, playing it in the style of Tony Ezell. Freshman Connor Baxter conducts the show well (9p/9a).
Record: 8-1.


December 16, 2033
@#5 Villanova 93, Pennsylvania 88
Full credit to the Quakers for battling back to make a game of it after we lead by as many as 22 points. The result is an entertaining contest between two old Big Five rivals.

Tonight's big star is Connor Baxter, who tosses in 26 points, the best of his young career. He unselfishly adds 6 assists. Another firstie, Mason Reynolds, scores 19, with 5 assists and 3 steals. Noah Gardner (15p/6r) and Savion Wells (13p/9r) score in double digits, and Zach Cohen (7p/8r/5b) does Blue Collar Man things. Bench warrior Chris Ramos blocks 2 shots in 5 minutes of play.

We need every one of those contributions to ward off a tough Penn team tonight.
Record: 9-1.


December 21, 2033
@#4 Villanova 79, Lafayette 54
It feels a bit unusual to play an unranked Lafayette team. The Leopards lost to a very good Miami team, which is understandable. They also lost to Air Force and a bad Indiana team, which is not. These Leopards aren't as fierce as they've been in the past. I want a better fate for Graham's former assistant, Thomas Liang.

The frontcourt does most of the damage for us tonight. Zach Cohen scores 12 points, hauls down 15 rebounds, and blocks 4 shots. Savion Wells finishes with 15 points and 10 boards. Noah Gardner comes within a rebound of giving us three double-doubles (19p/9r), and Chris Woolstenhulme (8p/8r) doesn't miss by much giving us four.

We set a new team record for rebounds in a single game with 58.
Record: 10-1.


December 27, 2033
@#5 Villanova 27, Princeton 48
Zach Cohen becomes the second player in Villanova history to collect at least 20 rebounds in a game tonight. He also sets a new career high in blocked shots with 8, and scores 14 points.

Noah Gardner scores 21, Connor Baxter 18, and Savion Wells 15. Wells grabs 8 rebounds, Baxter has 5 assists. Mason Reynolds makes up for a forgettable 1-for-11 shooting performance with 3 steals.

Remember that rebound record we set the other night? We tie it today, as every player who is at least 6'4" grabs at least four caroms, regardless of how few minutes he plays. The most productive rebounder is Chris Ramos, who hauls in 4 in 6 minutes.
Record: 11-1.


January 1, 2034
Penn State's coach, Louie Smith, has had an interesting coaching journey. He was once regarded as one of the best coaches in the business. He took Illinois, and then Duke, to the Final Four. Then, after several disappointing seasons in a row, he lost his job at Duke and spent three years as an assistant at Michigan State and Stanford.

Gonzaga offered him their head coaching job in 2027. He won 15, then 19, then 20 games, and when Thomas Liang left Penn State for Lafayette, the Nittany Lions called on Coach Smith. He brings a very good team with a 10-3 record to the Wells Fargo Center today.
Penn State 79, #5 Villanova 75

----------------------------------------------------------
Penn State (11-3, 2-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jerome Brand C 32 5-5 0-0 0 8 2 3 10
Lincoln Herron PF 27 3-5 4-4 2 8 3 3 10
Jon Higdon SF 26 2-8 0-1 1 6 2 3 4
Kevin Schall SG 24 0-2 3-4 0 3 1 0 3
Wendell Neal PG 25 6-13 4-4 4 6 2 4 19
Hollis Lower PG 16 3-6 2-2 1 3 3 2 9
Garland McKinley PG 11 2-6 2-2 0 1 1 1 7
Michael Harrison SG 3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Andreas Martinez SF 14 4-7 4-6 0 1 1 0 13
Travis Thomson PF 15 2-4 0-0 1 5 1 1 4
Scott Edwards C 7 0-2 0-0 0 2 2 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (J.Brand 2, J.Higdon 3, K.Schall 1,
W.Neal 4, H.Lower 1, G.McKinley 1, A.Martinez 1,
T.Thomson 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (J.Brand 1, L.Herron 2, J.Higdon 1)
Steals: 4 (L.Herron 1, A.Martinez 1, T.Thomson 2)
3P FGs: 6-14 (J.Higdon 0-1, K.Schall 0-1, W.Neal 3-5,
H.Lower 1-1, G.McKinley 1-4, A.Martinez 1-1, S.Edwards
0-1)

Villanova (11-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 31 2-4 0-2 2 8 1 1 4
Savion Wells PF 32 7-15 6-10 3 4 1 3 20
Noah Gardner SG 31 5-17 3-3 3 5 3 4 15
Mason Reynolds SG 35 4-11 1-2 1 5 5 3 13
Connor Baxter PG 19 2-4 0-0 1 2 2 5 6
C. Woolstenhulme SF 19 4-10 1-1 2 5 3 3 9
Trey Partridge PG 18 2-7 0-0 1 5 0 1 6
Kyle Gribble SF 9 1-2 0-0 0 2 1 0 2
Chris Ramos C 7 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0

Turnovers: 8 (S.Wells 4, N.Gardner 1, M.Reynolds 1,
C.Woolstenhulme 1, C.Ramos 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Baxter 1, C.Woolstenhulme 1,
T.Partridge 1)
Steals: 6 (Z.Cohen 2, M.Reynolds 1, C.Woolstenhulme 2,
T.Partridge 1)
3P FGs: 10-30 (N.Gardner 2-9, M.Reynolds 4-9, C.Baxter
2-4, C.Woolstenhulme 0-1, T.Partridge 2-7)

Player of Game: PF Lincoln Herron (PA ST)
Coach Smith is as good a tactician as there is, and he matches wits with Graham Sims all game long. It's a master class that neutral fans find as intriguing as those with more skin in the game.

In the end, it's the Lions who come out on top. We're uncharacteristically inaccurate from the free throw line, and Penn State's defense forces us into taking shots we don't like.
Record: 11-2.


January 4, 2034
2033 Big East Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
-----------------------------------------------------------------
#9 Louisville 0 0 .000 13 0 1.000 2 87
#5 Connecticut 0 0 .000 13 0 1.000 17 69
#3 Pittsburgh 0 0 .000 12 1 .923 19 84
#12 Villanova 0 0 .000 11 2 .846 3 100
#6 Georgetown 0 0 .000 11 1 .917 8 100
#20 Providence 0 0 .000 11 1 .917 28 67
Cincinnati 0 0 .000 9 2 .818 11 67
#15 West Virginia 0 0 .000 9 2 .818 206 94
Notre Dame 0 0 .000 8 4 .667 31 87
Syracuse 0 0 .000 7 5 .583 36 65
South Florida 0 0 .000 7 5 .583 96 69
Seton Hall 0 0 .000 7 5 .583 128 57
Rutgers 0 0 .000 6 6 .500 93 76
St. John's 0 0 .000 6 6 .500 108 76
Marquette 0 0 .000 6 5 .545 204 59
DePaul 0 0 .000 4 8 .333 101 56

I'm not used to looking this far down the list of Big East teams to find Villanova. That's what losing two out-of-conference games gets you in a year when the conference is as loaded as it seems to be this year.

We've hung in there very well without Ernest Adcock and Reed Weisberg. Both seniors should be back in action within two weeks. In their absence, six Wildcats are averaging between 9 and 17 points per game. Five average at least 5 rebounds per game. I'm looking forward to having Ernest and Reed back, but I'm proud of the way the other players have stepped up in their absence.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 4, 2034

Love Watch: Kentucky is undefeated (14-0), the unanimous choice as the #1 team in the nation. One of those victories, of course, came at Villanova's expense. We're the only currently ranked team UK has beaten, but they also have notable wins over Notre Dame and Creighton.

Junior center Ezra Love has started all 14 games. He's averaging 5.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game.

Here's a list of the top 10 professional prospects among juniors, who will be eligible to declare for the next draft:
# Pos Name Team Ht Class Entering Draft
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. PF Ezra Love Kentucky 6-9 Jr No
2. SF Sam Marshall Boston College 6-9 Jr No
3. PF Reggie Johnson Pittsburgh 6-11 Jr No
4. C Steven Lucia Louisiana State 6-9 Jr No
5. SG Chadwick Steinmetz Stanford 6-8 Jr No
6. C Zach Cohen Villanova 6-10 Jr No
7. PG DeQuinn Baldwin Georgetown 6-3 Jr No
8. C Jerrell Thomas Kansas 6-11 Jr No
9. PF Sheldon Daniel Ohio State 6-9 Jr No
10. C Daniel Ervin Tennessee 6-9 Jr No

There are some familiar names on this list, aren't there? That should tell you how bright Ezra's future is: he's ranked at the top of this list of star players.

#30 PF Ezra Love - Kentucky - Junior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 252
High School: William Henry Harrison High School
Hometown: Evansville, IN

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 54 35 61 18 57 33 100 100 93 47 36 89 40 100 55 49
2032: 49 32 56 15 51 30 100 93 85 44 34 87 38 96 54 41
2031: 42 30 52 13 47 28 87 80 71 41 32 73 37 90 52 34
2030: 36 28 48 11 44 26 77 70 61 39 30 63 34 78 47 22
Potential: C D C D C D A A A C C A

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 84

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 37 37 24.3 4.6 3.1 7.4 1.1 0.8 1.40 0.6 1.2 1.8
2032 36 36 25.8 5.7 3.0 8.6 1.3 0.8 1.50 0.8 2.4 1.9
2033 14 14 27.1 5.3 2.7 8.6 1.0 0.9 1.17 0.9 2.6 2.1
Career 87 87 25.4 5.2 3.0 8.1 1.2 0.8 1.17 0.7 1.9 1.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 1.7 4.1 .414 1.2 1.6 .733 0.0 0.0 .000 1.12 10.84
2032 2.3 4.4 .516 1.2 1.8 .683 0.0 0.0 .000 1.31 14.50
2033 2.3 5.4 .427 0.7 0.9 .833 0.0 0.0 .000 0.99 14.86
Career 2.0 4.4 .458 1.1 1.6 .719 0.0 0.0 .000 1.17 13.00

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 37 37 898 170 113 273 42 30 22 46 68
2032 36 36 930 205 107 308 45 30 27 85 70
2033 14 14 380 74 38 121 14 12 13 37 29
Career 87 87 2208 449 258 702 101 72 62 168 167

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 63 152 44 60 0 0 401
2032 81 157 43 63 0 1 522
2033 32 75 10 12 0 0 208
Career 176 384 97 135 0 1 1131

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 12 7 16 2 4 7 3 5 11 3 4 0 0
Career 15 7 20 6 4 9 4 6 11 7 7 0 1

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 8
2030 High School: Rated ***** and #3 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2031 Freshman All-Conference (Southeastern Conference)

Ezra has worked tirelessly to develop his skills. His battle with our Zach Cohen was a clash between two big men with maximum Strength. :)

[Chas in Cinti]

Wow... if only he were a bit quicker with some stamina... he'd have double the rebounds per game... :)

[MoonlightGraham]

January 4, 2034
@#12 Villanova 75, #20 Providence 67
Welcome to Big East basketball, Mason Reynolds!

Our freshman guard scores 25 points, grabs 11 rebounds, and makes 2 steals as we defeat a very good Providence team at the Pavilion.

Chris Woolstenhulme adds 17 points and 5 boards from the bench. Zach Cohen is good for 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Noah Gardner has 10 points and 9 rebounds.

This team is really good at rebounding. We grab 55 today, our third game in two weeks in which we've had at least 50.
Record: 12-2 (1-0).


January 7, 2034
#12 Villanova 82, @#9 Louisville 75
The beat goes on for Mason Reynolds and the Wildcats. Mason scores another 25 points and leads us to another crucial road win.

Other notable performances include those by Noah Gardner (13p/8r), Chris Woolstenhulme (12p), and Savion Wells (7p/10r). Zach Cohen (12p/9r/4b) scares us when he goes to the floor, holding his knee...

The diagnosis is fairly good, however. Zach has a less severe sprain, and he's listed as day-to-day. We'll see what he can do when Rutgers comes to call this week.
Record: 13-2 (2-0).


January 11, 2034
#7 Villanova 77, Rutgers 57

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rutgers (7-8, 1-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ellis Gray C 25 0-3 3-4 3 8 0 0 3
Norman Marshall PF 28 3-9 5-6 2 5 0 4 11
Jed McAnally SF 28 4-9 2-3 2 3 4 3 12
Arthur O'Conner SG 27 5-10 1-2 0 2 2 1 14
Jeramy Applewhite PG 30 2-6 0-0 1 1 2 1 5
Jason Mazza C 21 1-4 0-0 2 7 0 2 2
H. Baskerville PG 10 1-2 0-0 1 3 1 2 2
Joe Woods SG 12 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 2 3
Shawn Tait SF 10 1-3 2-2 0 1 0 0 5
Charles Searcy PF 9 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (E.Gray 2, N.Marshall 2, J.McAnally 7,
A.O'Conner 3, J.Applewhite 1)
Blocked Shots: 12 (E.Gray 6, N.Marshall 2, A.O'Conner
1, J.Mazza 2, C.Searcy 1)
Steals: 2 (J.McAnally 1, H.Baskerville 1)
3P FGs: 8-22 (J.McAnally 2-6, A.O'Conner 3-6,
J.Applewhite 1-4, H.Baskerville 0-1, J.Woods 1-2,
S.Tait 1-2, C.Searcy 0-1)

Villanova (14-2, 3-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 29 0-6 0-0 2 9 1 1 0
Savion Wells PF 20 5-11 0-0 0 0 1 5 10
Noah Gardner SF 29 8-11 8-8 4 7 3 3 26
Mason Reynolds SG 25 2-8 0-0 3 4 3 4 4
Connor Baxter PG 33 3-7 0-0 1 2 6 0 7
C. Woolstenhulme PF 25 2-5 2-3 2 6 1 0 6
Trey Partridge SG 19 6-7 0-0 1 5 2 0 16
Kyle Gribble SF 9 1-3 0-0 0 1 1 0 3
Chris Ramos C 6 0-0 0-0 0 3 1 1 0
Charles Peterman SF 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Reed Weisberg SG 5 2-3 0-0 1 1 0 0 5

Turnovers: 8 (S.Wells 1, N.Gardner 3, C.Baxter 1,
T.Partridge 1, C.Ramos 1, R.Weisberg 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (Z.Cohen 3, N.Gardner 1, C.Ramos 2)
Steals: 3 (N.Gardner 1, M.Reynolds 1, C.Woolstenhulme 1)
3P FGs: 9-20 (N.Gardner 2-4, M.Reynolds 0-4, C.Baxter
1-3, T.Partridge 4-4, K.Gribble 1-3, R.Weisberg 1-2)

Player of Game: SF Noah Gardner (VLNV)
I included the box score of this otherwise routine game for one reason. Look who the last player listed for Villanova is...

One year and two days after he last played, Reed Weisberg returns to action tonight! Authentic as can be, Reed pulls the cord on two triples in 5 minutes, hitting one of them.

Noah Gardner pays tribute to his classmate and teammate with a Weisbergesque 26 points, featuring a perfect 8-for-8 at the line.
Record: 14-2 (3-0).


January 14, 2034
#7 Villanova 70, @Seton Hall 55
And Ernest Adcock returns to action today, starting at point guard and scoring 16 points in a successful visit to Seton Hall. The senior guard also hands out 4 assists and makes 2 steals.

Reed Weisberg shows signs of rust in his first start of the year. He takes only 5 shots, making one (a three) and scores 5 points. Mason Reynolds (16p/10r/4a) plays especially well. He's remaining in the starting lineup for now, with Noah Gardner joining Chris Woolstenhulme and Connor Baxter to form a scary-good reserve squad.
Record: 15-2 (4-0).


January 18, 2034
#2 Villanova 93, @Marquette 64
For the first time in over a year, the "Player Notes" section of my game screen doesn't contain the name of an injured Villanova player. Our fully healthy team travels to Milwaukee and routs Marquette.

Again, it's first year Mason Reynolds who provides the spark. He finishes with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals. Reed Weisberg shows signs of finding his range, scoring 15 points and hitting 3 of 9 three-point attempts. Zach Cohen (13p/8r/3b) and Chris Woolstenhulme (11p/4r) deliver the kinds of performances we've come to expect from them.
Record: 16-2 (5-0).


January 21, 2034
@#2 Villanova 85, St. John's 56
Savion Wells is one of the key players in the gameplan I've created for the Wildcats. Tonight he redeems my choice, scoring a career-best 28 points on 12-for-17 shooting as we knock off the Red Storm.

The 7'0" forward also snags 8 rebounds, second on the team to Zach Cohen's 11. Cohen blocks another 5 shots, too. Reed Weisberg scores 14 points, and Ernest Adcock hands out 5 assists.

While we're at it, Syracuse is at Georgetown, beating the Hoyas in a gnarly 57-43 contest. We end the day's action in sole possession of first place in the Big East. And, guess where we're going next?
Record: 17-2 (6-0).


January 25, 2034
@#8 Georgetown 80, #2 Villanova 69
By halftime, the game is a rout, with the Hoyas leading 51-28. Their fans howl their delight as they watch their favorites smack their rival in the face.

We don't concede, however, and we rally back to within 8 points with five minutes to play. That's as close as we can come.

We shoot 23-for-69, and an even uglier 8-for-32 from three-point distance. We turn the ball over 18 times. The Hoyas to do us what we to do opponents when we're playing at our best.

Reed Weisberg (18 points) and Mason Reynolds (14) are our double-figure scorers.

We're 17-3, and we'll end the week ranked in the top 10 again. It's far from dark days, but the loss still stings.
Record: 17-3 (6-1).


January 28, 2034
@#2 Villanova 62, #15 West Virginia 36
For the first time since his return, I feel like we get to see some vintage Reed Weisberg. The senior sharpshooter hits 5 of his 11 triples, scores 22 points, and grabs 5 rebounds.

Zach Cohen's 5 blocks and Ernest Adcock's 3 steals highlight a defensive effort that thwarts the Mountaineers again and again. We force this very good team into 23 turnovers.

Cohen also has 9 rebounds, Adcock hands out 6 assists, and Savion Wells scores 14 points.

Making the day even nicer is the news that Louisville beats Georgetown in a battle of Top 10 teams. The Hoyas are a game behind us again, and now we're sharing the top spot with Pittsburgh...whom we play next.
Record: 18-3 (7-1).

[MoonlightGraham]

Wow... if only he were a bit quicker with some stamina... he'd have double the rebounds per game... :)

Indeed! As I recall, the only truly bad rolls I made when I was creating Mr. Love were his Quickness and Stamina scores. Looking back, I must have rolled a 4 for his original Quickness score and a 2 for his Stamina.

Otherwise, I rolled up a colossus of a player. Even with his "weaknesses," he'll possibly still be the #1 player in the next professional draft.

If you'd like to create another recruit to follow, please do. I'll put him into the pool of high school seniors the year after Ezra finishes his collegiate career.

[MoonlightGraham]

Love Watch: Kentucky suffered their first loss of the season this month, stumbling at Ole Miss. Still, the 20-1 'Cats continue to hold the top spot in the weekly polls. The consistent excellence of Ezra Love is a big reason why. Ezra averages 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots per game.

Is Love the quintessential Blue Collar Man? Ezra blocks almost as many shots as he makes himself, which is definitely a BCM move, one exemplified by Samuel "Big Sazzy" Davis, Lafayette '19. However, Ezra is a far better rebounder than Davis was, and unlike Big Sazzy, Ezra absolutely refuses to attempt a three-point shot. He's taken one in over 2400 minutes of action. Davis pulled 231 of them...over a third of his field goal attempts. While that's not a shot profile reminiscent of Reed Weisberg or Duncan Sims, it's very atypical of the post-loving BCM.

Ezra seems to be the purest example of the type I've seen, and quite possibly as good as it gets.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 1, 2034

Today, ground was broken for the new home of Villanova Wildcats basketball.

https://i.imgur.com/dzIqete.jpeg

Wawa Arena will be a state-of-the-art, 12,500 seat arena. It's designed to provide the best possible atmosphere for Wildcats games. The arena will be built on a tract of land adjacent to campus, close enough for students to walk there and convenient for fans who are traveling to campus to watch their team.

The name sponsor is a popular chain of convenience stores, founded and headquartered in metropolitan Philadelphia.

Wawa Arena should be ready for the opening game of the 2036/37 season. It will replace the old Finneran Pavilion, which is now almost 50 years old, and will end the practice of playing home games at the Wells Fargo Center.

Note: This plot line has been inspired by a proposal for a new arena presented on a Villanova basketball fan site by a poster called "NovaDave" some time ago. I ran across it last night, and thought I would incorporate it into the story.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 1, 2034
@#2 Villanova 84, #4 Pittsburgh 67
Did the groundbreaking ceremony for their new home inspire the Wildcats tonight, as they rock the Pavilion with a big win over Pitt?

Reed Weisberg, who unfortunately won't get to play in Wawa Arena, completes his comeback with a vintage performance (25p/6r/4a). His classmate, Ernest Adcock (16p/9a/3s) also seems to be good as new.

Their efforts are backed by Chris Woolstenhulme (15p/7r), Savion Wells (11p) and Zach Cohen (7r/4b).
Record: 19-3 (8-1).
2033 Big East Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------------
#2 Villanova 8 1 .889 19 3 .864 1 100
#8 Louisville 7 2 .778 20 2 .909 5 87
#4 Pittsburgh 7 2 .778 19 3 .864 7 84
Notre Dame 7 2 .778 15 6 .714 26 87
Syracuse 6 3 .667 13 8 .619 23 65
#9 Georgetown 6 3 .667 17 4 .810 3 100
#18 Connecticut 5 4 .556 18 4 .818 28 69
Rutgers 5 4 .556 11 10 .524 41 76
#14 West Virginia 5 4 .556 14 6 .700 47 94
Providence 4 5 .444 15 6 .714 21 67
Cincinnati 4 5 .444 13 7 .650 45 67
Seton Hall 3 6 .333 10 11 .476 75 57
St. John's 2 7 .222 8 13 .381 63 76
Marquette 1 8 .111 7 13 .350 163 59
South Florida 1 8 .111 8 13 .381 79 69
DePaul 1 8 .111 5 16 .238 133 56


February 4, 2034
@#2 Villanova 72, #8 Louisville 67
We complete a string of four straight games against ranked opponents with a 3-1 record, edging the visiting Cardinals at the Wells Fargo Center.

We have to come from behind to do it, riding the hot hand of Reed Weisberg, who scores 19 of his 26 points in the second half. Reed hits six threes over those 20 minutes, part of his 8-for-11 performance from long range. As a team, the Wildcats hit 14 of 24 triples.

Mason Reynolds, back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench while a nagging calf injury heals, posts a double-double (11p/10r/5a). Ernest Adcock scores 13 points.
Record: 20-3 (9-1).


February 8, 2034
@#2 Villanova 86, Providence 51
There's some bad news to mar an otherwise wonderful day, as two Villanova players are bitten by the injury bug.

Hapless Ernest Adcock rolls his ankle, spraining it painfully. He's listed as day-to-day, and he should be back to full strength in a week.

Freshman Kyle Gribble is in worse shape. He takes an elbow to the face, which fractures his cheek. He'll be out for at least two weeks.

On the court, Reed Weisberg's torrid streak continues. Today, he sinks 8 of his 13 three-point tries and scores 28 points. Savion Wells contributes 19 points and 8 boards, and Chris Woolstenhulme posts a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double.

Connor Baxter will start our next game at point guard; we'll be hosting DePaul on Saturday night.
Record: 21-3 (10-1).


February 11, 2034
@#2 Villanova 71, DePaul 61
The Blue Demons have struggled again this year. They enter tonight's game with a 1-10 conference record that is the mirror image of ours. Tonight, they fight us more tenaciously than several better teams have done.

Their senior wing, Billie Vargas, locks down on Reed Weisberg and holds him to 13 points. Reed doesn't get as many good looks as usual, shooting 3-for-10 from behind the arc. Sixth man Chris Woolstenhulme records another double-double, with 11 points and 10 boards. Savion Wells scores 14 points. Connor Baxter adds 10 with 4 assists and 4 rebounds. We get 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks from Zach Cohen.

It's a pleasing team effort against an opponent that makes us work hard for 40 minutes.
Record: 22-3 (11-1).

[Chas in Cinti]

Indeed! As I recall, the only truly bad rolls I made when I was creating Mr. Love were his Quickness and Stamina scores. Looking back, I must have rolled a 4 for his original Quickness score and a 2 for his Stamina.

Otherwise, I rolled up a colossus of a player. Even with his "weaknesses," he'll possibly still be the #1 player in the next professional draft.

If you'd like to create another recruit to follow, please do. I'll put him into the pool of high school seniors the year after Ezra finishes his collegiate career.

Sweet... Charlie Sutton.. Indianapolis, IN... Decatur Central High School
SG - Sharpshooter

[MoonlightGraham]

February 16, 2034
@Rutgers 66, #2 Villanova 63
As cliché as it sounds, in a league like the Big East, anyone can beat anyone. The Scarlet Knights, a .500 team, demonstrate this today with an upset victory.

Rutgers senior Jed McAnally hits a career-high 24 points, and he and his teammates go 11-for-22 from three-point distance. Meanwhile, we make only 7 of our 20 triples, and miss a third of our 15 foul shots. If we shoot more normally from the line and from behind the arc, we win the game.

Reed Weisberg's 16 points lead a quartet of 'Cats in double figures. Zach Cohen rips down 14 rebounds.
Fortunately, other Big East front-runners are beating up on each other, so we remain atop the standings.
Record: 22-4 (11-2).


February 18, 2034
#2 Villanova 63, @Notre Dame 43
We play suffocating defense and make it possible for us to win on another night when our shooting touch seems elusive.

Reed Weisberg shoots 5-for-12 on three-pointers and finishes with 17 points, but he's the only Wildcat who seems immune to the problem. Savion Wells and Chris Woolstenhulme score 10 points each; they're the only other players in double figures.

Our rebounding superiority asserts itself again, as we claim 54 boards--it's our fourth game this season with 50 or more. Five players have 6 or more, led by Zach Cohen with 12. Our average of 43.9 RPG is the best in all of Division I.
Record: 23-4 (12-2).


February 22, 2034
@#2 Villanova 61, Syracuse 47
Despite our loss, we remain in the #2 position in the polls, behind Kentucky, who are coming off two straight losses. All the best teams in the country seem to have flaws which tough opponents can exploit.

Again, it's our defense that wins the game for us tonight. Syracuse shoots only 29 percent, and 3-for-15 from three-point territory, which means we can win with a score in the low 60s.

The "designated shooter" tonight is first year Mason Reynolds. He goes 5-for-9 from distance and scores 18 points. Savion Wells and Reed Weisberg score 10 apiece, Ernest Adcock scores 7 with 6 assists, and Zach Cohen combines 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Record: 24-4 (13-2).


February 25, 2034
#2 Villanova 84, @Cincinnati 57
And when the offense and defense are both on point, we win Big East road games by 25.

Four Villanovans score between 13 and 19 points, led by Reed Weisberg. Chris Woolstenhulme notches a double-double (15p/11r), and Mason Reynolds (9p/9r/6a) and Zach Cohen (9p/8r/6b) don't miss by much.

We're two games ahead of Pitt in the Big East race now.
Record: 25-4 (14-2).


February 28, 2034
Love Watch: The 28-3 Kentucky Wildcats are battling #8 Florida for the SEC East lead. The Gators are one of the teams who beat UK last week, and they're 13-2 in conference play, a game ahead of Kentucky.

Ezra Love continues to do the dirty work his team needs. He averages 9.2 rebounds per game, a career-best mark. He recently blocked the 200th shot of his collegiate career. Ezra is shooting more than he ever has, averaging nearly six field goal attempt per game, but his percentage is lower than last year's (.431 to .516). He's a very good foul shooter, especially for a big man; he's making 80 percent of his charity tosses.

[MoonlightGraham]

Sweet... Charlie Sutton.. Indianapolis, IN... Decatur Central High School
SG - Sharpshooter

You got it. I'm almost positive Ezra will declare for the draft this spring. The scouts think he's the best prospect among players who could be drafted.

I'll put Charlie Sutton into the graduating class of 2034. :)

[MoonlightGraham]

March 1, 2034
@#3 Villanova 96, South Florida 59
Coach Sims has five seniors to honor during the last home game of their careers. Four of them will start, among them walk-on Chris Ramos. Another walk-on, Darius Pettway, will come off the bench early. Weve clinched the Big East title, so we can have some fun tonight.

The special lineup works like a charm! Senior Noah Gardner leads all scorers with 25 points. Senior Ernest Adcock scores 13 points, hands out 10 assists, and makes 4 steals. Senior Reed Weisberg encounters foul trouble and finishes with only 8 points, but Finneran Pavilion crowds have had plenty of chances to cheer his exploits. Senior Chris Ramos snares 6 rebounds and blocks a shot. Senior Darius Pettway scores 4 points and makes a steal. Neither walk-on misses a shot.

And a good time was had by all.
Record: 26-4 (15-2).


March 4, 2034
#3 Villanova 92, @#16 Connecticut 71
The six Wildcats who play the most today all score in double figures, as we end our regular season with a victory over a UConn team that's on its way to the Big Dance.

Reed Weisberg knocks down 5 threes and scores 22 points. Chris Woolstenhulme records a pair of 11s: points and rebounds. Ernest Adcock scores 10 points with 6 assists. But the Player of the Game is Mason Reynolds, who fills 26 minutes with 12 points with 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.
Record: 27-4 (16-2).

[MoonlightGraham]

March 9, 2034

Here's how the Big East tournament has gone so far:

https://i.imgur.com/pXUf0Cc.jpeg

There has been exactly one upset so far: the one that eliminated 6 seed Notre Dame.

Big East Tournament Quarterfinal
(1) #2 Villanova 79, (8) Cincinnati 55
Reed Weisberg leads the way with 21 points (5-12 from three) and 7 rebounds as we advance to the semifinals.

Savion Wells adds 13, 9 of which come from the free throw line. Ernest Adcock and reserve Kyle Gribble each contribute 10, and Chris Woolstenhulme hauls in 11 rebounds.

Once again, all the better seeds advance, so we'll face Georgetown next.
Record: 28-4.


March 10, 2034
Big East Tournament Semifinal
(4) #10 Georgetown 84, (1) #2 Villanova 80 (OT)

----------------------------------------------------------
Georgetown (26-6, 13-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jacody Hinton C 33 3-6 1-2 6 7 2 2 7
Florian Fleurkin PF 39 6-14 5-9 0 5 2 2 17
Oscar Duncan SF 31 5-9 3-5 3 4 1 1 13
Ira Tupper SG 35 6-18 4-4 0 5 4 2 19
DeQuinn Baldwin PG 38 4-9 12-12 1 7 5 1 20
David McDermott PF 15 0-2 0-0 1 7 1 3 0
Frank Murdoch PG 19 0-0 1-2 0 6 1 2 1
Ronald Holcombe C 10 3-3 1-2 0 1 2 3 7
Roy Powe SG 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 19 (J.Hinton 1, F.Fleurkin 1, O.Duncan 2,
I.Tupper 3, D.Baldwin 5, D.McDermott 1, F.Murdoch 5,
R.Powe 1)
Blocked Shots: 8 (J.Hinton 1, F.Fleurkin 4, O.Duncan 1,
D.McDermott 2)
Steals: 6 (J.Hinton 1, O.Duncan 1, D.Baldwin 1,
D.McDermott 1, F.Murdoch 1, R.Holcombe 1)
3P FGs: 3-19 (F.Fleurkin 0-1, O.Duncan 0-1, I.Tupper
3-12, D.Baldwin 0-4, D.McDermott 0-1)

Villanova (28-5, 16-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 23 3-5 0-0 1 6 1 5 6
Savion Wells PF 30 2-5 4-6 0 5 1 3 8
Mason Reynolds SF 32 6-7 3-3 1 4 3 3 19
Reed Weisberg SG 30 4-11 0-0 1 4 2 4 12
Ernest Adcock PG 33 1-10 0-0 1 4 7 4 3
C. Woolstenhulme PF 30 5-13 0-0 6 10 2 2 10
Connor Baxter PG 12 2-3 3-3 0 0 1 1 8
Noah Gardner SG 18 3-10 3-3 0 4 0 3 9
Kyle Gribble PF 13 1-4 3-3 0 0 0 3 5
Charles Peterman SF 3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Chris Ramos C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 22 (Z.Cohen 3, S.Wells 2, M.Reynolds 2,
R.Weisberg 4, E.Adcock 5, C.Woolstenhulme 5,
C.Peterman 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (Z.Cohen 5)
Steals: 7 (M.Reynolds 1, R.Weisberg 1, E.Adcock 3,
C.Woolstenhulme 1, C.Baxter 1)
3P FGs: 10-29 (M.Reynolds 4-4, R.Weisberg 4-8, E.Adcock
1-8, C.Baxter 1-2, N.Gardner 0-5, K.Gribble 0-1,
C.Peterman 0-1)

Player of Game: PG DeQuinn Baldwin (GTOWN)
It had to be Georgetown, didn't it?

We lead, 39-33, at halftime, but we play carelessly in the second half, missing shots we should make and turning the ball over. If you commit 22 turnovers against a team as good as the Hoyas, you're going to lose, and that's what we do.

Still, we have chances to pull out the victory in the end. Kudos to Mason Reynolds for a fine performance under pressure, including a basket with 30 seconds left in regulation that ties the score at 66. The game was still even with 1:08 remaining in the extra period, before DeQuinn Baldwin takes over and puts the game on ice.
Record: 28-5.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 12, 2034

Louisville, who beat Georgetown in the Big East tournament championship, is awarded the top seed in the NCAA East Region. The other one seeds are Stanford, Florida, and Kentucky.

We're seeded second in the South Region, the one that includes Ezra Love's Kentucky team.


March 17, 2034
NCAA South Region
(2) #3 Villanova 88, Liberty 74
The first half is freewheeling, with the teams combining to score 100 points. The second half is grinding, and we manage to do enough to win...despite missing a slew of three-pointers (9-for-29).

Reed Weisberg leads a group of five Wildcats in double figures with 18 points. Reserve Noah Gardner is among them, tossing in 10 in 17 minutes of court time. Zach Cohen supplements his 14 points with 6 rebounds and 6 blocks. The Player of the Game is Mason Reynolds, author of a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double.

Duke beats Tennessee in a 100-99 classic, so we'll face the Blue Devils next.
Record: 29-5.


March 19, 2034
NCAA South Region, Second Round
(2) #3 Villanova 96, (7) Duke 70
We have less trouble with our ACC opponent than we did with a feisty mid-major. Interestingly enough, we and the Blue Devils combine for exactly 100 points, too, but we have 62 of them.

Reed Weisberg knocks down 6 of his 11 three-point shots, all 5 of his two-pointers, and a pair of free throws. That gives him 30 points. Zach Cohen scores 11 points and grabs 14 rebounds, but he doesn't block a single one of the 66 shots Duke players take. That's odd.

Ernest Adcock (13p/5a/4r), Chris Woolstenhulme (12p/4r), Mason Reynolds (8p/7r/6a), and Noah Gardner (11p/4a) each do their part to help us advance to the Sweet Sixteen and give Graham Sims another 30-victory season.
Record: 30-5.


March 23, 2034
NCAA South Region Semifinal: the Sweet Sixteen
(2) #3 Villanova 74, (3) #11 Southern California 56
Joseph Renshaw has huge shoes to fill: those of the magisterial Kenneth Burroughs, who led the Trojans to 605 victories before retiring last May. Taking a team to the Sweet Sixteen is a good start, but we prevent him from going farther with an especially tough defensive effort.

For twenty minutes, the Trojans match us, stop for stop, and we take a 29-27 lead to the break. Then Savion Wells begins to assert himself in the post. He scores 12 of his 14 points in the second half, making all 6 of the shots he takes despite the efforts of John Wood, one of the nation's toughest interior defenders.

Zach Cohen pulls down 10 rebounds and blocks 3 shots. Reed Weisberg posts a double-double, with 17 points and 10 boards. And Mason Reynolds does more than a little of everything: 9 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals...and only 1 turnover.
Record: 31-5.


March 25, 2034
NCAA South Region Final: the Elite Eight
(1) #1 Kentucky 95, (2) #3 Villanova 87

---------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (31-6, 16-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 30 3-7 1-1 3 6 3 4 7
Savion Wells PF 25 3-10 3-4 2 3 2 3 9
Mason Reynolds SF 28 4-7 2-2 1 4 5 3 13
Reed Weisberg SG 33 7-10 7-7 0 4 3 2 27
Ernest Adcock PG 32 3-8 3-4 3 6 4 2 10
C. Woolstenhulme PF 25 3-9 2-2 2 5 0 4 9
Connor Baxter PG 4 0-0 1-2 0 0 1 0 1
Noah Gardner SG 13 3-8 2-3 1 2 1 1 9
Kyle Gribble PF 8 1-4 0-0 1 3 0 1 2
Charles Peterman SF 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Chris Ramos C 1 0-0 0-0 2 2 0 0 0

Turnovers: 16 (Z.Cohen 3, S.Wells 3, M.Reynolds 2,
R.Weisberg 1, E.Adcock 4, C.Woolstenhulme 3)
Blocked Shots: 2 (Z.Cohen 1, S.Wells 1)
Steals: 9 (Z.Cohen 1, M.Reynolds 3, R.Weisberg 1,
E.Adcock 3, C.Baxter 1)
3P FGs: 12-28 (S.Wells 0-1, M.Reynolds 3-5, R.Weisberg
6-9, E.Adcock 1-4, C.Woolstenhulme 1-2, N.Gardner 1-6,
K.Gribble 0-1)

Kentucky (34-3, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ezra Love C 28 3-4 0-0 5 10 1 1 6
Frank Stanger PF 16 1-4 0-0 0 1 0 4 2
Jack Clary SF 31 10-13 4-7 1 10 2 4 28
Daryl Babcock SG 26 6-12 0-0 1 3 2 4 15
Joaquin Kimura PG 31 6-10 2-3 1 3 11 2 17
Rudy Ober PF 27 4-6 1-2 2 4 2 2 10
Sammy Jamerson PG 15 1-4 0-0 0 3 0 2 3
Ronald Gifford SG 9 2-3 3-4 0 0 1 1 8
Larry Murray C 14 1-3 4-7 1 2 1 1 6
Jason Lefler C 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 1 0
Robert Thorne PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 17 (E.Love 2, F.Stanger 4, J.Clary 4,
D.Babcock 2, J.Kimura 3, R.Ober 1, S.Jamerson 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (E.Love 2, R.Ober 2)
Steals: 5 (E.Love 1, F.Stanger 1, D.Babcock 1, J.Kimura
1, R.Ober 1)
3P FGs: 13-28 (J.Clary 4-5, D.Babcock 3-9, J.Kimura
3-6, R.Ober 1-3, S.Jamerson 1-4, R.Gifford 1-1)

Player of Game: SF Jack Clary (KY)
When I saw the NCAA tournament brackets, I was both excited and dismayed about the fact Villanova's road to the Final Four went through Kentucky. I thought another matchup with Ezra Love, before he almost certainly turns pro, might be fun. I also thought it would probably end Villanova's season.

This feels like Kentucky's year. They maintain a lead of six to ten points throughout the game. We're never out of it, but we're never truly in it, either.

Graham Sims shares quiet moments with each of his seniors as he substitutes for them in the game's closing minutes. Each of them, from walk-ons to players who started over a hundred games, have contributed to the program in their own ways.

Another player who has likely played his final collegiate game, Zach Cohen, battles with his opposite number, Ezra Love. Both men acquit themselves well.

Kentucky next faces another Big East foe: West Virginia, one of two 10 seeds to reach the Final Four. Boston College faces the other, UNLV.
Record: 31-6.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 3, 2034

As it turned out, it wasn't Kentucky's year, either. The Wildcats lost to West Virginia, 82-65, in the national semifinal. Ezra Love fouled out after 20 minutes, but he packed those minutes with action. He scored only 4 points, but he grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked 5 shots.

Boston College defeats West Virginia in the championship game today by a 77-74 score. Sam Marshall scores 23 points and snares 7 rebounds to earn Player of the Game honors.

After the game, Zach Cohen announces he will be leaving Villanova to enter the professional draft. Among the other juniors who are turning pro early are Boston College's Sam Marshall, Stanford's Chadwick Steinmetz, Georgetown's DeQuinn Baldwin and Jacody Hinton, Pitt's Reggie Johnson...and Kentucky's Ezra Love.

2033 BIG EAST AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

JR PG DeQuinn Baldwin Georgetown 17.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.0 APG 1.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SF Mason Reynolds Villanova 12.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.6 APG 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Graham Sims Villanova 31 - 6 (16 - 2)

All-league 1st Team:
C JR Reggie Johnson Pittsburgh 14.3 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG
PF SR Thaddeus Boudreaux Pittsburgh 16.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.4 SPG, 3.5 BPG
SF SR Jonathan Newton Louisville 21.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG SR Noble Burwell Notre Dame 15.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.8 APG, 2.1 SPG, 0.6 BPG
PG JR DeQuinn Baldwin Georgetown 17.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Gerry Bristow Louisville 8.5 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 2.7 BPG
PF SR Nathaniel Bradshaw Providence 8.3 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.5 SPG, 3.1 BPG
SF FR Mason Reynolds Villanova 12.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG SR Reed Weisberg Villanova 17.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SR Devin Collum Louisville 10.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Charles Cunningham Pittsburgh 6.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.3 SPG, 1.5 BPG
PF FR Randell Manley Connecticut 3.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.0 BPG
SF FR Mason Reynolds Villanova 12.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG FR John Warren Pittsburgh 9.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG FR Matthew Wortman Providence 10.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG

No Villanova player earned national honors this season. I thought Mason Reynolds might stand a chance, but he lost out to Kentucky's Jack Clary, who was a second team All-American. No shame there.

Mason's fine season does earn him some well-deserved accolades at the Big East level. And it's wonderful to see Reed Weisberg on the Big East honors list, after both his junior and senior seasons were marred by injury.

The Coach of the Year Award is Graham Sims' third Big East prize, and his tenth overall.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 3, 2034

#3 VILLANOVA TEAM INFO

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 100 Record Vs 1-50: 16-5 Poll Rank: #3
Season Record: 31-6 Record Vs 51-100: 2-0 RPI Rank: #1
Conference Record: 16-2 Record Vs 101-200: 7-1
Home Record: 16-1 Record Vs 200+: 6-0


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 79.8 1 7 Points 62.7 4 23 Points 17.1 1 4
O.Reb 13.4 1 10 O.Reb 9.6 5 62 O.Reb 3.8 1 9
D.Reb 29.5 2 2 D.Reb 23.6 3 72 D.Reb 5.9 1 2
Rebounds 42.9 1 1 Rebounds 33.2 3 44 Rebounds 9.7 1 1
Assists 17.2 1 12 Assists 13.8 10 256 Assists 3.4 4 16
Steals 5.3 11 196 Steals 5.3 5 113 Steals 0.0 9 156
Blocks 6.0 7 17 Blocks 4.6 10 333 Blocks 1.4 8 55
Turnovers 12.9 2 89 Turnovers 14.2 10 103 Turnovers -1.3 6 84
Fouls 16.9 4 15 Fouls 19.4 5 187 Fouls -2.5 4 24
FG% .447 4 49 FG% .380 2 2 FG% .067 2 8
FT% .752 1 2 FT% .678 7 199 FT% .074 1 8
3P% .377 2 35 3P% .315 1 56 3P% .062 2 17
PPS 1.31 1 34 PPS 1.08 2 3 PPS .226 1 3
Adj. FG% .517 2 41 Adj. FG% .438 1 4 Adj. FG% .078 2 8

We were an extremely good rebounding team, a very good defensive team, and a good offensive team, despite injuries to two dynamic offensive players.

Our offensive efficiency (111.1) and defensive efficiency (87.8) both ranked sixth in the nation.

#3 VILLANOVA Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zach Cohen C 37 37 29.5 7.9 3.0 10.1 1.5 0.4 3.2 1.2 1.6 14.4
Ernest Adcock PG 22 20 29.2 8.9 0.8 3.2 4.6 1.8 0.1 2.1 2.0 12.8
Reed Weisberg SG 22 21 28.5 17.6 0.6 4.7 2.1 0.5 0.1 2.6 2.5 12.2
Mason Reynolds SF 37 35 28.4 12.2 2.0 5.7 3.6 1.3 0.2 1.5 2.0 13.2
Savion Wells PF 37 36 25.3 12.2 2.1 6.3 1.5 0.4 0.5 1.4 2.7 11.7
Chris Woolstenhulme PF 37 0 23.9 9.9 2.0 6.7 1.4 0.3 0.9 1.7 2.3 10.3
Noah Gardner SF 37 18 20.6 10.8 1.5 4.0 1.7 0.6 0.2 1.9 2.3 9.3
Connor Baxter PG 37 17 17.6 5.6 0.6 1.4 2.1 0.5 0.1 1.1 1.3 7.9
Trey Partridge PG 16 0 15.8 5.1 0.8 2.3 1.6 0.5 0.2 0.9 1.0 5.5
Kyle Gribble PF 31 0 9.2 2.7 0.6 1.9 0.5 0.1 0.2 0.5 1.2 0.6
Chris Ramos C 32 1 4.4 0.6 0.3 1.2 0.2 0.1 0.7 0.2 0.3 2.1
Darius Pettway SF 13 0 3.3 1.2 0.1 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.4 -0.4
Charles Peterman SF 16 0 3.2 0.4 0.1 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.5 -0.1
William Collins PF 3 0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.7

#3 VILLANOVA Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zach Cohen C 37 37 1090 292 112 373 54 13 117 46 60 533
Ernest Adcock PG 22 20 643 195 18 71 102 39 2 47 44 282
Reed Weisberg SG 22 21 628 387 13 103 47 11 3 58 54 268
Mason Reynolds SF 37 35 1049 450 73 211 135 48 7 56 73 489
Savion Wells PF 37 36 936 452 79 234 56 16 19 50 101 433
Chris Woolstenhulme PF 37 0 886 365 74 248 51 12 34 63 84 381
Noah Gardner SF 37 18 763 398 56 148 64 22 6 71 85 343
Connor Baxter PG 37 17 652 206 24 50 79 18 4 39 47 291
Trey Partridge PG 16 0 252 82 13 36 25 8 3 15 16 88
Kyle Gribble PF 31 0 284 84 20 58 15 4 5 17 38 20
Chris Ramos C 32 1 141 20 11 39 5 3 21 6 8 66
Darius Pettway SF 13 0 43 16 1 9 2 1 0 2 5 -5
Charles Peterman SF 16 0 51 7 1 8 0 0 0 7 8 -1
William Collins PF 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2

#3 VILLANOVA Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zach Cohen C 116 264 .439 60 93 .645 0 1 .000 1.11
Ernest Adcock PG 65 151 .430 40 45 .889 25 86 .291 1.29
Reed Weisberg SG 123 278 .442 52 59 .881 89 213 .418 1.39
Mason Reynolds SF 155 323 .480 62 81 .765 78 188 .415 1.39
Savion Wells PF 155 316 .491 142 205 .693 0 2 .000 1.43
Chris Woolstenhulme PF 131 306 .428 100 127 .787 3 6 .500 1.19
Noah Gardner SF 132 291 .454 69 87 .793 65 167 .389 1.37
Connor Baxter PG 65 162 .401 48 62 .774 28 93 .301 1.27
Trey Partridge PG 27 64 .422 14 19 .737 14 38 .368 1.28
Kyle Gribble PF 28 75 .373 17 21 .810 11 31 .355 1.12
Chris Ramos C 7 11 .636 6 11 .545 0 0 .000 1.82
Darius Pettway SF 6 11 .545 4 6 .667 0 0 .000 1.45
Charles Peterman SF 2 10 .200 3 4 .750 0 5 .000 0.70
William Collins PF 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0.00

I like how balanced this year's team turned out to be. I like the way several players stepped up to cover for their injured teammates. Noah Gardner averaged over 15 PPG as a starter while Reed Weisberg was out. Connor Baxter demonstrated his ability to run the offense while we waited for Ernest Adcock to return to action.

I'll be writing about almost half the team this time around, with a Farewell and five Senior Tributes on the agenda.

[MoonlightGraham]

2033/34 Farewell

ZACH COHEN

These Farewells, which I write for juniors who leave the program for the professional ranks after three years, are bittersweet. I'm sorry to see very good players leave us with a year of eligibility left, but I'm also glad to recognize the fact that they developed enough in their time with us to be such influential players.

#44 C Zach Cohen - Villanova - Junior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 226
High School: Edison High School
Hometown: Edison, NJ

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 69 48 24 20 19 28 87 92 60 12 11 90 26 100 44 57
2032: 67 45 22 20 18 26 75 80 49 11 10 76 25 97 43 43
2031: 61 42 20 20 17 24 67 72 41 10 9 65 24 94 43 33
2030: 55 40 18 19 15 22 61 66 33 10 9 53 22 82 43 1
Potential: B C D F D D A A B F F A

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 64

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 36 8 13.2 2.8 1.6 4.4 0.5 0.6 0.74 0.3 0.3 1.2
2032 39 39 24.6 8.0 2.0 6.8 1.1 1.2 0.91 0.3 1.9 2.4
2033 37 37 29.5 7.9 3.0 10.1 1.5 1.2 1.17 0.4 3.2 1.6
Career 112 84 22.6 6.3 2.2 7.1 1.0 1.0 1.17 0.3 1.8 1.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 1.1 2.8 .402 0.5 0.9 .559 0.0 0.1 .250 1.00 4.17
2032 3.5 6.6 .527 1.0 2.0 .500 0.1 0.1 .400 1.21 11.26
2033 3.1 7.1 .439 1.6 2.5 .645 0.0 0.0 .000 1.11 14.41
Career 2.6 5.6 .469 1.1 1.8 .576 0.0 0.1 .300 1.13 10.02

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 36 8 476 102 59 158 17 23 9 12 44
2032 39 39 960 311 78 264 43 47 12 76 92
2033 37 37 1090 292 112 373 54 46 13 117 60
Career 112 84 2526 705 249 795 114 116 34 205 196

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 41 102 19 34 1 4 150
2032 135 256 39 78 2 5 439
2033 116 264 60 93 0 1 533
Career 292 622 118 205 3 10 1122

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 22 11 20 3 2 8 4 10 13 7 9 0 1
Career 22 11 20 3 2 8 4 10 15 7 9 1 2

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 6
2030 High School: Rated **** and #23 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2030 High School: All-State (New Jersey)

I'm a little surprised that Zach Cohen decided to leave early. I thought he'd be a four-year guy when I recruited him. And, while he saw significant playing time as a freshman and started for two years--on excellent teams--he never earned a post-season honor, and he doesn't have an NCAA championship ring. Zach is leaving things on his "to-do" list as he leaves the Main Line.

Still, his body of work is that of an impact player. An excellent rebounder and shot blocker, he's sixth and fifth in those categories all-time at Villanova, respectively. And I can't always figure out if players who suited up before Graham Sims came to Villanova played for three or four years. For example, I know that two of the five players with more career rebounds than Zach played four years. I'm almost positive a third player did, too. Avery Sullivan and Lowell Welter, whom Graham coached, are the only players I know to grab more rebounds than Zach in three seasons. And, with another typical year, Zach would move to the top of the leader board.

While I wish he'd return for a fourth season, I'm grateful for the contributions Zach made in the three years he was here. I hope he goes on to a long and productive professional career.

Thanks for the memories, Zach.

[MoonlightGraham]

2033/34 Senior Tribute

DARIUS PETTWAY

There's something very special about a player who plays four seasons as a walk-on. A man who takes a redshirt so he can be a part of our team for a fifth year is even more special. That's what Darius Pettway did.

#23 SF Darius Pettway - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-8
Weight: 244
High School: Copenhagen High School
Hometown: Copenhagen, NY

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 57 51 53 18 57 29 16 28 26 20 25 34 48 66 48 93
2032: 57 48 51 18 55 28 16 27 25 19 24 33 47 64 48 88
2031: 56 45 49 18 53 27 15 26 24 18 23 32 47 62 47 83
2030: 55 41 46 17 51 26 14 25 23 17 22 31 46 60 47 78
2029: 54 38 44 16 49 25 13 24 22 16 21 30 46 58 46 73
2028: 50 32 40 14 45 23 11 22 20 14 19 28 43 48 45 57
Potential: C B C F C D F C D D D C

Health: Good
Scholarship: No
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 29

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 7 0 2.0 0.9 0.4 0.4 0.0 0.1 0.00 0.1 0.0 0.1
2030 1 0 6.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.0 1.0
2032 17 0 3.2 1.4 0.2 0.5 0.1 0.2 0.25 0.1 0.1 0.4
2033 13 0 3.3 1.2 0.1 0.7 0.2 0.2 1.00 0.1 0.0 0.4
Career 38 0 3.1 1.2 0.2 0.6 0.1 0.2 1.00 0.1 0.1 0.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 0.3 0.7 .400 0.3 0.3 1.000 0.0 0.1 .000 1.20 -0.57
2030 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.00 0.00
2032 0.5 0.9 .563 0.3 0.4 .714 0.0 0.0 .000 1.44 -0.88
2033 0.5 0.8 .545 0.3 0.5 .667 0.0 0.0 .000 1.45 -0.38
Career 0.4 0.8 .531 0.3 0.4 .733 0.0 0.0 .000 1.41 -0.63

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 7 0 14 6 3 3 0 1 1 0 1
2030 1 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2032 17 0 55 23 3 9 1 4 1 2 7
2033 13 0 43 16 1 9 2 2 1 0 5
Career 38 0 118 45 7 21 3 7 3 2 14

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 2 5 2 2 0 1 -4
2030 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2032 9 16 5 7 0 0 -15
2033 6 11 4 6 0 0 -5
Career 17 32 11 15 0 1 -24

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 4 1 3 1 1 0 1 2 2 2 2 0 0
Career 10 2 4 1 1 1 1 3 4 4 4 0 1

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 High School: Rated * and #1295 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2029 Walked on at Villanova
2030 NCAA Champion

The tiny village of Copenhagen, New York sends roughly 120 students to school each day in a single school building. It had never seen a basketball player like Darius, who passed up the opportunity to be a star at a Division II or Division III program in order to attend and play basketball for Villanova.

Darius is so shy that he usually lets people mispronounce his name, calling him "DARE-ee-us" rather than correcting them; he and his family pronounce it "Da-RYE-us." Darius was an assertive presence when he appeared on the basketball court, however. He made over half the shots he took during his career, and if you look at his statistics on a per-game basis, he averaged roughly nine points and five rebounds a game. That's a basketball player.

While Darius was providing quality opposition for players like Asher Wise and Savion Wells in practice each day, he was completing a degree in Electrical Engineering. He'll graduate next month, and there is a job waiting for him up the road in Reading.

Thanks for the memories, Darius.

[MoonlightGraham]

2033/34 Senior Tribute

CHRIS RAMOS

We had two senior walk-ons this season, players who kept earning their jerseys year after year until they are no longer eligible to play. One of them appeared in almost 100 games for us, and averaged nearly six minutes per appearance. If Chris Ramos were an actor, we'd give him a role with a name.

#34 C Chris Ramos - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 240
High School: Warwick Valley High School
Hometown: Warwick, NY

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 14 20 33 0 30 17 67 61 62 25 19 81 21 77 33 80
2032: 13 19 33 0 29 16 61 55 56 24 18 73 20 75 32 73
2031: 12 18 32 0 28 15 57 51 52 23 17 68 19 72 32 64
2030: 11 17 31 0 27 14 52 46 47 22 16 62 18 69 31 54
2029: 9 15 29 0 25 12 44 38 39 20 14 52 17 61 30 28
Potential: F D D F D D B B B D D A

Health: Good
Scholarship: No
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 53

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 26 0 4.3 0.7 0.3 1.0 0.1 0.3 0.29 0.1 0.2 0.5
2031 8 0 3.3 0.3 0.8 0.9 0.3 0.3 1.00 0.0 0.1 0.4
2032 32 0 8.7 1.1 0.5 1.8 0.3 0.4 0.62 0.1 0.8 0.8
2033 32 1 4.4 0.6 0.3 1.2 0.2 0.2 0.83 0.1 0.7 0.3
Career 98 1 5.7 0.8 0.4 1.3 0.2 0.3 0.83 0.1 0.6 0.5

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 0.2 0.5 .462 0.2 0.3 .667 0.0 0.0 .000 1.38 -0.35
2031 0.1 0.8 .167 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.33 1.13
2032 0.5 1.1 .429 0.2 0.2 .714 0.0 0.0 .000 1.00 3.09
2033 0.2 0.3 .636 0.2 0.3 .545 0.0 0.0 .000 1.82 2.06
Career 0.3 0.7 .446 0.2 0.3 .630 0.0 0.0 .000 1.15 1.68

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 26 0 112 18 8 27 2 7 2 6 14
2031 8 0 26 2 6 7 2 2 0 1 3
2032 32 0 279 35 15 59 8 13 3 27 26
2033 32 1 141 20 11 39 5 6 3 21 8
Career 98 1 558 75 40 132 17 28 8 55 51

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 6 13 6 9 0 0 -9
2031 1 6 0 0 0 0 9
2032 15 35 5 7 0 1 99
2033 7 11 6 11 0 0 66
Career 29 65 17 27 0 1 165

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 3 2 6 3 1 3 2 1 2 2 2 0 0
Career 7 3 6 3 2 5 2 2 4 3 4 0 1

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 High School: Rated * and #1264 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2030 Walked on at Villanova
2030 NCAA Champion

Chris was a coach's dream: a big, strong player who was willing to work hard to develop his talent as a rebounder, defender, and shot blocker to the point that he was able to challenge young men who would go on to play basketball for a living. As Zach Cohen put it, "if you mess around in practice, Chris will kick your butt. He's a player."

Villanova crowds roared with delight when Chris performed his specialty: blocking shots. He turned back as many as five in a game; as a point of comparison, he never scored more than seven points.

Next month, Chris will receive his degree in Chemistry. He plans to work for a year and study for his MCAT, preparing for medical school and a career as a primary care physician.

Thanks for the memories, Chris.

[MoonlightGraham]

2033/34 Senior Tribute

NOAH GARDNER

The story of Noah Gardner is what happens when I get careless and recruit too many of the same kind of player. At least one of them doesn't get to play very much, and that was the case with Noah for too much of his career.

#0 SF Noah Gardner - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-5
Weight: 214
High School: Abington Friends School
Hometown: Jenkintown, PA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 49 71 68 62 33 28 48 41 31 73 34 24 68 61 81 74
2032: 46 66 63 57 31 26 45 38 29 68 32 22 67 59 80 70
2031: 44 63 60 54 30 25 43 36 28 65 31 21 66 56 80 65
2030: 41 60 57 51 28 23 40 33 27 61 29 20 65 53 79 60
2029: 37 54 51 45 26 21 36 29 25 53 27 18 63 47 77 50
Potential: C B B B C D C C D B C D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 80

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 24 0 7.2 3.7 0.5 1.4 0.2 0.5 0.33 0.2 0.1 0.6
2032 39 0 9.5 5.8 0.6 1.6 0.4 1.1 0.36 0.3 0.1 1.1
2033 37 18 20.6 10.8 1.5 4.0 1.7 1.9 0.90 0.6 0.2 2.3
Career 100 18 13.1 7.1 0.9 2.4 0.8 1.3 0.90 0.4 0.1 1.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 1.3 2.7 .469 0.5 0.7 .765 0.7 1.3 .500 1.39 1.13
2032 2.0 3.7 .552 0.7 0.9 .829 1.0 2.2 .476 1.59 4.10
2033 3.6 7.9 .454 1.9 2.4 .793 1.8 4.5 .389 1.37 9.27
Career 2.4 5.0 .484 1.1 1.4 .799 1.2 2.8 .428 1.43 5.30

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 24 0 172 89 12 33 4 12 5 3 15
2032 39 0 371 227 24 62 16 44 13 2 41
2033 37 18 763 398 56 148 64 71 22 6 85
Career 100 18 1306 714 92 243 84 127 40 11 141

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 30 64 13 17 16 32 27
2032 79 143 29 35 40 84 160
2033 132 291 69 87 65 167 343
Career 241 498 111 139 121 283 530

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 26 4 9 5 5 1 5 10 20 8 9 6 11
Career 26 4 9 5 5 2 5 10 20 8 9 6 11

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 2
2029 High School: Rated **** and #30 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2029 High School: All-State (Pennsylvania)
2030 NCAA Champion

Noah grew up locally and rooted for Villanova as a boy. He leapt at the chance to play for us, knowing he'd have to wait his turn while another local product, Asher Wise, was around.

But there was another player like Noah in his recruiting class, one you'll meet in a few moments, a player who became a starter his freshman year. Meanwhile, Noah didn't play at all as a sophomore.

To his credit, Noah stuck with us, and he played a key role as a junior. He began his senior season as a starter, and he averaged nearly 16 points a game over that stretch. That's precisely the player I hoped we'd get when I recruited him: a dangerous scorer who could also play solid defense.

Noah is an excellent student who is planning to remain at Villanova and pursue a master's degree in English. He'd like to teach and write and coach some basketball, and he doesn't plan on moving too far away. I suspect we'll see him at quite a few games.

Thanks for the memories, Noah.

[MoonlightGraham]

2033/34 Senior Tribute

ERNEST ADCOCK

When Ernest Adcock was a junior, a radio commentator for a Big East rival called him "the best backup point guard in college basketball." Until his senior year, that's exactly what Ernest was, because of the fact that he was a year behind Justice Stafford. Unfortunately, by the time Justice had moved on to a professional career, Ernest was rehabilitating a knee injury. Sometimes life is very unfair.

#1 PG Ernest Adcock - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-1
Weight: 208
High School: Chesapeake Senior High School
Hometown: Pasadena, MD

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 27 81 92 41 66 75 25 26 44 91 65 16 100 34 59 80
2032: 24 80 88 41 65 71 22 23 39 86 64 15 99 31 58 71
2031: 21 75 83 40 59 65 19 20 36 77 57 14 97 29 58 63
2030: 19 71 79 39 54 60 17 18 33 70 52 13 96 26 58 54
2029: 17 65 73 37 48 54 15 16 29 60 44 11 94 20 57 34
Potential: D B A C B B D D C A B F

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 68

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 38 2 9.0 2.1 0.4 1.1 0.9 0.9 1.09 0.3 0.0 0.8
2031 37 0 13.3 3.9 0.3 1.1 1.9 0.7 2.67 0.7 0.1 1.4
2032 23 6 21.8 7.0 0.7 2.3 3.6 1.5 2.34 1.0 0.1 2.0
2033 22 20 29.2 8.9 0.8 3.2 4.6 2.1 2.17 1.8 0.1 2.0
Career 120 28 16.5 4.8 0.5 1.7 2.4 1.2 2.17 0.8 0.1 1.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 0.7 1.7 .397 0.4 0.5 .850 0.3 0.9 .324 1.24 0.79
2031 1.2 2.5 .468 1.0 1.3 .776 0.5 1.5 .352 1.54 4.65
2032 2.7 5.8 .470 0.9 1.2 .778 0.6 2.9 .209 1.20 12.17
2033 3.0 6.9 .430 1.8 2.0 .889 1.1 3.9 .291 1.29 12.82
Career 1.6 3.7 .446 1.0 1.2 .823 0.6 2.0 .286 1.31 6.37

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 38 2 342 78 14 42 36 33 10 0 32
2031 37 0 493 145 12 42 72 27 25 2 51
2032 23 6 502 161 15 54 82 35 24 3 46
2033 22 20 643 195 18 71 102 47 39 2 44
Career 120 28 1980 579 59 209 292 142 98 7 173

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 25 63 17 20 11 34 30
2031 44 94 38 49 19 54 172
2032 63 134 21 27 14 67 280
2033 65 151 40 45 25 86 282
Career 197 442 116 141 69 241 764

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 16 3 6 10 4 1 6 6 12 7 7 3 8
Career 16 3 6 10 5 2 6 6 13 7 7 3 8

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 1
2029 High School: Rated ***** and #3 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2029 High School: All-State (Maryland)
2029 High School: All-American
2030 NCAA Champion

Mean, small-minded people might call Ernest a "disappointment." A Maryland product, he was a high school All-American and the top-rated point guard in his class. He didn't start a collegiate game until his junior year, and his career numbers, while good, won't turn anyone's head.

Ernest's knee injury prevented him from taking his star turn. Devastatingly quick, Ernest was one of the best on-ball defenders the Big East has seen in years. He could handle the ball, pass it, and shoot it. He wasn't Justice Stafford--no Villanova point guard has ever been--but he was certainly good enough to man the controls for an elite college basketball team.

Ernest will hear his name on Draft Night, probably late in the first round. He's worked tirelessly to rehabilitate his knee, and he appears poised for a significant professional career. He will also have a degree in Global Interdisciplinary Studies in his hand. I hope the universe is kind to Ernest Adcock from now on. He deserves it.

Thanks for the memories, Ernest.

[MoonlightGraham]

2033/34 Senior Tribute

REED WEISBERG

One look at Reed Weisberg shooting a basketball was all it took to convince Graham Sims. We couldn't pass on those projected A shooting grades, not when he was already rated in the 70s and 80s as a high school senior. Reed was recruited to shoot and score, and shoot and score he did.

#55 SG Reed Weisberg - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-5
Weight: 189
High School: Colonia High School
Hometown: Colonia, NJ

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 40 93 93 93 25 8 7 60 27 59 20 51 83 67 57 75
2032: 38 93 92 92 23 8 7 59 25 58 19 48 82 64 57 64
2031: 35 92 91 91 20 8 7 52 22 51 18 43 81 61 56 52
2030: 32 84 89 89 16 8 6 47 19 45 17 38 81 58 56 40
2029: 30 78 83 83 14 6 4 43 17 41 15 34 78 50 53 10
Potential: C A A A D F F C D C D C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 54

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 40 40 29.5 15.2 0.8 4.6 2.3 3.4 0.68 0.7 0.3 2.4
2031 37 37 28.4 16.8 0.9 4.8 2.2 2.9 0.76 0.9 0.2 2.2
2032 14 14 25.6 21.9 0.4 4.1 1.6 3.0 0.55 0.7 0.2 2.5
2033 22 21 28.5 17.6 0.6 4.7 2.1 2.6 0.81 0.5 0.1 2.5
Career 113 112 28.5 17.0 0.7 4.6 2.2 3.1 0.81 0.7 0.2 2.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 4.6 10.9 .420 3.0 3.3 .895 3.1 8.0 .386 1.40 10.93
2031 5.4 11.9 .457 2.4 2.7 .889 3.5 9.0 .392 1.41 13.11
2032 7.2 12.6 .571 2.8 3.0 .929 4.6 9.2 .504 1.73 17.86
2033 5.6 12.6 .442 2.4 2.7 .881 4.0 9.7 .418 1.39 12.18
Career 5.4 11.8 .457 2.6 2.9 .895 3.6 8.8 .410 1.44 12.74

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 40 40 1179 609 31 185 93 137 28 13 97
2031 37 37 1050 621 35 178 82 108 35 9 83
2032 14 14 358 306 5 57 23 42 10 3 35
2033 22 21 628 387 13 103 47 58 11 3 54
Career 113 112 3215 1923 84 523 245 345 84 28 269

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2030 183 436 119 133 124 321 437
2031 201 440 88 99 131 334 485
2032 101 177 39 42 65 129 250
2033 123 278 52 59 89 213 268
Career 608 1331 298 333 409 997 1440

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 30 2 10 5 2 1 5 11 18 7 7 8 16
Career 37 4 12 6 3 2 9 12 24 11 13 9 20

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 28
2029 High School: Rated **** and #55 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2030 NCAA Champion
2030 Freshman All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2033 2nd Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)

A lean, 6'5" wing from New Jersey, Reed shot his way into the starting lineup for a team that won the NCAA championship. He spent his sophomore year proving his performance was no fluke, and he took his game to another level during the first two months of his third season. As I said last year, there was no better shooter in college basketball than Reed Weisberg.

Then came the knee injury that ended up robbing Reed of a season's worth of games.

Weisberg's career statistics are superb. He is the second leading all-time scorer in Villanova history, and he ranks 14th in all of the Big East. He's also second in three pointers made and attempted at Villanova. But what if he'd never been injured?

For the sake of this exercise, we will assume Reed wouldn't have turned pro after his third year if he'd been healthy. It's not an unreasonable assumption; he wasn't regarded as one of the top pro prospects in his class at the beginning of his junior year. We'll also assume a healthy Weisberg would have played in every Villanova game. Reed played every game in his career, except for those he lost to his hurt knee.

Reed missed the last 25 games of his junior season, and the first 12 of his senior season. Let's suppose Reed averaged 17 points a game over those 37 games. That's his career average. Now, let's do some math.

At that rate, Reed would have scored 629 points during those missing games. If you add those points to the 1923 he did score, his total becomes 2552. That's considerably more than Jacob Allen's Villanova record of 2073. The Big East record is held by David Sullivan of St. John's, who scored 2573 points in a fabulous career that ended in 2017. Reed would have been one productive game short of that record.

Projecting Reed's three-point basket total provides an even more intriguing result. At his career rate of 3.6 made threes per game, we'd add another 133 to his career total. With 542 triples to his credit, Reed Weisberg would be the most productive three-point shooter in NCAA history.

Sharp eyes might notice that Reed was outscoring his career averages as a junior and a senior, even after his injury, so we're possibly underestimating his totals. However you look at it, it's safe to say we might never again see another shooter like Reed Weisberg.

Reed and his fiancée will be watching the draft at his parents' New Jersey home. If he isn't drafted, Reed will possibly try to sign with a team in Europe. Reed is a citizen of the world; he and his friend, Ernest Adcock, were students together in the Global Interdisciplinary Studies program. His jump shot will travel anywhere in the world.

Thanks for the memories, Reed.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 8, 2034

Draft Night ends up being a lot of fun for 'Nova Nation. Zach Cohen demonstrates that it was smart of him to bet on his professional prospects, as he's a lottery pick: #8 overall. Not much later, Ernest Adcock hears his name, announced as the #19 choice.

Then, as the draft is nearing completion, Team Weisberg rejoices, as Reed is chosen with the #56 pick.

Zach is the third Big East player to come off the board, following center Reggie Johnson of Pitt (#3) and point guard DeQuinn Baldwin of Georgetown (#8).

However, the happiest news of all is celebrated in the city of Evansville, Indiana. Their favorite basketball son, hard-working Ezra Love of the University of Kentucky, is the #1 pick in the professional draft. :)

Congratulations to all these players as they begin their professional careers.

2033 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Kansas Big 12 PF Jerrold Brewer ***** 2 2 1 0 0
2. Texas Christian Mountain West SF Michael Langford ***** 3 1 1 0 0
3. Georgetown Big East SF Brian Bishop ***** 2 1 0 0 0
4. Southern California Pacific-10 SG Felix Livesay ***** 2 2 0 0 0
5. Stanford Pacific-10 SG Clarence Gilson ***** 1 2 1 0 0
6. Oklahoma Big 12 SF Jeremiah Moore ***** 2 1 0 0 0
7. Pittsburgh Big East PG Jack Blankenship **** 0 4 0 0 0
8. Louisville Big East SG Jonathon Larios ***** 2 1 0 0 0
9. Boston College ACC SG Luis Williams ***** 1 0 3 0 0
10. St. John's Big East SF Dusty Ung **** 0 2 2 0 0
11. Villanova Big East PF Charlie Lambert **** 0 3 0 0 0
12. Mississippi SEC C Monte Roos **** 0 3 1 0 0
13. San Diego State Mountain West SG Cornelius Hughes ***** 1 0 3 0 0
14. Missouri Big 12 PF Harold Rosenbaum ***** 1 1 2 0 0
15. UCLA Pacific-10 SG Ismael Vidal ***** 1 1 1 0 0
16. Notre Dame Big East SG Richard Adam **** 0 3 0 0 0
17. Alabama-Birmingham Conference USA SF Iago Gil ***** 1 0 3 0 0
18. Baylor Big 12 SF Lyman Ward ***** 1 1 1 0 0
19. Virginia Tech ACC PG Joseph Cromwell **** 0 1 3 0 0
20. Lafayette Patriot League PG Leroy Velez ***** 1 0 2 0 0


Should we worry that our class of three four-star recruits is considered the fifth-best in the Big East?
2033 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Georgetown Big East SF Brian Bishop ***** 2 1 0 0 0
7. Pittsburgh Big East PG Jack Blankenship **** 0 4 0 0 0
8. Louisville Big East SG Jonathon Larios ***** 2 1 0 0 0
10. St. John's Big East SF Dusty Ung **** 0 2 2 0 0
11. Villanova Big East PF Charlie Lambert **** 0 3 0 0 0
16. Notre Dame Big East SG Richard Adam **** 0 3 0 0 0
36. Syracuse Big East PG Colin Ratchford **** 0 1 2 0 0
54. West Virginia Big East PF Allan Hagan **** 0 1 1 0 0
73. Rutgers Big East PG Kim Murray **** 0 1 2 0 0
79. Connecticut Big East SF Matthew Palermo **** 0 1 1 1 0
133. DePaul Big East PG Trevor Eagle *** 0 0 3 1 0
135. South Florida Big East SG Jody Bay *** 0 0 2 0 0
141. Seton Hall Big East SF Merlin Smith *** 0 0 3 0 0
145. Providence Big East SG Barton Curcio *** 0 0 2 0 0
187. Cincinnati Big East SF Tony McFall *** 0 0 1 3 0
220. Marquette Big East C Joseph Allen *** 0 0 1 1 0

Georgetown signed two of the top five players in the nation: Brian Bishop (#3) and Timothy Johnson (#5). Pitt's haul of four-star talents include two we looked at closely: Jack Blankenship and Tyrese Russell. I'm still pleased with our guys. All three of them fill roles we needed to fill.

Our Prestige remains at 100, and our budget holds steady at $800,000. The board has announced a facilities upgrade for next year (maybe it read my post about the new Wawa Arena). ;)

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2034

Today comes the news that Wallace Hastings has retired from his position as head coach at Georgetown University. Coach Hastings is only 61, but he has always said he couldn't envision coaching much past his 60th birthday. He retires with a career total of 641 victories, second all-time to Graham Sims' 698.

Then, we learn that Thomas Liang has stepped down from his position at Lafayette! This shocks me. Coach Liang has just completed his second season back on College Hill, where he spent over a dozen years as Graham Sims' lead assistant. His record at Lafayette was 50-18, and while the Leopards were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tournament, it's hard to say Coach Liang's tenure was disappointing. The thing that surprises me most, however, is the fact that Coach Liang is so young: he's 57.

Coach Liang is the most successful member of Graham's coaching tree. I can't tell you what his career record was, because he didn't win enough games to make the Top 50, but I know he posted a winning record.

Georgetown offers Graham their job. Nope. I'm flattered by the offer from Vanderbilt, who's also looking for a new man after their incumbent, Jed Settle, retires. But I'm not going anywhere.

There's an excellent coach up for hire this year: Clayton Mintz, who has a 510-256 career record, has been fired by Oregon. I'm thinking either Georgetown, Vanderbilt, or Lafayette will snap him up, but they don't. All three programs go with less established coaches.

Lafayette's new man, Daniel Turcotte, is 54-year-old, journeyman Level 6 coach with a career record of 257-458. He has the third most losses of any coach in history. Georgetown hires promising Clint Grams, 48, fresh off a 27-victory season at Houston. Vanderbilt's new man is Chris Box, formerly at Clemson.

The plot thickens a bit. Graham's veteran Coaching Assistant, Frank Timberlake, decides to retire. When I look at the list of coaches who are seeking positions, I see both Clayton Mintz and Blake Petitford, another veteran coach who's just been fired from the head job at Georgia Tech.

I decide to offer Coach Petitford the job; he's willing to work for much less than Coach Mintz, and his ratings are almost as good. He turns down my offer, however, and ends up accepting one at Kentucky. I don't blame him; the Wildcats offered him about $75,000 more than I did.

We hire Clayton Mintz's lead assistant, instead. He's John Gruber, a 41-year-old Level 5 coach who joined the Oregon staff in 2024. Coach Gruber's rating for Coaching Offense is 53, and his score for Coaching Defense is 86. He'll do just fine. We'll pay him $142,099/year on a three-year contract.

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2034

There's one senior scholarship player on this year's roster: power forward William Collins. However, two of our juniors--Savion Wells and Chris Woolstenhulme--have in the past been identified as future pro draft picks. Both Wells and Woolstenhulme are big men, too.

I cut a lousy walk-on who would probably never go to class, so I can offer two scholarships this season. One will have to be a big man. The other should probably not be a guard, or we'll have a problem with players not getting court time in a year or so.

Across the Delaware River in New Jersey, there's an excellent big man who likes Villanova a lot. We're going to recruit Sebastian Roberts energetically from the start. Sebastian is a high school All-American, a seven-footer who averages 24 points and 12 rebounds per game. He's also an excellent student. We'll take a closer look at him after our evaluation is done.

I'm going to offer Roberts a scholarship right away. I've learned that players don't seem to commit until November 1, so nothing we do this month will be set in stone.

Pennsylvania's Mr. Basketball is Joshua Lee, a 6'7" forward who averages 27 points and 13.5 rebounds. He's a five-star recruit who, despite his state of residence, lists no Pennsylvania schools among his top five. We'll take a close look at Joshua anyway.

I don't usually look much at junior college players, but there's one who intrigues me this time around: 7'2" center Wendell Cairns from Virginia.

We're still evaluating some wing players, including a high-scoring four-star player from Indianapolis, Charlie Sutton. The title of Mr. Basketball means as much in Indiana as it does anywhere, and Charlie currently holds that title. He averages 21 points a game, shooting .517/.423/.958.

Charlie lists North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, Boston College, and West Virginia in his top five. He's apparently open to the idea of heading East to play college ball, so we're going to investigate him closely.
This is our initial call list:


Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sebastian Roberts C 7-0 235 ***** Very High New Jersey
Joshua Lee PF 6-7 209 ***** Very High Pennsylvania
William Pittman SF 6-5 198 ***** Very High New Jersey
Dion Medley C 6-9 202 **** Very High New Jersey
Zachariah Brown SF 6-4 194 **** Very High Pennsylvania
Burton Brister C 7-0 255 **** Very High Michigan
Andrew Jackson PF 6-5 238 **** Very High New York
Cornelius Jones PF 6-10 247 **** Very High New York
Gregory Spector SG 6-2 204 *** Very High Pennsylvania
Jack Norman PG 6-0 190 *** Very High New Jersey
Wendell Cairns C 7-2 244 ***** High Virginia
Jack Edwards SF 6-6 191 ***** High Pennsylvania
Jack Sitton C 6-9 235 ***** High Ohio
Taylor Murray PG 6-2 172 ***** High Virginia
Bernie Johnson PG 6-2 175 ***** High District of Columbia
Lorenzo Merrick SG 6-3 184 ***** High New York
John Simon C 7-0 242 **** High Virginia
Charlie Sutton SG 6-6 184 **** High Indiana
Michael Mancini PG 6-0 175 **** High New Jersey
Chris Williams PF 6-9 223 **** High Virginia

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2034

I'm glad I went ahead and offered Sebastian Roberts a scholarship. His high school stats are supported by a solid set of ratings.
#30 C Sebastian Roberts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 7-0
Weight: 235
High School: Delaware Valley Regional High School
Hometown: Frenchtown, NJ
GPA: 3.58
Test Score: 1410
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 47 44 48 43 28 22 56 81 73 21 14 28 41 61 54 30
Potential: A A C B D D B A B D D C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24.0 3.0 12.1 2.1 2.6 0.81 1.6 1.6 2.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.9 16.8 .589 3.3 5.3 .613 0.9 2.6 .346

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #12 Overall, #3 C, East Region #4 Overall, East Region #1 C
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (New Jersey), All American
Top 5 Schools: *Villanova, Georgetown, *Lafayette, West Virginia, St. John's

He's also received an offer from Lafayette and their new coach, Daniel Turcotte, but he still prefers us. And he pays the requisite homage to Georgetown, but their new man, Clint Grams, hasn't made him an offer. We're going to invite Sebastian to campus this week, and Coaches Sims and Twombly will visit his family's home.

If we want to bring in another big man, Cornelius Jones might be the one.
#1 PF Cornelius Jones
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 247
High School: Middletown High School
Hometown: Middletown, NY
GPA: 2.66
Test Score: 1120
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 40 21 27 0 6 15 27 42 47 28 35 17 41 79 38 77
Potential: B B D F F D D B B D C C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20.4 2.2 11.2 1.5 2.9 0.52 2.7 0.9 2.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.3 13.7 .608 3.8 8.4 .446 0.0 0.0 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #75 Overall, #15 PF, East Region #19 Overall, East Region #4 PF
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: Villanova, Lafayette, St. John's, Rutgers, American
Cornelius is a productive high school scorer who operates best close to the basket. He's not as polished a player as Sebastian Roberts, but we've identified some potential for growth in his rebounding and defense.

If we want a rim-protecting Blue Collar Man type with an extra helping of offense, there's Virginia's John Simon.
#44 C John Simon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 7-0
Weight: 242
High School: St. Anne's-Belfield School
Hometown: Charlottesville, VA
GPA: 3.12
Test Score: 1280
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 35 19 62 12 34 10 58 56 59 20 12 70 43 70 39 18
Potential: D C B C D F B B B F D A

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20.0 3.7 13.7 1.6 2.1 0.78 1.6 3.8 2.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.1 13.9 .583 3.8 6.6 .573 0.1 0.5 .111

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: High
Rankings: #48 Overall, #10 C, Southeast Region #15 Overall, Southeast Region #4 C
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: *Wake Forest, West Virginia, Virginia, Georgetown, Villanova
John holds an offer from Wake Forest, and there are schools closer to home who are interested in him. He's from the home of the University of Virginia, and if the Hoos make an offer, he might find it hard to decline.

And, if we want to consider a wing, Will Pittman has attracted our interest.
#15 SF Will Pittman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-5
Weight: 198
High School: Bound Brook High School
Hometown: Bound Brook, NJ
GPA: 2.77
Test Score: 1140
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 39 44 49 58 37 56 67 26 22 28 56 42 66 50 62 59
Potential: B C A A B C A C D C A B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.5 2.7 7.0 3.4 2.7 1.26 4.0 1.7 2.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.6 9.3 .492 0.6 1.0 .600 0.8 2.7 .296

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: High
Rankings: #6 Overall, #4 SF, East Region #2 Overall, East Region #2 SF
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: Boston College, Villanova, St. John's, Connecticut, North Carolina
Normally a top recruit like Will has at least one or two offers in hand by August. His stats aren't head-turning, but he's athletic and projectable.

Charlie Sutton doesn't show much interest in playing for us, and that's a shame.
#3 SG Charlie Sutton
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 184
High School: Decatur Central High School
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
GPA: 3.28
Test Score: 1290
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 55 65 73 71 58 28 14 19 14 34 24 12 43 31 38 51
Potential: C B B B B D D D D B C D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.1 1.3 5.2 2.8 1.9 1.51 1.4 0.5 2.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.5 16.4 .517 1.2 1.2 .958 3.0 7.1 .423

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Average
Rankings: #62 Overall, #13 SG, Midwest Region #12 Overall, Midwest Region #3 SG
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Indiana)
Top 5 Schools: *Vanderbilt, *Northwestern, North Carolina, *Illinois, Tennessee
It looks like Vanderbilt has the inside track with a player who can step in and provide three-level scoring as a freshman.

After some contemplation, I decide to offer a scholarship to Will Pittman. We'll make a full recruiting pitch to him, bring him to campus, and see what happens.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2034

Sebastian Roberts has eliminated all but two schools from his list: Villanova and Georgetown. The Hoyas haven't offered him a scholarship, so I like our chances. Perhaps we'll have really good news in two months or so.

Will Pittman's recruiting blows up in August, as four other schools offer him. Among them is Boston College, Will's preferred school. They're also the front-runners for Taylor Murray, a talented point guard from Virginia. Taylor and Will are the #5 and #6 players on the national lists.

We're still leading the Cornelius Jones sweepstakes, although he's been offered a scholarship by Holy Cross.

If I decide two big men are one too many, I might offer that scholarship to Luke Christensen.
#34 SF Luke Christensen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-7
Weight: 194
High School: St. Joseph's Preparatory School
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
GPA: 2.93
Test Score: 1110
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 73 39 66 37 22 12 31 21 33 48 63 27 45 55 46 93
Potential: A A B B D F C C C B A D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13.2 2.0 6.9 1.1 2.1 0.51 5.0 0.9 2.1

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.8 11.9 .483 1.1 1.8 .629 0.6 2.7 .226

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #40 Overall, #10 SF, East Region #14 Overall, East Region #4 SF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Villanova, St. John's, West Virginia, Kentucky, Pittsburgh
Luke is a lean wing with a sweet jumper and a sense of responsibility on the defensive end of the floor.

Now it's decision time. I have a good feeling about Luke Christensen, so I decide to leave the pursuit of Will Pittman and offer Luke a scholarship. He's already visited campus, and Coaches Sims and Twombly will be visiting again this month.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2034

While Sebastian Roberts has also expressed interest in West Virginia and Stanford this month, we're still tops on his list...and the only program who's made him a scholarship offer. Do AI coaches concede when they "think" the battle is over? And if they do, is this what they've done with Roberts?

An offer from Kentucky causes them to move up Luke Christensen's list, but only to second place.

Meanwhile, Charlie Sutton lists Villanova as his second choice, behind Vanderbilt. I'm tempted for a moment to take a shot at poaching him, but Charlie is a pure guard. We already have several talented players of the same type on our roster.

Max Bennett and Matt Valentine are promising first year players. Point guards Connor Baxter and Eldon Castanon are point guards, and Trey Partridge is a junior. Mason Reynolds is listed as a small forward, but he's 6'4", and that says "guard" to me.

Luke Christensen looks like he will be a different kind of player, one who's comfortable operating a little closer to the basket sometimes and switching onto bigs when needed. I'm going to stick with Christensen and hope we can secure his commitment soon.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2034

It's Decision Day, and it's a happy one in 'Nova Nation. Sebastian Roberts and Luke Christensen will be playing their college ball in Wildcat colors.

Christensen is the first to make his commitment. He's the son of Villanova alumni; in fact, his parents knew Graham and Mary Kate Sims as students back at the turn of the century. St. Joseph's Prep is a Jesuit school, and Villanova is an Augustinian university, but Luke ought to be comfortable on campus anyway.

Roberts' good news arrives soon after. Sebastian is an exceptionally good student who plans to take advantage of the educational opportunities he'll receive, even if he pursues a professional basketball career after three years. It's a real possibility for him.

Welcome to the Villanova family, Luke and Sebastian!

A number of other players we recruited make their decisions today, too.

Charlie Sutton: Vanderbilt
Joshua Lee: Georgetown
Jack Edwards and Wendell Cairns: West Virginia
Taylor Murray and Will Pittman: Boston College
Andrew Jackson: Rutgers
John Simon: Wake Forest

[MoonlightGraham]

November 5, 2034

It's time to meet the 2034/35 Villanova Wildcats...
#5 VILLANOVA General

Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trey Partridge 2 PG Jr 5-8 173 Yes 40 OK Warwick, NY
Eldon Castanon 4 PG So* 6-3 216 Yes 42 OK Silver Spring, MD
Mason Reynolds 5 SF So 6-4 211 Yes 98 OK Alexandria, VA
Max Bennett 10 SG Fr 6-2 190 Yes 96 OK Media, PA
Kyle Gribble 11 PF So 6-8 223 Yes 92 OK Lakewood, CA
Chris Woolstenhulme 12 PF Jr 6-9 232 Yes 78 OK Bryn Mawr, PA
Charlie Lambert 14 PF Fr 6-9 225 Yes 64 OK Hyattsville, MD
Carroll Wainwright 15 C Fr 6-9 229 No 52 OK Syracuse, NY
William Collins 20 PF Sr* 6-5 234 Yes 75 OK Moreauville, LA
Connor Baxter 22 PG So 6-2 202 Yes 98 OK Slippery Rock, PA
Charles Peterman 25 SF So 6-7 229 Yes 62 Unhappy Thompson, Canada
Matt Valentine 31 SG Fr 6-5 197 Yes 36 OK Middletown, DE
Erick Sullivan 35 C Fr 6-10 270 No 87 OK Wilmington, DE
Savion Wells 41 C Jr 7-0 251 Yes 87 OK Windsor, CT

Here's how training camp went:
#5 VILLANOVA Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trey Partridge 1 3 2 1 6 5 1 1 1 3 2 2 1 1 2 12
Eldon Castanon 1 3 2 3 1 4 1 3 0 4 3 1 1 1 0 7
Mason Reynolds 6 7 9 0 7 7 6 6 5 11 7 3 2 4 0 13
Max Bennett 4 8 8 6 6 6 2 2 2 6 4 2 2 4 4 12
Kyle Gribble 8 4 6 3 3 2 6 2 4 1 2 0 2 4 1 15
Chris Woolstenhulme 2 4 1 1 2 2 2 0 2 2 2 2 3 6 0 8
Charlie Lambert 8 4 6 6 2 2 6 8 8 2 2 8 1 10 1 28
Carroll Wainwright 6 4 2 0 4 2 6 6 2 2 2 8 3 10 3 38
William Collins 0 1 0 0 1 1 3 5 1 1 2 3 1 2 1 8
Connor Baxter 3 8 8 1 8 8 2 2 2 8 5 1 1 2 0 5
Charles Peterman 1 2 1 1 3 1 2 1 3 3 3 1 0 2 1 4
Matt Valentine 8 8 4 6 4 4 2 2 4 2 2 2 2 6 1 30
Erick Sullivan 6 2 4 4 2 2 6 10 10 2 2 6 2 10 2 18
Savion Wells 3 5 1 2 2 2 2 0 5 2 2 1 1 8 1 8


Could this really be Graham Sims' ninth season at Villanova? Since he arrived on the Main Line, the Wildcats have a record of 270-33, and a 125-19 mark in Big East play. Sims' teams have won the Big East regular season title and the Big East tournament four times each. Under Sims, they've been to the national championship game five times, and they've won it twice.

This year's team is looking to add to this winning legacy without a senior who has played significant minutes. Its leaders are a pair of junior post players, Savion Wells and Chris Woolstenhulme.

Wells inherits the center position from Zach Cohen, a lottery pick in last April's draft, after starting at the four for two seasons. Savion is one of the team's two leading returning scorers and its second-leading rebounders. We think he can still take a step forward in what is likely his final year at Villanova.

Woolstenhulme moves into the starting lineup this season, after spending most of the last two years as the sixth man. He is a strong, athletic 6'9" forward who is most effective near the basket. Chris's skills complement Savion's well; both can hold their own against strong opponents inside, while Savion can draw his man from the basket with his deceptively good outside shot.

Mason Reynolds was the Big East Freshman of the Year and a second team All-Conference choice. He's undersized for a small forward at 6'4", but his versatile skill set enables him to move inside and out with ease. There is little Reynolds can't do on a basketball court, and he might emerge as one of the best players in the Big East this season.

Point guard Connor Baxter started 17 games as a freshman, and then moved into a reserve role once Ernest Adcock returned from the injured list. Baxter emerges from camp with a more consistent shot, a better sense of what we're trying to do defensively, and a more confident hand on the controls of the offense.

The other guard will be Eldon Castanon, eligible this season after transferring from Lafayette. The powerfully built redshirt sophomore was a high school All-American. Can he live up to that promise with us? He is a good shooter with some range, a slick passer, and a reliable defender.

Freshman Charlie Lambert impressed us with his hard work during camp. Our Villanova teams have generally featured at least one serious threat from three-point distance. There's not a player like that in the starting five, so Lambert's ability to stretch the floor could come in very handy. Kyle Gribble is also available for reserve duty in the frontcourt, and there's a walk-on center, Erick Sullivan, who actually has the potential to be good. Charles Peterman didn't show much improvement after camp, which hurts his chances of making more than cameo appearances.

Trey Partridge, now a junior, has developed into a useful backup guard. He might cede some playing time to freshmen Max Bennett and Matt Valentine as the year goes on. It bodes well for the future if Max and Matt are ready for meaningful minutes.

As I mentioned, this year's Wildcats don't have a player whose reputation as a scorer precedes him. Wells, Woolstenhulme, and Reynolds will be the focal points of the offense, which might be less dependent on long-range shooting than recent Villanova teams have been. It's a young team; Wells, with 75 career starts, has more than twice as many as the next most frequent starter. Only three current Wildcats have played as many as 1000 minutes of college basketball.

The Big East, however, is a fairly young league this year. Among the perennial contenders, West Virginia is the only team that can rely on seasoned players. If our youngsters can play like grown men, we could win 30 games, challenge for another Big East title, and make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. If they can't, it could be a long season.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 9, 2034
Preseason NIT, First Round
(1) #5 Villanova 93, (16) Jacksonville State 88 (OT)
The Gamecocks nearly pull off a stunning upset in the first round of the Preseason NIT.

They lead us, 44-37, at halftime. We rally and take the lead, but we can't pull away from the pesky Gamecocks. Their center, Graham Goetz, scores a basket to tie the score at 77 with 30 seconds left, and on our final possession, he blocks a Chris Woolstenhulme shot to preserve the tie.

Both teams are led in scoring by men named Mason. Mason Zarate, a junior guard, scores 44 points for Jax State. I'm almost positive that's the most an opposing player has ever scored against a Graham Sims team. Our Mason Reynolds finishes with 21, adding 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

Connor Baxter (19p/6r/3a) and Chris Woolstenhulme (14p/8r/2s) reach double figures, and so does sixth man Charlie Lambert, who knocks down 3 triples, scores 16 points, and blocks 4 shots.
Record: 1-0.


November 11, 2034
Preseason NIT Quarterfinal
(1) #5 Villanova 99, (8) Charlotte 58
Today's victory is the 700th of Graham Sims' coaching career. He reaches this milestone early in his 24th season on the bench. His record now stands 700-128.

The game goes much more according to plan. We never expect to win by 40, but it's awfully nice when we do.

Mason Reynolds posts career highs of 30 points and 15 rebounds, and adds 3 steals and a block. Chris Woolstenhulme contributes a double-double (18p/14r/2b). Starting guards Connor Baxter and Eldon Castanon each have 6 assists, and Trey Partridge adds 15 points from the bench.
Record: 2-0.


November 18, 2034
Preseason NIT Semifinals
(1) #5 Villanova 86, (4) #8 Texas 69
We record a quality win over a fine Texas team to advance to the Preseason NIT championship game.

The Longhorns run at our shooters when they spot up behind the three-point line, and for a half, it works quite well. We're ahead by a single point at the break. After the intermission, we concentrate on getting the ball inside with much better results.

We get another excellent game from Mason Reynolds (19p/12r/5a) and near double-doubles from Chris Woolstenhulme (9p/11r) and Savion Wells (15p/8r). Connor Baxter chips in 16 points, and Eldon Castanon has 6 assists and 8 rebounds.


November 20, 2034
Preseason NIT Championship
(10) #22 South Carolina 79, (1) #4 Villanova 78
We lose a heartbreaker, as USC's Clement Linden converts an old style three-point play with two seconds left.

Connor Baxter's 15 points lead a contingent of four Wildcats in double digits, including sixth man Charlie Lambert (11). The Gamecocks make 16 free throws to our 4, and that explains a lot.
Record: 3-1.


November 24, 2034
@#4 Villanova 92, Fairfield 45
We often follow up a loss with a particularly emphatic win, and that's what happens on our Finneran Pavilion opener. A .557/.462/.800 shooting performance is a big key to this result.

Mason Reynolds, held to 7 points by South Carolina, bounces back with 25 tonight. He adds 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Eldon Castanon (16p/6a), Connor Baxter (10p/5a), Savion Wells (10p), and Chris Woolstenhulme (10r) all play well, too.
Record: 4-1.


November 28, 2034
@#9 Villanova 85, #21 Lafayette 53
If this were English football, we'd probably call this matchup the Graham Sims Derby. It's usually a better game than this. It's close for a while--we lead 40-33 at halftime--but the Leopards only score 20 points after the intermission, while we tally 45.

Mason Reynolds hits 5 of 10 three-point tries, en route to 23 points. His 9 rebounds and 5 assists are very close to his season averages. Eldon Castanon adds 14 points and 5 helpers. Connor Baxter nearly matches him, with 14 and 4. Chris Woolstenhulme contributes 12 points and 8 rebounds.

We hold Lafayette to 32% shooting, only 4-for-24 from long range.
Record: 5-1.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 2, 2034
#9 Villanova 84, @#18 Vanderbilt 57
All five starters finish in double figures as we travel to Nashville and defeat the Commodores, giving us another road win against a ranked opponent.

Our high scorer is once again Mason Reynolds (15p/7r/2s). He's followed by Savion Wells and Chris Woolstenhulme (12p/6r each), Eldon Castanon (11p/4a) and Connor Baxter (11p). Woolstenhulme blocks 2 shots, and Charlie Lambert adds 9 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.

Our defense limits Vanderbilt to a .333/.346/.444 shooting line, and forces 21 turnovers.
Record: 6-1.


December 8, 2034
@#7 Villanova 98, Gonzaga 75
Behind 25 points from Savion Wells and 21 more from Mason Reynolds, we turn back our visitors from Washington State. Wells adds 9 rebounds, while Reynolds collects 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

Sixth man Charlie Lambert scores 13 points, and Chris Woolstenhulme fills his stat line with 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Record: 7-1.


December 12, 2034
@#5 Villanova 97, Davidson 53
It's Connor Baxter's turn to shine, as he reaches a career high with 20 points and hands out 8 assists in a home victory against Davidson.

Savion Wells supports him with a double-double (16p/11r), Mason Reynolds (18p/7r/6a) and Chris Woolstenhulme (16p/4r/2b/2s) are also notably effective.
Record: 8-1.


December 16, 2034
@#5 Villanova 105, Pennsylvania 54
We roll to a 65-29 halftime advantage and coast home from there, in a game against our local rival from the Ivy League.

Savion Wells scores 20 points, claims 5 rebounds, blocks 3 shots, and makes 3 steals. Connor Baxter makes it two straight games with exactly 20 points, adding 6 assists. Mason Reynolds has a double-double (17p/12a/6r); he's now had two different varieties of doubles this year. Chris Woolstenhulme just misses one (15p/9r).
Record: 9-1.


December 26, 2034
@#6 Villanova 100, Buffalo 58
Scoring in triple digits again, we win in decisive fashion on Boxing Day at the Pavilion.

Eldon Castanon wins the PotG award, on the strength of 14 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 0 turnovers. The award could have gone to Mason Reynolds (19p/7r/7a/1t), or Savion Wells (21p/7r/1s), or Chris Woolstenhulme (12r/6a/2b). We shoot a gaudy .633/.526/.737 and hold the Bulls to 36 percent shooting.

Happy holidays, indeed.
Record: 10-1.


December 30, 2034
@#6 Villanova 101, #25 Virginia 76
Another 100-plus scoring night sends us into the New Year, as we defeat a ranked Virginia team at the Wells Fargo Center. The Cavaliers enter the game with an 11-1 record, just like ours.

Again, a variety of contributions from Mason Reynolds is a big reason why. He combines 20 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, while committing a single turnover. Savion Wells has a double-double of his own (18p/10r). Chris Woolstenhulme (14p/7r/3b/2s) plays well at both ends of the floor, and freshman Max Bennett scores a career-best 13 points in 15 minutes.

Virginia center Trystan Maddox, whom we recruited heavily, scores 13 and rebounds 12.
Record: 12-1.

[Chas in Cinti]

Thanks for adding the additional player... adds a bit for me at least... :)

[MoonlightGraham]

Thanks for adding the additional player... adds a bit for me at least... :)

You're welcome! I'm happy to do it. I enjoy following the players you request, too. :)

[MoonlightGraham]

January 3, 2035
2034 Big East Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------------
#3 Villanova 0 0 .000 12 1 .923 1 100
#5 Louisville 0 0 .000 11 0 1.000 3 89
#1 West Virginia 0 0 .000 11 0 1.000 18 96
#7 Georgetown 0 0 .000 11 1 .917 35 100
#17 Connecticut 0 0 .000 11 0 1.000 44 72
#8 Pittsburgh 0 0 .000 11 1 .917 67 86
#25 Syracuse 0 0 .000 10 1 .909 12 65
Notre Dame 0 0 .000 9 3 .750 61 89
Providence 0 0 .000 8 4 .667 24 71
Rutgers 0 0 .000 8 4 .667 45 73
Cincinnati 0 0 .000 6 5 .545 143 69
South Florida 0 0 .000 5 7 .417 48 66
St. John's 0 0 .000 5 7 .417 157 74
DePaul 0 0 .000 3 9 .250 248 55
Seton Hall 0 0 .000 3 8 .273 279 58
Marquette 0 0 .000 3 9 .250 297 57

At first glance, it looks like the Big East schedule will be another series of heavyweight bouts, one after another. However, after peeking at our rivals' non-conference schedules, it's fair to ask how good some of them really are.

We've played more good teams than any of the other ranked Big East teams. We lost to a South Carolina team that's now 11-3. We beat Texas (14-2), Lafayette (14-2), Virginia (11-3), and a 9-3 Vanderbilt team who have lost to three opponents with an aggregate record of 35-4 and beat a team with 11 wins. The only bad team we've faced is Davidson (3-11).


January 3, 2035
#3 Villanova 77, @South Florida 48
Sunny Florida treats us well, and we open 2035 with a victory that again features relentless defense. USF has only 16 points at halftime.

The Bulls have no answer for Chris Woolstenhulme (16p/9r/3b), and while they hold Mason Reynolds to 10 points, they lose track of Connor Baxter (15p/6a). Eldon Castanon adds 11 points.
Record: 13-1 (1-0).


January 7, 2035
@#7 Georgetown 65, #3 Villanova 56
We lose a rock fight to the Hoyas, a game no basketball purist would want to watch. We make only 4 of 22 three-point tries, and we only make 17 baskets all night.

Savion Wells leads us with 14 points. Connor Baxter finishes with 11, and Eldon Castanon has 10. Both teams miss a lot of shots. We're outrebounded 50-41; Mason Reynolds leads us with 10.
Let's hope this is a one-off, and not what we're going to see throughout the Big East season.
Record: 13-2 (1-1).


January 10, 2035
#5 Villanova 82, @Notre Dame 66
Much better! Chris Woolstenhulme's 18-point, 13-rebound double-double keys a greatly superior performance out in South Bend.

Chris is supported by Mason Reynolds (19p/5r/3a), Eldon Castanon (10p/4a/3s), and especially sixth man Charlie Lambert (13p/9r/3b). Eldon has slotted into the lineup seamlessly after spending a year redshirting, and Charlie is playing the sixth man role in a very Woolstenhulmian manner.
Record: 14-2 (2-1).


January 17, 2035
@#3 Villanova 84, #12 Pittsburgh 64
Pitt has built a very solid young roster, with several players we know well; we recruited some of them when they were high school seniors. We have to play well to beat them, and we do.

Chris Woolstenhulme shoots a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line, accounting for most of the 14 points he combines with 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. Mason Reynolds (11p/8r/7a), Eldon Castanon (11p/5r/5a) and Charlie Lambert (13p/8r) make varied contributions. Connor Baxter scores 19 to tie Pitt big man Charles Cunningham for top honors.
Record: 16-2 (3-1).

[MoonlightGraham]

January 20, 2035
@#3 Villanova 81, #14 Connecticut 49
I'm expecting to rout a UConn team that enters the game with a perfect 5-0 mark in Big East play, but that's what happens. We delight a big crowd at the Wells Fargo Center with an extremely well-played game.

Our defense holds the Huskies to .276/.286/.688 shooting, which makes winning a lot easier. We are on point offensively, too, with five double-figure scorers.

Player of the Game Savion Wells scores 12 points, claims 8 boards, and rejects 3 shots. He also scores the 1000th point of his Villanova career.
Connor Baxter leads our scorers with 13, adding 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Chris Woolstenhulme (12p/10r/2b), Eldon Castanon (11p/7r) and Charlie Lambert (11p/9r/3b) make an impact, too.
Record: 17-2 (5-1).


January 24, 2035
#3 Villanova 88, @Cincinnati 71
Another big game from big Savion Wells (23p/13r) powers us to victory over the Bearcats.

Mason Reynolds (16p/8r/5a/2b/3s) turns in another of his trademark scoresheet-packing performances. Chris Woolstenhulme posts his fourth double-double of the year (16p/10r). He's tied with Reynolds in that category, one behind team leader Wells. Connor Baxter continues to play well (15p/6r).

We stay on the heels of Louisville in the Big East race. The Cardinals are ranked #2 behind a West Virginia team that's holding on to the #1 position, despite two Big East losses.
Record: 18-2 (6-1).


January 27, 2035
@#3 Villanova 79, Syracuse 72
It's Eldon Castanon's turn to be the star. He scores 19 points, with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal.

Eldon's backcourt mate, Connor Baxter, scores only 4 points, but he hauls down 6 rebounds and makes 4 steals. Mason Reynolds scores 16, Savion Wells contributes 18, and Charlie Lambert adds 10.
Record: 19-2 (7-1).

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova (54) 19-2 1781 3 Big East Conference
2. Louisville (17) 19-0 1693 2 Big East Conference
3. Tennessee 17-4 1637 4 Southeastern Conference
4. West Virginia (1) 16-3 1634 1 Big East Conference
5. Stanford 19-3 1431 5 Pacific-10 Conference
6. Kentucky 18-4 1430 9 Southeastern Conference
7. Kansas 18-3 1344 6 Big 12 Conference
8. Memphis 16-3 1265 7 Conference USA
9. New Mexico 18-3 1229 12 Mountain West Conference
10. Washington 17-2 1203 10 Pacific-10 Conference
11. Boston College 17-2 1101 8 Atlantic Coast Conference
12. Texas 17-4 1026 13 Big 12 Conference
13. Georgetown 17-3 964 11 Big East Conference
14. Lafayette 21-3 910 14 Patriot League
15. Pittsburgh 15-5 759 16 Big East Conference
16. Miami 16-4 683 19 Atlantic Coast Conference
17. Texas Christian 18-4 636 17 Mountain West Conference
18. Vanderbilt 15-5 560 18 Southeastern Conference
19. North Carolina 14-4 505 22 Atlantic Coast Conference
20. UCLA 16-5 428 NR Pacific-10 Conference
21. Duke 15-5 312 23 Atlantic Coast Conference
22. Connecticut 16-3 287 15 Big East Conference
23. Cal State Fullerton 19-2 200 21 Big West Conference
24. UNLV 16-5 141 25 Mountain West Conference
25. Florida 15-5 105 NR Southeastern Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Ohio State 16-4 53 Big Ten Conference
Southern California 13-7 25 Pacific-10 Conference
Texas A&M 17-4 23 Big 12 Conference
East Carolina 17-4 14 Conference USA
Georgia Tech 14-5 5 Atlantic Coast Conference
Notre Dame 14-6 5 Big East Conference
Houston 15-5 4 Conference USA
Tulane 15-5 4 Conference USA
Clemson 16-4 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
San Francisco 15-5 1 West Coast Conference

A shakeup at the top of the polls brings us back to the top spot. I can't help feeling like there's another loss in our future; we face West Virginia, Louisville, and Georgetown in February, and although we'll play them all at home, running that gauntlet without a misstep will be tough.

Lafayette has put together another very good team, led by a pair of juniors-- center Dani Geisler and shooting guard Chris Willman--whom pro scouts rate very highly.


January 31, 2035
@#1 Villanova 89, Notre Dame 73
Eight Wildcats score at least 7 points tonight, and we complete a sweep of two games against the Fighting Irish.

The high man is Mason Reynolds (18p/6r/3a). Savion Wells completes another double-double (14p/10r), and Eldon Castanon (8p/8r) doesn't miss by much. Charlie Lambert (12) and Connor Baxter (11) score in double digits.
Record: 20-2 (8-1).

We're now at the halfway point of the Big East schedule.


2034 Big East Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
------------------------------------------------------------------
#2 Louisville 9 0 1.000 20 0 1.000 7 89
#1 Villanova 8 1 .889 20 2 .909 1 100
#13 Georgetown 7 2 .778 18 3 .857 13 100
#4 West Virginia 6 3 .667 17 3 .850 19 96
Syracuse 5 4 .556 15 5 .750 25 65
Notre Dame 5 4 .556 14 7 .667 43 89
#22 Connecticut 5 4 .556 16 4 .800 15 72
#15 Pittsburgh 5 4 .556 16 5 .762 48 86
Providence 4 5 .444 12 9 .571 41 71
Cincinnati 4 5 .444 10 10 .500 79 69
St. John's 4 5 .444 9 12 .429 80 74
Rutgers 3 6 .333 11 10 .524 91 73
South Florida 2 7 .222 7 14 .333 57 66
Seton Hall 2 7 .222 5 15 .250 170 58
DePaul 2 7 .222 5 16 .238 229 55
Marquette 1 8 .111 4 17 .190 289 57

[MoonlightGraham]

February 3, 2035
@#1 Villanova 80, Marquette 64
Savion Wells continues to demonstrate why pro teams covet him. Tonight he scores 23 points to lead a group of four Wildcats in double figures as we beat Marquette at the Wells Fargo Center.

Wells also leads the team with 11 rebounds. Mason Reynolds finishes with 18 and 9. Eldon Castanon, who's a very good rebounder for a 6'3" guard, hauls in 9 with 6 assists and 2 steals. Chris Woolstenhulme and Connor Baxter each score 12 points.
It's a very solid win that demonstrates our team's balance.
Record: 21-2 (9-1).


February 7, 2035
#3 West Virginia 94, #1 Villanova 82

---------------------------------------------------------
West Virginia (19-3, 8-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ralph Pitzer C 29 4-6 10-13 4 9 2 4 18
James Garrett PF 32 6-9 4-5 2 14 4 1 16
Luther Turner SF 27 5-8 6-10 1 7 0 4 19
Cardarion Cross SG 32 7-13 6-6 0 2 6 2 25
Linwood Damiano PG 33 3-7 0-1 1 4 6 3 7
Hugh Cull PG 15 0-1 0-0 0 1 2 0 0
Brooks McChesney PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Joel Hogan C 14 1-3 2-2 0 4 0 1 4
Larry Red SF 9 2-3 0-0 0 0 0 2 5
Allan Hagan PF 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Merlin Odom SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 16 (R.Pitzer 1, L.Turner 3, C.Cross 3,
L.Damiano 6, J.Hogan 1, L.Red 1, A.Hagan 1)
Blocked Shots: 11 (R.Pitzer 7, J.Garrett 2, L.Turner 1,
L.Damiano 1)
Steals: 4 (C.Cross 1, L.Damiano 1, L.Red 2)
3P FGs: 10-20 (L.Turner 3-5, C.Cross 5-9, L.Damiano
1-4, H.Cull 0-1, L.Red 1-1)

Villanova (21-3, 9-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Savion Wells C 32 4-19 4-6 1 5 2 3 12
C. Woolstenhulme PF 11 1-5 0-0 1 3 2 4 2
Mason Reynolds SF 34 11-18 3-3 7 11 2 5 30
Eldon Castanon SG 28 0-4 2-2 1 3 3 1 2
Connor Baxter PG 30 2-7 0-0 0 1 5 3 5
Charlie Lambert PF 24 5-7 1-3 1 4 1 2 15
Max Bennett SG 16 4-7 0-0 1 1 0 2 9
Trey Partridge PG 4 1-2 0-0 1 1 3 2 2
Kyle Gribble PF 15 1-2 0-0 1 4 0 3 3
Charles Peterman SF 3 1-3 0-0 1 1 0 1 2
Erick Sullivan C 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (S.Wells 3, M.Reynolds 3, E.Castanon 3,
C.Lambert 2, M.Bennett 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (C.Woolstenhulme 1, E.Castanon 1,
C.Lambert 2)
Steals: 6 (M.Reynolds 2, E.Castanon 1, M.Bennett 1,
K.Gribble 1, E.Sullivan 1)
3P FGs: 12-29 (M.Reynolds 5-9, E.Castanon 0-4, C.Baxter
1-4, C.Lambert 4-5, M.Bennett 1-3, T.Partridge 0-1,
K.Gribble 1-2, C.Peterman 0-1)

Player of Game: C Ralph Pitzer (WVU)
Two very good basketball teams, playing a very good game of basketball.

Cardarion Cross and Mason Reynolds both play exceptionally good games, demonstrating their own interpretations of perimeter play. Cross emphasizes creativity tonight, and Reynolds features physicality.

However, it's Ralph Pitzer who makes the difference. He's an excellent shot blocker for a 6'8" player, and his presence frustrates us all night long.

I'd like to think we'll see the Mountaineers again this spring. Maybe we'll have something different to show them.
Record: 21-3 (9-2).


February 10, 2035
#1 Villanova 99, @Seton Hall 72
We don't shoot exceptionally well from long range (9-for-27), but we do almost everything else right as we avenge our loss against the hapless Pirates.

I'll simply paste our half of the box score, so you can see how many Wildcats contributed in how many ways to our victory:
Villanova (22-3, 10-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Savion Wells C 27 3-5 5-12 3 8 4 3 11
C. Woolstenhulme PF 29 5-8 4-6 1 6 3 0 14
Mason Reynolds SF 22 7-12 1-1 1 5 2 4 17
Eldon Castanon SG 19 3-5 2-2 0 3 5 4 10
Connor Baxter PG 30 6-11 3-4 1 4 5 3 18
Charlie Lambert SF 23 1-7 2-2 3 4 0 0 4
Max Bennett SG 19 2-6 4-4 0 0 2 1 10
Trey Partridge PG 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 0
Matt Valentine SG 4 1-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 2
Kyle Gribble PF 16 3-3 3-3 1 5 1 1 9
Charles Peterman SF 5 2-2 0-0 1 2 0 0 4

Turnovers: 14 (S.Wells 3, C.Woolstenhulme 2, M.Reynolds
1, E.Castanon 3, C.Baxter 3, M.Bennett 1, T.Partridge
1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (S.Wells 2, C.Woolstenhulme 1)
Steals: 5 (S.Wells 1, M.Reynolds 1, E.Castanon 1,
M.Bennett 2)
3P FGs: 9-27 (M.Reynolds 2-5, E.Castanon 2-4, C.Baxter
3-7, C.Lambert 0-4, M.Bennett 2-6, M.Valentine 0-1)
Fun stat fact: We're second in the nation in assists per game (21.0), and no player on our team averages more than 4.6 APG. I love how unselfish we are.
Record: 22-3 (10-2).


February 14, 2035
#2 Villanova 89, @St. John's 63
Mason Reynolds' 26 points account for the margin of victory in today's trip to the borough of Queens.

He's supported well by Connor Baxter (17p/7a/5r), Savion Wells (14p/12r), and Chris Woolstenhulme (10p/7r/3b). Max Bennett makes good use of 16 minutes of playing time, scoring 7 points and handing out 4 assists.

We barely exceed our season's field goal percentage (.493 to .491), which ranks third in all of Division I.
Record: 23-3 (11-2).

[MoonlightGraham]

February 17, 2035
@#2 Villanova 98, South Florida 59
Behind Savion Wells' 20 points and 11 rebounds, we roll to an easy victory at the Pavilion.

Chris Woolstenhulme and Connor Baxter each score 14 points; Chris adds 8 rebounds and Connor 6 assists. Mason Reynolds and Eldon Castanon post matching 9-point, 7-rebound stat lines. Charlie Lambert contributes 12 points from the bench.

Louisville finally loses (to Cincinnati), so we're now only a game behind them in the Big East race.
Record: 24-3 (12-2).


February 20, 2035
#2 Villanova 82, @DePaul 64
The Blue Demons defend their home court well for 20 minutes, and we lead by 35-33 at the break. As we often do, we take control of the game in the second half.

Chris Woolstenhulme (14p/11r/3b) and Mason Reynolds (20p/8r/2s) are the headliners, and Eldon Castanon (12p/6r) and Connor Baxter (12p) provide quality support. It's an especially big night for Chris, as he scores his 1000th career point.
Record: 25-3 (13-2).


February 24, 2035
#2 Villanova 80, #4 Louisville 62

---------------------------------------------------------
Louisville (25-2, 14-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Carl O'Neill C 25 8-13 5-7 3 7 1 4 21
Claude Welsh PF 29 1-4 0-0 1 7 0 2 2
John Davis SF 23 1-6 3-4 4 7 1 1 5
Clayton Furman SG 22 2-13 1-4 0 1 2 2 5
Raul Barnes PG 31 3-10 2-4 1 2 3 1 8
Jonathon Larios SF 13 0-4 1-2 0 1 2 2 1
Nathan Anderson SG 15 1-4 0-0 0 2 1 1 3
Duane Copper SF 9 2-3 3-4 1 3 0 0 8
Ernest Lewis PG 5 1-1 0-2 0 1 0 0 3
Jerry McCoy PF 15 1-3 0-0 2 4 0 2 2
Sonny Barraza C 11 2-4 0-0 1 2 0 1 4
Jody Allred SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (C.Furman 4, R.Barnes 2, N.Anderson 2,
D.Copper 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (C.O'Neill 2, R.Barnes 1, J.McCoy 2)
Steals: 11 (C.O'Neill 1, C.Welsh 1, J.Davis 2, C.Furman
1, R.Barnes 1, J.Larios 2, N.Anderson 2, S.Barraza 1)
3P FGs: 3-21 (J.Davis 0-4, C.Furman 0-8, R.Barnes 0-1,
J.Larios 0-2, N.Anderson 1-3, D.Copper 1-1, E.Lewis
1-1, S.Barraza 0-1)

Villanova (26-3, 14-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Savion Wells C 29 8-15 4-5 3 15 2 2 20
C. Woolstenhulme PF 24 3-7 2-3 2 8 1 3 8
Mason Reynolds SF 17 3-6 0-0 0 2 3 4 7
Eldon Castanon SG 26 4-7 0-0 1 7 7 4 11
Connor Baxter PG 30 5-9 0-1 0 2 6 3 13
Charlie Lambert SF 25 1-2 6-6 0 4 0 2 8
Max Bennett SG 14 0-2 0-0 0 0 1 1 0
Trey Partridge PG 9 1-4 0-0 1 4 0 1 2
Kyle Gribble PF 20 4-7 1-1 3 4 1 2 10
Charles Peterman SF 5 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Erick Sullivan C 2 0-0 1-2 0 1 0 0 1

Turnovers: 17 (S.Wells 2, C.Woolstenhulme 1, M.Reynolds
3, E.Castanon 4, C.Baxter 2, M.Bennett 1, T.Partridge
2, K.Gribble 2)
Blocked Shots: 4 (S.Wells 1, C.Woolstenhulme 2,
C.Baxter 1)
Steals: 4 (E.Castanon 2, C.Baxter 2)
3P FGs: 8-20 (M.Reynolds 1-3, E.Castanon 3-6, C.Baxter
3-5, C.Lambert 0-1, M.Bennett 0-1, T.Partridge 0-1,
K.Gribble 1-2, C.Peterman 0-1)

Player of Game: C Savion Wells (VLNV)
This game is understandably billed as a clash of Big East titans, but we employ a varied arsenal of weapons to defeat our visitors and take over the Big East lead.

Savion Wells loses the scoring contest to Louisville's excellent senior center, Carl O'Neill, but he grabs a career-high 15 rebounds to decisively win that battle. And our backcourt pair, Eldon Castanon and Connor Baxter, clearly have the edge tonight.

It gets no easier, as we host Georgetown on Senior Night next.
Record: 26-3 (14-2).


February 28, 2035
#2 Villanova 98, #10 Georgetown 75

---------------------------------------------------------
Georgetown (22-7, 11-6):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Timothy Johnson C 21 3-5 0-0 1 4 0 3 6
David McDermott PF 15 2-2 0-0 1 4 1 4 5
Brian Bishop SF 32 8-21 2-3 4 8 1 4 18
Ira Tupper SG 27 6-20 2-2 3 6 1 3 18
Douglas Wilson PG 22 3-7 0-0 2 4 3 1 8
Frank Murdoch PG 22 2-8 0-0 0 0 1 1 6
Oscar Duncan PF 21 1-4 0-0 0 2 0 0 2
Stanley Bailes C 21 0-1 0-0 0 6 1 4 0
Larry Bolding SF 9 2-6 0-0 0 0 1 2 6
Roy Powe SG 9 2-4 1-1 0 0 2 1 6

Turnovers: 16 (T.Johnson 3, D.McDermott 1, B.Bishop 2,
I.Tupper 1, D.Wilson 3, F.Murdoch 1, O.Duncan 2,
L.Bolding 2, R.Powe 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (T.Johnson 1, D.McDermott 2, B.Bishop
1, O.Duncan 3)
Steals: 7 (T.Johnson 1, B.Bishop 1, F.Murdoch 2,
O.Duncan 2, R.Powe 1)
3P FGs: 12-30 (D.McDermott 1-1, I.Tupper 4-14, D.Wilson
2-4, F.Murdoch 2-6, O.Duncan 0-1, L.Bolding 2-3,
R.Powe 1-1)

Villanova (27-3, 15-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Savion Wells C 28 9-16 4-5 4 13 0 1 22
C. Woolstenhulme PF 28 7-12 2-5 1 10 1 0 16
Mason Reynolds SF 33 5-15 4-5 4 13 7 3 15
Eldon Castanon SG 26 4-7 4-6 0 5 6 3 14
Connor Baxter PG 30 2-4 5-6 0 2 5 1 11
Charlie Lambert PF 20 4-7 1-3 2 3 0 0 11
Max Bennett PG 14 0-0 0-0 0 3 1 0 0
Matt Valentine SG 7 2-3 0-0 0 0 3 0 5
Kyle Gribble PF 10 0-0 2-2 2 2 0 0 2
Charles Peterman SF 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2
William Collins PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 19 (S.Wells 4, C.Woolstenhulme 2, M.Reynolds
3, E.Castanon 2, C.Baxter 5, C.Lambert 1, M.Bennett 2)
Blocked Shots: 6 (S.Wells 1, C.Woolstenhulme 1,
C.Lambert 2, M.Bennett 1, C.Peterman 1)
Steals: 7 (M.Reynolds 4, E.Castanon 1, C.Baxter 1,
K.Gribble 1)
3P FGs: 8-20 (M.Reynolds 1-7, E.Castanon 2-3, C.Baxter
2-3, C.Lambert 2-5, M.Valentine 1-2)

Player of Game: SF Mason Reynolds (VLNV)
A triple double-double featuring two men who are almost certainly appearing before their home crowd for the final time tonight! What a way for Savion Wells and Chris Woolstenhulme to punctuate their careers.

Mason Reynolds produces the kind of game that makes me think he's got a great chance of being named the Big East Player of the Year. Louisville's Carl O'Neill averages a double-double, so he is certainly in the running, too...but I love the many ways in which Mason can influence a game.
Record: 27-3 (15-2).


March 3, 2035
#2 Villanova 101, Providence 85
Take a bow, Connor Baxter.

The sophomore point guard posts his first career double-double, scoring 23 points and handing out 11 assists as we secure Villanova's eighth Big East regular season championship. It's the fifth of the Graham Sims era.

Chris Woolstenhulme (14p/11r) completes a double feature of his own. Savion Wells scores 19 points and grabs 7 rebounds. Mason Reynolds adds 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Providence's Grover Moore, a senior who has scored over 2200 points in his collegiate career, leads all scorers with 29.
Record: 28-3 (16-2).

[MoonlightGraham]

March 8, 2035

The Big East tournament looks like this so far:

https://i.imgur.com/KXGVV38.jpeg

Big East Tournament, First Round
(1) #1 Villanova 68, (8) #17 Pittsburgh 64
Every game in the Big East tournament is tough. The Panthers prove this, taking a 33-28 halftime lead and giving us every bit as much as we can handle.

We survive double-doubles from Pitt guards John Warren and James Holler behind 17 points from Connor Baxter, 14 from Mason Reynolds, and 10 from Chris Woolstenhulme. Chris and Savion Wells both grab 9 rebounds.

Mason Reynolds becomes the third Wildcat to score his 1000th career point this year.
Record: 29-3.


March 9, 2035
Big East Tournament Semifinal
(4) #13 Georgetown 82, (1) #1 Villanova 66
The Hoyas cast another spell on us in the Big East tourney, eliminating us with relative ease.

Freshman Brian Bishop, whom we recruited, lights us up for 22 points and 9 rebounds. For us, Savion Wells drops a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double, Eldon Castanon scores a career-best 21 points, Connor Baxter hands out 10 assists, and Mason Reynolds scores 10 points.

We might have just cost ourselves a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Record: 29-4.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 11, 2035

Georgetown defeated Louisville to win the Big East tournament yesterday. Despite our loss in the semifinals, we keep the #1 spot in the media poll and remain a top seed in the NCAA brackets. We're off to the South Region; the other one seeds will be Kentucky, Louisville, and Boston College.


March 15, 2035
NCAA South Region, First Round
(1) #1 Villanova 88, (16) Eastern Kentucky 85
The focus of the college basketball world turns to our game, where the winner of a play-in game leads the top team in the nation by five points at halftime and widens that lead to 12 by the 12:00 media timeout of the second half.

We don't draw even until Connor Baxter is fouled attempting a three-pointer and drains all three shots to make the score 82-82...with 2:33 remaining. Mason Reynolds gives us our FIRST LEAD OF THE GAME shortly after, when he knocks down a triple.

Reynolds finishes with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. Savion Wells scores 16, and Chris Woolstenhulme grabs 12 rebounds and scores 7 points.
Record: 30-4.


March 17, 2035
NCAA South Region, Second Round
(1) #1 Villanova 85, (9) Louisiana State 67
The Tigers defeated Lafayette in the first round, but fail to knock off the other program associated with Coach Graham Sims in the second one.

Mason Reynolds (22p/11r/2s) makes sure of that, with help from Chris Woolstenhulme (14p), Savion Wells (11p/6r), Connor Baxter (11p/6a), and Eldon Castanon (10p/6a).
Record: 31-3.


March 23, 2035
NCAA South Region Semifinal: the Sweet Sixteen
(1) #1 Villanova 92, (5) #23 Georgia Tech 86
---------------------------------------------------------
Georgia Tech (26-10, 9-7):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ronald Palm C 20 4-8 2-2 1 5 3 5 10
Engelbert Ohrlein PF 24 4-8 0-1 0 7 0 5 8
Chris Cloyd SF 26 8-14 2-3 1 4 2 3 21
R. Crutchfield SG 13 6-7 0-0 0 4 2 4 16
Joseph Doyle PG 36 5-6 0-0 1 3 11 3 14
Thomas Talavera C 24 1-3 0-0 1 3 0 0 2
C. Kirkpatrick SG 28 1-8 2-2 1 3 1 2 5
Royal Barboza PG 6 0-2 0-2 0 0 1 0 0
Nelson Bonney SF 10 1-2 4-4 0 2 0 0 6
C. Gallagher PF 11 1-4 2-2 2 3 1 0 4
Glenn Bracken PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (C.Cloyd 1, R.Crutchfield 1, J.Doyle 8,
T.Talavera 1, C.Kirkpatrick 3, N.Bonney 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (R.Palm 3, E.Ohrlein 1, T.Talavera 2)
Steals: 3 (J.Doyle 2, T.Talavera 1)
3P FGs: 12-25 (C.Cloyd 3-6, R.Crutchfield 4-5, J.Doyle
4-5, T.Talavera 0-1, C.Kirkpatrick 1-6, R.Barboza 0-1,
C.Gallagher 0-1)

Villanova (32-4, 16-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Savion Wells C 29 7-10 5-10 1 3 2 2 19
C. Woolstenhulme PF 29 6-11 2-2 4 11 2 2 14
Mason Reynolds SF 36 1-8 2-2 0 4 5 3 5
Eldon Castanon SG 26 1-3 0-2 2 5 5 3 2
Connor Baxter PG 32 6-10 0-0 1 4 8 3 16
Charlie Lambert PF 20 10-13 1-2 0 4 1 2 27
Matt Valentine SG 13 2-5 4-5 0 3 3 1 8
Max Bennett PG 4 0-1 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Kyle Gribble PF 9 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 0 1
Charles Peterman SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (S.Wells 1, C.Woolstenhulme 2, M.Reynolds
4, E.Castanon 1, C.Baxter 2, C.Lambert 2, K.Gribble 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (S.Wells 1, C.Woolstenhulme 1)
Steals: 3 (C.Woolstenhulme 1, C.Lambert 1, M.Valentine
1)
3P FGs: 11-21 (M.Reynolds 1-3, E.Castanon 0-2, C.Baxter
4-6, C.Lambert 6-8, M.Valentine 0-2)

Player of Game: SF Charlie Lambert (VLNV)
Welcome to Villanova basketball lore, Charlie Lambert.

In 20 minutes of playing time, the freshman sixth man sinks 6 three-pointers and racks up 27 points. The Yellowjackets do a fine job of containing Mason Reynolds, but we simply find another way to win the game.
Record: 32-3.


March 25, 2035
NCAA South Region Final: the Elite Eight
(6) Connecticut 75, (1) #1 Villanova 60
Back in January, we beat the Huskies 81-49. Tonight, they get their revenge, and then some. We never pose a serious threat to UConn's chances tonight. We simply don't play well, and they do.

Chris Woolstenhulme (most likely) ends his Villanova career with a very typical performance: a solid 11 points and 11 rebounds. Savion Wells scores 12 points, grabs 6 rebounds, and blocks 2 shots in (probably) his last game as a Wildcat. Mason Reynolds will be back; he finishes the season with a 15-point, 6-rebound, 3-assist, 4-steal game. Connor Baxter (11p/4a/3s) and Eldon Castanon (7p/4s) acquit themselves well.
Record: 32-5.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 1, 2035

Recruit Sebastian Roberts starts and scores 11 points for the victorious East team in their 114-106 victory over the West in the High School All-American Game.


April 2, 2035
Pittsburgh brings the NCAA championship back to the Big East with a 72-48 romp over Memphis tonight. Congratulations to coach Blaine Boyd, a contemporary of Graham's, on his first national title.

As we expected, Savion Wells and Chris Woolstenhulme will enter next month's professional draft. Savion is considered the best draft prospect in the Big East, and will almost certainly be a lottery pick. Chris, too, might hear his name called in the top half of the first round.

2034 OVERALL AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SO SF Jack Clary Kentucky 23.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.1 APG 1.3 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SF Brian Bishop Georgetown 15.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.8 APG 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Robert Dyer Memphis 34 - 4 (15 - 1)

All-league 1st Team:
C JR Douglas Lupo Wichita State 17.5 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.7 SPG, 2.4 BPG
PF JR Lyman Thompson Drake 18.2 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SF SO Jack Clary Kentucky 23.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG JR Cody Gonzales Kansas 17.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.5 APG, 2.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG JR Gary Melo Miami 10.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 6.8 APG, 2.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Carl O'Neill Louisville 13.3 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.4 SPG, 3.1 BPG
PF SR Arlie Collins San Francisco 8.8 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.4 SPG, 3.6 BPG
SF SO Mason Reynolds Villanova 16.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG SR Grover Moore Providence 20.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 3.4 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PG JR Jackson Hemphill Texas Christian 8.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 7.7 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 3rd Team:
C SR Ralph Pitzer West Virginia 14.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.4 SPG, 3.6 BPG
PF SR Britt Friedman Milwaukee 12.4 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.8 BPG
SF SO Cody Nieves UNLV 20.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.0 BPG
SG SO Gayle Gonzalez Purdue 21.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG SR Gerald Brough Boston College 20.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Jerrold Brewer Kansas 4.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.4 BPG
PF FR Delbert Lake IUPUI 11.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SF FR Brian Bishop Georgetown 15.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG FR Jonathan Gilkey Texas Christian 14.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR Leroy Velez Lafayette 6.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG
I was hoping Mason Reynolds' consistently excellent all-around play would earn him some All-American recognition. He's a fine choice for the second team, behind the dynamic Jack Clary of Kentucky.

Here's the list I was really looking forward to seeing.
2034 BIG EAST AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:
SO SF Mason Reynolds Villanova 16.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 4.3 APG 1.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SF Brian Bishop Georgetown 15.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.8 APG 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Stewart Gill Louisville 31 - 5 (15 - 3)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR Carl O'Neill Louisville 13.3 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.4 SPG, 3.1 BPG
PF SR James Garrett West Virginia 10.7 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.6 SPG, 2.2 BPG
SF SO Mason Reynolds Villanova 16.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG SR Grover Moore Providence 20.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 3.4 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PG SO Connor Baxter Villanova 12.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Ralph Pitzer West Virginia 14.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.4 SPG, 3.6 BPG
PF JR Chris Woolstenhulme Villanova 12.0 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.2 BPG
SF FR Brian Bishop Georgetown 15.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG JR Cardarion Cross West Virginia 13.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SR James Holler Pittsburgh 10.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.0 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Timothy Johnson Georgetown 4.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.6 BPG
PF FR Freddie Belisle Syracuse 6.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.3 SPG, 1.0 BPG
SF FR Brian Bishop Georgetown 15.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG FR Jonathon Larios Louisville 7.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PG FR Douglas Wilson Georgetown 8.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Way to go, Mason! I'm going to have to look back to see how many Villanova players have been named Big East Player of the Year. There haven't been many. Asher Wise never won it.

And I'm thrilled to see Connor Baxter join Mason on the all-conference first team. Both players will be with us for at least one more year, too.

Chris Woolstenhulme will end his Villanova career on a high note, with his second post-season honor.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 3, 2035
#1 VILLANOVA TEAM INFO

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 100 Record Vs 1-50: 14-5 Poll Rank: #1
Season Record: 32-5 Record Vs 51-100: 5-0 RPI Rank: #1
Conference Record: 16-2 Record Vs 101-200: 6-0
Home Record: 16-1 Record Vs 200+: 7-0


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 86.4 1 2 Points 67.6 8 125 Points 18.8 1 2
O.Reb 11.8 6 79 O.Reb 11.5 14 251 O.Reb 0.4 9 153
D.Reb 29.1 1 3 D.Reb 23.9 5 79 D.Reb 5.2 1 4
Rebounds 40.9 1 9 Rebounds 35.4 7 127 Rebounds 5.6 3 14
Assists 20.9 1 2 Assists 13.2 7 172 Assists 7.7 1 1
Steals 6.7 5 73 Steals 4.9 4 47 Steals 1.7 5 45
Blocks 4.4 11 61 Blocks 4.3 10 320 Blocks 0.0 10 145
Turnovers 12.7 4 55 Turnovers 15.1 6 56 Turnovers -2.4 5 33
Fouls 17.9 6 54 Fouls 18.8 6 239 Fouls -0.9 5 103
FG% .484 1 4 FG% .389 2 8 FG% .094 1 3
FT% .763 1 2 FT% .702 10 316 FT% .061 1 16
3P% .390 4 15 3P% .316 1 45 3P% .074 1 4
PPS 1.37 1 3 PPS 1.11 3 13 PPS .258 1 3
Adj. FG% .557 1 4 Adj. FG% .444 1 10 Adj. FG% .112 1 3

Offense: Outstanding. We could flat-out shoot the ball, and as I mentioned before, I loved the way we distributed it so unselfishly.
Defense: Good. We did a good job of limiting our opponents' field goal percentages. We don't force a lot of turnovers, but our defense isn't set up to do that.
Margins: Very, very good. We led the nation in offensive efficiency (116.1) and finished 15th in defensive efficiency (91.1).

I'll be back with Farewells in a bit.

[MoonlightGraham]

2034/35 Farewell

CHRIS WOOLSTENHULME

The decision to recruit Chris Woolstenhulme was an easy one. Harriton High School isn't two miles away from the Villanova campus. He grew up attending Villanova basketball camps and attending Villanova games. And he was good enough to be a high school All-American.

We had high hopes for Chris, and he met them.
#12 PF Chris Woolstenhulme - Villanova - Junior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 232
High School: Harriton High School
Hometown: Bryn Mawr, PA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 80 58 59 18 31 24 78 73 59 30 21 63 47 86 74 62
2033: 78 54 58 17 29 22 76 73 57 28 19 61 44 80 74 54
2032: 68 50 54 16 26 19 68 65 50 26 17 54 43 74 73 47
2031: 58 46 50 14 24 17 60 57 44 24 15 48 42 64 71 33
Potential: B C C D D D B B C D D C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 78

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 39 9 24.4 7.9 1.9 6.5 1.4 1.3 1.06 0.4 0.8 2.5
2033 37 0 23.9 9.9 2.0 6.7 1.4 1.7 0.81 0.3 0.9 2.3
2034 37 37 27.6 12.0 2.2 8.4 1.8 1.6 1.10 0.5 1.2 2.5
Career 113 46 25.3 9.9 2.0 7.2 1.5 1.5 1.10 0.4 1.0 2.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 2.9 5.9 .485 2.2 2.8 .771 0.0 0.1 .000 1.33 10.00
2033 3.5 8.3 .428 2.7 3.4 .787 0.1 0.2 .500 1.19 10.30
2034 4.3 9.2 .469 3.4 4.3 .780 0.0 0.0 .000 1.30 13.57
Career 3.6 7.8 .459 2.7 3.5 .780 0.0 0.1 .333 1.27 11.27

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 39 9 951 308 73 253 53 50 15 31 99
2033 37 0 886 365 74 248 51 63 12 34 84
2034 37 37 1023 444 83 310 65 59 19 46 92
Career 113 46 2860 1117 230 811 169 172 46 111 275

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 112 231 84 109 0 2 390
2033 131 306 100 127 3 6 381
2034 160 341 124 159 0 1 502
Career 403 878 308 395 3 9 1273

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 19 5 17 5 2 3 6 8 19 10 10 0 1
Career 19 6 17 5 2 4 6 8 19 11 12 1 2

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 7
2031 High School: Rated **** and #16 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2031 High School: All-State (Pennsylvania)
2031 High School: All-American
2032 Freshman All-American
2032 Freshman All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2034 2nd Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)

Chris spent his first two years in a three-man frontcourt rotation with classmate Savion Wells and Zach Cohen, a pure center who was a year ahead of them. Chris was usually the "odd man out" as far as the starting five was concerned, mainly because he was versatile enough to pair effectively with either Savion or Zach.

Most comfortable in the "scorer" role at first, Chris became strong and tough enough for the "dirtier" work of rebounding and defense. He was also an excellent free throw shooter, shooting nearly 80 percent for his career.

Chris will almost certainly hear his name called in the first round of next month's pro draft, possibly among the lottery picks. He is well on his way to completing a degree in Biology, and he has talked about how important finishing that degree is to him. First, however, he's anticipating a successful professional career.

Thanks for the memories, Chris.

[MoonlightGraham]

2034/35 Farewell

SAVION WELLS

This seven-footer played high school ball for Loomis Chaffee, a boarding school in Connecticut. The top-rated center in his class, you would think Connecticut and Boston College would have recruited him heavily from the start, but neither New England powerhouse offered him a scholarship. Savion made his desire to play for one of those programs quite clear.

I wonder if those coaches regret those decisions now?
#41 C Savion Wells - Villanova - Junior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 7-0
Weight: 251
High School: Loomis Chaffee School
Hometown: Windsor, CT

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 88 53 58 39 34 30 74 78 60 27 24 52 39 91 52 59
2033: 85 48 57 37 32 28 72 78 55 25 22 51 38 83 51 51
2032: 73 44 53 35 30 26 63 69 50 23 20 46 38 75 50 43
2031: 65 40 49 33 28 24 57 63 44 21 18 40 35 59 47 27
Potential: A C C C D D B B C D D C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 87

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 39 39 23.5 8.6 1.4 5.4 1.0 1.2 0.89 0.4 0.4 2.5
2033 37 36 25.3 12.2 2.1 6.3 1.5 1.4 1.12 0.4 0.5 2.7
2034 37 37 27.5 14.4 2.3 8.1 1.7 1.8 0.94 0.5 0.8 2.6
Career 113 112 25.4 11.7 1.9 6.6 1.4 1.4 0.94 0.5 0.6 2.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 3.4 5.8 .582 1.8 2.4 .737 0.1 0.3 .364 1.49 12.08
2033 4.2 8.5 .491 3.8 5.5 .693 0.0 0.1 .000 1.43 11.70
2034 5.3 10.7 .496 3.8 5.4 .707 0.0 0.0 .000 1.35 16.73
Career 4.3 8.3 .515 3.1 4.4 .707 0.0 0.1 .308 1.41 13.48

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 39 39 916 336 54 209 40 45 15 16 99
2033 37 36 936 452 79 234 56 50 16 19 101
2034 37 37 1017 534 86 300 63 67 20 30 96
Career 113 112 2869 1322 219 743 159 162 51 65 296

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 131 225 70 95 4 11 471
2033 155 316 142 205 0 2 433
2034 197 397 140 198 0 0 619
Career 483 938 352 498 4 13 1523

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 25 8 15 4 3 3 4 11 19 9 12 0 0
Career 28 8 15 5 3 3 4 12 19 9 13 1 2

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 14
2031 High School: Rated **** and #19 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2031 High School: All-State (Connecticut)
2031 High School: Mr. Basketball (Connecticut)
2031 High School: All-American

Savion Wells started 112 games in his three-year Villanova career. He played the four as a freshman and sophomore, before inheriting the center position after Zach Cohen left for pro basketball.

A close look at Savion's career statistics reveals the steady improvement he made over the course of his career. He led the nation in field goal percentage as a freshman, but he also kept his percentage high after he became a more integral part of our offense, a player against whom opposing teams began to plan to stop.

He would have been an All-Conference player in almost any league other than the Big East, where he's had to contend with players like Carl O'Neill and Ralph Pitzer. Savion is considered a better pro prospect than either of those two All-Americans. That says something to me.

Most mock drafts have Savion coming off the board with the fifth pick. He'll certainly be chosen in the lottery, and a bright future awaits him as a pro. He's also been an exceptionally good student, majoring in Computer Science. Like his classmate and friend, Chris Woolstenhulme, Savion is determined to complete his degree.

I'm glad he decided Villanova might not be so bad, after all.

Thanks for the memories, Savion.

[MoonlightGraham]

2034/35 Senior Tribute

WILLIAM COLLINS

William Collins played a total of eight minutes for Villanova over the last two seasons of his three-season career. His teammates unanimously decided that William should receive the same keepsakes for the Big East conference championships they won as everyone else. That tells me how highly they valued his contributions to their team.
#20 PF William Collins - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-5
Weight: 234
High School: Avoyelles High School
Hometown: Moreauville, LA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 9 23 32 0 15 35 49 84 89 22 48 67 43 78 40 94
2033: 9 22 32 0 14 34 46 79 88 21 46 64 42 76 39 86
2032: 9 20 30 0 13 32 43 72 82 20 44 59 42 74 38 78
2031: 9 19 29 0 12 31 40 67 77 19 43 55 42 72 37 70
2030: 9 18 28 0 11 30 38 63 72 18 42 51 41 70 36 61
2029: 7 16 26 0 11 28 33 54 62 16 40 43 40 64 32 37
Potential: F D D F F C C A A D C B

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 75

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 27 0 7.8 0.9 0.4 2.0 0.4 0.4 0.92 0.1 0.4 0.9
2033 3 0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.3
2034 3 0 1.7 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.3
Career 33 0 6.6 0.7 0.3 1.7 0.3 0.4 0.00 0.1 0.3 0.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 0.3 0.8 .364 0.3 0.4 .700 0.0 0.0 .000 1.05 4.30
2033 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.00 0.67
2034 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.00 -0.33
Career 0.2 0.7 .364 0.2 0.3 .700 0.0 0.0 .000 1.05 3.55

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 27 0 211 23 11 55 11 12 3 11 25
2033 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2034 3 0 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Career 33 0 219 23 11 56 11 12 3 11 27

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 8 22 7 10 0 1 116
2033 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
2034 0 0 0 0 0 0 -1
Career 8 22 7 10 0 1 117

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 7 2 6 2 1 2 3 3 4 2 2 0 1

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2029 High School: Rated *** and #370 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2030 Transfered from Louisiana State

William joined us as a transfer from LSU. We identified in him the potential to become a plus-plus defender and rebounder, despite standing only 6'5". William appeared in 27 games as a redshirt sophomore and impressed us with his ability to crash the boards.

Had William possessed a signature skill on offense, he would have carved out a more significant role in our program. However, he never seemed to develop that part of his game. Instead, he went at guys like Savion Wells and Chris Woolstenhulme every day in practice, defending them as well as anyone they would face in the Big East.

William will graduate next month with a degree in Human Resource Management, and he's entering the management training program for a large corporation headquartered in Philadelphia.

Thanks for the memories, William.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 7, 2035
Draft Night goes well for basketball fans in eastern Pennsylvania.

Savion Wells is the first to hear his name called, chosen at #4. Four picks later, Chris Woolstenhulme comes off the board.

Lafayette center Dani Geisler is chosen immediately after Chris. Then, at #19, another Leopard, guard Chris Willman is chosen. All four of these players are juniors; in fact, only one of the first 20 picks is used to draft a player who completed his eligibility.

2034 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. West Virginia Big East SF Jack Edwards ***** 3 2 0 0 0
2. Stanford Pacific-10 SF Thurman Hodges ***** 2 1 1 0 0
3. Kentucky SEC C Jack Sitton ***** 2 2 0 0 0
4. Duke ACC SG Lorenzo Merrick ***** 1 1 3 0 0
5. Pittsburgh Big East PF Alonzo Hale ***** 1 3 0 0 0
6. Boston College ACC PG Taylor Murray ***** 2 0 1 0 0
7. Memphis Conference USA PG Charles Holloway ***** 1 2 1 0 0
8. Georgetown Big East SG Ahmad Ashworth ***** 3 0 0 0 0
9. Vanderbilt SEC PG Fletcher Watkins ***** 1 1 2 0 0
10. Miami ACC C Beau Magness ***** 1 2 1 0 0
11. North Carolina ACC SF Eric Purnell ***** 1 1 1 0 0
12. Tennessee SEC SF Waylon Dang ***** 1 2 0 0 0
13. Kansas Big 12 C Timothy Aceves ***** 2 0 2 0 0
14. Villanova Big East SF Luke Christensen ***** 2 0 0 0 0
15. Utah Mountain West C Norris Wright **** 0 2 2 0 0
16. Washington Pacific-10 PF Cletus Watterson ***** 1 0 1 0 0
17. New Mexico Mountain West PG Liam Martin **** 0 2 2 0 0
18. Michigan Big Ten PG Charles Phinney *** 0 0 5 1 0
19. Connecticut Big East SG Clifton Bowe **** 0 3 0 0 0
20. Fresno State WAC C Kenneth Stumpf **** 0 2 2 0 0

When your recruiting class numbers only two players, you can only rise so high in the national rankings. Both our incoming freshmen, SF Luke Christensen and C Sebastian Roberts, keep their five stars, but we fall behind programs who brought in more players.

West Virginia combines quality and quantity in a fearsome recruiting class, fronted by wing Jack Edwards. He's a western PA kid I wish we could have convinced to move east.
2034 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. West Virginia Big East SF Jack Edwards ***** 3 2 0 0 0
5. Pittsburgh Big East PF Alonzo Hale ***** 1 3 0 0 0
8. Georgetown Big East SG Ahmad Ashworth ***** 3 0 0 0 0
14. Villanova Big East SF Luke Christensen ***** 2 0 0 0 0
19. Connecticut Big East SG Clifton Bowe **** 0 3 0 0 0
22. Louisville Big East SF Rocky Hornback **** 0 2 1 0 0
28. DePaul Big East SG Warren Jordan **** 0 1 3 1 0
38. Rutgers Big East PF Andrew Jackson **** 0 1 2 0 0
66. Cincinnati Big East SG Sterling Ott *** 0 0 2 1 0
70. St. John's Big East SF Walker Smith **** 0 1 0 0 0
131. Seton Hall Big East C Helmut Blininger *** 0 0 2 0 0
146. Syracuse Big East PG Willy Bellinger *** 0 0 2 0 0
186. Providence Big East C Andrew Smith *** 0 0 2 1 0
230. Marquette Big East SG Jason Calvert *** 0 0 1 1 0
265. South Florida Big East C Denver Tellez *** 0 0 1 0 0
344. Notre Dame Big East 0 0 0 0 0

A strong incoming class might have DePaul climbing the Big East standings in a year or two. Meanwhile, teams like Syracuse and Providence will have to hope for a sleeper or two to arise.

Our Prestige remains at 100, and our budget holds at $800,000/year. The Facilities upgrade that was announced last year has raised our score to 90.

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2035
Two notable coaches announce their retirements today. Louie Smith, most recently at Penn State, completes his career with a lifetime total of 458 wins. And Kansas coach Joshua Williams, whose 604 career victories place him sixth on the all-time list, is also hanging up his whistle.

Eleven programs offer Graham Sims their head coaching jobs, including Penn State and Kansas, but he won't do more than open their emails. Kansas hires Graham's friend Blaine Boyd, who surprisingly leaves Pitt after 24 seasons there.

Oklahoma surprises many by firing head coach Tracy Norton, a veteran with 587 wins to his credit. Also among those now looking for work is Gregg Woods, Graham's former Recruiting Coordinator at Lafayette. Albany fires Coach Woods after ten seasons, over which he posted a 148-198 record.

Speaking of Recruiting Coordinators, we'll be looking for a new one. Tyler Twombly becomes the latest of Graham's lieutenants to get a chance at a head coaching job, hired by IPFW to replace the retiring William Foster.

I decide to take a chance on an unproven, but superbly talented young coach to fill Coach Twombly's shoes. Tom Caballero is only 30 years old, and he's never worked at the Division I level. However, The Knight has a perfect 100 score for Recruiting, and he'll accept a three-year contract at $202,799/year. Coach Caballero is from Harbor Springs, Michigan, and he's a Michigan alumnus. Welcome to the team, Coach.

We don't see anyone in the transfer portal we'd like to sign.

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2035

We currently have two scholarships to offer this season. One will be vacated by graduating senior PG Trey Partridge, and I cut a disgruntled walk-on to open up a second.

There are now only three big men among the scholarship players on our roster, so it would probably be a good idea to bring one in. We also need to find the heir apparent to point guard Connor Baxter, who is a junior. He's not likely to turn professional after this season, but his classmate, Mason Reynolds, probably will.

Fortunately, there are two very good point guards playing their high school ball in our area, and both of them like Villanova a lot. Gary Fairfield, from Burlington, NJ, is the #9 player in his class, and the #3 point guard. His high school stat line indicates an elite playmaker; he averages 9.6 assists and 1.2 turnovers per game. Delaware's Mr. Basketball, Dane Barlow, is ranked right behind Fairfield: #10 overall, #4 at his position. Dane is an All-American who profiles as a lead guard, averaging over 21 points, nearly 7 assists, and nearly 5 rebounds per game. I'm going to take an extremely close look at both Gary and Dane.

The most intriguing big men are Ohio PF John Turner and two Pennsylvania players, C Demetrius Reed and PF Jalen Christian. We probably have the best chance to land Reed, a Philly guy who averages 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds a game and makes nearly 53 percent of his shots.

I can still cut another walk-on and make a third scholarship available, and I'm seriously considering that option. I'll make that decision after our staff has had a chance to establish contacts with the players on our call list and evaluate them.

In the meantime, I think I'll make a "sight unseen" offer to Dane Barlow. Dane is also a fantastic student, which I admittedly like to see in our recruits.

Here's our call list:
#1 VILLANOVA Recruiting

Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dane Barlow PG 6-2 183 ***** Very High Delaware
Gary Fairfield PG 5-9 152 ***** Very High New Jersey
John Turner PF 6-9 240 ***** Very High Ohio
Isiah Cook PF 6-8 268 ***** Very High New York
Demetrius Reed C 7-1 272 **** Very High Pennsylvania
Jalen Christian PF 6-10 222 **** Very High New Jersey
Josh Medley SG 6-0 178 **** Very High Virginia
Brian Grammer SF 6-5 208 **** Very High New York
Johnathan Brown PG 5-11 154 **** Very High Pennsylvania
Don Fernandes SG 5-11 185 **** Very High South Carolina
Nick Spencer PG 5-10 163 *** Very High Pennsylvania
Chester Eisenberg PG 5-2 151 *** Very High Pennsylvania
Ethan DeLuca PF 6-8 222 ***** High Ohio
James Beckley PG 6-1 174 ***** High Maryland
Eimantas Fetkevicius SF 6-7 202 **** High Virginia
Will Pearson SG 6-5 189 *** High Virginia
Jelani Obasie C 6-11 233 ***** Average Massachusetts

It features recruits requested by my daughter and one of my friends. My daughter's creation, Jelani Obasie, isn't too excited about playing for Villanova. My friend's contribution, Eimantas Fetkevicius, is showing a bit more interest. :)

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2035

After getting a look at Dane Barlow's scouting report, I'm glad I offered him a scholarship.
#3 PG Dane Barlow
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-2
Weight: 183
High School: Salesianum School
Hometown: Wilmington, DE
GPA: 3.53
Test Score: 1330
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 54 71 55 52 62 63 12 14 11 40 32 8 62 47 65 53
Potential: C A B B A B F F D B C F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.4 1.6 4.6 6.8 1.7 4.12 2.3 0.4 1.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.4 18.0 .521 0.9 1.6 .581 1.8 5.0 .350

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #10 Overall, #4 PG, East Region #5 Overall, East Region #2 PG
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Delaware), All American
Top 5 Schools: West Virginia, *Villanova, *Pittsburgh, Boston College, Kentucky
Dane does have the qualities of a lead guard. He's a very good shooter with some ability to create his own shot. He already handles and passes the ball well, and he has the upside to be even better. While Dane doesn't profile as a lockdown defender in the mold of Ernest Adcock, he certainly doesn't neglect that aspect of his game.

Dane's interest in West Virginia is annoying me. Let's see if a full recruiting effort, including visits from Coaches Sims and Caballero and a visit to campus, will impress him.

Our staff don't think Gary Fairfield is nearly as ready for college ball as Dane Barlow is. Still, it's easy to see why Gary is a top prospect.
#15 PG Gary Fairfield
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 5-9
Weight: 152
High School: Burlington City High School
Hometown: Burlington, NJ
GPA: 2.41
Test Score: 1010
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 22 53 27 17 70 56 30 27 25 50 24 4 81 35 60 54
Potential: C C D C A B C D D B D F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17.1 2.1 4.9 9.6 1.2 8.35 1.5 0.0 2.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.6 15.9 .478 0.6 1.2 .522 1.3 3.9 .321

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #9 Overall, #3 PG, East Region #4 Overall, East Region #1 PG
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (New Jersey)
Top 5 Schools: Boston College, Villanova, West Virginia, North Carolina, Duke
Gary is a very athletic player with extremely good ballhandling and passing skills. He's a willing defender, too. Gary's probably never going to be much of a scorer, so his role will naturally be keeping the shooters on his team well-fed.

Like Dane, Gary lists a rival from whom he hasn't received an offer yet ahead of Villanova. Boston College just signed Taylor Murray, the best point guard in last year's senior class. They don't really need a playmaker this year.

I like what I see in Demetrius Reed, too.
#32 C Demetrius Reed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 7-1
Weight: 272
High School: William Penn Charter School
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
GPA: 3.38
Test Score: 1340
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 30 25 43 18 10 17 62 49 53 28 34 59 33 95 27 28
Potential: C C C D D D A B B D C B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17.5 3.1 8.5 1.0 3.2 0.30 1.1 2.3 3.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.7 14.6 .527 2.1 3.5 .594 0.0 0.2 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #64 Overall, #10 C, East Region #17 Overall, East Region #3 C
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Villanova, Georgetown, Syracuse, St. John's, Maryland
Graham Sims had considerable success with a center from Penn Charter, back in his Lafayette days. Todd DeHaven turned out to be a Patriot League Player of the Year and a professional draft pick. Demetrius is expected to be even better than Todd was.

He keeps it simple on offense, operating in the paint and making free throws when he's fouled. But when Demetrius's team doesn't have the basketball, he really shines.

Do we really need a scoring wing who doesn't play a lot of defense? My answer is often "no," but Eimantas Fetkevicius appeals to me anyway.
#21 SF Eimantas Fetkevicius
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-7
Weight: 202
High School: Virginia Episcopal School
Hometown: Lynchburg, VA
GPA: 3.08
Test Score: 1150
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 50 52 62 48 12 20 31 29 30 24 38 9 61 39 70 44
Potential: B B B B C C C C D D C C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19.5 2.1 8.7 3.9 1.9 2.11 1.6 0.8 2.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.1 16.5 .489 1.6 1.9 .865 1.8 5.5 .318

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: High
Rankings: #36 Overall, #5 SF, Southeast Region #9 Overall, Southeast Region #2 SF
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Virginia)
Top 5 Schools: North Carolina, West Virginia, Villanova, Tennessee, Pittsburgh
The native of Lithuania boards at a school in Virginia, so he's expressed interest in several schools closer than we are to his American base. We are on Eimantas' list, however, and nobody has offered him yet.

There are enough intriguing players in this year's class that I'm going to cut another walk-on and free up a third scholarship. With two in hand, I'm going to make an offer to Demetrius Reed. He'll naturally receive the full recruitment package.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2035

Dane Barlow must have enjoyed his visit to Villanova. He's moved us to the top of his list, which he's also narrowed to us and West Virginia. We'll continue to send Coaches Sims and Caballero to woo him this month.

Demetrius Reed received an offer from Syracuse too, so he's moved the Orange up to the second spot on his list. We're still in the pole position, though. He also has an offer from Maryland to consider. Again, we'll recruit him as heavily as we can.

An offer from West Virginia turned Eimantas Fetkevicius' head this month. The Mountaineers now top his list, and we've already invited him to campus. We're also trailing Tennessee for his affections. I was on the verge of offering him a scholarship, but now I'm not so sure.

One big reason why is the love we continue to get from Gary Fairfield. Gary has offers from Boston College and Duke, but he still lists Villanova as his top choice. Do I dare offer scholarships to two point guards who are used to being the Alpha Dog? (or Cat, in the case of our program)

Or, do I pursue this player, a three-star recruit who does a lot of the things Gary does, and just about as well?
#11 PG Nick Spencer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 5-10
Weight: 163
High School: Perkiomen Valley High School
Hometown: Collegeville, PA
GPA: 3.14
Test Score: 1230
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 33 42 62 47 76 55 14 15 8 41 40 12 63 26 41 62
Potential: C C A B A B D D D A C D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.1 1.2 3.6 5.4 1.7 3.27 1.5 0.2 2.5

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.0 8.0 .500 0.8 0.8 .938 0.3 1.2 .250

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #34 PG, East Region #31 Overall, East Region #8 PG
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Villanova, *La Salle, *Colgate, Seton Hall, Maryland
Gary looks like he might end up being a slightly better shooter--he's better now, if we're scouting him accurately--but Nick is his equal as a facilitator. And while Gary is a bit more advanced defensively, Nick might eventually be the better defender. Gary is more athletic, and that seems to be the biggest difference between the two players.

Nick holds offers from La Salle and Colgate. Villanova is, by far, the biggest program on his list. I have a good feeling about Nick, and I think I'm going to offer him a scholarship, along with all the recruiting I can do.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2035

This month's recruiting efforts went well. Dane Barlow and Demetrius Reed have both taken all the other schools who were pursuing them off their lists. I think we'll get good news from both young men in a month.

Nick Spencer continues to consider La Salle and Colgate, but he seems to prefer his offer from Villanova more.

Let's hope we get good news from Nick next month, too.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2035

Good news!! Dane Barlow and Demetrius Reed announce their commitments to Villanova basketball today!

Dane is Delaware's Mr. Basketball and a high school All-American, and he's ranked fourth among point guards in his class. Demetrius is the #10 center in his class, and the third best in a region that has produced a bumper crop of big men this year.

Even better, though, is the fact that both players look well-suited for roles I want them to play. Depending on who his backcourt partner is, Dane looks like he'll be able to serve as a facilitator or a scoring point guard. Demetrius and his Blue Collar Man vibe should be comfortable paired in the post with the offensively gifted Sebastian Roberts, who will be one year ahead of him.

I'm excited to add both these players to our program!

Meanwhile, Nick Spencer removed his other suitors from his list. It looks like he'll be joining us in a month.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 11, 2035

I think it's time to meet the 2035/36 Villanova Wildcats, defending champion of the Big East.
#1 VILLANOVA General

Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trey Partridge 2 PG Sr 5-8 174 Yes 40 OK Warwick, NY
Eldon Castanon 4 SG Jr* 6-3 216 Yes 42 OK Silver Spring, MD
Mason Reynolds 5 SF Jr 6-4 213 Yes 98 OK Alexandria, VA
Max Bennett 10 PG So 6-4 197 Yes 96 OK Media, PA
Kyle Gribble 11 PF Jr 6-8 224 Yes 92 OK Lakewood, CA
Charlie Lambert 14 PF So 6-9 229 Yes 64 OK Hyattsville, MD
Connor Baxter 22 PG Jr 6-2 203 Yes 98 OK Slippery Rock, PA
Charles Peterman 25 SF Jr 6-7 230 Yes 62 Suspended Thompson, Canada
Sebastian Roberts 30 C Fr 7-0 249 Yes 99 OK Frenchtown, NJ
Matt Valentine 31 SG So 6-6 204 Yes 36 Unhappy Middletown, DE
Luke Christensen 34 SF Fr 6-4 196 Yes 64 OK Philadelphia, PA
Erick Sullivan 35 C So 6-10 273 No 87 OK Wilmington, DE
Derek Lamb 41 PF Fr 6-6 212 No 73 Redshirt Latham, OH
Preseason training went very well.

#1 VILLANOVA Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trey Partridge 2 3 2 1 5 4 2 2 1 3 2 2 1 1 1 9
Eldon Castanon 3 1 4 5 1 11 3 7 0 12 8 1 1 2 1 4
Mason Reynolds 9 10 0 0 1 5 2 9 9 0 1 5 0 2 0 0
Max Bennett 3 5 5 4 6 6 2 2 1 6 4 1 1 3 1 5
Kyle Gribble 10 5 7 4 4 3 8 3 7 1 1 0 0 3 1 11
Charlie Lambert 10 5 6 6 2 2 7 10 10 3 2 10 0 3 1 8
Connor Baxter 6 14 3 2 2 7 3 3 3 9 2 1 1 3 1 7
Charles Peterman 1 3 1 1 3 2 2 1 4 3 3 2 0 2 0 4
Sebastian Roberts 10 6 4 6 2 2 10 5 6 2 2 4 3 14 5 14
Matt Valentine 6 3 0 3 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 1 9
Luke Christensen 10 6 8 2 2 2 2 6 4 6 8 4 1 4 2 7
Erick Sullivan 3 1 2 2 1 1 3 6 6 1 1 3 1 3 0 0
Derek Lamb 4 2 4 0 2 2 4 2 8 2 2 4 3 6 1 34

This is a milestone year in our story for several reasons.

It's Graham Sims' 25th year as a head basketball coach.
It's Coach Sims' tenth year at Villanova, after 15 successful seasons at Lafayette.
It's the final year for the Wildcats at the Finneran Pavilion and the Wells Fargo Center, before the brand-new Wawa Arena opens on campus in time for the 2036/37 season.


The Wildcats return three starters from last year's team, all of whom play on the perimeter. Among them is the reigning Big East Player of the Year, Mason Reynolds. The 6'4" junior led the team in scoring while rebounding like a player 6 inches taller and averaging over 4 assists per game. There's nothing Reynolds can't do on a basketball court.

Point guard Connor Baxter is a junior now, too. He, like Reynolds, was a first team All-Big East player last season. Connor made great strides as a shooter last year, while retaining his ability to coordinate the offense. He worked hard on his shot during camp, so he should be an even more dangerous weapon.

Baxter will team with Eldon Castanon in the backcourt. The Lafayette transfer started all 37 games last season, and he gives the Wildcats a third perimeter player who can score and distribute.

Charlie Lambert, who did well as a sixth man as a freshman, will move into the starting five this season. He emerges from camp with a greater understanding of what Coach Sims wants him to do defensively, and he's demonstrated a greater ability to find opportunities to score.

Highly-regarded freshman center Sebastian Roberts looks like he's ready to start right away. Right now, Sebastian's offensive game is ahead of his defense, but he's far from a liability as a defender, rebounder, and shot blocker.

The Wildcats lack depth in the post. Kyle Gribble is the only other big man on scholarship, and while Erick Sullivan is actually decent for a walk-on, we could be in trouble if one of our bigs gets hurt.

There's plenty of depth on the perimeter, though. Senior Trey Partridge is a traditional, pass-first point guard. Sophomores Max Bennett and Matt Valentine are good shooters and active defenders, and Bennett can run the offense if necessary. First-year Luke Christensen shows promise, but he might also have to show patience this year.

We're ranked #1 in the first poll of the season, and if we can avoid injury and keep our best players on the court most of the time, we should be among the best teams in the nation again this year. Mason Reynolds is certainly talented enough to be the biggest star on a Final Four team. Veteran guards like Connor Baxter and Eldon Castanon can take a team a long way.

It would be great to mark Graham Sims' silver jubilee with a season to remember.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 11, 2035

Let's meet Vanderbilt's freshman guard, Charlie Sutton.
#3 SG Charlie Sutton - Vanderbilt - Freshman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 200
High School: Decatur Central High School
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 50 64 79 77 47 32 16 21 16 30 27 14 57 37 39 64
2034: 46 58 73 71 41 28 14 19 14 27 24 12 57 31 38 53
Potential: C B A A B C D D D C C D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 82

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 High School: Rated **** and #62 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2034 High School: All-State (Indiana)
2034 High School: Mr. Basketball (Indiana)
Charlie is a sharpshooter, and he comes out of camp with an SEC-ready jumper that is accurate out to the logo. The Commodores have a talented junior shooting guard, Steve Albrecht, who was a four-start recruit coming out of high school. There won't be any immediate need for Charlie to be a star, but he should be able to shoot his way into the Vanderbilt rotation.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 15, 2035
Preseason NIT, First Round
(1) #1 Villanova 94, (16) Savannah State 56
We have very little trouble in our opening game, as we advance with a win over Savannah State. Shooting 33-for-53 will lead to this kind of outcome.

All five starters score in double figures, led by Mason Reynolds (18p/8a/7r), who picks up where he left off last year. Eldon Castanon (17p/4a/4r), Connor Baxter (17p/3a), and first-time starters Charlie Lambert (10p/9r/2b) and Sebastian Roberts (10p/6r) provide quality assistance.
Record: 1-0.


November 17, 2035
Preseason NIT, Quarterfinal
(1) #1 Villanova 94, (8) Penn State 62
We continue to shoot the ball well, hitting 57% from three point range and 58% overall, and we move on to the semifinal.

Connor Baxter leads the way with 26 points and 4 steals, while Mason Reynolds and Eldon Castanon provide 17 apiece. Baxter and Castanon each have 7 assists. Charlie Lambert blocks 3 shots, and Erick Sullivan ties for the team lead with 6 rebounds in 11 minutes of action.
Record: 2-0.


November 24, 2035
Preseason NIT Semifinal
(1) #1 Villanova 96, (4) #6 Texas 67

---------------------------------------------------------
Texas (2-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Art Watson C 19 0-2 5-6 1 6 1 2 5
Norbert Davis PF 27 8-16 4-9 1 3 0 3 20
Robert Cottingham SF 25 1-2 0-0 2 5 0 2 3
Chase Adams SG 26 2-5 0-0 0 2 7 3 6
Larry Morton PG 29 3-14 1-2 1 2 1 2 8
Glenn Fortney C 9 2-5 0-0 1 1 1 5 4
Marco Nieto C 18 2-4 1-2 2 7 2 1 5
Inocencio Rey SG 12 1-2 0-0 1 3 0 5 2
Dave Mallon SF 10 3-3 0-0 0 3 1 0 7
Lawrence Torres PF 6 0-2 0-0 0 1 2 1 0
Dennis Conaway SG 11 1-3 0-0 1 1 1 2 2
Hassan Poole PG 7 1-3 2-2 0 0 1 0 5

Turnovers: 18 (N.Davis 2, R.Cottingham 4, C.Adams 4,
L.Morton 3, G.Fortney 2, D.Conaway 1, H.Poole 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (A.Watson 1, N.Davis 1, I.Rey 1)
Steals: 7 (R.Cottingham 1, C.Adams 1, M.Nieto 1, I.Rey
1, D.Mallon 2, L.Torres 1)
3P FGs: 6-21 (R.Cottingham 1-2, C.Adams 2-5, L.Morton
1-6, I.Rey 0-1, D.Mallon 1-1, L.Torres 0-1, D.Conaway
0-2, H.Poole 1-3)

Villanova (3-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 18 3-3 3-3 0 7 0 4 9
Charlie Lambert PF 27 5-9 2-2 2 7 2 2 13
Mason Reynolds SF 31 3-9 7-8 2 5 6 1 15
Connor Baxter SG 30 7-16 6-8 1 5 5 1 22
Eldon Castanon PG 31 6-11 2-2 0 2 7 1 17
Max Bennett SG 14 3-5 2-2 1 3 0 2 10
Trey Partridge PG 4 0-0 4-4 0 0 0 0 4
Matt Valentine SF 9 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Kyle Gribble PF 22 1-5 2-2 2 4 0 3 4
Erick Sullivan C 12 1-2 0-0 1 6 0 2 2

Turnovers: 14 (S.Roberts 1, M.Reynolds 4, C.Baxter 5,
T.Partridge 2, M.Valentine 1, E.Sullivan 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (C.Lambert 5, K.Gribble 1)
Steals: 6 (M.Reynolds 2, C.Baxter 3, T.Partridge 1)
3P FGs: 10-30 (C.Lambert 1-3, M.Reynolds 2-5, C.Baxter
2-9, E.Castanon 3-8, M.Bennett 2-4, K.Gribble 0-1)

Player of Game: PG Eldon Castanon (VLNV)
Our third straight big win puts us in the championship game of the Preseason NIT. This time, our victim is a top 10 team.

I like the way all our players are contributing: scoring, rebounding, making plays, defending. Charlie Lambert, for example, has developed into an excellent rim protector, especially considering he's a generous 6'9". And, while it's still early days, we're averaging over 21 assists a game again.
Record: 3-0.


November 26, 2035
Preseason NIT Final
(1) #1 Villanova 113, (3) #5 Miami 103

---------------------------------------------------------
Miami (3-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Beau Magness C 20 2-6 2-2 2 6 1 4 6
Thomas Caro PF 28 3-5 4-5 1 9 2 1 10
Jason Baca SF 31 8-16 2-2 1 3 2 1 21
Angelo Davis SG 32 12-17 2-2 2 3 3 3 32
Gary Melo PG 33 2-4 0-0 1 7 7 4 5
Lou Dunagan PF 18 4-13 2-2 3 5 0 3 10
Mitchel Velazquez C 13 1-4 5-5 1 3 0 2 7
Thurman Bowes PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Ronald Hightower SG 21 4-7 0-0 1 2 6 4 12
Jeff Resendez SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Joseph Bahr SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (B.Magness 1, T.Caro 2, J.Baca 4, A.Davis
2, G.Melo 2, L.Dunagan 1, R.Hightower 2, J.Resendez 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (B.Magness 1, T.Caro 1, L.Dunagan 1)
Steals: 2 (A.Davis 1, G.Melo 1)
3P FGs: 14-19 (J.Baca 3-5, A.Davis 6-7, G.Melo 1-2,
R.Hightower 4-5)

Villanova (4-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 25 0-5 0-1 4 8 3 2 0
Charlie Lambert PF 25 3-4 7-9 0 2 0 3 14
Mason Reynolds SF 34 20-30 3-3 6 12 5 2 52
Connor Baxter SG 31 3-7 0-0 2 3 7 1 7
Eldon Castanon PG 27 5-7 4-6 0 4 1 4 15
Max Bennett SG 16 2-5 0-0 0 3 8 0 5
Trey Partridge PG 5 0-1 1-2 0 0 1 0 1
Matt Valentine SF 8 3-5 1-2 0 0 0 1 10
Kyle Gribble PF 22 2-9 5-6 5 9 3 2 9
Erick Sullivan C 7 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 2 0

Turnovers: 13 (S.Roberts 2, M.Reynolds 3, C.Baxter 1,
E.Castanon 4, M.Bennett 2, T.Partridge 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Lambert 1, M.Reynolds 2)
Steals: 6 (C.Lambert 1, M.Reynolds 1, C.Baxter 1,
E.Castanon 2, K.Gribble 1)
3P FGs: 16-35 (S.Roberts 0-1, C.Lambert 1-1, M.Reynolds
9-17, C.Baxter 1-3, E.Castanon 1-1, M.Bennett 1-3,
T.Partridge 0-1, M.Valentine 3-4, K.Gribble 0-4)

Player of Game: SF Mason Reynolds (VLNV)
Mason Reynolds enjoys the day of a lifetime as we outscore the Hurricanes in an exciting Preseason NIT championship game.

Mason shatters our school records for points in a game; the previous high was 37. He wipes out the records for field goals made and attempted; the old records were 14 and 24. He ties a record for threes made in a game that's held by several Wildcats.

His 52 points is four short of the NCAA and Big East record, held by West Virginia's Daniel Kilby, who scored 56 one night in 2028. His 20 field goals made ties an NCAA mark that's held by five other players.

He's certainly not the only player who plays well tonight, but this game is his.
Record: 4-0.

https://i.imgur.com/QWqzCvz.jpeg

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2035

A third piece of good news comes our way from the recruiting front, as Nick Spencer announces his commitment today.

The experts aren't dazzled by Nick, whom they consider the #34 point guard in his class. He isn't tall, and he isn't dazzlingly quick, and he's not a great shooter or scorer. But he takes care of the ball like it's his most prized possession, and when you have it, he does his best to make sure you can't score.

I think Nick will fill his role well, and he really wants to play for Villanova. I'll take guys like that any day.

Welcome to Villanova basketball, Nick.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2035
@#1 Villanova 92, Lehigh 54
It's Sebastian Roberts' coming-out party tonight, as the freshman center scores 21 points and grabs 8 rebounds.

We score 31 baskets and record 27 assists. I love that. I love the fact we have only 5 turnovers even more. Connor Baxter led us with 10 helpers, to go along with his 18 points. Mason Reynolds (15p/9r/5a) and Charlie Lambert (10p/7r/2b) also play well.
Record: 5-0.


December 5, 2035
@#1 Villanova 106, Canisius 79
If Mason Reynolds hadn't broken the Villanova single game scoring record earlier this year, he would have tied it today. He drops 37 points on the Golden Griffins at the Pavilion. Mason adds 10 rebounds and 4 assists.

Connor Baxter posts his second straight game in double figures for assists, handing out 11 to go with 18 more points. Charlie Lambert scores 10 and rebounds 7.
Record: 6-0.


December 9, 2035
#13 Vanderbilt 86, #1 Villanova 85 (OT)

---------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (6-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 34 1-5 0-0 2 6 2 4 2
Charlie Lambert PF 34 3-11 4-6 3 8 2 2 13
Mason Reynolds SF 23 4-9 3-4 1 5 3 5 12
Connor Baxter SG 24 5-10 2-2 2 3 3 4 15
Eldon Castanon PG 34 7-10 1-2 0 3 3 0 18
Max Bennett SG 25 5-10 1-2 1 2 5 1 15
Luke Christensen SF 21 4-9 0-0 0 2 3 2 8
Matt Valentine SG 8 0-3 0-0 0 1 0 1 0
Kyle Gribble PF 17 1-6 0-0 2 4 1 2 2
Trey Partridge PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Erick Sullivan C 5 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (S.Roberts 2, M.Reynolds 1, E.Castanon 2,
M.Bennett 2, L.Christensen 3, M.Valentine 1, K.Gribble
1, E.Sullivan 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (S.Roberts 1, C.Lambert 3, C.Baxter 1,
K.Gribble 1)
Steals: 9 (M.Reynolds 5, C.Baxter 1, E.Castanon 1,
L.Christensen 1, M.Valentine 1)
3P FGs: 14-31 (S.Roberts 0-2, C.Lambert 3-5, M.Reynolds
1-4, C.Baxter 3-5, E.Castanon 3-4, M.Bennett 4-7,
L.Christensen 0-2, M.Valentine 0-1, K.Gribble 0-1)

Vanderbilt (4-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
John Stevens C 38 2-11 6-6 3 17 1 1 11
Otto Cain PF 36 3-5 5-6 2 9 1 3 11
Cristopher Bowker SF 24 2-6 2-2 2 5 2 5 7
Steven Albrecht SG 34 7-12 1-1 3 7 3 3 18
Charles Robinson PG 39 7-16 3-4 3 4 4 1 17
Charles Mahler SF 29 7-13 1-2 1 2 3 4 18
Matthew Applegate SG 7 0-3 0-0 1 1 1 0 0
Fletcher Watkins PG 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 2 0 0
Charles Phillips PF 14 2-4 0-0 1 4 1 0 4
Chris Calderon SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 19 (J.Stevens 2, O.Cain 1, C.Bowker 6,
S.Albrecht 1, C.Robinson 2, C.Mahler 6, M.Applegate 1)
Blocked Shots: 10 (J.Stevens 3, O.Cain 4, C.Bowker 2,
C.Mahler 1)
Steals: 8 (J.Stevens 2, C.Robinson 5, C.Mahler 1)
3P FGs: 8-20 (J.Stevens 1-1, C.Bowker 1-3, S.Albrecht
3-5, C.Robinson 0-5, C.Mahler 3-6)

Player of Game: PG Charles Robinson (VNDY)
Our trip to Nashville doesn't go as well as we'd like, but we can hold our heads up after an overtime loss in a very good team's gym.

The last seconds of regulation play are very exciting. After Connor Baxter sinks two free throws to tie the game at 76, we press full-court, and Mason Reynolds steals a pass. Vandy's Otto Cain makes a fantastic play to deny Charlie Lambert at the rim and preserve the tie.

You might notice Charlie Sutton doesn't appear in today's game. Commodores coach Chris Box hasn't seen enough of his freshman guard to give him any playing time yet, preferring to use sophomore Matthew Applegate with his second unit. If this continues, I'll keep an eye on Charlie's happiness level.
Record: 6-1.


December 13, 2035
@#5 Villanova 92, Gonzaga 72
The highest-scoring team in the nation falls five points shy of its season average, but we still put 92 on the board against a talented Gonzaga team.

Four starters score in double figures, but oddly enough, the odd man out is Mason Reynolds (7p/7r). Eldon Castanon (15p/6a), Sebastian Roberts (13p/8r), Connor Baxter (12p/5r/4a), and Charlie Lambert (11p/2b) are joined by reserves Luke Christensen (13) and Kyle Gribble (13). Max Bennett hands out 5 assists.
Record: 7-1.


December 16, 2035
@#5 Villanova 106, Sacred Heart 59
The torrid offensive pace continues, as we break the 100-point barrier again.

Mason Reynolds leads the way with 25. Eldon Castanon follows with 19, adding 7 assists. Connor Baxter (14p/6a), Sebastian Roberts (11p/12r), and reserves Luke Christensen (11p/5r) and Kyle Gribble (10p/5r) also hit double figures. Charlie Lambert hauls in 9 rebounds and blocks 4 shots.

Fun fact: Our nine games this season include three of the ten highest-scoring games in Villanova history.
Record: 8-1.


December 22, 2035
#3 Villanova 116, #24 Lafayette 91

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lafayette (9-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jon Jordan C 21 1-2 0-2 1 3 0 2 2
Harald Grimmig PF 20 0-2 1-2 0 0 1 4 1
Rex Ambriz SF 23 9-16 3-6 0 2 2 1 27
Charles Loy SG 23 4-9 6-7 1 4 1 2 14
Leroy Velez PG 32 4-4 6-6 0 4 3 2 18
Owen Sutton SF 19 4-8 1-3 1 2 2 5 9
Charles Bodine SG 13 3-3 0-0 0 1 5 3 6
Emery Liu SF 9 2-2 2-2 0 1 0 5 7
Q. Derryberry C 25 3-7 1-2 0 1 0 3 7
Grant Pang PF 14 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 0
Richard Bookman SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Jason Winkelman PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (H.Grimmig 1, R.Ambriz 2, L.Velez 5,
Q.Derryberry 2, G.Pang 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (R.Ambriz 1, O.Sutton 1, Q.Derryberry
2)
Steals: 4 (C.Loy 1, L.Velez 1, O.Sutton 1, E.Liu 1)
3P FGs: 11-18 (R.Ambriz 6-8, C.Loy 0-3, L.Velez 4-4,
O.Sutton 0-2, E.Liu 1-1)

Villanova (9-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 26 4-7 1-2 4 11 1 1 9
Charlie Lambert PF 27 2-6 2-3 2 3 3 3 6
Mason Reynolds SF 30 8-16 5-6 1 7 5 4 24
Connor Baxter SG 27 6-9 6-6 2 3 4 2 20
Eldon Castanon PG 20 6-6 8-9 0 2 4 4 22
Max Bennett SG 23 0-0 2-2 1 2 3 3 2
Luke Christensen SF 14 4-11 4-4 2 3 1 1 15
Matt Valentine SG 6 1-1 5-6 0 2 0 0 7
Kyle Gribble PF 15 1-2 2-2 1 2 2 2 4
Erick Sullivan C 11 2-3 3-3 1 3 0 3 7

Turnovers: 10 (S.Roberts 1, C.Baxter 4, E.Castanon 2,
M.Bennett 2, K.Gribble 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (M.Bennett 1)
Steals: 6 (M.Reynolds 1, C.Baxter 1, E.Castanon 2,
L.Christensen 2)
3P FGs: 10-24 (S.Roberts 0-1, C.Lambert 0-2, M.Reynolds
3-7, C.Baxter 2-5, E.Castanon 2-2, L.Christensen 3-6,
K.Gribble 0-1)

Player of Game: PG Eldon Castanon (VLNV)
Make that four, as we break our all-time record by scoring 116 against the visiting Leopards.

We don't shoot as many three-pointers as usual tonight. We lead the nation with 29.8 triples per game, and we make 12.5 of them, which is also the highest. And we improve our nation's best .824 team free throw percentage, sinking in 38 of 43. Connor Baxter has been the best at this skill so far, missing only twice in 30 attempts. I deliberately look to recruit good free throw shooters.
Record: 9-1.


December 26, 2035
@#3 Villanova 104, Virginia 73
The six Wildcats with the most playing time all score in double figures as we top the 100-point mark again.

Mason Reynolds goes 5-for-10 from behind the arc en route to 23 points. Charlie Lambert is right behind with 20. Max Bennett (14), Eldon Castanon (11), Sebastian Roberts (10) and Connor Baxter (10) are the others in double digits.

We're now averaging a crazy-high 99.8 points per game. The highest single-season mark in our universe's history is 87.08, set by Kentucky last year. We're not likely to stay on our arcade game pace once the Big East season begins, but I wonder if we'll stay close enough to it to break the record?

P.S. Our 86.38 mark from last year ranks third all-time.
Record: 10-1.


December 31, 2035
@#3 Villanova 87, Kent State 51
The Golden Flashes escape without allowing us to hit triple digits. One of the keys to their success was to avoid fouling us. We attempt only 9 free throws and make only 4 (!!).

Mason Reynolds (19p/7r/5a/3s) wins the PotG award. Sebastian Roberts (10p/12r/3b) would have been a fine choice, too. Or, you might choose Charlie Lambert (12p/9r/5b). Connor Baxter finishes with 10 points and 4 assists.
Record: 11-1.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 1, 2036

We ring in the New Year with some news from the academic front. Charles Peterman, who managed to get himself in trouble for bad grades despite a 62 Intelligence rating, has returned from suspension...but Trey Partridge's report card contains bad news. He's academically ineligible for second semester. Trey is a senior, so his college basketball career is over.

The players we were recruiting have all committed now, so let's see where some of them will play their college ball:


Gary Fairfield: Boston College
Jelani Obasie: Connecticut
Jalen Christian: Lafayette
Ethan DeLuca and Don Fernandes: North Carolina
Isiah Cook and Josh Medley: Georgetown
John Turner: Louisville
Eimantas Fetkevicius and Johnathan Brown: West Virginia
Brian Grammer: Syracuse


Man, a lot of them are going to play in the Big East. I'd just as soon not have to see them quite so often. :)

[MoonlightGraham]

January 5, 2036
#3 Villanova 127, Dartmouth 81

--------------------------------------------------------
Dartmouth (1-10, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Linwood Hackler C 28 4-8 5-10 1 7 1 3 13
Ike Choe PF 20 4-8 1-2 1 5 0 4 9
Ronald Sanchez SF 21 2-3 6-6 2 5 2 1 12
Carson Saunders SG 23 1-2 3-5 0 2 2 3 5
James Connors PG 21 3-5 2-2 0 1 2 1 8
Kyle Kempf C 21 1-3 1-2 0 3 3 3 3
Charles Stauffer SG 14 1-3 2-2 1 4 0 0 4
Vernon Ramos SF 14 2-7 0-0 0 1 3 1 4
Lucas Walker PG 14 2-5 4-5 0 0 1 3 10
Jake Huber PF 12 1-1 0-2 1 1 1 1 2
Theron Olivo SF 11 3-4 1-2 1 3 0 1 8
Eric Tobias SF 1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 3

Turnovers: 26 (L.Hackler 1, I.Choe 1, R.Sanchez 2,
C.Saunders 4, J.Connors 4, K.Kempf 3, C.Stauffer 2,
V.Ramos 4, L.Walker 3, T.Olivo 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (C.Saunders 1)
Steals: 2 (C.Saunders 1, C.Stauffer 1)
3P FGs: 6-18 (R.Sanchez 2-3, J.Connors 0-1, K.Kempf
0-2, C.Stauffer 0-2, V.Ramos 0-2, L.Walker 2-5,
T.Olivo 1-2, E.Tobias 1-1)

Villanova (12-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 26 2-7 2-3 4 11 0 4 6
Charlie Lambert PF 8 2-4 0-0 0 1 2 4 6
Mason Reynolds SF 28 7-17 4-4 1 6 5 4 19
Connor Baxter SG 20 7-14 2-3 2 2 4 4 19
Eldon Castanon PG 28 3-7 0-0 3 7 5 2 6
Max Bennett SG 22 7-11 6-6 1 3 4 2 25
Luke Christensen SF 17 9-10 5-5 2 6 2 2 23
Matt Valentine SG 5 2-3 0-0 0 1 0 0 5
Kyle Gribble PF 16 2-4 2-4 1 1 5 5 7
Charles Peterman PF 22 2-3 2-3 1 2 0 1 6
Erick Sullivan C 8 1-1 2-2 0 1 2 0 5

Turnovers: 11 (S.Roberts 1, C.Lambert 1, M.Reynolds 1,
C.Baxter 1, E.Castanon 3, M.Bennett 1, L.Christensen 3)
Blocked Shots: 2 (C.Lambert 1, M.Reynolds 1)
Steals: 12 (M.Reynolds 3, C.Baxter 2, E.Castanon 1,
L.Christensen 5, K.Gribble 1)
3P FGs: 14-33 (S.Roberts 0-2, C.Lambert 2-4, M.Reynolds
1-5, C.Baxter 3-7, E.Castanon 0-1, M.Bennett 5-9,
L.Christensen 0-1, M.Valentine 1-1, K.Gribble 1-2,
E.Sullivan 1-1)

Player of Game: SF Luke Christensen (VLNV)
There goes the school record again. We shoot .543/.424/.833 on high volume; we take 81 shots, four short of our record.

The bench squad lights it up tonight. Max Bennett does much of his damage from long range, but freshman Luke Christensen, the Player of the Game, misses the only three he takes.

We're averaging 100.9 points per game. I've never seen anything like it. The Big East season begins soon. This has to end then...doesn't it?
Record: 12-1.

Here's how the teams in our conference have fared in early season play.
2035 Big East Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------
#1 Georgetown 0 0 .000 13 0 1.000 12 100
#3 Villanova 0 0 .000 12 1 .923 1 100
#10 Louisville 0 0 .000 10 1 .909 26 92
#25 St. John's 0 0 .000 10 2 .833 30 72
#15 Pittsburgh 0 0 .000 9 2 .818 55 93
Providence 0 0 .000 9 2 .818 65 70
South Florida 0 0 .000 9 2 .818 70 63
Notre Dame 0 0 .000 9 3 .750 147 88
Connecticut 0 0 .000 9 2 .818 155 78
Seton Hall 0 0 .000 8 3 .727 64 57
West Virginia 0 0 .000 8 4 .667 128 97
Cincinnati 0 0 .000 7 5 .583 2 70
DePaul 0 0 .000 7 5 .583 5 55
Syracuse 0 0 .000 6 6 .500 138 68
Rutgers 0 0 .000 5 7 .417 47 70
Marquette 0 0 .000 5 6 .455 298 55


January 9, 2036
#3 Villanova 74, @Marquette 46
Suddenly, when a Big East team comes to the Pavilion, we forget how to shoot the basketball. Our 8-for-35 performance from behind the arc would possibly have cost us the game if our defense hadn't shown up with a vengeance.

Mason Reynolds and Connor Baxter lead us with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Reynolds also grabs 5 rebounds, and Baxter makes 5 steals. Luke Christensen continues to provide a spark off the bench. On a night when we don't shoot well, he's the exception, making 5 of 7 shots and scoring 11 points.
Record: 13-1 (1-0).


January 12, 2036
@Syracuse 80, #3 Villanova 79
We lose a squeaker at the Carrier Dome, as the shooting woes that plagued us in Milwaukee come east to New York with us.

Mason Reynolds does fine, making 5 of 10 threes and finishing with 22 points. But Connor Baxter misses 6 of his 7 triples and only scores 17 points because he takes 15 shots. Eldon Castanon (11p/7a) is the only other Wildcat in double figures. Sebastian Roberts grabs 9 rebounds, and Charlie Lambert snares 8.
Record: 13-2 (1-1).


January 16, 2036
#3 Villanova 89, @South Florida 73
That's more like it! We still don't shoot well from three-point range (9-for-29), but we make up for it from inside the arc (26-for-45).

Connor Baxter's performance is typical. He misses 4 of the 6 threes he tries, but he makes all 9 of his two-pointers and scores 24 points to lead all scorers. He adds 7 assists for good measure. Charlie Lambert pairs 14 points with 13 rebounds, and turns back a career-high 7 shots. Sebastian Roberts scores 12 and rebounds 9, and Matt Valentine hits for 11 off the bench.

Mason Reynolds doesn't score much (6 points) but he contributes in other ways (7 assists, 5 rebounds).
Record: 14-2 (2-1).

[MoonlightGraham]

January 19, 2036
#3 Villanova 90, @Notre Dame 83
We snap out of our three-point shooting slump, hitting 13 of 28 against the Fighting Irish in South Bend. We need those threes, too, because we allowed the Irish to drop 83 on us, seven points more than their season average.

The hard work Connor Baxter put in this fall is paying off, as he's turned into a top-tier scorer (16.9 PPG for the season). His 25 points tonight include five threes and a perfect 6-for-6 at the line. Mason Reynolds scores 22, and Charlie Lambert adds 12, all of which come on his 4 three-balls in 4 tries. Baxter, Reynolds, and Eldon Castanon all hand out 6 assists.
Record: 15-2 (3-1).


January 23, 2036
@#3 Villanova 74, #23 St. John's 59
This one feels a bit more like the performance of a vintage Graham Sims-coached team, stingy on defense with just enough scoring.

Mason Reynolds (14p/13r/4a) and sixth man Max Bennett (14p) share the team lead in scoring. Eldon Castanon (10p/7a) and Connor Baxter (10p/5a) join them in double figures. Sebastian Roberts grabs 11 rebounds, and Charlie Lambert rejects 3 shots.
Record: 16-2 (4-1).


January 26, 2036
@#3 Villanova 84, #20 Pittsburgh 66
We take another victory from a ranked visitor, breaking open a close game with an assertive second half.

The main man is Mason Reynolds, who makes 9 of 11 shots, including 5 of 7 threes, and all 10 of his free throws to finish with 33 points. He also claims 11 rebounds and hands out 4 assists. The Big East's leading scorer (20.8 PPG), Mason also ranks in the top 10 in assists and steals, and in the top 15 in rebounds.

Eldon Castanon finishes with 9 assists to go with his 7 points. The team's leading rebounder, Sebastian Roberts, grabs 8 tonight, right on his season average. And our top shot blocker, Charlie Lambert, nudges his 2.7 BPG up a bit by turning back 3 shots.
Record: 17-2 (5-1).


January 30, 2036
#3 Villanova 94, West Virginia 65

--------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (18-2, 6-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 28 5-9 3-5 5 10 0 3 14
Charlie Lambert PF 28 3-6 5-6 1 3 3 0 13
Mason Reynolds SF 30 6-14 0-1 0 5 4 3 14
Connor Baxter SG 31 11-18 0-0 1 3 6 1 28
Eldon Castanon PG 28 5-8 0-0 0 5 7 2 12
Max Bennett SG 18 2-3 0-0 0 2 2 1 4
Luke Christensen SF 10 1-2 0-0 1 2 1 1 2
Matt Valentine SG 4 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 1 3
Kyle Gribble C 16 0-2 4-4 1 3 1 2 4
Charles Peterman PF 8 0-2 0-0 1 3 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (C.Lambert 1, M.Reynolds 3, C.Baxter 2,
M.Bennett 1, L.Christensen 1, C.Peterman 3)
Blocked Shots: 8 (C.Lambert 7, K.Gribble 1)
Steals: 10 (M.Reynolds 3, C.Baxter 4, E.Castanon 2,
K.Gribble 1)
3P FGs: 14-29 (S.Roberts 1-1, C.Lambert 2-4, M.Reynolds
2-7, C.Baxter 6-12, E.Castanon 2-4, M.Valentine 1-1)

West Virginia (12-7, 4-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Wendell Cairns C 20 0-2 2-4 0 4 0 4 2
Joel Hogan PF 6 0-0 0-0 0 3 2 0 0
Jack Edwards SF 30 5-14 4-5 4 9 5 1 17
Larry Red SG 23 3-8 0-0 2 4 2 4 7
Linwood Damiano PG 32 5-13 0-0 0 2 1 1 13
Rod Brinkman SG 19 1-4 0-2 0 1 2 0 2
Joe Lamoureux C 30 5-6 1-2 0 5 1 3 11
Ronald Colon PF 23 1-7 0-0 5 8 2 3 2
Allan Hagan PF 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Maynard Kershner PG 11 2-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 6
Merlin Odom SF 4 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 2
Zane Welborn SG 1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 3

Turnovers: 21 (W.Cairns 1, J.Hogan 1, J.Edwards 6,
L.Red 5, L.Damiano 4, R.Colon 4)
Blocked Shots: 3 (W.Cairns 1, J.Lamoureux 1, R.Colon 1)
Steals: 5 (J.Edwards 2, J.Lamoureux 2, R.Colon 1)
3P FGs: 10-23 (W.Cairns 0-1, J.Edwards 3-11, L.Red 1-2,
L.Damiano 3-4, R.Brinkman 0-1, A.Hagan 0-1, M.Kershner
2-2, Z.Welborn 1-1)

Player of Game: SG Connor Baxter (VLNV)
We close out the month with a successful trip to Morgantown that features a lot of players doing a lot of good things...scoring, assisting, stealing, rebounding, blocking shots.

It's a big night for Connor Baxter, who scores the 1000th point of his Villanova career.

Someone needs to beat Georgetown, who are a perfect 20-0. Syracuse and Louisville share second place in the Big East with us; we're all 6-1 in conference play. Our one-point loss at Syracuse puts us officially in third place.
Record: 18-2 (6-1).

On the last night of the month, Graham makes a trip to suburban Harrisburg, where he watches a Lower Dauphin High School team that features a talented junior big man named James Sanders, Jr. If you've been following this story for a while, you'll know James Jr's father. (https://forums.operationsports.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=3397847&postcount=138)

[Chas in Cinti]

Did anyone else notice that Vandy has 4 players named Charles/Charlie? LOL

[MoonlightGraham]

I'm going to step out of character to post some of my thoughts about the future of my story.

I got a direct message here from a reader who noticed that Graham Sims is no longer a young coach. He's completing his 25th season as a head coach, and he's now 56 years old. The reader wondered how long I planned to let Graham's career continue.

I suppose it's possible to have a coach go on and on for decades, staying at their post until they're a century old, or older. I'm not going to do that. The game retires aging AI coaches at realistic points in their careers, and I'm going to handle Coach Sims' retirement realistically, too.

Some of the most accomplished coaches in my universe were removed from active duty when they were fairly young. Wallace Hastings retired at 61. I don't think any of the big names were still active at 70.

A peek into the editor shows me that the oldest head coach currently on the job in my universe is James Madison's Bill Rudd, who is 69 years old. Coach Rudd, however, spent eight years as an assistant before getting his first head coaching job, which he held for seven years before getting fired. Six more years as an assistant followed before JMU gave him another chance to run his own program. This is his fourth year in Harrisonburg. Coach Rudd has spent more time as an assistant than as a head coach.

It turns out that the oldest active coach who has been a head coach continuously throughout my dynasty is Miami coach Larry Ramirez. Coach Ramirez is 64. He's also the oldest coach who has reached Level 10 or higher in his career.

If we look only at the most accomplished coaches in our world--those who have hit Level 11 or higher--we see that the oldest among them are 61 years old now. That's the age of Erwin Gadson (Boston College, Level 15), Zack Lott (Stanford, Level 14), Benton Brimmer (North Carolina, Level 13), and Luther Kiely (Iowa State, Level 11). Gadson and Brimmer have been head coaches throughout our dynasty. I'll be paying attention to when these veterans decide to retire.

So, the game seems to start making the most accomplished AI coaches start considering retirement when they hit their early 60s. Within a few years, the best of the best have been sent off to enjoy the rest of their lives. The game doesn't seem to reflect the mindset of most all-time great coaches in the real world, who usually stay active into their seventies.

I'm planning to follow the customs of the game with Coach Sims. In a few years, I'll start taking stock of how things are going for him at the end of each season, and decide if it's a good time for him to hang his whistle up.

However, I'm still having so much fun with my college basketball world. Once Graham Sims retires, I'll start a new coach's story, based in the same world. I already have some ideas about who that coach might be, and where he might want to begin his career.

For now, however, Coach Sims is still excited to continue the legacy he's building at Villanova.

-MG

[MoonlightGraham]

Did anyone else notice that Vandy has 4 players named Charles/Charlie? LOL

I didn't notice that until you pointed it out! I wonder if the coach is keeping Charlie Sutton on the bench because, unlike his teammates, he refuses to be known as Charles?

The Vanderbilt coach's name is Chris Box, and he has players named Cristopher and Chris on the roster. I'm sure they call Box "Coach." I hope they have nicknames for the name-alikes on the roster. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. Charlie Sutton still hasn't appeared in a game. His roster status is "Unhappy." If Charlie decides to transfer this spring and he's interested in playing for Villanova, I'll offer him a scholarship if I have one available. I'm thinking I will; I can't imagine Mason Reynolds will decide to return for his senior year. Of course, I'll be delighted if he does, but he's the #7 prospect among draft-eligible players. That's why I expect to have a scholarship available for an incoming transfer.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 2, 2036
@#3 Villanova 97, Providence 86
Mason Reynolds' double-double (23p/10r) sparks a victory over the Friars at the Wells Fargo Center. Mason also blocks 2 shots and hands out 4 assists.

Freshman Luke Christensen comes off the bench to score 16 points, and fellow reserve Kyle Gribble adds 11 more. Charlie Lambert (11p/6r/2b) and Eldon Castanon (10p/6r/6a) also score in double digits.

We set a new Villanova record by hoisting 40 three-pointers. Unfortunately only 13 of them go in, which is 31 percent.

Louisville beats Georgetown today, so this is what the Big East standings look like now:
2035 Big East Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
-------------------------------------------------------------
Syracuse 7 1 .875 13 7 .650 15 68
#9 Louisville 7 1 .875 17 2 .895 10 92
#1 Georgetown 7 1 .875 20 1 .952 2 100
#3 Villanova 7 1 .875 19 2 .905 1 100
#19 Pittsburgh 5 3 .625 14 5 .737 24 93
St. John's 4 4 .500 14 6 .700 11 72
Cincinnati 4 4 .500 11 9 .550 7 70
Providence 4 4 .500 13 6 .684 60 70
West Virginia 4 4 .500 12 8 .600 35 97
Notre Dame 3 5 .375 12 8 .600 54 88
DePaul 3 5 .375 10 10 .500 41 55
Connecticut 2 6 .250 11 8 .579 99 78
South Florida 2 6 .250 11 8 .579 93 63
Seton Hall 2 6 .250 10 9 .526 84 57
Marquette 2 6 .250 7 12 .368 132 55
Rutgers 1 7 .125 6 14 .300 81 70
Wow. Just wow.
Record: 19-2 (7-1).


February 6, 2036
@#2 Villanova 105, South Florida 57
Remember when I told about our new school record for three-point attempts? Now, four days later, it's the old record. We launch 42 triples tonight, and 19 of them go in. That, by the way, is one short of our record.

Mason Reynolds accounts for 11 of the attempts and 7 of the makes. He finishes with 35 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists, passing the 1500-point barrier in the process. He's the sixth Wildcat to reach 1500 for his career.

Eldon Castanon (15p/8r/5a), Charlie Lambert (14p/6r/4b/3s), Sebastian Roberts (12p/9r) and Connor Baxter (8p/8a/5s) also play notably well.

Syracuse stumbles at Cincinnati, so Louisville moves to the top of the Big East.
Record: 20-2 (8-1).


February 9, 2036
@#2 Villanova 101, Rutgers 65
It's a career night for Charlie Lambert, who scores 29 points as we unseat the Golden Knights.

It's far from a one-man show, though; the rest of the starting five, plus Max Bennett, all score between 10 and 13 points. Mason Reynolds also contributes 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals.

The game features the teams most likely to attempt a three-point shot in all of Division I basketball. We combine to hoist 63 of them (33 by Rutgers, 30 by us), which is very close to a typical output for us this season.
Record: 21-2 (9-1).


February 13, 2036
@#2 Villanova 74, Seton Hall 41
A combination of our good defense and their bad luck limits the Pirates to only 41 points at the Pavilion tonight. The visitors try 11 threes and miss every one.

Meanwhile, Connor Baxter scores 19 points, Mason Reynolds adds 17, and Charlie Lambert pitches in 12 and blocks 4 shots. Sebastian Roberts pulls in 12 rebounds.

All three Big East leaders win their 10th conference match of the season.
Record: 22-2 (10-1).

[MoonlightGraham]

February 16, 2036
#2 Villanova 77, #1 Georgetown 75 (OT)

---------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (23-2, 11-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 34 1-2 1-2 3 12 2 4 3
Charlie Lambert PF 35 6-11 0-0 3 7 2 2 16
Mason Reynolds SF 40 7-17 6-8 3 11 3 4 21
Connor Baxter SG 36 3-13 0-0 0 2 2 3 7
Eldon Castanon PG 34 4-8 1-1 0 3 7 3 11
Max Bennett SG 16 3-4 1-1 0 1 1 1 7
Luke Christensen SF 6 0-1 1-2 0 0 0 2 1
Matt Valentine SG 3 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 0 3
Kyle Gribble PF 16 3-5 2-2 1 2 0 2 8
Charles Peterman PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0

Turnovers: 19 (S.Roberts 2, C.Lambert 2, M.Reynolds 6,
C.Baxter 4, E.Castanon 1, M.Bennett 3, K.Gribble 1)
Blocked Shots: 10 (S.Roberts 1, C.Lambert 6, E.Castanon
1, M.Valentine 1, K.Gribble 1)
Steals: 7 (M.Reynolds 2, C.Baxter 2, M.Bennett 2,
K.Gribble 1)
3P FGs: 9-29 (S.Roberts 0-1, C.Lambert 4-7, M.Reynolds
1-4, C.Baxter 1-9, E.Castanon 2-5, M.Bennett 0-1,
L.Christensen 0-1, M.Valentine 1-1)

Georgetown (23-2, 10-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Timothy Johnson C 27 3-5 2-3 1 3 2 3 8
David McDermott PF 35 4-15 3-5 1 8 1 1 11
Brian Bishop SF 37 5-8 3-4 3 13 0 3 13
Frank Murdoch SG 34 5-9 1-2 0 3 5 0 15
Douglas Wilson PG 35 2-8 3-3 0 1 6 3 7
Oscar Duncan PF 16 2-4 0-0 2 4 1 1 5
Stanley Bailes C 11 3-5 1-3 2 3 0 1 7
Brent Taylor C 8 2-3 1-1 2 3 0 0 5
Ahmad Ashworth SG 16 1-5 2-3 1 2 1 4 4
Bernie Johnson PG 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Larry Bolding SF 4 0-1 0-1 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 18 (T.Johnson 3, D.McDermott 3, F.Murdoch 5,
D.Wilson 3, A.Ashworth 4)
Blocked Shots: 7 (T.Johnson 1, D.McDermott 2, F.Murdoch
2, D.Wilson 1, S.Bailes 1)
Steals: 7 (B.Bishop 2, D.Wilson 2, O.Duncan 1,
A.Ashworth 1, L.Bolding 1)
3P FGs: 5-20 (D.McDermott 0-2, F.Murdoch 4-8, D.Wilson
0-2, O.Duncan 1-2, S.Bailes 0-1, A.Ashworth 0-3,
B.Johnson 0-1, L.Bolding 0-1)

Player of Game: PF Charlie Lambert (VLNV)
Late in our game against Seton Hall earlier in the week, Kyle Gribble painfully jammed a finger. The injury was serious enough for the training staff to list Kyle as day-to-day, but there is no way the junior forward would miss this matchup.

Nor does he miss the free throws he shot with one second left in overtime to provide the winning margin in one of the biggest regular season games in our history.

We trail the Hoyas by eight points at halftime, but by the 12:00 media timeout of the second half, we pull even once again. Like skilled boxers, we trade punches for the remainder of the half. With 20 seconds left, Georgetown wing Brian Bishop drives to the hoop, and Mason Reynolds fouls him. Bishop makes both foul shots. Both teams miss chances to win the game in regulation time.

Charlie Lambert's 16-point, 7-rebound, 6-block performance earns him the PotG.

Our victory takes on even greater meaning when Connecticut defeats Louisville in Hartford, leaving us in first place in the Big East.
Record: 23-2 (11-1).

[MoonlightGraham]

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova (64) 24-2 1792 2 Big East Conference
2. Kentucky (7) 23-2 1728 3 Southeastern Conference
3. Georgetown (1) 23-2 1664 1 Big East Conference
4. Vanderbilt 20-4 1578 4 Southeastern Conference
5. Texas 21-3 1465 6 Big 12 Conference
6. Louisville 20-3 1368 5 Big East Conference
7. Boston College 20-4 1343 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
8. Tennessee 19-6 1316 8 Southeastern Conference
9. Utah 23-2 1282 10 Mountain West Conference
10. Miami 20-5 1191 7 Atlantic Coast Conference
11. Kansas 19-5 1053 9 Big 12 Conference
12. Washington 20-4 1044 12 Pacific-10 Conference
13. Baylor 20-5 952 14 Big 12 Conference
14. Southern California 19-6 799 19 Pacific-10 Conference
15. Houston 20-4 793 15 Conference USA
16. Pittsburgh 16-7 651 16 Big East Conference
17. Mississippi State 20-5 609 17 Southeastern Conference
18. Memphis 19-6 608 13 Conference USA
19. UNLV 17-6 574 18 Mountain West Conference
20. Duke 17-6 446 21 Atlantic Coast Conference
21. Illinois 19-5 350 24 Big Ten Conference
22. Florida 17-8 214 20 Southeastern Conference
23. Temple 18-5 196 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
24. North Carolina 18-6 171 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
25. Lafayette 20-7 43 22 Patriot League

February 20, 2036
@#1 Villanova 79, DePaul 69
Charlie Lambert defends our house emphatically tonight. He blocks 10 shots, which is the highest total ever recorded by a player coached by Graham Sims. Extra points for being a dynasty lore-master if you guess the previous record holder was Samuel Davis of Lafayette, who blocked 9 in an NCAA tournament game against Wisconsin in 2019.

The Villanova record is 12, set by Larry Vanegas in 2021.

Charlie completes a double-double with 16 points, falling 3 rebounds short of a triple-feature. Mason Reynolds (20p/10r) and Connor Baxter (20p/7a) lead us in scoring. Sebastian Roberts grabs 12 boards, and Eldon Castanon has 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
Record: 24-2 (12-1).


February 23, 2036
@#1 Villanova 108, Marquette 75
Another overwhelming offensive output buries the Golden Eagles. We set a new single-game record with 33 assists.

Connor Baxter is our top playmaker, with 9; Eldon Castanon (8) is right behind him. Mason Reynolds and Max Bennett add 4 each, and eight players set up a teammate at least once.

Mason leads us in scoring with 32 points. Charlie Lambert finishes with 22, and blocks 5 more shots. Baxter (15p) rounds out the double-digit scorers.
Record: 25-2 (13-1).


February 27, 2036
#1 Villanova 111, @Cincinnati 78
Led by Mason Reynolds and his 38 points, we drop 111 on the Bearcats in Cincinnati. Reynolds makes 6 of 12 three-pointers, 6 of 8 two-pointers, and 8 of 10 free throws. He also finishes with 7 rebounds and 7 steals.

Jack Clary of Kentucky (24.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG) will probably repeat as National Player of the Year, but Mason (21.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 4.5 APG) has to be in the conversation.

Three reserves score in double figures: Max Bennett (18), Luke Christensen (11), and Kyle Gribble (10). Connor Baxter pitches in 13, with 6 boards and 6 assists.
Record: 26-2 (14-1).


March 1, 2036
@#1 Villanova 101, #9 Louisville 76
Tonight, we play our final game at the Wells Fargo Center, as we'll move into our new on-campus home next season. Connor Baxter makes it one to remember. The junior guard goes 10-for-12 from three-point distance and finishes with 32 points. He adds 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

Mason Reynolds also says goodbye in style: 19 points, a season-high 14 rebounds, and 7 assists. So does Charlie Lambert: 13 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks. Eldon Castanon contributes 6 assists.
Record: 27-2 (15-1).


March 5, 2036
@#1 Villanova 90, Syracuse 81
Our last game at Finneran Pavilion is an even more emotional occasion. The Finn has been the Wildcats' home for 50 years, and it's been the scene of countless memorable moments. Former players, young and not-so-young, are present to bid farewell to the arena they called home.

It would be Senior Day, but the team's only senior is academically ineligible.

The alumni watch Eldon Castanon score 20 points, dish out 5 assists, and make 2 steals. They enjoy a double-double from Sebastian Roberts: 11 points, 10 boards. They appreciate a 12-point, 7-assist performance by Connor Baxter. And they leave impressed with Mason Reynolds and his 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals.

So long, Finn. It's been a great 50 years.
Record: 28-2 (16-1).


March 8, 2036
#1 Villanova 62, @Connecticut 39
How strange is it that, in a season marked by record-setting offensive production, we end the Big East regular season with a shut-down defensive effort...and our worst shooting performance?

The less that is said about our 3-for-30 "accuracy" from long range, the better. Connor Baxter finishes with 19 points, despite missing 9 of his 10 treys (he made 8 of 10 two-pointers). Mason Reynolds does Mason Reynolds things: 19 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals. Charlie Lambert scores 8, rebounds 7, blocks 4.

The defense forces 22 Huskies turnovers, which helps us hold them below 40 points. We'll enter the Big East tournament as its regular season champion; it's the sixth such championship of Graham Sims' Villanova career.
Record: 29-2 (17-1).

[MoonlightGraham]

March 13, 2036

https://i.imgur.com/bJNsjhh.jpeg
We earn another double bye, and enter the tournament in the Quarterfinals.

Big East Tournament Quarterfinal
(1) #1 Villanova 84, (8) Providence 73
Tournament basketball just feels different. It's often edgier, grittier, more of a street fight. Tonight's game definitely feels that way. The Friars are within four points until the game's closing moments, when we put it away at the free throw line.

Connor Baxter leads us with a 17p/10r double-double. Mason Reynolds scores 19 points, adding 8 rebounds. Sebastian Roberts (10) is our only other double-digit scorer, but three other Wildcats finish with 8 points.

It's not pretty, but it's enough to put us through to the next round, and that's what matters.
Record: 30-2.


March 14, 2036
Big East Tournament Semifinal
(1) #1 Villanova 96, (12) Rutgers 75
Rutgers is up next, a Cinderella who have already sent Pitt and Louisville home. We end their party with a classic '36 Villanova game: allow more points than I'm used to seeing us allow, but drop 90-something on them and take the win.

A bout of foul trouble keeps Mason Reynolds on the bench for much of the game, and that allows Matt Valentine to shine. The sophomore swingman plays 28 minutes and scores 25 points, easily a career high.

Connor Baxter supports him with 17 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds. Charlie Lambert finishes with 14 points and 6 boards, and in his 16 minutes of time, Mason manages to log 10 points and 7 rebounds.

Once again, it will be Villanova vs. Georgetown for the tournament trophy.
Record: 31-2.


March 15, 2036
Big East Tournament Championship
#1 Villanova 106, #3 Georgetown 86

---------------------------------------------------------
Georgetown (31-3, 16-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Timothy Johnson C 24 2-7 3-5 2 4 1 1 7
David McDermott PF 19 3-8 4-4 5 12 1 4 10
Brian Bishop SF 24 3-11 2-3 0 1 1 4 8
Frank Murdoch SG 21 4-6 0-0 2 4 4 3 10
Douglas Wilson PG 29 6-13 1-2 0 1 8 1 15
Oscar Duncan SF 15 2-4 0-0 0 1 0 2 4
Stanley Bailes C 13 1-4 0-0 3 7 2 1 2
Brent Taylor C 10 2-3 0-0 0 1 0 0 4
Joshua Lee PF 11 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Ahmad Ashworth SG 16 3-7 0-0 0 2 1 4 7
Bernie Johnson PG 8 2-2 0-0 0 0 1 0 6
Larry Bolding SF 12 5-8 0-0 3 3 0 1 13

Turnovers: 14 (T.Johnson 1, D.McDermott 1, B.Bishop 2,
F.Murdoch 3, D.Wilson 1, O.Duncan 2, A.Ashworth 1,
B.Johnson 2, L.Bolding 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (D.McDermott 1, B.Bishop 1, S.Bailes
1, B.Johnson 1)
Steals: 6 (B.Bishop 3, F.Murdoch 1, B.Taylor 1, J.Lee 1)
3P FGs: 10-26 (F.Murdoch 2-4, D.Wilson 2-7, O.Duncan
0-1, S.Bailes 0-2, A.Ashworth 1-5, B.Johnson 2-2,
L.Bolding 3-5)

Villanova (32-2, 17-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 30 3-6 5-6 2 9 1 3 12
Charlie Lambert PF 25 5-8 2-2 0 2 0 2 16
Mason Reynolds SF 26 9-15 1-2 1 7 3 2 25
Connor Baxter SG 31 6-11 5-5 1 5 7 3 21
Eldon Castanon PG 30 4-7 0-0 2 6 13 1 9
Max Bennett PG 12 2-3 0-0 0 0 1 0 5
Matt Valentine SF 15 1-4 4-4 1 1 3 0 7
Luke Christensen SF 6 2-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 5
Kyle Gribble PF 17 1-7 2-2 2 4 0 2 4
Charles Peterman PF 8 1-2 0-0 2 4 0 0 2

Turnovers: 14 (S.Roberts 1, M.Reynolds 2, C.Baxter 3,
E.Castanon 6, M.Valentine 1, K.Gribble 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Lambert 1, C.Baxter 1, E.Castanon 1)
Steals: 9 (M.Reynolds 2, E.Castanon 4, M.Bennett 2,
L.Christensen 1)
3P FGs: 19-38 (S.Roberts 1-3, C.Lambert 4-6, M.Reynolds
6-9, C.Baxter 4-8, E.Castanon 1-3, M.Bennett 1-1,
M.Valentine 1-2, L.Christensen 1-1, K.Gribble 0-4,
C.Peterman 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Mason Reynolds (VLNV)
In another game that has '36 Villanova stamped indelibly upon it, we outscore the Hoyas and claim a double victory: regular season and tournament champions of the Big East.

Ten players get into the game for us, and all ten of them attempt a three-point shot. Charlie Lambert, Mason Reynolds, and Connor Baxter make most of theirs.

We score 34 baskets, and assists are recorded on 29 of them. I've mentioned before how much I love this. Eldon Castanon is especially generous and skillful today. He becomes the fourth player to earn a spot on the leader board for assists in a single game; most of the spots are taken by Justice Stafford and Severiano Tipaldo, with a single appearance by Duncan Sims.

Mason Reynolds finishes the game with a season total of 714 points. That's enough to break the school record of exactly 700, held by Asher Wise.
Record: 32-2.

Now, it's time to get ready for the Big Dance.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 16, 2036

We're headed to the West Region this year, as its top seed.

The other 1 seeds are Georgetown, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky. The Commodores could possibly face Lafayette in the round of 32 if both teams win their first games.


March 20, 2036
NCAA West Region, First Round
(1) #1 Villanova 92, (16) Presbyterian 48
The Blue Hose's season is a fun story. They entered the Big South tournament as the #8 seed in an eight-team seed. They upset top seeded Liberty, knocked off UNC-Asheville, and won the final by two points over two-seed Gardner Webb. Then, they edged out South Carolina State, 67-64, in the play-in game that landed them in the tournament field proper.

Led by senior point guard Weldon Raynor and junior wing Terrence Ripley, the Blue Hose aren't here to sightsee. Still, Ripley admits, "About halfway through the first half, I think to myself that I'm guarding Mason Reynolds."

Mason finishes with 21 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, but he's put up far better numbers against players who were five-star recruits and are future professional standouts. Raynor battles Connor Baxter, and while Connor scores 15 points and dishes out 11 assists, Raynor hangs tough with 11 and 7, respectively. Charlie Lambert scores 15 points, but he can't manage to block a Blue Hose shot. Eldon Castanon (13), Kyle Gribble (11) and Matt Valentine (10) round out our double figure scorers.

The final score makes it look like a rout, but it's a more interesting game than meets the eye.
Record: 33-2.


March 22, 2036
NCAA West Region, Second Round
(1) #1 Villanova 95, (8) Colgate 68
If I went back through every post in the dynasty, I could figure out Graham Sims' career record against Colgate. I do know that Lafayette leads the all-time series, 48-11, and that quite a few of those wins are Graham's.

The Red Raiders got here by defeating one of this universe's glamour teams: Southern California. Their season ends tonight, however, as Eldon Castanon and Mason Reynolds lead us to a victory that sends us to the Sweet Sixteen.

Eldon scores 16 points, grabs 5 rebounds, hands out 7 assists, makes 2 steals, and doesn't turn the ball over once. Mason's 26 points and 8 rebounds lead all Wildcats.

Charlie Lambert (12p/3b), Connor Baxter (11p/6r/3s), and Max Bennett (10p) also score in double figures.
Record: 34-2.


March 27, 2036
NCAA West Region Semifinal: the Sweet Sixteen
(1) #1 Villanova 112, (4) #16 Tennessee 66

--------------------------------------------------------
Tennessee (23-11, 9-7):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Paul Bower C 16 2-9 1-3 0 3 0 4 5
C. Carpenter PF 21 2-4 1-3 1 5 0 2 5
Everett Pulliam SF 26 1-6 3-4 2 3 1 1 5
Foster Simpson SG 21 4-5 4-4 1 1 1 2 13
Galen Rollo PG 26 1-6 0-0 0 1 5 2 2
Stephen Leland PG 11 0-3 2-2 0 1 0 1 2
Delbert Rumph SG 12 0-2 2-2 0 3 2 2 2
Waylon Dang SF 17 4-9 7-8 1 5 1 4 18
Michael Schauer PF 16 1-2 0-0 1 1 1 1 2
Andrew Colter SG 8 2-3 1-2 1 1 0 3 6
Jonathon Herrera C 21 1-2 3-4 0 1 0 2 5
Lloyd Carey C 6 0-1 1-2 1 3 0 0 1

Turnovers: 19 (P.Bower 1, C.Carpenter 2, E.Pulliam 3,
F.Simpson 4, G.Rollo 1, S.Leland 3, W.Dang 1,
M.Schauer 1, A.Colter 2, L.Carey 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (C.Carpenter 1, E.Pulliam 1, J.Herrera
3)
Steals: 5 (C.Carpenter 1, G.Rollo 3, S.Leland 1)
3P FGs: 5-15 (F.Simpson 1-2, G.Rollo 0-3, S.Leland 0-1,
W.Dang 3-6, A.Colter 1-2, L.Carey 0-1)

Villanova (35-2, 17-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 28 5-10 2-2 5 8 1 3 12
Charlie Lambert PF 27 7-13 3-4 1 6 0 2 21
Mason Reynolds SF 29 10-17 0-0 3 12 6 4 25
Connor Baxter SG 15 3-6 1-1 2 3 7 4 8
Eldon Castanon PG 28 4-9 0-0 4 6 8 1 9
Max Bennett SG 24 4-6 1-2 1 1 1 3 10
Matt Valentine SF 17 4-5 4-6 0 3 2 4 13
Luke Christensen SF 7 0-1 7-8 0 2 1 2 7
Kyle Gribble C 13 2-4 3-3 0 3 1 1 7
Charles Peterman PF 11 0-1 0-0 0 3 1 3 0

Turnovers: 14 (S.Roberts 3, M.Reynolds 3, C.Baxter 2,
E.Castanon 3, M.Bennett 1, K.Gribble 2)
Blocked Shots: 6 (C.Lambert 6)
Steals: 15 (S.Roberts 3, C.Lambert 1, M.Reynolds 2,
C.Baxter 4, M.Bennett 3, K.Gribble 2)
3P FGs: 13-26 (C.Lambert 4-8, M.Reynolds 5-7, C.Baxter
1-3, E.Castanon 1-5, M.Bennett 1-1, M.Valentine 1-1,
C.Peterman 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Mason Reynolds (VLNV)
By halftime, we're ahead 71-33, and from there, we can almost coast home against a good Tennessee team that wanted to avenge an early exit from the SEC tournament.

We shoot .542/.808/.500 for the game. I'm happy to share that this level of accuracy from the line is actually lower than our season average. We're hitting 82.2 percent for the year.

Kansas beats Utah, 63-62, in the other regional semifinal, so we'll face the bluest of blue bloods for a spot in the Final Four.
Record: 35-2.


March 29, 2036
NCAA West Region Final: the Elite Eight
# Team Wins Losses Pct
---------------------------------------------------
1 Kansas 739 151 .830
2 Villanova 704 183 .794
3 Lafayette 697 174 .800
4 Georgetown 693 186 .788
5 North Carolina 686 178 .794
6 Boston College 685 192 .781
7 Kentucky 677 207 .766
8 Southern California 673 208 .764
9 Vanderbilt 653 221 .747
10 Texas 631 223 .739

This is a clash of titans. Kansas has won the Big XII championship 17 times, and captured 8 conference tournaments. We've taken 10 Big East regular season titles, and 9 tournament championships. (Lafayette has 19 and 13, respectively).

Kansas coach Blaine Boyd has been Graham Sims' friend for decades. Until this season, Coaches Boyd and Sims met frequently in the Big East; Coach Boyd spent over 20 seasons at Pitt. The coaches' combined records: 1385 wins, 384 losses. That's right; between them, they have over a thousand more victories than defeats.

The game lives up to the hype.
(1) #1 Villanova 89, (3) #6 Kansas 81

--------------------------------------------------------
Kansas (29-7, 12-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Max Dicken C 29 4-11 2-6 3 7 5 3 10
Jerrold Brewer PF 34 0-5 0-0 4 11 3 1 0
Chadwick Lassiter SF 12 0-1 0-0 1 1 1 4 0
James Bible SG 35 11-25 1-4 4 6 3 2 26
Miloslav Larionov PG 32 6-12 3-4 0 1 3 5 15
George Oubre SF 25 2-6 2-2 1 4 1 1 6
Timothy Aceves C 12 2-2 3-3 2 4 0 2 7
Jesse Eady C 6 3-3 1-1 1 1 0 0 7
Dudley Curtin SG 14 5-6 0-2 1 5 0 0 10
Kennith Withers PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Damien Turner SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (M.Dicken 3, J.Brewer 1, C.Lassiter 1,
J.Bible 4, M.Larionov 2, G.Oubre 2, D.Curtin 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (J.Brewer 2)
Steals: 13 (M.Dicken 1, J.Brewer 3, J.Bible 1,
M.Larionov 3, G.Oubre 3, D.Curtin 2)
3P FGs: 3-14 (J.Brewer 0-2, C.Lassiter 0-1, J.Bible
3-8, M.Larionov 0-3)

Villanova (36-2, 17-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 25 2-3 4-7 0 7 1 4 8
Charlie Lambert PF 32 3-9 0-0 3 9 0 3 7
Mason Reynolds SF 36 13-24 2-3 4 13 3 1 34
Connor Baxter SG 33 6-10 6-6 2 2 7 2 22
Eldon Castanon PG 32 2-9 2-2 1 1 7 4 6
Max Bennett SG 13 1-1 0-0 1 3 3 0 3
Matt Valentine SF 6 1-2 1-2 0 0 0 1 3
Kyle Gribble PF 12 2-4 0-0 1 1 2 5 4
Charles Peterman PF 9 1-1 0-0 0 3 0 0 2
Erick Sullivan C 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 19 (C.Lambert 3, M.Reynolds 5, C.Baxter 4,
E.Castanon 4, M.Bennett 2, K.Gribble 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (S.Roberts 3, C.Lambert 2, M.Valentine
1)
Steals: 6 (C.Lambert 1, M.Reynolds 1, C.Baxter 1,
M.Bennett 1, K.Gribble 1, C.Peterman 1)
3P FGs: 12-31 (C.Lambert 1-5, M.Reynolds 6-12, C.Baxter
4-7, E.Castanon 0-6, M.Bennett 1-1)

Player of Game: SF Mason Reynolds (VLNV)
The game offers an intriguing contest of styles. Kansas prefers to work the ball inside. Junior Max Dicken is projected to be a first round draft pick; few players we've seen approach his repertoire of low post moves. Senior guard James Bible is the team's only three-point shooter, and he'd rank fourth among Villanova players in attempts from long range. Meanwhile, we have nine players who can, and will, fire away from behind the arc.

Seb Roberts and Charlie Lambert do a great job containing Dicken, who averages over 17 points per game. We have our hands full with Bible, but we can also take advantage of his rather cavalier attitude regarding defense.

And, we have Mason Reynolds, and Kansas does not.

So, we're off to the Final Four.
Record: 36-2.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 5, 2036
NCAA National Semfinal: the Final Four
#1 Villanova 88, #4 Vanderbilt 77

---------------------------------------------------------
Vanderbilt (32-5, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
John Stevens C 34 5-12 2-2 4 12 0 2 12
Otto Cain PF 35 8-13 4-5 6 9 1 4 20
Cristopher Bowker SF 32 5-19 4-5 3 5 3 1 16
Steve Albrecht SG 31 4-6 5-5 1 3 6 1 14
Charles Robinson PG 35 2-9 0-0 2 4 5 2 5
Charles Mahler SF 15 1-3 0-0 1 6 1 2 2
Matthew Applegate SG 8 2-5 0-0 0 0 1 1 5
Fletcher Watkins PG 2 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 2
Charles Phillips PF 8 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 0 1

Turnovers: 14 (C.Bowker 4, S.Albrecht 2, C.Robinson 3,
C.Mahler 4, F.Watkins 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (J.Stevens 1, C.Bowker 1, C.Phillips 1)
Steals: 5 (J.Stevens 1, S.Albrecht 2, C.Robinson 2)
3P FGs: 5-24 (J.Stevens 0-1, C.Bowker 2-13, S.Albrecht
1-2, C.Robinson 1-3, C.Mahler 0-2, M.Applegate 1-2,
F.Watkins 0-1)

Villanova (37-2, 17-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 30 3-6 2-3 0 9 2 3 10
Charlie Lambert PF 28 1-5 0-0 2 7 4 2 3
Mason Reynolds SF 36 9-18 3-4 4 8 2 0 25
Connor Baxter SG 32 7-12 0-0 1 4 2 2 19
Eldon Castanon PG 30 4-9 0-0 1 3 6 1 10
Max Bennett SG 14 0-1 0-0 1 1 1 3 0
Matt Valentine SF 7 2-4 3-4 0 1 0 1 8
Kyle Gribble PF 17 4-5 2-2 2 3 1 2 11
Charles Peterman PF 4 1-3 0-0 1 1 0 0 2

Turnovers: 16 (S.Roberts 2, C.Lambert 4, M.Reynolds 4,
E.Castanon 3, M.Bennett 2, C.Peterman 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Lambert 2, M.Reynolds 1)
Steals: 11 (M.Reynolds 3, C.Baxter 1, E.Castanon 5,
M.Bennett 1, C.Peterman 1)
3P FGs: 16-29 (S.Roberts 2-4, C.Lambert 1-4, M.Reynolds
4-7, C.Baxter 5-7, E.Castanon 2-5, M.Valentine 1-1,
K.Gribble 1-1)

Player of Game: SF Mason Reynolds (VLNV)
We advance to the championship game with an exciting victory over one of Graham Sims' favorite opponents.

It's a very good game. During the first half, we keep losing track of Vanderbilt's excellent big men,John Stevens and Otto Cain. I really wanted Stevens to be interested in us coming out of high school, but he never considered our program. We looked at Cain, too; like Stevens, he wanted to remain closer to his Georgia home. Their big men have 22 points between them in the first 20 minutes, and the Commodores lead, 45-43.

After the break, our three-point shots begin to find the range. Connor Baxter hits 4 of the 5 triples he attempts in the second half. Otto Cain, who is a fine defender, gets in foul trouble, and reserve Kyle Gribble takes advantage of the Vandy man's absence.

And we have Mason Reynolds, and Vanderbilt does not.

Once again, Vanderbilt freshman Charlie Sutton watches the game from the bench. Charlie has, in effect, taken a redshirt year, but it's one he won't get back because he wasn't "officially" redshirted. I wonder if he's thinking about making a change?

Coach Sims will make his seventh trip to the championship game. He's seeking his fourth victory. And guess who stands in his way?

Georgetown.
Record: 37-2.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 6, 2036

Today's High School All-American game is interesting. Several players we recruited, including one who signed with us, played on the East team.
West 122, East 117

---------------------------------------------------------
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jelani Obasie C 31 4-12 4-4 1 3 1 3 12
Jalen Christian PF 30 4-9 6-6 3 10 3 4 14
Morris Thiele SF 25 5-12 3-3 0 5 1 3 15
Dane Barlow SG 30 7-10 5-7 1 3 7 4 23
Jake Joyce PG 29 6-12 4-5 1 8 7 2 18
John Williams SF 16 5-6 4-6 1 4 0 2 14
Saul Scharf C 12 2-5 1-1 0 1 2 0 5
Don Fernandes SG 16 4-6 4-4 3 6 1 3 14
Emanuel Trotter PF 5 1-1 0-0 0 3 0 0 2
Bo Waters SF 7 0-3 0-0 0 1 0 1 0

Turnovers: 16 (J.Obasie 1, J.Christian 2, M.Thiele 2,
D.Barlow 4, J.Joyce 3, J.Williams 1, D.Fernandes 2,
B.Waters 1)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 3 (J.Obasie 1, J.Christian 1, M.Thiele 1)
3P FGs: 10-23 (J.Obasie 0-2, J.Christian 0-1, M.Thiele
2-3, D.Barlow 4-6, J.Joyce 2-6, D.Fernandes 2-3,
B.Waters 0-2)

West:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Richard Alvarado C 13 1-3 1-2 2 2 1 4 3
Aurelio Pena PF 28 5-14 6-7 4 13 3 3 16
Ahmed Way SF 32 10-18 1-4 2 7 6 3 26
Chris Berkowitz SG 25 9-15 2-4 4 6 2 2 25
Virgil Cooper PG 21 3-9 3-4 1 1 2 4 11
Charles Sundberg SG 25 8-15 0-1 1 8 4 4 20
Ahmad Steed C 30 6-11 0-0 2 6 2 3 12
Daniel Moynihan SF 10 1-4 2-2 2 3 0 4 5
Thomas Sasser PF 14 1-4 0-0 3 5 0 2 2
John Turner PG 2 1-2 0-0 1 2 2 0 2

Turnovers: 9 (R.Alvarado 1, A.Pena 1, A.Way 3,
C.Berkowitz 1, A.Steed 3)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 7 (A.Way 3, C.Berkowitz 2, C.Sundberg 1,
A.Steed 1)
3P FGs: 17-35 (A.Pena 0-2, A.Way 5-11, C.Berkowitz 5-9,
V.Cooper 2-6, C.Sundberg 4-5, D.Moynihan 1-2)

Player of Game: SG Chris Berkowitz (West)

Three members of the East starting five--Jelani Obasie, Jalen Christian, and Dane Barlow--were on our recruiting short list. Dane, of course, will be a Villanova Wildcat next year. Had the East won, Dane might very well have been Player of the Game.

Well done, Mr. Barlow. We'll see you on campus soon. :)

[MoonlightGraham]

April 7, 2036
NCAA Championship Game
#1 Villanova 92, #3 Georgetown 58

---------------------------------------------------------
Georgetown (36-4, 16-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Timothy Johnson C 23 2-3 0-0 1 6 0 0 4
David McDermott PF 24 3-8 3-4 3 5 1 3 9
Brian Bishop SF 29 7-15 1-3 0 0 3 2 15
Frank Murdoch SG 19 3-8 0-0 0 4 0 4 7
Douglas Wilson PG 27 1-4 2-2 1 5 8 2 4
Oscar Duncan PF 13 1-5 0-0 2 3 0 0 2
Stanley Bailes PF 10 0-1 0-0 1 1 0 3 0
Brent Taylor C 11 1-2 0-0 0 2 0 1 2
Joshua Lee PF 5 1-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 2
Ahmad Ashworth SG 22 3-13 0-0 1 3 1 1 8
Bernie Johnson PG 9 1-3 0-0 0 0 1 1 3
Larry Bolding SF 9 1-2 0-0 0 0 1 2 2
Roy Powe SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 20 (T.Johnson 1, D.McDermott 3, B.Bishop 3,
F.Murdoch 1, D.Wilson 4, O.Duncan 1, B.Taylor 1, J.Lee
1, A.Ashworth 4, B.Johnson 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (T.Johnson 2, D.McDermott 1, O.Duncan
1, J.Lee 1)
Steals: 8 (T.Johnson 1, B.Bishop 1, D.Wilson 2,
S.Bailes 2, A.Ashworth 2)
3P FGs: 4-21 (D.McDermott 0-1, F.Murdoch 1-3, D.Wilson
0-3, O.Duncan 0-2, B.Taylor 0-1, A.Ashworth 2-9,
B.Johnson 1-2)

Villanova (38-2, 17-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 27 3-4 0-0 3 11 0 3 6
Charlie Lambert PF 28 3-3 0-2 0 6 2 1 9
Mason Reynolds SF 31 6-15 1-3 2 9 6 1 14
Connor Baxter SG 30 8-15 2-2 1 4 7 1 21
Eldon Castanon PG 27 7-10 0-0 0 3 6 0 16
Max Bennett SG 15 1-2 2-2 0 1 2 3 4
Matt Valentine SF 11 0-0 2-2 0 1 1 1 2
Luke Christensen SF 5 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 3
Kyle Gribble PF 18 6-7 1-2 0 3 1 1 16
Charles Peterman PF 7 0-1 1-2 0 0 0 0 1

Turnovers: 20 (S.Roberts 3, C.Lambert 1, M.Reynolds 5,
C.Baxter 2, E.Castanon 3, M.Bennett 2, M.Valentine 3,
K.Gribble 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Lambert 2, M.Reynolds 1)
Steals: 6 (M.Reynolds 2, M.Bennett 2, M.Valentine 1,
K.Gribble 1)
3P FGs: 13-27 (S.Roberts 0-1, C.Lambert 3-3, M.Reynolds
1-6, C.Baxter 3-8, E.Castanon 2-4, L.Christensen 1-1,
K.Gribble 3-4)

Player of Game: SG Connor Baxter (VLNV)
Another shining moment for Graham Sims and the Villanova Wildcats. Our victory today gives Villanova its third national championship. Kansas is the only other program with three national titles.

It's Coach Sims' fourth NCAA title: three at Villanova, one at Lafayette.

They say it's hard to beat the same team three times in a season, and that's the task we faced against Georgetown this year. We turn the adage on its head, by widening our margin of victory from 2 to 20 to 34 points.

We commit 20 turnovers today, but we mitigate their effects by forcing Georgetown into an equal number. And, as we've done all season long, we take and make a lot of three-pointers, while limiting our opponent's ability to do the same.

The Hoyas do a very good job of controlling Mason Reynolds. It's obvious they don't want him to win the game for us. Georgetown holds him to 14 points, and he turns the ball over 5 times. But Mason can, and will, affect a basketball game in all kinds of ways besides scoring. Tonight, he does those things, while his teammates pick up the scoring slack.

Mason's fellow juniors--Connor Baxter, Eldon Castanon, Kyle Gribble, and Charles Peterman--all distinguish themselves tonight. Connor is a deserving Player of the Game. In the midst of the post-game celebrations, Graham shares a quiet moment with each of these upperclassmen. He thanks them for their contributions to their common victory, but he deliberately doesn't talk about next season.

Tonight, Graham and his players will celebrate this season instead.
Record: 38-2.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 7, 2036

It's awards time!
2035 OVERALL AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

JR SF Mason Reynolds Villanova 21.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 4.3 APG 2.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR PG Taylor Murray Boston College 8.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 5.2 APG 1.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Chris Box Vanderbilt 32 - 5 (13 - 3)

All-league 1st Team:
C JR Max Dicken Kansas 17.4 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.4 BPG
PF SR Harvey Caswell Elon 19.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.3 SPG, 1.0 BPG
SF JR Mason Reynolds Villanova 21.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 4.3 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG
SG SR Lorenzo Holmes Bucknell 26.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG
PG JR Jacobo Cruz Washington 16.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.0 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C JR Keven Fisher East Carolina 15.1 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.9 SPG, 2.5 BPG
PF JR Otto Cain Vanderbilt 12.2 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 2.4 BPG
SF JR Jack Clary Kentucky 23.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG JR Gayle Gonzalez Purdue 23.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.9 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PG JR Malcolm Polley UCLA 9.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 9.2 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 3rd Team:
C JR Charles Cunningham Pittsburgh 13.6 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.3 SPG, 2.7 BPG
PF SR David McDermott Georgetown 13.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, 2.6 BPG
SF JR Cody Nieves UNLV 19.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SG JR Connor Baxter Villanova 16.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 5.9 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG SR Gary Melo Miami 9.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 6.1 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Joseph Arthur Purdue 7.1 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.5 BPG
PF FR Ivory Ambriz Toledo 15.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SF FR Jack Edwards West Virginia 12.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG FR Eric Searles Wichita State 13.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR Taylor Murray Boston College 8.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Way to go, Mason. I was hoping the voters would honor the wide range of his contributions and his role on a national champion.

Sometime during the season, I must have switched Connor to SG in our depth chart. It worked out well for him, didn't it? :)

The Big East awards are fun to see, too.
2035 BIG EAST AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

JR SF Mason Reynolds Villanova 21.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 4.3 APG 2.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SF Jack Edwards West Virginia 12.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.8 APG 1.3 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Coach of the Year:
James Robinett Syracuse 23 - 12 (14 - 4)

All-league 1st Team:
C JR Charles Cunningham Pittsburgh 13.6 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.3 SPG, 2.7 BPG
PF SR David McDermott Georgetown 13.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, 2.6 BPG
SF JR Mason Reynolds Villanova 21.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 4.3 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG
SG JR Connor Baxter Villanova 16.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 5.9 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG JR Eldon Castanon Villanova 11.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C JR Joel Hogan West Virginia 8.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG
PF SO Charlie Lambert Villanova 11.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.5 SPG, 3.1 BPG
SF SR Roland Schoen Providence 20.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SG SO Jonathon Larios Louisville 17.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.9 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG
PG JR Darrel Custer Notre Dame 15.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.8 APG, 2.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Sebastian Roberts Villanova 7.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG
PF FR Alonzo Hale Pittsburgh 9.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SF FR Jack Edwards West Virginia 12.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG FR Clifton Bowe Connecticut 11.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG FR Michael Mancini Connecticut 9.7 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Mason becomes the first player in Villanova history to be named Big East Player of the Year twice. Notre Dame's Grover Jenkins and Marquette's Thomas Abbott are the only other players in conference history to earn that distinction.

Every member of our starting lineup earned All-Big East recognition at some level. I'm thinking Sebastian Roberts must have been a close runner-up for a spot on the Freshman All-American team, too.

We also learn that Mason Reynolds will, to nobody's surprise, pass up his final season of college eligibility and enter the draft. I wondered if Connor Baxter might join him, but Connor has decided to come back for his senior season. :)

[MoonlightGraham]

April 7, 2036
#1 VILLANOVA TEAM INFO

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 100 Record Vs 1-50: 16-2 Poll Rank: #1
Season Record: 38-2 Record Vs 51-100: 8-0 RPI Rank: #2
Conference Record: 17-1 Record Vs 101-200: 8-0
Home Record: 17-0 Record Vs 200+: 6-0


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 93.9 1 1 Points 69.5 10 190 Points 24.4 1 1
O.Reb 11.8 6 81 O.Reb 9.7 7 65 O.Reb 2.1 6 49
D.Reb 27.8 1 17 D.Reb 23.6 4 76 D.Reb 4.2 1 7
Rebounds 39.6 1 20 Rebounds 33.3 5 45 Rebounds 6.3 3 11
Assists 23.5 1 1 Assists 15.1 15 330 Assists 8.4 1 1
Steals 8.2 3 16 Steals 5.6 6 152 Steals 2.6 4 25
Blocks 5.0 6 49 Blocks 3.1 1 127 Blocks 1.9 3 31
Turnovers 13.3 4 110 Turnovers 18.3 2 2 Turnovers -5.0 2 8
Fouls 18.0 8 55 Fouls 18.1 12 300 Fouls -0.1 9 178
FG% .498 1 1 FG% .422 7 101 FG% .076 1 1
FT% .815 1 1 FT% .680 4 217 FT% .135 1 1
3P% .399 1 11 3P% .353 13 248 3P% .046 3 36
PPS 1.42 1 1 PPS 1.19 7 74 PPS .236 1 2
Adj. FG% .592 1 1 Adj. FG% .480 7 109 Adj. FG% .112 1 1

The 2035/36 Villanova Wildcats were the most prolific offensive team in our universe's history. We set new NCAA records for points per game and assists per game, beating the former record by over seven points.

I can't find the record for highest free throw percentage for a season, but the runner-up in this category this year shot .769. For that reason, I'm thinking our mark must be one of the best ever.

Our margins look fantastic, too, largely driven by our high-powered offense. We led the nation in offensive efficiency (121.0) and finished 13th in defensive efficiency (90.3).
#1 VILLANOVA Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mason Reynolds SF 40 40 30.5 21.5 2.4 7.9 4.3 2.0 0.5 2.5 2.5 19.7
Connor Baxter SG 40 40 29.8 16.1 1.3 3.2 5.9 2.0 0.2 1.8 2.4 18.5
Eldon Castanon PG 40 40 29.0 11.1 1.1 4.1 5.7 1.5 0.1 2.4 2.0 17.7
Charlie Lambert PF 40 40 28.0 11.9 1.7 6.2 1.5 0.5 3.1 1.4 2.1 18.0
Sebastian Roberts C 40 40 26.5 7.9 2.3 7.9 1.0 0.2 0.4 1.4 3.1 17.3
Kyle Gribble PF 40 0 16.8 6.9 1.3 3.3 1.2 0.5 0.3 0.8 2.2 9.1
Max Bennett SG 40 0 15.6 6.7 0.5 1.8 2.2 0.8 0.1 1.4 1.4 8.9
Luke Christensen SF 32 0 10.2 6.7 0.8 2.3 1.0 0.7 0.1 1.0 1.1 6.4
Charles Peterman PF 28 0 8.0 1.1 0.4 1.8 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.7 5.5
Matt Valentine SF 39 0 7.1 4.9 0.2 1.1 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.5 3.3
Erick Sullivan C 22 0 6.3 1.0 0.4 1.9 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.6 1.1
Trey Partridge PG 7 0 4.1 1.9 0.0 0.6 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.9 0.7 0.1


#1 VILLANOVA Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mason Reynolds SF 40 40 1219 858 95 314 172 78 19 100 101 788
Connor Baxter SG 40 40 1191 645 53 129 237 78 6 72 95 740
Eldon Castanon PG 40 40 1158 445 43 164 227 59 5 96 78 706
Charlie Lambert PF 40 40 1119 477 68 249 60 18 122 57 84 720
Sebastian Roberts C 40 40 1060 317 91 315 41 9 15 54 125 691
Kyle Gribble PF 40 0 671 275 51 131 46 20 11 30 88 363
Max Bennett SG 40 0 624 267 20 73 89 33 3 57 54 357
Luke Christensen SF 32 0 326 213 24 73 31 21 4 32 36 204
Charles Peterman PF 28 0 224 32 12 49 6 4 9 10 20 153
Matt Valentine SF 39 0 278 190 6 41 22 8 2 15 21 127
Erick Sullivan C 22 0 138 23 9 42 5 0 3 3 14 25
Trey Partridge PG 7 0 29 13 0 4 2 1 0 6 5 1

#1 VILLANOVA Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mason Reynolds SF 311 600 .518 111 131 .847 125 285 .439 1.43
Connor Baxter SG 235 506 .464 68 76 .895 107 299 .358 1.27
Eldon Castanon PG 163 301 .542 56 68 .824 63 161 .391 1.48
Charlie Lambert PF 155 327 .474 89 108 .824 78 183 .426 1.46
Sebastian Roberts C 116 240 .483 65 92 .707 20 70 .286 1.32
Kyle Gribble PF 93 200 .465 69 87 .793 20 56 .357 1.38
Max Bennett SG 89 170 .524 46 54 .852 43 95 .453 1.57
Luke Christensen SF 74 141 .525 50 56 .893 15 44 .341 1.51
Charles Peterman PF 10 30 .333 11 16 .688 1 5 .200 1.07
Matt Valentine SF 60 103 .583 48 64 .750 22 36 .611 1.84
Erick Sullivan C 7 17 .412 8 10 .800 1 6 .167 1.35
Trey Partridge PG 2 5 .400 8 10 .800 1 4 .250 2.60

I remember writing about how we could be one of the best teams in the nation if we could remain healthy. The same five players started all 40 games for us this year, and they, and their teammates, ended the season as national champions.

Farewells follow.

[MoonlightGraham]

2035/36 Senior Tribute

TREY PARTRIDGE

I wish Trey Partridge's story had a better ending.

#2 PG Trey Partridge - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 5-8
Weight: 174
High School: Warwick Valley High School
Hometown: Warwick, NY

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 30 68 49 68 85 52 32 36 10 48 24 40 79 46 48 77
2034: 28 65 47 67 80 48 30 34 9 45 22 38 78 45 47 68
2033: 27 62 45 66 74 43 29 33 8 42 20 36 77 44 45 56
2032: 26 59 43 65 68 39 28 32 7 39 18 34 77 43 45 44
2031: 24 53 39 59 60 33 26 30 7 35 16 32 73 41 43 16
Potential: D B C B A B D C F C D C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Academic Suspension
Academics: 40

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 38 0 4.5 1.4 0.2 0.6 0.4 0.4 1.00 0.1 0.0 0.5
2033 16 0 15.8 5.1 0.8 2.3 1.6 0.9 1.67 0.5 0.2 1.0
2034 17 0 10.4 3.9 0.4 1.4 1.4 0.4 3.29 0.2 0.3 1.0
2035 7 0 4.1 1.9 0.0 0.6 0.3 0.9 0.33 0.1 0.0 0.7
Career 78 0 8.1 2.8 0.3 1.1 0.8 0.6 0.33 0.2 0.1 0.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 0.4 1.1 .405 0.3 0.4 .688 0.2 0.7 .321 1.29 0.29
2033 1.7 4.0 .422 0.9 1.2 .737 0.9 2.4 .368 1.28 5.50
2034 1.2 2.6 .467 0.8 1.3 .636 0.6 1.6 .357 1.47 6.71
2035 0.3 0.7 .400 1.1 1.4 .800 0.1 0.6 .250 2.60 0.14
Career 0.9 2.0 .429 0.6 0.9 .701 0.4 1.3 .347 1.38 2.74

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 38 0 172 54 8 22 15 15 5 0 20
2033 16 0 252 82 13 36 25 15 8 3 16
2034 17 0 177 66 6 23 23 7 3 5 17
2035 7 0 29 13 0 4 2 6 1 0 5
Career 78 0 630 215 27 85 65 43 17 8 58

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 17 42 11 16 9 28 11
2033 27 64 14 19 14 38 88
2034 21 45 14 22 10 28 114
2035 2 5 8 10 1 4 1
Career 67 156 47 67 34 98 214

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 4 0 2 1 1 0 2 1 3 4 4 1 3
Career 16 3 6 4 2 1 5 6 8 4 4 4 7

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031 High School: Rated *** and #233 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2035 NCAA Champion

We recruited Trey out of upstate New York to fill a particular role: a backup point guard with good vision and handle, a player who could give us solid minutes in relief of our starter and understand that he would probably always be the understudy, not the star.

Trey played that role very well, especially during his first two years. As a sophomore, he spent time as our sixth man while we went through a spate of injuries, and he handled that duty effectively.

The arrival of transfer Eldon Castanon cost Trey some playing time, but he continued to play productive basketball when he got the chance. And, then, he received his grades for the first semester of his senior year, and that's where the story ends.

Fortunately for Trey, his family has the money to finance the last semester of his Villanova education, so if his spring semester grades are up to par, he'll return next fall to complete his degree in Sociology. We wish him well.

Thanks for the memories, Trey.

[MoonlightGraham]

2035/36 Farewell

MASON REYNOLDS

St. Stephens & St. Agnes School in northern Virginia contains a much higher proportion of Villanova basketball fans than one would ever expect. The Saints come by their passion for Wildcat basketball honestly. Their school has produced two Villanova icons: a star player and his coach.

#5 SF Mason Reynolds - Villanova - Junior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-4
Weight: 213
High School: St. Stephens & St. Agnes School
Hometown: Alexandria, VA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 66 77 86 68 66 66 59 63 61 69 62 37 70 70 88 100
2034: 57 67 86 68 65 61 57 54 52 69 61 32 70 68 88 100
2033: 51 60 77 68 58 54 51 48 47 58 54 29 68 64 88 87
2032: 47 56 71 66 54 50 47 44 43 52 50 27 66 56 87 51
Potential: C B B B B B C C C B C D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 98

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2033 37 35 28.4 12.2 2.0 5.7 3.6 1.5 2.41 1.3 0.2 2.0
2034 37 37 30.6 16.4 2.5 7.4 4.3 1.9 2.22 1.4 0.3 3.0
2035 40 40 30.5 21.5 2.4 7.9 4.3 2.5 1.72 2.0 0.5 2.5
Career 114 112 29.8 16.8 2.3 7.0 4.1 2.0 1.72 1.5 0.3 2.5

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2033 4.2 8.7 .480 1.7 2.2 .765 2.1 5.1 .415 1.39 13.22
2034 5.8 12.2 .470 2.5 3.0 .839 2.3 6.1 .376 1.34 17.14
2035 7.8 15.0 .518 2.8 3.3 .847 3.1 7.1 .439 1.43 19.70
Career 6.0 12.1 .493 2.3 2.8 .824 2.5 6.1 .412 1.39 16.76

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2033 37 35 1049 450 73 211 135 56 48 7 73
2034 37 37 1134 605 94 272 160 72 50 10 112
2035 40 40 1219 858 95 314 172 100 78 19 101
Career 114 112 3402 1913 262 797 467 228 176 36 286

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2033 155 323 62 81 78 188 489
2034 213 453 94 112 85 226 634
2035 311 600 111 131 125 285 788
Career 679 1376 267 324 288 699 1911

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 52 7 14 8 6 2 6 20 30 10 11 9 17
Career 52 7 15 12 6 2 6 20 30 10 11 9 17

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 36
2032 High School: Rated ***** and #7 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2033 2nd Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2033 Freshman All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2033 Conference Freshman of the Year (Big East Conference)
2034 2nd Team All-American
2034 1st Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2034 Conference Player of the Year (Big East Conference)
2035 NCAA Champion
2035 National Player of the Year
2035 1st Team All-American
2035 1st Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2035 Conference Player of the Year (Big East Conference)
When we recruited Mason Reynolds, our expectations for him were high. He was ranked third at his position nationally, and a top ten player overall. When he arrived on campus, two of our starting guards were injured. We needed Mason to start right away, but I envisioned him moving into a reserve role once Reed Weisberg and Ernest Adcock were ready to play.

Mason refused to let that happen. He played so well that we shifted him to small forward, and that became his home for the next three seasons.

No player Graham has coached has done more different things to help a basketball team win games than Mason has. The 858 points he scored this season is the highest single season total in school history, and it's not even close. His 1913 career points are third highest, behind men who played four seasons. Mason is our fifth all-time leading assist man and our seventh all-time leading rebounder. And, although he has never been known as a great defensive player, he ranks fourth all-time in steals.

I was tempted to simply let Mason's list of achievements stand alone. Take a look at them again. He's achieved every honor a college player can earn, including a National Player of the Year award and a national championship ring.

Mason enjoys being a student, too, and he's been extremely good at it. His plans to complete his degree in Communication will be delayed while he pursues his professional basketball career.

He probably won't be one of the first four or five players drafted this spring, but he'll certainly hear his name called quickly on Draft Night. The team who chooses him will be glad they did, because he'll undoubtedly represent them as well as he has Villanova University.

Thanks for the memories, Mason.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 12, 2036

Mason Reynolds is selected with the #8 pick in tonight's pro draft.

As expected, Kentucky's Jack Clary is the number one pick. Mason is the second Big East player to come off the board; Pitt center Charles Cunningham went immediately after Clary.

2035 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. North Carolina ACC PF Ethan DeLuca ***** 2 2 1 0 0
2. West Virginia Big East SG Marquis Battista ***** 2 2 1 0 0
3. Kentucky SEC PG Jeffrey Cowley ***** 1 3 0 0 0
4. Kansas Big 12 PG John Ferreira ***** 2 0 2 0 0
5. Tennessee SEC C Luther Brown ***** 1 3 0 0 0
6. Boston College ACC SF Michael Smyth ***** 2 0 1 0 0
7. New Mexico Mountain West SG Bryan Frampton **** 0 4 0 0 0
8. Connecticut Big East SG Morris Thiele ***** 2 1 0 0 0
9. Washington Pacific-10 PG Tyler Anders ***** 1 1 1 0 0
10. Louisville Big East C Richard Alvarado ***** 2 1 1 0 0
11. Utah Mountain West SF Angelo Evans ***** 2 0 1 0 0
12. Florida SEC PF Emanuel Trotter **** 0 3 1 0 0
13. Duke ACC PF David Aucoin ***** 1 2 0 0 0
14. Villanova Big East PG Dane Barlow ***** 1 1 1 0 0
15. Memphis Conference USA SG Cornelius Hames **** 0 3 1 0 0
16. Texas Big 12 C Saul Scharf **** 0 2 2 0 0
17. California Pacific-10 C Aurelio Pena ***** 1 1 2 0 0
18. Vanderbilt SEC PF Justin Hui ***** 1 0 3 0 0
19. Georgetown Big East PF Isiah Cook ***** 1 1 0 0 0
20. Mississippi State SEC PF Charles Santiago **** 0 2 2 0 0
21. Louisiana State SEC PF Colin Baylor ***** 1 0 3 0 0
22. Texas A&M Big 12 SF Henry Caines **** 0 2 2 0 0
23. UNLV Mountain West PF Thomas Sasser **** 0 2 2 0 0
24. Maryland ACC SF John Williams **** 0 2 1 1 0
25. Iowa State Big 12 PF Thomas Logue **** 0 1 2 0 0
26. Miami ACC C Tony Caulfield **** 0 1 2 0 0
27. Pittsburgh Big East SF Carl Bias ***** 1 1 1 0 0
28. Georgia Tech ACC SF Bo Waters **** 0 2 1 0 0
29. Baylor Big 12 SG David Jolly **** 0 1 3 0 0
30. Lafayette Patriot League C Hugo Adams **** 0 2 1 0 0

Again this year, we bring in a recruiting class that I like better than the experts do.

Dane Barlow turns out to be not quite as fully developed as we thought, but since Connor Baxter and Eldon Castanon are still here, we can be patient with Dane.

Demetrius Reed is a better defender than we believed, and Nick Spencer has the potential to be a real lockdown guy.
2035 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. West Virginia Big East SG Marquis Battista ***** 2 2 1 0 0
8. Connecticut Big East SG Morris Thiele ***** 2 1 0 0 0
10. Louisville Big East C Richard Alvarado ***** 2 1 1 0 0
14. Villanova Big East PG Dane Barlow ***** 1 1 1 0 0
19. Georgetown Big East PF Isiah Cook ***** 1 1 0 0 0
27. Pittsburgh Big East SF Carl Bias ***** 1 1 1 0 0
33. South Florida Big East SG Mitch Hiller **** 0 1 3 1 0
36. St. John's Big East C Jack Chartier **** 0 1 3 0 0
44. Notre Dame Big East SF Coleman Burns **** 0 2 0 0 0
52. Marquette Big East PG James Shaw **** 0 1 2 1 0
68. Syracuse Big East SF Brian Grammer **** 0 1 1 1 0
115. Providence Big East PG Joseph Roney *** 0 0 2 0 0
141. Cincinnati Big East C Jose Wall *** 0 0 2 0 0
156. Rutgers Big East PG Chester Eisenberg *** 0 0 2 0 0
174. Seton Hall Big East PF John Thompson *** 0 0 1 0 0
251. DePaul Big East C Michael Andrade *** 0 0 1 0 0

West Virginia ended up signing JUCO center Wendell Cairns. He's their second five-star player, and he's already a grown man. They also have Eimantas Fetkevicius, a high four-star recruit.

UConn's top player, Morris Thiele, is the #7 player in the class. They've got Jelani Obasie, too, and he's going to be a star.

Georgetown guard Isiah Cook is the top-ranked Big East recruit: #5 overall. Thiele is next, and then Dane Barlow.

Our prestige (100) and budget ($800,000) remain unchanged. But our Facilities have maxed out at 100 now! Wawa Arena must be really something. :)

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2036

Veteran coach Luther Kiely has retired from his position at Iowa State, at age 62. Coach Kiely is one of the talented veterans whose career decisions I'm following.

Graham's former assistant, Donn McClinton, has been hired as the head coach at Morehead State. Coach McClinton spent the last four seasons as an assistant at Houston. He's been a head coach before, but not a successful one; his career record is 81-160.

We'll have an opening on our staff this year, too. Our former Scouting Director, Jacob Bryant, is getting the opportunity to try his luck as a head coach again. He'll be the new boss at Navy.

Replacing him will be the peripatetic Gregg Haddad. Coach Haddad was recently fired by Lipscomb after seven seasons as their head coach; he compiled a 89-122 record there. He's had significant success as a scouting specialist, however; he's worked at Duke and Georgia Tech, and in the Big East at Marquette and Providence. Coach Haddad is a Level 5 coach, but he's a top-tier, 100-rated scout. His three-year deal will pay him $188,435/year.

Charlie Sutton surprises me by deciding to stay at Vanderbilt. I don't see a player in the transfer portal I'd like to sign.

[Chas in Cinti]

Darn, was hoping he might be interested in a transfer...

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2036

Two things open today. First, the basketball offices and training facilities at the Wawa Arena.

https://i.imgur.com/dzIqete.jpeg

The other is a recruiting season that shapes up to be a busy one.

We have four seniors on scholarship this year: combo guards Connor Baxter and Eldon Castanon and power forwards Kyle Gribble and Charles Peterman.

We brought in two point guards in this year's class; Dane Barlow shows enough potential as a scorer to be classified as a "combo" or "lead" guard, and Nick Spencer is more of a pure point guard. So, unless one of the nation's very best point guards begs us to give him a scholarship, we won't be recruiting a one this year.

I usually think of centers and power forwards as being basically interchangeable. I've also been known to move a big player who's listed as a SF into the PF spot. So I usually recruit "big men" as a group, looking at players who are listed at PF and C. There's a tough, Blue Collar Man-type big, Demetrius Reed, in our freshman class.

So, as I look at our projected depth chart for the next two seasons, I see a need for two wing players. Ideally, one will be a long, athletic natural "three," and the other will be a marksman, possibly a "two." We need at least one big man, the heir apparent to Sebastian Roberts, a player we will probably need to be a solid, Blue or Green starter by his sophomore year. The fourth player might be a swingman who can play "three" or "four."

There's a big man in Pennsylvania whom I know we'll be looking at closely. He's James Sanders, Jr., the son and namesake of Lafayette legend James "Big Colonel" Sanders, class of 2016. James Junior isn't quite as big as his dad was; very few high school boys are 6'11" and 319 pounds. But he's a better prospect than his father was, a five-star power forward who averages almost 22 points and over 12 rebounds a game.

And we have an early inside track on Zayden Calhoun, a high-scoring, 6'5" wing from New Jersey. Zayden is the top player at his position in the country, scoring over 27 points a game and doing his share as a rebounder and playmaker. Unless our evaluations reveal weaknesses we can't overlook, we'll be offering scholarships to James and Zayden in a month.

Here's our call list as it stands today:
#1 VILLANOVA Recruiting

Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
----------------------------------------------------------------------
James Sanders, Jr. PF 6-10 272 ***** Very High Pennsylvania
Zayden Calhoun SF 6-5 194 ***** Very High New Jersey
Tony Flaherty SF 6-7 223 ***** Very High New York
David Getty C 6-9 212 ***** Very High New Jersey
Lucas Sheehan SG 6-1 192 **** Very High Kentucky
Gus Dean PG 6-3 204 **** Very High New Jersey
Garret Crockett PF 6-6 245 **** Very High Maryland
Harris Rouse PF 6-6 239 **** Very High Maryland
Ellis Torres PF 6-7 201 **** Very High New York
Stevie Chesser PG 5-5 160 **** Very High New York
David Stern SG 5-10 182 *** Very High Pennsylvania
Justin McIntosh SF 6-4 214 *** Very High Delaware
Mark Rotz C 6-10 270 ***** High Virginia
David Lovett SG 6-3 188 ***** High Wisconsin
Erasmo Martinez SF 6-4 197 ***** High Ohio
Chris Vogt SG 6-1 180 ***** High Georgia
Andrew Modlin SF 6-7 217 ***** High Florida
Helmfrid Vorbach SG 6-5 197 **** High Germany
James Boucher SG 6-5 189 **** High New Jersey
Tanner McLaughlin SG 6-2 186 **** Average Pennsylvania

[MoonlightGraham]

Darn, was hoping he might be interested in a transfer...

I was, too. I need a player like Charlie at Villanova now, in fact.

I did break into the editor to give Charlie a chance. I know the AI coaches will sometimes make a logical change in a player's position in order to put a team's best players on the floor. I took a look at Vanderbilt's roster, and they are pathetically weak for a top-tier team at SF. Meanwhile, their three best players, all at least Green/Green guys are guards, and two are listed at SG, like Charlie.

If Mr. Sutton moves to SF, he becomes the most talented option there, and by far the most promising. If I were coaching Vanderbilt, I'd make that change in a hot second. I'm willing to play Basketball Deity to give a bespoke player like Charlie a fighting chance.

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2036

It turns out that James Sanders, Jr. is a similar player to his dad, perhaps a bit more talented.

Here's a look back at our initial scouting report on James Sr. when we recruited him at Lafayette.
Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 55 31 55 47 20 21 38 39 26 21 52 21 41 70 24 11
Potential: B C C B D D C B C C C D

And here's a look at James Jr. today:
#42 PF James Sanders, Jr.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 272
High School: Lower Dauphin High School
Hometown: Hummelstown, PA
GPA: 3.42
Test Score: 1380
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 55 28 58 27 12 21 42 48 24 19 12 52 33 68 44 19
Potential: B D B C D D C B C D D A

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.9 3.1 12.3 1.4 1.6 0.88 0.6 2.3 2.1

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.6 14.8 .580 4.8 5.8 .826 0.1 0.7 .077

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Average
Rankings: #22 Overall, #4 PF, East Region #4 Overall, East Region #1 PF
High School Awards: All-State, All American
Top 5 Schools: Georgetown, West Virginia, Villanova, Boston College, North Carolina

James Sr. turned out to be a slightly better defensive player and a slightly poorer shooter than we thought; our scout at Lafayette in 2012 wasn't as talented as our guy now.

Senior was a three-star player, ranked #274 in his class. Junior is much more highly regarded, but I'm not convinced he's *that* much better than his dad was. He's also not as enamored of us as I hoped he would be. I'm going to offer him a scholarship and recruit him heavily, but I can envision myself withdrawing the offer if we can't convince him that we're a good fit...as much as I'd like to coach Big Colonel's son. (I created him for this purpose, after all.)

I made a late decision to offer Zayden Calhoun before I advanced the game, and I'm glad I did. He's the real deal.
11 SF Zayden Calhoun
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-5
Weight: 194
High School: Lawrenceville School
Hometown: Princeton, NJ
GPA: 3.54
Test Score: 1290
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 42 60 57 58 28 36 36 33 24 47 30 27 73 47 83 46
Potential: B C B B D B C C D B D D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27.6 1.9 5.6 5.6 2.4 2.38 1.7 0.5 3.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.9 21.5 .551 2.5 3.6 .704 1.4 4.8 .295

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #3 Overall, #1 SF, East Region #1 Overall, East Region #1 SF
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (New Jersey), All American
Top 5 Schools: *Villanova, Georgetown, Connecticut, Kansas, Syracuse
Zayden's high-volume scoring at the high school level is backed up by skill. He can create his own shot, and he can catch and shoot, with three-point range. He passes the ball unselfishly, rebounds willingly, and enjoys playing defense. Coaches Sims and Caballero will pull out all the stops as they recruit him this month.

Another wing we're looking at closely is this five-star player from New York City.
#40 SF Tony Flaherty
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-7
Weight: 223
High School: Dalton School
Hometown: New York, NY
GPA: 2.92
Test Score: 1330
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 54 60 41 32 17 39 28 29 38 48 41 38 55 43 41 56
Potential: B B C B C C D C B B B B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16.5 1.9 7.1 3.0 2.4 1.28 1.6 1.9 1.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.3 13.0 .564 1.7 2.8 .589 0.3 1.1 .238

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #14 Overall, #4 SF, East Region #3 Overall, East Region #2 SF
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: Villanova, Georgetown, Duke, Kansas, Connecticut
Tony Flaherty can do almost every basketball thing well. There isn't one thing he does superbly, as well as any high school player in the country, but that was true of Mason Reynolds, too. And he turned out pretty well.

The top player in the class is Chris Vogt, a shooting guard who would fill the "marksman" role as well as any player we've ever seen. He lists us third among his top schools, but he has an offer from Kentucky, one of the schools he prefers. We certainly won't forget about Chris yet, but we've identified a similar player who likes us better: David Lovett.
#33 SG David Lovett
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-3
Weight: 188
High School: Mount Horeb High School
Hometown: Mount Horeb, WI
GPA: 3.19
Test Score: 1050
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 41 54 36 42 32 17 17 13 16 34 56 24 83 54 100 22
Potential: A B B C C D C D D A A C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
30.5 1.5 4.1 3.8 2.7 1.42 3.7 0.7 2.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13.6 25.5 .531 2.0 3.6 .563 1.4 4.7 .290

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: High
Rankings: #23 Overall, #5 SG, Midwest Region #6 Overall, Midwest Region #1 SG
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Wisconsin), All American
Top 5 Schools: Kentucky, Villanova, Utah, *Northwestern, Missouri
David takes nearly a shot per minute for his high school team, but over half of them are going in. He isn't an elite three-point shooter, but opponents can't neglect him, either. I really like his willingness to play defense, though; many high-frequency shooters like him won't do that. And he causes a lot of turnovers, too.

I'm going to offer Flaherty and Lovett scholarships, too. They'll both visit campus, along with Sanders and Calhoun, and they'll get visits from as many coaches as we can send. We'll spend the rest of our cash wooing players we haven't featured yet. Perhaps one or more of them will rise to the top of our wish list.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2036

Zayden Calhoun received an offer from Georgetown last month. He still likes us better, and he's narrowed his list to us, the Hoyas, and Kansas. I remain confident he'll be in Villanova blue next season.

It seems that Tony Flaherty liked his visit to campus. Duke has made him an offer, but we remain at the top of his list.

We're in a similar position with David Lovett; his third choice, Northwestern, has offered him, but we're his favorite right now.

And then there's James Sanders, Jr. We're in a battle with Georgetown for his commitment, and the Hoyas are ahead right now. There is a part of me that never wants to concede a player to Georgetown, even if the Hoyas are the favorite. We've come from behind and landed a player or two that way. But is this the battle to fight?

I have a nickname picked out for James Jr., but he can't have it if he signs with Georgetown. ;)

But here's the problem. I don't have the inside track for any other big guys. David Getty, a five-star center, prefers Boston College, and he's got an offer from the Eagles. Would he flip to us if we offered him? Mark Rotz, another top center, seems pleased with an offer from Kentucky...but would he prefer one from us?

When I'm stuck like this, I often check to see if there's a foreign player who likes us and could fit our needs. Oh, look! There is! His name is Jordi Ballester, and he's from Spain. He lists New Mexico as a favorite school; perhaps that's because they've contacted him. I cut someone from our call list and add Carlos, and prepare to evaluate him. Would you like to visit Spain this month, Coach Sims?

I'm going to keep my offers in the hands of the same four players this month. If Jordi Ballester looks like a player and James Jr. keeps wearing Georgetown gear around his high school campus, that might change.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2036

The best news comes from the Flaherty household. Tony has one school on his list, and it's Villanova. Maybe he'll have even better news for us in a month.

Zayden Calhoun and David Lovett have us in the "favorite" position, with one rival listed below us. For Z, it's Georgetown; for David, it's Kentucky. There's no reason to feel uneasy about these guys...yet.

James Sanders, Jr. also has two programs on his list, but we're still listed behind the *expletive deleted* Hoyas. And now we know what kind of player we're looking at with Jordi Ballester.
#4 PF Jordi Ballester
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-7
Weight: 245
High School:
Hometown: El Prat de Llobregat, Spain
GPA: 3.49
Test Score: 1330
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 41 49 23 19 52 5 30 67 42 32 50 36 9 75 45 93
Potential: C A D F C F B A B C C C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16.6 2.2 12.8 0.4 1.9 0.18 1.6 1.2 3.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.5 13.1 .571 1.7 3.4 .485 0.0 0.0 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #40 Overall, #9 PF, Foreign #1 Overall, Foreign #1 PF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Villanova, New Mexico, Washington, Oklahoma
There are things Jordi cannot do, and probably won't ever do very well. He shows no aptitude for passing, and he doesn't seem to have any inclination to shoot threes. But there are other things Jordi does well. He has a nice touch on his jumper, he'll play defense willingly, and he'll crash the boards hard. Jordi is strong, fairly quick for a big man, and can run all day. And, most of all, he responded very positively to our visit.

Perhaps Big Colonel's son wants to avoid the comparisons he might face if he plays for the coach who guided his dad back in the 'teens. Now he won't have that problem. I'm pulling his offer and giving it to the Catalan big man we've recently discovered. Coaches Sims and Caballero--and their lovely wives--are going to Barcelona this month.

P.S. Sharp eyes who read the previous post as soon as it dropped might notice that Jordi Ballester was previously known as Juan Pablo Jimenez. When I looked up the player's home town, I discovered it's right outside Barcelona. I decided to give Jordi a classic Catalan name instead.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2036

It's Decision Day for many of the nation's top young basketball players. We get three pieces of good news.

The first comes from Zayden Calhoun. I'm sure Georgetown made a late push for him, but he remains true to his first love. The crush is mutual, too. He's the top player at his position in the nation, New Jersey's Mr. Basketball, and a high school All-American. Programs are built around recruits like Zayden.

Then we learn David Lovett has picked Villanova, too. He and Zayden are both the highest-scoring high school player in their states. Will they be able to share the ball? I think they will; Zayden is a notably good passer, and David likes to drive and slash. I can envision them playing well together. I believe they'll be playing against each other in the high school All-American game first.

And we also discover we'll be seeing Jordi Ballester on campus next year, too. Jordi is less polished than his American classmates, but we'll be able to play the long game with him. Sebastian Roberts will be a junior next year, and Demetrius Reed a sophomore. If Jordi can fill the role of "third big man" as a freshman, we'll be delighted with that.

I thought Tony Flaherty was almost ready to commit to us, but he's taking another month to think. He's put Georgetown, Kansas, and Kentucky back on his list, but none of those programs have made him an offer.

Tony would put the finishing touches on a recruiting class I really like a lot.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 9, 2036

Here's the Villanova team that will inaugurate the brand-new Wawa Arena this season:

Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dane Barlow 3 PG Fr 6-2 199 Yes 87 OK Wilmington, DE
Eldon Castanon 4 PG Sr* 6-3 217 Yes 42 OK Silver Spring, MD
Max Bennett 10 SG Jr 6-5 206 Yes 96 OK Media, PA
Kyle Gribble 11 PF Sr 6-8 225 Yes 92 OK Lakewood, CA
Nick Spencer 12 PG Fr 5-10 173 Yes 72 OK Collegeville, PA
Charlie Lambert 14 PF Jr 6-9 234 Yes 64 OK Hyattsville, MD
Connor Baxter 22 SG Sr 6-2 204 Yes 98 OK Slippery Rock, PA
John Maroney 24 SF Fr 6-8 239 No 41 OK Montville, NJ
Charles Peterman 25 PF Sr 6-7 231 Yes 62 OK Thompson, Canada
Sebastian Roberts 30 C So 7-0 251 Yes 99 OK Frenchtown, NJ
Matt Valentine 31 SF Jr 6-6 205 Yes 36 OK Middletown, DE
Demetrius Reed 32 C Fr 7-1 279 Yes 91 OK Philadelphia, PA
Luke Christensen 34 SF So 6-4 197 Yes 64 OK Philadelphia, PA
Erick Sullivan 35 C Jr 6-10 275 No 87 OK Wilmington, DE
Derek Lamb 41 PF Fr* 6-6 213 No 73 OK Latham, OH

A new, state-of-the-art training facility and one of the best coaching staffs in all of college hoops means preseason training will go well. #gains
#1 VILLANOVA Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dane Barlow 4 8 6 6 8 8 2 2 2 8 6 2 2 4 0 10
Eldon Castanon 3 2 2 9 2 12 3 8 0 11 2 1 1 2 1 0
Max Bennett 6 7 2 5 5 5 3 3 2 7 5 1 0 3 1 5
Kyle Gribble 13 8 2 5 5 3 10 1 9 0 1 0 1 3 0 3
Nick Spencer 4 4 4 4 8 6 2 2 2 12 6 2 2 2 2 10
Charlie Lambert 10 6 8 2 4 4 2 10 11 5 2 3 0 3 0 9
Connor Baxter 2 0 0 0 1 0 4 5 5 2 1 2 2 3 1 7
John Maroney 2 2 2 2 2 4 2 2 4 2 6 2 1 6 1 8
Charles Peterman 2 3 1 1 3 1 4 2 5 2 2 2 0 2 1 4
Sebastian Roberts 16 6 4 6 2 2 16 3 9 2 2 6 0 6 0 6
Matt Valentine 4 3 0 3 3 3 1 1 3 2 1 2 1 2 0 11
Demetrius Reed 2 2 4 2 2 2 10 8 8 2 2 10 1 5 4 12
Luke Christensen 1 6 8 2 2 1 1 2 3 6 8 3 0 2 0 0
Erick Sullivan 1 2 3 3 1 1 3 6 7 1 2 4 0 3 0 0
Derek Lamb 2 1 2 0 1 2 2 0 4 1 1 2 1 2 1 12

All but one player returns from the 35/36 team that won 38 games and a national championship. Yes, that player happens to be the National Player of the Year, but Graham Sims can still field a formidable team.

The backcourt is in the hands of two seniors, both of whom have earned first team All-Big East recognition at least once. Connor Baxter averaged 16.1 points and 5.9 assists per game last season, earning his second consecutive first team berth. He was joined by Eldon Castanon (11.1 PPG, 5.7 APG, 4.1 RPG). Connor and Eldon are both able to swing between scoring and playmaking roles, and they're both very good defenders. They are perhaps the best backcourt duo in the nation.

Junior Charlie Lambert, a second team All-Big East player, returns to the frontcourt after a fantastic training camp. He's a versatile player, a three-level scorer who hit 78 three-point shots last season. Charlie is also a formidable shot blocker.

The fourth returning starter is sophomore center Sebastian Roberts, who was an All-Big East freshman team selection. The team's leading rebounder last season (7.9 RPG), Sebastian was our fifth option offensively--but he's capable of filling a much more essential role. He's an athletic seven-footer who is considered one of the top three pro prospects in all of college hoops.

Kyle Gribble will get the first opportunity to fill out the starting five. He's earned it; he's a senior whose role has gradually expanded over the course of his career. Kyle can score with a variety of post moves, and his jump shot is becoming more and more of a weapon. He's also become a very good post defender.

If Gribble doesn't start, Matt Valentine probably will. He's a 6'6" wing with a scorer's mentality. He's not a poor defender, but he offers less at that end of the floor than most of our players do. Max Bennett, a talented combo guard, and Luke Christensen, a wing who was one of our most productive players on a per-minute basis last year, will also be key members of the rotation.

We can be patient with our three incoming freshmen: guards Dane Barlow and Nick Spencer, and big man Demetrius Reed. I hope they'll be patient too, because all three are exciting talents. Barlow is the most developed player of the group, a skilled facilitator with a sneaky-good shot. Spencer is a pure point guard whom we believe will develop into a lockdown defender. Reed, a very, very large man, is a fierce rim protector-in-training.

Also available are senior Charles Peterman and junior Erick Sullivan, who is one of the best walk-ons I've ever seen.

This year's team is loaded with veterans, fully developed players who are ready to shine. We can go ten-deep with Green guys, and the freshmen are potentially just as good as their older teammates.

We'll miss Mason Reynolds. Any team would. However, the fans who make their way to the sparkling new Wawa Center should see one of the nation's top teams in action once again.

Coach Sims enters the season with 768 career wins to his credit. I think there's a very good chance he will celebrate win #800 sometime in March.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 9, 2036
Coaches Invitational, First Round
(1) #1 Villanova 95, (16) Idaho State 68
A commanding performance by Connor Baxter (17p/8r/8a) sets the tone for a victory in the first round of this highly-regarded preseason tournament.

Matt Valentine scores 21 points off the bench. Charlie Lambert (17p/7r/5b), Kyle Gribble (14p/9r), and Max Bennett (10p/4a) also enjoy productive season debuts.
Record: 1-0.


November 10, 2036
Coaches Invitational Quarterfinal
(1) #1 Villanova 92, (8) Penn State 84
Eldon Castanon makes all 7 of the three-pointers he attempts to lead us into the Coaches Invitational semifinal. Eldon's 28 points are a career high, and he adds 8 assists.

Connor Baxter scores 11 points and hands out 10 assists. Sebastian Roberts also has a double-double: 13 points, 10 rebounds. Charlie Lambert finishes with 11 points.

We've shot 25-for-50 from behind the arc so far. That won't last, but it sure is fun.
Record: 2-0.


November 16, 2036
Coaches Invitational Semifinal
(1) #1 Villanova 86, (5) Fresno State 71
The Bulldogs battle us hard tonight, and we do just enough to secure the win and a spot in the tournament championship game.

The biggest stars are Connor Baxter (18p/11r/6a) and Charlie Lambert (20p/8r/4b). Kyle Gribble also reaches double figures (10p), and Eldon Castanon fills his stat line (8p/7r/5a). Max Bennett contributes 4 assists and 3 steals in 14 minutes of action.

New Mexico beats Memphis in the other semifinal, so we'll face the Lobos in the championship game.
Record: 3-0.


November 17, 2036
Coaches Invitational Championship
(1) #1 Villanova 96, (3) #8 New Mexico 69

--------------------------------------------------------
New Mexico (3-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jamar Penn C 25 3-7 4-8 4 7 1 2 10
Bernard Deliot PF 21 0-3 0-2 1 5 0 4 0
Bryan Frampton SF 24 6-16 0-0 1 2 2 2 17
Charles LaTour SG 31 6-12 4-4 2 3 4 0 21
Brendon Hansen PG 30 3-9 2-2 1 3 3 2 9
Liam Martin SG 12 0-3 0-0 0 0 0 3 0
Silvester Pezold PG 6 0-1 2-2 0 0 1 2 2
Clay Shirley C 15 1-3 0-2 2 4 0 3 3
Anthony Cookson SF 19 2-6 0-0 1 4 1 0 5
Steve Tam C 12 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 1 2
Bret Gary SF 3 0-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 0
Toby Woolsey PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (J.Penn 2, B.Frampton 1, C.LaTour 3,
B.Hansen 3, L.Martin 1, S.Pezold 1, A.Cookson 3, S.Tam
1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (J.Penn 2, B.Deliot 1, S.Tam 1)
Steals: 7 (J.Penn 1, B.Deliot 2, B.Frampton 1, B.Hansen
1, A.Cookson 2)
3P FGs: 13-34 (B.Frampton 5-11, C.LaTour 5-9, B.Hansen
1-4, L.Martin 0-2, S.Pezold 0-1, C.Shirley 1-1,
A.Cookson 1-4, B.Gary 0-2)

Villanova (4-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 27 6-8 1-1 1 9 0 2 14
Kyle Gribble PF 25 4-8 6-7 4 6 0 3 15
Charlie Lambert SF 29 8-12 0-1 3 12 3 2 18
Connor Baxter SG 31 6-10 0-0 1 2 7 1 13
Eldon Castanon PG 24 2-5 2-2 1 4 9 4 6
Max Bennett SG 18 3-5 0-0 0 4 5 1 7
Dane Barlow PG 7 1-3 0-0 1 1 0 0 3
Matt Valentine SF 25 6-11 6-6 0 3 4 3 20
Luke Christensen SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Demetrius Reed C 10 0-0 0-1 0 2 0 2 0
Erick Sullivan C 3 0-0 0-0 1 2 0 0 0
Charles Peterman PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 16 (C.Lambert 2, C.Baxter 3, E.Castanon 3,
M.Bennett 1, D.Barlow 2, M.Valentine 4, D.Reed 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (S.Roberts 2, C.Lambert 3)
Steals: 7 (S.Roberts 1, C.Lambert 1, C.Baxter 2,
E.Castanon 2, M.Valentine 1)
3P FGs: 9-23 (S.Roberts 1-2, K.Gribble 1-3, C.Lambert
2-3, C.Baxter 1-5, E.Castanon 0-1, M.Bennett 1-3,
D.Barlow 1-2, M.Valentine 2-4)

Player of Game: SF Charlie Lambert (VLNV)
While our seniors play well, it's the players from our Class of 2038 who take he spotlight as we win the Coaches Invitational with an impressive victory over a ranked team.

Matt Valentine scores at least 20 points in a reserve role for the second time this young season. Charlie Lambert spices up his double-double with an extra helping of rejected shots.

We don't shoot particularly well from distance, but we find other ways to win.
Record: 4-0.

https://i.imgur.com/ACAzVLa.jpeg


November 26, 2036
The Wildcats move into the Wawa Arena tonight, and a capacity crowd of 12,500 watches the 2035/36 NCAA championship banner descend from the rafters. Then, they watch their team defeat their visitors from Vermont.

Here's the box score from the first game in the new home of Villanova basketball.
#1 Villanova 90, Vermont 58

---------------------------------------------------------
Vermont (1-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jonathan Mason C 26 2-3 0-0 3 6 2 2 5
Terrence Kerrigan PF 24 2-5 0-0 1 2 1 2 5
Moses Halliday SF 25 1-5 1-2 3 8 1 4 4
Emery Hermosillo SG 29 7-12 0-0 0 1 2 0 18
Jonathan Walker PG 27 4-9 1-2 0 3 5 4 9
Lyman Johnson SF 25 4-10 1-2 0 3 0 0 10
Michael Pettway PG 14 1-4 0-0 1 1 1 1 2
Charles Waters PG 6 1-4 1-1 1 1 0 2 3
Fritz Dunford PF 14 0-0 1-2 0 4 0 0 1
Glen Warner C 7 0-1 1-2 0 0 1 0 1
Mark Carter SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Don Delgado C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 20 (J.Mason 2, T.Kerrigan 1, M.Halliday 2,
E.Hermosillo 2, J.Walker 4, L.Johnson 4, M.Pettway 2,
F.Dunford 3)
Blocked Shots: 1 (T.Kerrigan 1)
Steals: 4 (E.Hermosillo 1, J.Walker 1, L.Johnson 1,
M.Pettway 1)
3P FGs: 8-24 (J.Mason 1-1, T.Kerrigan 1-1, M.Halliday
1-4, E.Hermosillo 4-5, J.Walker 0-4, L.Johnson 1-6,
M.Pettway 0-1, C.Waters 0-2)

Villanova (5-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 27 3-8 1-1 0 3 1 1 8
Kyle Gribble PF 24 4-7 3-3 0 1 1 4 12
Charlie Lambert SF 26 3-7 0-0 2 8 4 4 8
Connor Baxter SG 32 3-6 3-3 0 3 6 0 10
Eldon Castanon PG 27 4-9 2-2 1 4 5 2 14
Max Bennett SG 14 5-6 4-4 0 0 2 1 19
Dane Barlow PG 7 0-0 2-2 1 2 1 0 2
Matt Valentine SF 24 4-7 2-2 0 3 3 2 10
Demetrius Reed C 11 1-2 0-0 1 4 0 0 2
Erick Sullivan C 6 2-2 0-0 0 3 0 1 5
Charles Peterman PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (S.Roberts 2, C.Lambert 2, C.Baxter 3,
E.Castanon 2, M.Valentine 3, D.Reed 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (D.Reed 1)
Steals: 7 (K.Gribble 4, C.Baxter 2, E.Castanon 1)
3P FGs: 15-28 (S.Roberts 1-3, K.Gribble 1-2, C.Lambert
2-5, C.Baxter 1-3, E.Castanon 4-9, M.Bennett 5-5,
E.Sullivan 1-1)

Player of Game: SG Max Bennett (VLNV)
I love the way different players step up when we need them. Tonight it's Max Bennett, who packs an incredible amount of action into 14 minutes of court time.

I also love the high percentage of made baskets that are assisted--23 out of 29 this time--and the fact we went 17-for-17 from the free throw line.
Record: 5-0.

Sutton Watch: Charlie Sutton emerged from his second training camp at Vanderbilt an improved player. Here's how his attributes look as he heads into the season:
Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 52 67 82 80 50 34 17 22 17 32 29 15 58 40 40 69
2035: 50 64 79 77 47 32 16 21 16 30 27 14 57 37 39 64
2034: 46 58 73 71 41 28 14 19 14 27 24 12 57 31 38 53
Potential: C B A A B C D D D C C D

After an incredibly frustrating season in which he didn't play a single minute, Charlie surprisingly returned to Vanderbilt. A position switch (from SG to SF) has worked wonders for the sharpshooting sophomore.

Starting all six of Vandy's games, Charlie is leading the Commodores in scoring at 20.5 PPG. He's really heated up lately, too, scoring 26, 28, and 26 points in his last three contests, all Vanderbilt victories.

Charlie is establishing himself as a deadly three-point shooter. He knocked down 19 of 27 triples over his three-game hot streak, and he's making 46 percent of his threes for the season.

It's taken him a year, but Charlie has become a key player for coach Chris Box's team.

[Chas in Cinti]

Wow... Sutton looks good....

[MoonlightGraham]

Wow... Sutton looks good....

He is an exceptionally good shooter, isn't he? He has a decent handle, and he's not fantastic defensively, but he's certainly not bad. That's why I said if he left Vanderbilt and showed any interest in coming to play for Coach Sims, I'd have a scholarship for him.

I'm looking forward to seeing how good a career he will have. He's not listed among the 50 top professional prospect in his class, so it looks right now like he'll remain a Commodore for four years. I hope that happens, since he lost one season to the AI coach's foolishness already.

Thanks for stopping by!

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2036
@#1 Villanova 105, Holy Cross 72
A program Coach Sims remembers well from his Patriot League days comes to Wawa Arena tonight. The Crusaders receive the 100-point treatment that we applied frequently last season.

Eldon Castanon, who knocks down 6 of 10 triples, leads us with 20 points. Charlie Lambert adds 5 blocks to his 14 points and 13 rebounds. Kyle Gribble (11p/8r) and Sebastian Roberts (7p/8r) are also assertive down low. Connor Baxter (8p/7a) keeps the offense humming.

Three reserves--Max Bennett (8p/7a/3s), Dane Barlow (12p) and Matt Valentine (14p) are particularly effective.
Record: 6-0.


December 6, 2036
@#1 Villanova 85, Davidson 58
Matt Valentine continues to provide lots of offense from the bench, leading us with 15 points as we take care of the visiting Wildcats.

He's joined atop the scoring leaders by two other seniors: Kyle Gribble (13) and Eldon Castanon (14). Another reserve, guard Max Bennett, leads us with 6 assists. Sebastian Roberts and Charlie Lambert each block 3 shots, and Roberts scores 11 points.
Record: 7-0.


December 10, 2036
#1 Villanova 81, @Gonzaga 56
Our trip to the West Coast is a successful one, with Eldon Castanon (15p/7r/4a/4s)earning his third straight PotG nod.

Seb Roberts (14p/16r) would have been a good choice, too. Those 16 boards are a career high for the sophomore center, and he also goes 2-for-5 from three-point range. And Matt Valentine (15 points) keeps scoring. He is the team's most productive point-getter, averaging 14 per game.

Connor Baxter (13p/6a) and Kyle Gribble (11p/8r) enjoy productive games, too.
Record: 8-0.


December 14, 2036
@#1 Villanova 89, Virginia 65
Our visitors from Mr. Jefferson's University are greeted rather rudely by Charlie Lambert, but I'm just fine with that. Charlie scores 24 points--his season's best--yanks down 10 rebounds, and blocks a pair of shots.

Senior guards Eldon Castanon (9p/8a/2s) and Connor Baxter (8p/7a) are active and productive. Matt Valentine and Luke Christensen score 10 points each off the bench.

Kyle Gribble twists his knee, which will force us to juggle our lineup for about two weeks. Matt Valentine will start our next games in Kyle's place.

Rod Baggett scores 32 in a losing Cavaliers effort.
Record: 9-0.


December 21, 2036
@#1 Villanova 82, William & Mary 53
More Virginians come to the Main Line, and these don't fare any better than their compatriots from Charlottesville.

Sebastian Roberts leads four 'Cats in double figures with 20 points, and he grabs 12 rebounds, too. Charlie Lambert adds 19 and Connor Baxter 18 with 16 assists. Matt Valentine finishes with 13.
Record: 10-0.


I thought the top of this week's poll was interesting. :)
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova (72) 11-0 1800 1 Big East Conference
2. Georgetown 9-0 1728 2 Big East Conference
3. Lafayette 11-1 1641 3 Patriot League
4. North Carolina 11-1 1592 4 Atlantic Coast Conference
5. Stanford 9-1 1494 5 Pacific-10 Conference
6. Washington 9-1 1377 8 Pacific-10 Conference
7. Louisville 9-0 1340 7 Big East Conference
8. Pittsburgh 9-2 1192 10 Big East Conference
9. Boston College 9-1 1188 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. New Mexico 9-1 1131 12 Mountain West Conference
This is the highest joint ranking achieved by the teams Graham Sims has coached.


December 26, 2036
#1 Villanova 101, @George Washington 89
Charlie Lambert enjoys his trip to the nation's capital, scoring 22 points, snaring 12 rebounds, and rejecting 6 shots.

Connor Baxter just misses joining him in the double-double club (18p/9a). Sebastian Roberts has 10 rebounds; Matt Valentine (16); Luke Christensen (12), and Dane Barlow (10) all score in double digits.
Record: 11-0.


December 28, 2036
#1 Villanova 93, Vanderbilt 74

---------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (12-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 26 6-12 3-7 5 16 1 2 15
Charlie Lambert PF 32 3-5 5-7 5 12 2 2 12
Matt Valentine SF 23 7-10 5-6 0 0 1 4 23
Connor Baxter SG 25 3-11 4-4 1 3 7 4 11
Eldon Castanon PG 29 3-10 1-2 2 2 9 3 9
Max Bennett SG 17 3-7 3-3 2 3 3 4 10
Dane Barlow PG 8 1-3 0-2 0 0 1 0 2
Luke Christensen SF 15 4-5 0-0 0 3 2 2 9
Demetrius Reed C 17 1-2 0-1 2 7 0 1 2
Erick Sullivan C 7 0-1 0-0 1 3 0 0 0
Charles Peterman PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (S.Roberts 1, C.Lambert 1, M.Valentine 1,
C.Baxter 1, E.Castanon 2, D.Barlow 1, L.Christensen 2,
D.Reed 2, E.Sullivan 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (S.Roberts 1, C.Lambert 4, D.Reed 2)
Steals: 3 (C.Baxter 1, E.Castanon 2)
3P FGs: 10-25 (S.Roberts 0-3, C.Lambert 1-1,
M.Valentine 4-6, C.Baxter 1-5, E.Castanon 2-5,
M.Bennett 1-4, L.Christensen 1-1)

Vanderbilt (8-4, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ramon Corcoran C 21 1-2 0-2 1 2 1 4 2
Justin Hui PF 29 4-10 2-4 2 8 1 3 10
Steven Albrecht SF 23 3-5 6-6 4 8 6 4 13
Charlie Sutton SG 30 9-16 1-2 1 2 3 2 24
Fletcher Watkins PG 32 3-9 2-3 0 2 7 3 10
Matthew Applegate SG 18 2-9 2-3 3 4 1 4 6
Reuben Perez C 24 0-3 0-0 1 6 1 1 0
Edward Jones SF 14 3-7 0-0 1 1 1 4 7
Henry Hobby C 6 0-2 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Tyrell Essary SF 3 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 2 2

Turnovers: 12 (R.Corcoran 2, J.Hui 1, C.Sutton 1,
F.Watkins 3, M.Applegate 2, R.Perez 1, E.Jones 1,
H.Hobby 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (J.Hui 1, S.Albrecht 2, C.Sutton 1,
E.Jones 1)
Steals: 2 (S.Albrecht 1, E.Jones 1)
3P FGs: 9-17 (S.Albrecht 1-1, C.Sutton 5-7, F.Watkins
2-5, M.Applegate 0-1, R.Perez 0-1, E.Jones 1-2)

Player of Game: PF Charlie Lambert (VLNV)
Vanderbilt's redshirt freshman* guard, Charlie Sutton, leads all scorers, but his Commodores don't otherwise have enough to hold off the nation's top team.

We post two double-doubles, and nearly have a third. Look how close Eldon Castanon came to matching the feats of Sebastian Roberts and Charlie Lambert. And Matt Valentine nearly matches Sutton's point total.

We're uncharacteristically inaccurate from the free throw line, but we shoot so many of them that it doesn't make much difference.
Record: 12-0.


Sutton Watch: Charlie continues to lead the Commodores in scoring. Here's a look at all his numbers:
Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 12 12 30.0 18.7 1.0 4.0 1.8 3.1 0.59 0.7 0.3 2.6
Career 12 12 30.0 18.7 1.0 4.0 1.8 3.1 0.59 0.7 0.3 2.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 6.6 13.8 .476 1.7 2.1 .800 3.8 8.2 .469 1.35 6.58
Career 6.6 13.8 .476 1.7 2.1 .800 3.8 8.2 .469 1.35 6.58

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 12 12 360 224 12 48 22 37 8 4 31
Career 12 12 360 224 12 48 22 37 8 4 31

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 79 166 20 25 46 98 79
Career 79 166 20 25 46 98 79

*You may notice I refer to Charlie as a redshirt freshman. I went into the editor and fixed something I thought was a mistake.

Charlie didn't play at all as a true freshman last year. In the real world, a season like this would count as a redshirt year, since the status isn't confirmed until the end of the season. FBCB doesn't work like that.

However, I can go into the editor and "reclassify" Charlie, and that's what I did. Now he'll get the four years of eligibility that he deserves, and that's more fun for everybody. :)

[MoonlightGraham]

This is what happens when you go a week without posting...

The last thing that happened in my last FBCB session was the December 1 recruiting update. We receive the good news that Tony Flaherty is committing to Villanova!

Tony is the third five-star recruit to join our Class of '37, and they're all wings. Flaherty is listed at SF, but he's a big dude--6'7", over 220 pounds--so moving to PF wouldn't be out of the question. His skill set is balanced, so having him on the floor with classmates Zayden Calhoun and David Lovett could work. And the fourth recruit in our class, Jordi Ballester, could conceivably move from PF to C. His style would mesh well with the other three guys.

Here's where some of the other recruits I talked about are playing next year:

James Sanders, Jr., Gus Dean: Georgetown
David Getty: Boston College
Lucas Sheehan and Mark Rotz: Kentucky
Tanner McLaughlin: Pitt

[MoonlightGraham]

January 1, 2037

We got a surprising piece of bad news when fall semester grades were released today.

Charlie Lambert is on academic probation, and he'll miss the remainder of the season!

This is a huge blow. Through the first 12 games of the season, Charlie is our leading scorer (15.3 PPG), rebounder (8.8 RPG), and shot blocker (2.9 BPG). And, to make it even more frustrating, Charlie is no blockhead. His academic rating is 64. He scored over 1100 on his SAT, and he had better than a 3.0 GPA in high school. Time management, rather than ability, appears to be the issue here.

Matt Valentine will move into the starting lineup for good.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 3, 2037
#1 Villanova 99, #5 Lafayette 65

--------------------------------------------------------
Lafayette (12-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jalen Christian C 19 2-2 1-2 1 2 2 0 5
Q. Derryberry PF 21 3-4 0-0 1 3 0 1 6
Rex Ambriz SF 19 5-10 3-4 0 1 3 0 14
Charles Loy SG 28 6-14 0-0 2 6 4 3 16
Leroy Velez PG 31 2-4 1-2 1 2 7 1 5
Owen Sutton SF 18 2-11 0-1 0 2 1 4 5
E. Leatherwood PF 23 4-6 0-0 0 1 0 2 8
Charles Bodine SF 15 1-5 0-0 0 1 1 1 2
Jayson Younger PG 9 1-4 0-0 0 0 1 0 2
Jon Jordan C 16 1-1 0-0 1 4 0 1 2
Hugo Adams C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Grant Pang PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 17 (Q.Derryberry 1, R.Ambriz 1, C.Loy 2,
L.Velez 5, O.Sutton 2, E.Leatherwood 3, C.Bodine 2,
J.Younger 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (Q.Derryberry 1, E.Leatherwood 1)
Steals: 7 (R.Ambriz 2, C.Loy 1, L.Velez 2, O.Sutton 1,
C.Bodine 1)
3P FGs: 6-24 (R.Ambriz 1-4, C.Loy 4-10, L.Velez 0-1,
O.Sutton 1-6, C.Bodine 0-1, J.Younger 0-2)

Villanova (13-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts PF 29 7-12 0-0 2 5 3 0 15
Kyle Gribble PF 26 5-10 3-3 2 4 5 1 14
Matt Valentine SF 16 5-8 2-2 1 3 2 4 15
Connor Baxter SG 28 7-10 1-1 0 3 9 1 16
Eldon Castanon PG 29 5-6 0-0 0 4 9 1 13
Max Bennett SG 12 2-2 0-0 0 2 1 0 4
Dane Barlow PG 10 1-5 0-0 2 5 2 2 2
Luke Christensen SF 16 3-5 2-2 2 5 1 2 8
Demetrius Reed C 25 4-5 2-2 1 8 0 1 10
Erick Sullivan C 8 1-3 0-0 0 2 0 0 2

Turnovers: 18 (S.Roberts 1, K.Gribble 3, C.Baxter 2,
E.Castanon 5, D.Barlow 2, D.Reed 4, E.Sullivan 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (E.Castanon 1)
Steals: 6 (M.Valentine 2, C.Baxter 2, E.Castanon 1,
D.Reed 1)
3P FGs: 9-17 (S.Roberts 1-3, K.Gribble 1-2, M.Valentine
3-4, C.Baxter 1-3, E.Castanon 3-4, D.Barlow 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Connor Baxter (VLNV)
It's a special night at the Wawa Arena, as a sellout crowd watches us open up a fairly close game with a dominant second half. Top five teams like Lafayette don't usually lose to anyone by 34 points.

Some really good things:

We don't miss a free throw; we're 11-for-11 from the line.
We record assists on 32 of our 40 made baskets. That's one assist short of our single-game record.
Demetrius Reed steps up with the best game of his short collegiate career to date. We're going to depend on more heavily now that Charlie Lambert can't play.
Our scoring is very well-balanced. We shoot well from long range, even though we take fewer threes (17) than usual (25.9 per game).

Record: 13-0.

2036 Big East Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------------
#1 Villanova 0 0 .000 13 0 1.000 1 100
#5 Louisville 0 0 .000 12 0 1.000 6 93
#2 Georgetown 0 0 .000 12 0 1.000 11 100
#12 Notre Dame 0 0 .000 10 2 .833 8 84
#9 West Virginia 0 0 .000 10 2 .833 37 95
St. John's 0 0 .000 10 2 .833 49 74
Cincinnati 0 0 .000 9 3 .750 2 70
Connecticut 0 0 .000 9 4 .692 3 75
#18 Pittsburgh 0 0 .000 9 2 .818 92 93
Providence 0 0 .000 9 3 .750 148 70
Syracuse 0 0 .000 8 3 .727 205 73
Rutgers 0 0 .000 7 5 .583 58 68
South Florida 0 0 .000 7 5 .583 109 62
Seton Hall 0 0 .000 7 4 .636 127 56
DePaul 0 0 .000 6 5 .545 86 55
Marquette 0 0 .000 5 7 .417 147 64
The Big East is packed with excellent teams again. The ones who make it through the season at the top of the league will all be serious contenders for the national championship.

I don't think I've ever posted this table...
Conference RPI

# Conference RPI
--------------------------------------------------
1. Big East Conference .583
2. Pacific-10 Conference .574
3. Southeastern Conference .555
4. Big 12 Conference .536
5. Mountain West Conference .533
6. Atlantic Coast Conference .532
7. Big Ten Conference .524
8. Colonial Athletic Association .524
9. Patriot League .523
10. Atlantic 10 Conference .519
11. Horizon League .511
12. Big West Conference .506
13. Conference USA .504
14. Missouri Valley Conference .501
15. Sun Belt Conference .498
16. Western Athletic Conference .494
17. Southland Conference .490
18. Atlantic Sun Conference .486
19. Ohio Valley Conference .485
20. West Coast Conference .484
21. Summit League .480
22. Southern Conference .480
23. Ivy League .479
24. Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference .479
25. Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference .477
26. Great West Conference .476
27. Big South Conference .475
28. Southwestern Athletic Conference .474
29. Mid-American Conference .474
30. America East Conference .465
31. Independent .440
32. Big Sky Conference .430
33. Northeast Conference .430
Conference play begins this week. I think we could be in for an exciting season.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 7, 2037
@#1 Villanova 75, Cincinnati 63
We attempt 51 two-point field goals and make 24 of them. That's not great, but it's not terrible, either. However, we try 16 threes...and make only 3. That's ridiculously bad. Fortunately, the Bearcats are nearly as bad.

On the other hand, Kyle Gribble plays the best game of his career. His 20 points and 16 rebounds are both career highs. Max Bennett scores 19; Connor Baxter has 14 and 5 assists; Sebastian Roberts finishes with 11 points and 10 boards.
Record: 14-0 (1-0).


January 10, 2037
#1 Villanova 109, @DePaul 81
Our Big East schedule for January is weird. We play all our midweek games at Wawa Arena, and all our Saturday games on the road. Today, we're in Chicago, where we rout the Blue Demons.

Matt Valentine leads a contingent of five 'Novans in double figures with 24 points. Sebastian Roberts (17p/8r), Connor Baxter (16p/8a), Kyle Gribble (16p), and Luke Christensen (14p) join him. Eldon Castanon dishes out 10 assists, and Demetrius Reed blocks 4 shots.
Record: 15-0 (2-0).


January 14, 2037
#1 Villanova 93, Rutgers 85

---------------------------------------------------------
Rutgers (9-6, 2-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
A. Haberlach C 29 2-7 1-1 1 8 3 2 5
Richard Holmquist PF 32 5-10 2-2 3 5 2 1 12
Brent Baker SF 19 2-9 2-5 1 5 0 5 8
Shawn Tait SG 33 5-7 4-5 0 0 4 0 19
Kim Murray PG 34 6-11 7-8 1 5 0 3 24
Joe Woods SG 14 3-5 3-4 0 1 1 2 11
Andrew Parrott SF 17 0-1 2-2 0 1 1 2 2
Boyd Simmons C 16 0-3 1-2 0 5 0 1 1
Chester Eisenberg PG 3 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 3
Andrew Jackson PF 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 0

Turnovers: 13 (R.Holmquist 2, B.Baker 2, S.Tait 3,
J.Woods 1, A.Parrott 3, B.Simmons 1, C.Eisenberg 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (A.Haberlach 1, R.Holmquist 1, S.Tait
1, K.Murray 1, J.Woods 2)
Steals: 4 (A.Haberlach 1, S.Tait 1, A.Parrott 2)
3P FGs: 15-29 (R.Holmquist 0-1, B.Baker 2-7, S.Tait
5-6, K.Murray 5-10, J.Woods 2-4, C.Eisenberg 1-1)

Villanova (16-0, 3-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 28 4-11 0-0 3 7 3 2 9
Kyle Gribble PF 30 6-10 0-0 3 10 2 2 12
Matt Valentine SF 25 11-16 1-2 1 3 2 4 27
Connor Baxter SG 35 6-13 0-0 2 5 7 3 13
Eldon Castanon PG 28 3-7 5-6 0 4 9 4 13
Max Bennett SG 12 1-3 2-3 0 1 0 3 5
Dane Barlow PG 5 0-2 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Luke Christensen SF 14 4-5 1-1 1 3 1 2 9
Demetrius Reed C 18 2-5 1-2 3 7 2 3 5
Erick Sullivan C 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 12 (S.Roberts 2, M.Valentine 1, C.Baxter 3,
E.Castanon 1, M.Bennett 1, D.Barlow 1, L.Christensen
2, D.Reed 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (M.Valentine 1, E.Castanon 1, D.Barlow
1, D.Reed 2)
Steals: 5 (K.Gribble 1, C.Baxter 3, E.Castanon 1)
3P FGs: 9-25 (S.Roberts 1-5, M.Valentine 4-6, C.Baxter
1-3, E.Castanon 2-6, M.Bennett 1-3, D.Barlow 0-2)

Player of Game: SF Matt Valentine (VLNV)
We're up 16 at halftime, but the Scarlet Knights shoot their way back into the game with some impressive marksmanship from behind the arc. We do enough to win, with Matt Valentine performing especially well and the guards making plays for their teammates.

This generosity is nothing new. Connor Baxter is second in the Big East and third in the nation in assists, with 7.1 APG. Eldon Castanon (6.3 APG) is sixth and 13th. Connor and Eldon will probably finish the seasons in the second and third positions on our career list, behind the remarkable Justice Stafford. No team in the nation approaches our 24.3 APG.
Record: 16-0 (3-0).


January 17, 2037
#1 Villanova 68, @#16 West Virginia 62
We're terrible in the first half, scoring only 16 points. Fortunately for us, defense travels, and we hold the Mountaineers to 26. That gives us a chance to get back in the game, and we take advantage of the opportunity. In the process, we win our 42nd consecutive game.

Kyle Gribble leads the way with 17 points, adding 8 rebounds. Matt Valentine has 16; Connor Baxter 15 with 6 assists. Eldon Castanon scores 11 points, and Sebastian Roberts claims 10 rebounds.
Record: 17-0 (4-0).

[MoonlightGraham]

January 21, 2037
@#2 Villanova 74, Connecticut 57
That wasn't a typo. Georgetown, also undefeated, vaulted over us into the top spot in the polls. That's because they beat #7 Louisville by 30 points last week.

Kyle Gribble enjoys another good game (19p/4r). So do Eldon Castanon (18p/7r/5a) and Matt Valentine (16p). And props to really good walk-on Erick Sullivan, who blocks 2 shots in 9 minutes.

Huskies guard Michael Mancini, whom we took a long look at when he was a high school senior, scores 18 points, and Jelani Obasie, whom we liked even more, pitches in 10 off the bench.
Record: 18-0 (5-0).


January 24, 2037
#2 Villanova 76, @Marquette 59
Matt Valentine and Connor Baxter score 19 points each, but it's Sebastian Roberts who really shines as we travel to Milwaukee and beat the Golden Eagles.

Seb scores a career-best 23 points and grabs 14 rebounds. He's a future pro, and he plays like one tonight.

Eldon Castanon provides a scoresheet-filling 5 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals.
Record: 19-0 (6-0).


January 28, 2037
@#2 Villanova 95, Syracuse 68
Behind 21 points from Matt Valentine, we outscore the Orange 49-29 in the second half before another sellout crowd at Wawa Arena.

Connor Baxter adds 16 points, while Eldon Castanon pairs 10 points with 9 assists. We get matching 8-point, 8-rebound performances from Seb Roberts and Kyle Gribble, and Demetrius Reed adds 8 and 7 off the bench.
Record: 20-0 (7-0).


January 31, 2037
#2 Villanova 88, @Providence 65
Thriving in his first extended opportunity as a starter, Matt Valentine continues to impress. He scores 25 tonight as we defeat the Friars in Rhode Island.

Kyle Gribble finishes with 16, and freshman reserve guard Dane Barlow adds 11.

Sebastian Roberts is our leading rebounder with 10. He leads the team with 8.7 RPG. Can you guess who's second on the team in that category among active players? It's Demetrius Reed, who's grabbing almost 6 rebounds in 18 minutes per game. Big D has 7 rebounds tonight.
Record: 21-0 (8-0).

2036 Big East Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
------------------------------------------------------------------
#2 Villanova 8 0 1.000 21 0 1.000 1 100
#1 Georgetown 7 1 .875 19 1 .950 2 100
#6 West Virginia 6 2 .750 16 4 .800 5 95
Cincinnati 5 3 .625 14 6 .700 10 70
#9 Notre Dame 5 3 .625 15 5 .750 3 84
Syracuse 5 3 .625 13 6 .684 52 73
#24 St. John's 5 3 .625 15 5 .750 18 74
#10 Louisville 5 3 .625 17 3 .850 11 93
Providence 5 3 .625 14 6 .700 66 70
Pittsburgh 4 4 .500 13 6 .684 77 93
South Florida 2 6 .250 9 11 .450 83 62
Connecticut 2 6 .250 11 10 .524 6 75
Rutgers 2 6 .250 9 11 .450 56 68
Seton Hall 1 7 .125 8 11 .421 116 56
DePaul 1 7 .125 7 12 .368 43 55
Marquette 1 7 .125 6 14 .300 88 64
Georgetown lost at West Virginia, and that leaves us in sole possession of first place as the calendar prepares to turn.


Sutton Watch: Charlie Sutton and his Vanderbilt team scuffled a bit this month. The Commodores are unranked, with a 12-8 record that includes a 3-3 mark in SEC play. Here are Charlie's stats:
Stat Averages:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
-------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 20 20 28.7 16.7 1.0 3.6 2.3 3.0 0.76 0.6 0.2 2.9
Career 20 20 28.7 16.7 1.0 3.6 2.3 3.0 0.76 0.6 0.2 2.9

Shooting Averages:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
-------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 5.8 12.7 .458 1.9 2.2 .864 3.2 7.4 .429 1.32 5.10
Career 5.8 12.7 .458 1.9 2.2 .864 3.2 7.4 .429 1.32 5.10

Charlie is still the second leading freshman scorer in the Southeastern Conference, and he's sixth among all freshmen nationwide.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 4, 2037
#1 Villanova 95, @Seton Hall 78
The Pirates have no answer for Kyle Gribble tonight. The senior post scores a career-high 29 points and pulls in 7 rebounds on a night when we do almost everything very well. Our 6-for-23 shooting on three-pointers is the only exception.

Connor Baxter supplements a double-double (14p/10a) with 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Matt Valentine (16p/7r) and Sebastian Roberts (13p/6r) also score in double figures.

Eldon Castanon hands out 11 assists, and when he sinks a pair of free throws with just under 9 minutes remaining, he reaches the 1000-point mark for his Villanova career.
Record: 22-0 (9-0).


February 7, 2037
#1 Villanova 96, @Cincinnati 84
A strong performance from Sebastian Roberts (18p/11r/2s/1b) and 22 more points from Kyle Gribble key a victory over the Bearcats.

Matt Valentine adds 14 points, and reserve Luke Christensen 13 more. And our veteran guards provide balanced productivity, too: Connor Baxter approaches a triple-double with 8 points, 8 assists, and 9 rebounds, while Eldon Castanon finishes with 9 points and 8 helpers.
Record: 23-0 (10-0).


February 11, 2037
@#1 Villanova 93, DePaul 68
The reserves outscore the starters, 47-46, inspiring a big Wawa Arena crowd who hasn't seen their favorites play at home in awhile.

Luke Christensen (17p) leads the bench brigade, despite missing all 5 of the threes he attempts. Demetrius Reed (12p/11r) posts his first career double-double, and Max Bennett finishes with 10 points. Reed, who also blocks 6 shots, is named Player of the Game, and he deserves it.

Kyle Gribble leads all scorers with 19, and Connor Baxter contributes 16. Baxter and Eldon Castanon each have 7 assists.
Record: 24-0 (11-0).


February 14, 2037
#1 Villanova 94, St. John's 93 (OT)

---------------------------------------------------------
St. John's (16-8, 6-6):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Dan Roesch C 37 10-13 6-9 4 11 2 2 26
Jose Brown PF 23 1-4 1-2 2 6 2 4 3
Dusty Ung SF 24 3-9 5-8 1 5 5 3 12
Joseph Keys SG 32 3-5 1-2 1 5 3 1 8
Frank Hoey PG 32 5-14 8-9 1 5 6 5 19
Raul Monroe PF 21 0-2 3-8 1 5 1 2 3
Robert Hasty C 8 2-2 0-0 1 3 1 0 4
Walker Smith SF 28 4-7 3-4 1 4 1 1 12
Brady Turner PG 13 1-1 3-4 0 0 1 1 5
Geoffrey Springer PG 5 0-1 1-2 0 0 0 0 1
Michael Hall SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 19 (D.Roesch 6, J.Brown 1, D.Ung 1, J.Keys
5, F.Hoey 2, R.Monroe 3, W.Smith 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (D.Roesch 4, R.Hasty 1)
Steals: 1 (F.Hoey 1)
3P FGs: 4-20 (D.Ung 1-5, J.Keys 1-2, F.Hoey 1-8,
W.Smith 1-4, G.Springer 0-1)

Villanova (25-0, 12-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts PF 18 3-7 1-2 1 3 2 5 7
Kyle Gribble PF 25 1-6 4-6 2 5 1 4 6
Matt Valentine SF 20 5-11 2-3 0 2 0 4 14
Connor Baxter SG 37 2-7 1-2 2 3 5 4 6
Eldon Castanon PG 37 4-9 4-7 2 6 10 4 13
Max Bennett SG 12 8-14 0-0 2 3 1 1 22
Dane Barlow PG 4 1-2 0-0 0 0 1 1 2
Luke Christensen SF 19 5-10 4-4 0 4 1 3 14
Demetrius Reed C 12 2-3 2-2 2 3 0 4 6
Erick Sullivan C 27 1-3 0-0 1 5 2 2 2
Charles Peterman PF 13 1-2 0-0 1 1 0 1 2
John Maroney SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (S.Roberts 4, M.Valentine 1, C.Baxter 3,
E.Castanon 1, M.Bennett 1, L.Christensen 2, E.Sullivan
1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (D.Reed 1, E.Sullivan 1)
Steals: 5 (E.Castanon 1, L.Christensen 2, E.Sullivan 1,
C.Peterman 1)
3P FGs: 10-31 (K.Gribble 0-3, M.Valentine 2-5, C.Baxter
1-4, E.Castanon 1-6, M.Bennett 6-9, L.Christensen 0-3,
E.Sullivan 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Max Bennett (VLNV)
Wow. Where to begin?

The Johnnies' Jose Brown scores one basket, and it's a buzzer-beater that sends the game into overtime.
Eldon Castanon's two clutch free throws with 0:08 left in OT prove to be game-winners.
Max Bennett packs an insane amount of highlights into his 12 minutes of action. Max scores almost two points per minute, and sinks a three every two minutes.
Seb Roberts fouls out, and five other Wildcats end the game with four fouls. St. John's attempts 48 free throws, and if they make more than 65 percent of them, this game isn't close.
It's our first Saturday home game of the Big East season.
The student section honors a certain Wildcat junior with some creative signs: "BE MY VALENTINE", "MY BLUE VALENTINE", and "EVERY DAY IS VALENTINE'S DAY" are among the best.


And, coolest of all: it's our 50th consecutive victory. I wasn't going to mention it until we hit a milestone. Now I hope I don't jinx us...

https://i.imgur.com/QSkP6Wx.jpeg

Record: 25-0 (12-0).


February 18, 2037
@#1 Villanova 104, South Florida 78
No jinx. The five starters, who all score in double figures, make sure of that.

Matt Valentine (24 points) and Kyle Gribble (20) top the list, followed by Connor Baxter and Eldon Castanon (17 each) and Sebastian Roberts (12). Baxter, Castanon, and Max Bennett combine for 19 assists, with Connor contributing the most (8).

We make 13 of our 25 three-point tries, which ends a rather serious long-range shooting slump.
Record: 26-0 (13-0).

[MoonlightGraham]

February 21, 2037
#1 Villanova 97, #2 Georgetown 58

---------------------------------------------------------
Georgetown (23-3, 11-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Stanley Bailes C 21 1-1 1-1 0 2 0 4 3
Timothy Johnson PF 23 2-6 0-0 0 6 2 1 4
Brian Bishop SF 28 6-13 1-7 1 3 3 0 13
Ahmad Ashworth SG 25 4-9 1-2 0 0 0 4 10
Douglas Wilson PG 22 1-4 2-2 1 2 4 2 4
Oscar Duncan SF 14 3-6 0-0 0 1 0 1 7
Brent Taylor C 15 1-5 2-4 1 7 1 2 4
Joshua Lee PF 16 1-3 3-4 5 8 0 1 5
Bernie Johnson PG 12 1-1 0-0 0 2 0 4 2
Larry Bolding SF 12 2-4 0-0 1 1 1 0 4
Josh Medley SG 10 1-7 0-0 1 1 0 3 2
Ken Buzzard PG 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (S.Bailes 1, T.Johnson 2, B.Bishop 2,
A.Ashworth 2, D.Wilson 1, O.Duncan 2, J.Lee 1,
B.Johnson 1, L.Bolding 2, J.Medley 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (T.Johnson 2, L.Bolding 1)
Steals: 7 (T.Johnson 1, B.Bishop 2, D.Wilson 1,
O.Duncan 3)
3P FGs: 2-16 (A.Ashworth 1-4, D.Wilson 0-3, O.Duncan
1-1, B.Taylor 0-1, L.Bolding 0-2, J.Medley 0-5)

Villanova (27-0, 14-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts PF 28 7-13 3-5 5 11 2 0 19
Kyle Gribble PF 21 2-6 0-0 0 0 2 4 5
Matt Valentine SF 19 3-8 2-2 0 1 3 3 9
Connor Baxter SG 24 5-9 2-2 0 1 2 3 16
Eldon Castanon PG 27 3-5 3-4 0 3 9 1 11
Max Bennett SG 16 2-5 5-6 0 2 5 1 11
Dane Barlow PG 9 2-3 1-3 1 3 1 0 6
Luke Christensen SF 15 4-7 5-5 1 5 0 1 14
Demetrius Reed C 26 2-4 0-0 6 16 0 2 4
Erick Sullivan C 10 0-0 2-2 1 4 0 2 2
Charles Peterman PF 4 0-3 0-0 0 0 1 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (S.Roberts 1, M.Valentine 1, C.Baxter 1,
E.Castanon 4, M.Bennett 2, D.Reed 1, E.Sullivan 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (D.Reed 1)
Steals: 5 (C.Baxter 2, E.Castanon 1, L.Christensen 1,
D.Reed 1)
3P FGs: 14-26 (S.Roberts 2-2, K.Gribble 1-1,
M.Valentine 1-2, C.Baxter 4-6, E.Castanon 2-4,
M.Bennett 2-5, D.Barlow 1-2, L.Christensen 1-3,
C.Peterman 0-1)

Player of Game: C Sebastian Roberts (VLNV)
How sweet, how very sweet it is!

It's a Saturday night. The game is televised nationally. Wawa Arena, which has been designed to maximize the effect of a large, raucous crowd, is absolutely rocking. It's almost impossible to hear the announcement of Villanova's starting lineup over the noise.

Everyone expects a close game, but it's not. We take it to the Hoyas from the start. They don't score for over three minutes, and by then, we're ahead 9-0. The last of those 8 points come when Sebastian Roberts throws down a fearsome dunk and is fouled by Stanley Bailes. When Seb's free throw goes in, the crowd erupts again.

Max Bennett drills a three as the first half buzzer sounds, and the fans' reaction is even more deafening. It's now 52-25, Villanova, and the second half is more of the same.

On a night when Matt Valentine struggles and Kyle Gribble encounters foul trouble, Luke Christensen and Demetrius Reed step up. Big D acts like every rebound is his to claim.

The Hoyas take 16 three-pointers and make two; most of them are contested. We make 14 of 26. We assist on 25 of our 30 made baskets.

Every win is a good one, but some are really special...like this one.
Record: 27-0 (14-0).

[MoonlightGraham]

February 25, 2037
#1 Villanova 87, @#15 Notre Dame 66
I wondered if there might be a bit of a let-down, following the epic win over Georgetown. Connor Baxter (22p/7a), starting his 122nd game for us, simply won't let that happen. Nor will Eldon Castanon (9p/6a/5r), starting his 105th.

Matt Valentine pairs 18 points with 8 rebounds. Max Bennett scores 10 points in 13 minutes. And Demetrius Reed, fresh off a 16-rebound master class against the Hoyas, grabs 14 more tonight.

We clinch the Big East regular season championship with three games left to play.
Record: 28-0 (15-0).


February 28, 2037
#1 Villanova 93, @Rutgers 87
The Scarlet Knights give us all we can handle, forcing us into 20 turnovers and coming very close to handing us our first loss of the season.

All five starters, plus Max Bennett, score in double figures. Kyle Gribble (24p) and Sebastian Roberts (19p/10r) lead the way, and Eldon Castanon (10p/12r/9a) comes *this* close to a triple double.
Record: 29-0 (16-0).


March 4, 2037
@#1 Villanova 90, Pittsburgh 65
It's the first Senior Night at Wawa Arena, and we send the players of the Class of '37 out in style.

Senior Kyle Gribble leads us in scoring with 19 points and snares 7 rebounds. Senior Connor Baxter finishes with 10 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds. Redshirt senior Eldon Castanon contributes 15 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. And senior Charles Peterman scores 2 points and grabs 3 rebounds in his first career start.

Underclassmen Sebastian Roberts (17p/8r) and Matt Valentine (13p/4r) help make their teammates' night a special one. It's quite possibly Matt's last home game, too.
Record: 30-0 (17-0).


March 7, 2037
#1 Villanova 103, @#5 Louisville 69
Like we did against Georgetown, we play our best basketball against a very tough opponent, at their place, and emerge with a big win.

Jonathan Larios pours in 27 points for the Cardinals, but Connor Baxter and Matt Valentine counter with 25 each for us. Seb Roberts (14p/10r) and Charles Peterman (a career high 11 points) also reach double figures, and Eldon Castanon hands out 11 assists.

We complete our regular season with our unbeaten record intact. We're the second team to run the table in Big East play; Georgetown went 18-0 in 2032/33.
Record: 31-0 (18-0).

[MoonlightGraham]

March 12, 2037

Here's how the Big East tournament bracket looks as we prepare for our first game:

https://i.imgur.com/Yw7JGgz.jpeg

Big East Tournament Quarterfinal
(1) #1 Villanova 83, (8) Syracuse 68
Kyle Gribble's 20 points and 10 rebounds set the tone for a victory over the Orange, which puts us in the tournament semifinal.

The victory is the 800th of Graham Sims' career, against 135 defeats.

Eldon Castanon also stars, with 7 points, 12 assists, and a career-high 5 steals. We get 11 points and 19 boards from Sebastian Roberts, 15 points from Connor Baxter, and 12 points from Matt Valentine.

We also receive bad news when Matt Valentine is diagnosed with a broken rib. He won't see the court again this season unless we make a long run in the NCAA tournament.
Record: 32-0.


March 13, 2037
Big East Tournament Semifinal
(1) #1 Villanova 89, (5) #13 Notre Dame 78
Senior guards Connor Baxter and Eldon Castanon evenly split 46 points, and we move on to the tournament championship game. Eldon adds 10 assists and 7 rebounds.

Also scoring in double figures are Kyle Gribble (10) and Luke Christensen (11), who starts in Matt Valentine's place. Centers Sebastian Roberts and Demetrius Reed, who together are over 14 feet tall, combine for 23 rebounds (Seb 13, Big D 10).

Poor Charles Peterman no sooner gets on the court before he's caught by an accidental elbow that breaks his jaw. Thus ends his Villanova career.
Record: 33-0.


March 14, 2037
Big East Tournament, Championship Game
#2 Georgetown 88, #1 Villanova 83

--------------------------------------------------------
Georgetown (29-4, 14-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Stanley Bailes C 32 3-4 0-0 3 6 0 3 6
Timothy Johnson PF 27 5-7 4-9 1 3 2 1 14
Brian Bishop SF 33 11-19 2-3 4 8 5 3 24
Ahmad Ashworth SG 25 7-15 4-5 0 1 4 4 22
Douglas Wilson PG 32 1-4 3-4 2 3 4 1 5
Oscar Duncan PF 13 0-2 1-2 2 7 2 1 1
Brent Taylor C 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Joshua Lee PF 14 2-3 4-4 1 7 1 0 8
Bernie Johnson PG 12 0-0 0-0 0 0 2 3 0
Larry Bolding SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Josh Medley SG 4 3-7 0-0 0 0 0 0 8

Turnovers: 15 (S.Bailes 3, T.Johnson 2, B.Bishop 2,
A.Ashworth 2, D.Wilson 2, B.Johnson 3, J.Medley 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (S.Bailes 1)
Steals: 4 (S.Bailes 1, A.Ashworth 1, D.Wilson 1,
J.Medley 1)
3P FGs: 6-15 (A.Ashworth 4-8, D.Wilson 0-3, J.Medley
2-4)

Villanova (33-1, 18-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 31 4-7 0-0 1 4 1 3 9
Kyle Gribble PF 29 2-5 0-0 4 7 6 3 4
Luke Christensen SF 30 9-17 3-3 2 4 2 3 24
Connor Baxter SG 31 7-19 0-0 3 4 6 1 18
Eldon Castanon PG 31 7-14 2-4 2 5 6 0 19
Max Bennett SG 12 2-4 2-4 0 0 1 2 7
Dane Barlow PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Demetrius Reed C 22 0-2 2-2 3 10 1 5 2
Erick Sullivan C 11 0-1 0-0 0 3 0 3 0
Derek Lamb PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (S.Roberts 5, K.Gribble 4, L.Christensen
1, C.Baxter 1, E.Castanon 3, D.Reed 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (K.Gribble 1, D.Reed 1, E.Sullivan 2)
Steals: 3 (C.Baxter 1, M.Bennett 2)
3P FGs: 12-36 (S.Roberts 1-1, K.Gribble 0-1,
L.Christensen 3-8, C.Baxter 4-12, E.Castanon 3-10,
M.Bennett 1-3, E.Sullivan 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Brian Bishop (GTOWN)
You would expect the nation's premier basketball conference to deliver a memorable tournament final, and it did. A neutral fan would love every minute of it, but for us, it stings. The Hoyas add to their reputation as our nemesis by spoiling our perfect season and snapping our string of consecutive victories at 58.

We don't shoot especially well, and that's largely due to the Hoyas' solid defensive play. Luke Christensen looks like the latest in a line of crack shots who have played in Villanova colors.
Record: 33-1.

[Chas in Cinti]

Wow... what a run... if you have to lose, better to do it now than in the next tourney!

[MoonlightGraham]

Wow... what a run... if you have to lose, better to do it now than in the next tourney!

It was a fantastic ride! I had a feeling the streak was on thin ice once Matt Valentine got hurt. Over the course of the year, we've lost our two leading scorers, for one reason or another. We still have plenty of talented players available, but from this point forward, we win or we go home.

Had Coach Sims completed a perfect season, I would have considered having him retire and starting a new story based on this basketball universe. The loss to Georgetown ends that possibility. :)

Thanks again for following along!

P.S. I'll be posting an updated look at Charlie Sutton's season after it's completed. He and the Commodores are off to the Big Dance.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 15, 2037

We've been awarded the top seed in the NCAA East Region. The other one seeds are Boston College (West), Louisville (Midwest), and Georgetown (South).


March 19, 2037
NCAA East Region, First Round
(1) #1 Villanova 103, (16) Arkansas State 61
All five starters finish in double figures as we defeat the Red Wolves. Luke Christensen is the high man with 22 points; Connor Baxter (18p/6a), Eldon Castanon (17p/11a/4s), Sebastian Roberts (16p/13a), and Kyle Gribble (13p) follow.

Demetrius Reed snags 7 rebounds and blocks 3 shots in a reserve role. Erick Sullivan will be limited for a few days, as he nurses a badly bruised cheekbone.
Record: 34-1.


March 21, 2037
NCAA East Region, Second Round
(1) #1 Villanova 104, (9) Oregon 61
Once again, we get at least 11 points from each member of the starting five, and Kyle Gribble enjoys an especially big game with 27. Connor Baxter (17p/11a) and Sebastian Roberts (14p/13r/4s) post double-doubles.

Luke Christensen pitches in 17, and Eldon Castanon scores 11 and hands out 7 assists.

Meanwhile, Houston spoils a possible Villanova-Lafayette matchup in the Sweet Sixteen by routing the Leopards, 82-54. And Charlie Sutton's Vanderbilt Commodores are eliminated by top-seeded Boston College in a very close 86-83 contest, despite getting 37 points from Steven Albrecht and 20 more from Sutton.
Record: 35-1.


March 26, 2037
NCAA East Region Semifinal: the Sweet Sixteen
(1) #1 Villanova 82, (8) #10 Houston 74
The Cougars are a very, very good eight seed, and they prove it; they battle us hard for 40 full minutes.

Eldon Castanon makes sure his Villanova career doesn't end today, scoring 15 points, handing out 9 assists, and making 2 steals. Kyle Gribble (17p/7r) and Connor Baxter (14p/6a) also play like men who don't want to go home yet.

We get 13 points and 8 rebounds from Sebastian Roberts, and 3 blocks from a fully-healed Erick Sullivan. And the long tournament run Matt Valentine needed comes to pass; Matt scores 6 points in 10 minutes off the bench.

Georgetown's season is over. They lose to Tennessee, 69-60.
Record: 36-1.


March 28, 2037
NCAA East Region Final: the Elite Eight
(1) #1 Villanova 103, (2) #8 Miami 77

---------------------------------------------------------
Miami (30-8, 12-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Mitchel Velazquez C 18 4-10 1-1 4 6 1 3 9
Lou Dunagan PF 19 0-5 6-8 1 5 0 1 6
Jeff Resendez SF 28 5-14 1-2 2 4 0 2 12
Angelo Davis SG 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 4 0
Ronald Hightower SG 31 6-10 7-7 0 3 3 2 23
Thurman Bowes C 30 5-8 0-0 3 10 0 4 11
Tony Caulfield PF 13 1-3 0-1 1 3 1 2 2
Reggie Brown PG 34 2-5 0-0 0 3 5 2 4
Keith Peres SF 12 2-3 2-2 0 0 0 2 7
Scott Jordan PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Karl House PG 11 1-1 1-2 1 1 1 1 3
Joseph Bahr SG 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 17 (M.Velazquez 4, L.Dunagan 3, J.Resendez
3, A.Davis 1, R.Hightower 4, T.Bowes 1, R.Brown 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (L.Dunagan 3, T.Bowes 1, K.Peres 1)
Steals: 2 (J.Resendez 2)
3P FGs: 7-19 (J.Resendez 1-6, R.Hightower 4-7, T.Bowes
1-2, T.Caulfield 0-1, R.Brown 0-1, K.Peres 1-1, J.Bahr
0-1)

Villanova (37-1, 18-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 25 2-2 7-9 5 12 2 4 11
Kyle Gribble PF 27 8-14 5-5 0 3 0 2 21
Luke Christensen SF 23 4-14 3-4 1 3 4 2 12
Connor Baxter SG 29 8-14 4-4 1 3 4 2 23
Eldon Castanon PG 30 4-8 0-0 1 6 10 2 10
Max Bennett SG 16 2-3 0-0 1 3 7 1 5
Matt Valentine SF 17 6-11 4-4 1 5 2 3 17
Dane Barlow PG 4 1-3 0-0 0 0 1 0 3
Demetrius Reed C 22 0-1 1-2 4 4 2 4 1
Erick Sullivan C 8 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0 0

Turnovers: 7 (L.Christensen 3, E.Castanon 2,
M.Valentine 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (S.Roberts 1, L.Christensen 1, D.Reed
1)
Steals: 8 (S.Roberts 3, L.Christensen 1, C.Baxter 2,
E.Castanon 2)
3P FGs: 9-24 (K.Gribble 0-1, L.Christensen 1-5,
C.Baxter 3-6, E.Castanon 2-6, M.Bennett 1-2,
M.Valentine 1-1, D.Barlow 1-3)

Player of Game: SG Connor Baxter (VLNV)
We're off to the Final Four again, as we defeat the Hurricanes to win the East Region.

The seniors lead the way again, with a lot of help from Sebastian Roberts and Matt Valentine. One of the upperclassmen, Kyle Gribble, needs three points in our next game to reach 1000 for his career.

In the Final Four, two Mountain West teams--Utah and New Mexico--face each other, while two Big East foes--Villanova and Louisville--are paired.
Record: 37-1.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 4, 2037
NCAA Tournament Semifinal
#1 Villanova 90, #5 Louisville 75

---------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (38-1, 18-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 33 5-10 2-2 4 9 0 1 13
Kyle Gribble PF 33 5-14 5-8 3 10 2 1 17
Matt Valentine SF 32 5-11 2-3 0 3 0 0 13
Connor Baxter SG 30 7-11 4-5 3 5 7 2 21
Eldon Castanon PG 31 6-10 1-5 0 6 9 2 14
Max Bennett SG 10 1-4 2-2 0 1 2 1 5
Luke Christensen SF 6 2-3 0-0 0 1 2 1 5
Dane Barlow PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Demetrius Reed C 16 1-1 0-0 1 7 1 0 2
Erick Sullivan C 7 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 2 0

Turnovers: 19 (K.Gribble 1, M.Valentine 4, C.Baxter 4,
E.Castanon 8, M.Bennett 1, D.Barlow 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (S.Roberts 1, K.Gribble 1, E.Sullivan
1)
Steals: 6 (K.Gribble 2, M.Valentine 1, C.Baxter 1,
E.Castanon 2)
3P FGs: 10-29 (S.Roberts 1-3, K.Gribble 2-6,
M.Valentine 1-3, C.Baxter 3-7, E.Castanon 1-5,
M.Bennett 1-4, L.Christensen 1-1)

Louisville (29-7, 13-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Richard Alvarado C 23 2-7 0-0 2 5 2 1 4
Jerry McCoy PF 24 4-12 0-0 4 8 0 3 8
Duane Copper SF 26 8-15 1-3 4 6 3 4 18
Jonathon Larios SG 30 4-18 0-0 3 5 2 4 10
Joe Williams PG 33 4-7 0-0 1 3 8 1 8
Sonny Barraza PF 21 4-5 0-0 2 5 0 3 8
Thomas Palmer PG 10 1-2 0-0 0 3 2 0 2
John Turner C 13 2-4 0-0 0 2 0 1 4
Matthew Allen SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Rocky Hornback SF 20 5-12 0-0 1 6 2 3 13

Turnovers: 18 (J.McCoy 2, D.Copper 3, J.Larios 3,
J.Williams 4, S.Barraza 2, T.Palmer 1, J.Turner 1,
R.Hornback 2)
Blocked Shots: 7 (R.Alvarado 1, J.McCoy 4, J.Larios 1,
J.Turner 1)
Steals: 11 (J.McCoy 1, J.Larios 3, J.Williams 3,
S.Barraza 1, T.Palmer 1, R.Hornback 2)
3P FGs: 6-30 (R.Alvarado 0-3, D.Copper 1-4, J.Larios
2-13, J.Williams 0-1, S.Barraza 0-1, J.Turner 0-1,
R.Hornback 3-7)

Player of Game: SG Connor Baxter (VLNV)
We'll play for the national championship game, as we pull away from the Cardinals in the second half.

Connor Baxter is the best of a number of Villanovans who play well tonight. He needs four points on Monday night to pass James Martin and move into fourth place in our all-time scorers list. And Kyle Gribble can proudly display the game ball that commemorates his 1000th career point and tell his grandkids that it happened in the Final Four.

One final task remains, gentlemen.
Record: 38-1.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 5, 2037

While we wait for the national championship game, we can watch two future Villanovans face each other in the High School All-American Game.
East 114, West 111

---------------------------------------------------------
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
J.Sanders, Jr. C 27 6-17 0-0 4 7 6 2 13
Vance Lind PF 27 5-10 3-6 3 7 2 3 13
Jamar Heller SF 29 5-14 2-2 2 8 3 2 12
Zayden Calhoun SG 32 11-19 3-4 0 5 3 4 32
Lyman Boykins PG 22 2-4 2-4 0 2 2 4 6
Chris Vogt SG 15 5-11 0-0 1 4 4 0 11
Andrew Modlin SG 13 3-4 0-0 1 4 2 3 6
Cole Carson C 21 6-8 0-0 3 12 1 2 12
Avery Headrick PG 9 3-6 0-0 0 1 2 0 7
Brady Joe PF 5 1-2 0-0 0 2 0 0 2

Turnovers: 14 (V.Lind 1, J.Heller 1, Z.Calhoun 3,
L.Boykins 2, A.Modlin 2, C.Carson 5)
Blocked Shots: 2 (V.Lind 1, B.Joe 1)
Steals: 7 (V.Lind 1, J.Heller 1, Z.Calhoun 1, L.Boykins
1, A.Modlin 3)
3P FGs: 10-27 (J.Sanders, Jr. 1-2, J.Heller 0-3,
Z.Calhoun 7-11, L.Boykins 0-1, C.Vogt 1-5, A.Modlin
0-1, A.Headrick 1-3, B.Joe 0-1)

West:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Wilber Bull C 29 6-10 2-6 5 9 0 1 15
Bryce Haight PF 24 7-17 2-4 5 13 2 3 16
Joseph Haynes SF 26 5-16 0-0 4 7 2 0 10
Frank Escobar SG 31 5-12 8-10 0 3 2 2 20
Don Murdock PG 23 3-9 1-2 0 2 6 4 10
David Lovett SG 20 5-8 1-1 0 2 2 4 12
Fred Rodriguez PF 22 2-6 0-0 3 13 3 0 4
Robert Alcala SF 14 6-9 0-0 0 1 1 1 15
Jed Bean PF 6 3-5 0-0 2 4 2 0 6
Darin Goddard PG 7 1-3 0-0 1 2 2 2 3

Turnovers: 17 (W.Bull 2, B.Haight 2, J.Haynes 1,
F.Escobar 2, D.Murdock 3, D.Lovett 3, F.Rodriguez 2,
R.Alcala 1, D.Goddard 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (W.Bull 1, F.Rodriguez 1)
Steals: 3 (J.Haynes 1, F.Escobar 1, F.Rodriguez 1)
3P FGs: 11-29 (W.Bull 1-1, J.Haynes 0-4, F.Escobar 2-8,
D.Murdock 3-8, D.Lovett 1-2, R.Alcala 3-5, D.Goddard
1-1)

Player of Game: SF Zayden Calhoun (East)

Zayden Calhoun leads his East team to a narrow victory over David Lovett and the West. There's very little defense played in this game, but 32 points is still a lot, and Zayden drains 7 of 11 triples. David plays well, too, coming off the bench for the West and reaching double figures.

Georgetown commit James Sanders, Jr. doesn't shoot well, but he leads the East in assists.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 6, 2037
NCAA Tournament Final

#1 Villanova 98, #12 New Mexico 86

--------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (39-1, 18-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 24 6-7 1-4 4 5 2 4 15
Kyle Gribble PF 24 6-11 1-1 3 5 1 4 13
Matt Valentine SF 32 12-19 4-5 1 4 3 1 30
Connor Baxter SG 34 10-16 0-0 0 5 6 2 23
Eldon Castanon PG 34 2-5 0-0 2 4 9 0 4
Max Bennett SG 12 0-2 2-2 0 2 3 0 2
Luke Christensen SF 8 2-5 0-0 0 1 0 0 5
Demetrius Reed C 20 1-1 2-2 1 5 1 2 4
Charles Peterman PF 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Erick Sullivan C 5 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2

Turnovers: 15 (K.Gribble 1, M.Valentine 2, C.Baxter 3,
E.Castanon 4, M.Bennett 1, L.Christensen 3, D.Reed 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (M.Bennett 1, D.Reed 1)
Steals: 12 (S.Roberts 2, K.Gribble 1, M.Valentine 1,
C.Baxter 2, E.Castanon 3, L.Christensen 1, C.Peterman
1, E.Sullivan 1)
3P FGs: 8-17 (S.Roberts 2-2, M.Valentine 2-4, C.Baxter
3-7, E.Castanon 0-2, M.Bennett 0-1, L.Christensen 1-1)

New Mexico (31-9, 10-6):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jamar Penn C 29 3-6 3-4 1 2 0 2 9
Bernard Deliot PF 29 4-7 2-5 1 5 3 4 10
Bryan Frampton SF 26 8-11 0-0 0 6 2 2 18
Charles Latour SG 35 10-15 2-2 0 0 11 0 26
Brendon Hansen PG 31 2-6 0-0 1 3 9 2 4
Liam Martin PG 13 2-3 2-2 1 2 0 0 7
Silvester Pezold PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Clay Shirley SF 8 2-3 0-0 1 3 0 5 5
Steve Tam C 12 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 2 2
Bret Gary SF 10 2-4 0-0 0 2 0 0 5
Toby Woolsey PF 7 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0

Turnovers: 19 (J.Penn 1, B.Deliot 2, B.Frampton 3,
C.Latour 7, B.Hansen 4, C.Shirley 2)
Blocked Shots: 2 (J.Penn 1, T.Woolsey 1)
Steals: 6 (J.Penn 2, B.Frampton 1, C.Latour 2,
T.Woolsey 1)
3P FGs: 9-18 (B.Deliot 0-1, B.Frampton 2-4, C.Latour
4-6, B.Hansen 0-2, L.Martin 1-2, C.Shirley 1-1, B.Gary
1-2)

Player of Game: SF Matt Valentine (VLNV)
The Villanova Wildcats enjoy another shining moment, defeating New Mexico to win the NCAA championship, our second in a row and our fourth all-time.

For Coach Graham Sims, it's "one for the thumb," a fifth NCAA championship victory and the ring that commemorates it. There are six active coaches who have led teams to national championships, and these coaches have 11 titles to their credit. Almost half of those are Graham's.

The team's four seniors all distinguish themselves, including Charles Peterman, who recovered from his broken jaw to suit up and see action. Kyle Gribble scores that 1000th point, and then some.

Is this Matt Valentine's last game in a Villanova uniform? If it is, he's going out in style, dropping 30 in the national championship final.

New Mexico guard Charles Latour's final collegiate game ends in disappointment, but he delivers the kind of performance that has endeared him to Lobos fans over his four years in Albuquerque. Charles has scored over 2000 points, handed out over 600 assists, and grabbed over 500 rebounds in his career (despite his 6'1", 175-pound frame). He probably won't be drafted, but he's been a very good college player.

He doesn't express them publicly, but thoughts of retirement are beginning to enter Graham Sims' mind. His place among college basketball's most accomplished coaches is unquestionably secure. He is healthy, and he's now a grandfather--Duncan and his wife Kathleen just welcomed a baby boy. Graham will be back for at least one more year, but the idea of coaching deep into his sixties holds very little appeal right now.

Today, he's celebrating this season, and this team.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 6, 2037


News we expected: Matt Valentine declares for the professional draft today.
News we didn't expect: Max Bennett declares for the professional draft today. Max has been a very solid player for us, a regular part of our rotation for three seasons. But he's never started a game, and he's considered the 32nd best pro prospect...in our conference. I anticipated Max starting for us next year.
News we're happy to receive: Charlie Lambert is returning for his senior season. At the beginning of the season, pro scouts thought there was a 50-50 chance Charlie would turn pro this spring. I suppose his academic suspension has affected his decision. Hopefully he's learned his lesson, and we'll have him for a full year.

2036 OVERALL AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR SG David Leech St. Bonaventure 17.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 5.2 APG 2.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SG Vicente Ezell Tennessee 17.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.4 APG 1.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Daniel Richards Purdue 29 - 5 (15 - 3)

All-league 1st Team:
C JR Freddie Belisle Syracuse 18.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.8 SPG, 3.3 BPG
PF SR Ramon Rule Air Force 17.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, 4.3 BPG
SF JR Brian Bishop Georgetown 19.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.9 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG SR David Leech St. Bonaventure 17.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 5.2 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG JR Jonathan Gilkey Texas Christian 17.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 5.3 APG, 2.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C JR Amos Stgermain Milwaukee 14.8 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.4 SPG, 3.2 BPG
PF SR Leon Phelps Texas Christian 14.5 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.2 BPG
SF SR Kendall Shealy Lehigh 19.6 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG SR Connor Baxter Villanova 14.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG SR Charles Williams Massachusetts 10.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 7.1 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG

All-league 3rd Team:
C SR Alexander Payton Gonzaga 14.2 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, 4.5 BPG
PF JR Jerrold Brewer Kansas 6.8 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 2.6 BPG
SF SR Steven Albrecht Vanderbilt 16.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG
SG JR Richard Stuart Cal State Northridge 17.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG SR Chris Morelli Utah State 16.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 5.9 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Clarence Markham North Florida 16.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.2 SPG, 1.0 BPG
PF FR Ethan DeLuca North Carolina 7.2 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.5 SPG, 2.1 BPG
SF FR Frank Charland North Carolina 11.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG FR Vicente Ezell Tennessee 17.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG
PG FR Joe Williams Louisville 7.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 5.9 APG, 2.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Connor earns his second All-American recognition, moving up from the third team to the second team. He joins Asher Wise and Mason Reynolds as the only two-time All-Americans in Villanova history.

2036 BIG EAST AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

JR SF Brian Bishop Georgetown 19.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.9 APG 2.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR PG Joe Williams Louisville 7.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 5.9 APG 2.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Graham Sims Villanova 39 - 1 (18 - 0)

All-league 1st Team:
C JR Freddie Belisle Syracuse 18.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.8 SPG, 3.3 BPG
PF SR Kyle Gribble Villanova 14.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SF JR Brian Bishop Georgetown 19.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.9 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG SR Connor Baxter Villanova 14.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG SR Eldon Castanon Villanova 10.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C JR Dan Roesch St. John's 12.6 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.2 BPG
PF SR Jose Brown St. John's 9.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.3 SPG, 3.0 BPG
SF JR Duane Copper Louisville 21.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG JR Jonathon Larios Louisville 22.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.4 APG, 2.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG
PG JR Douglas Wilson Georgetown 10.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 7.0 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Richard Alvarado Louisville 3.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 2.6 BPG
PF FR Jelani Obasie Connecticut 5.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.7 BPG
SF FR Brian Grammer Syracuse 10.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG FR Morris Thiele Connecticut 17.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR Joe Williams Louisville 7.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 5.9 APG, 2.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Connor Baxter and Eldon Castanon make up the first team All-Big East backcourt for the second consecutive season. They're joined by big man Kyle Gribble, whose story I will love telling in his Senior Tribute. Connor is the only player in school history to make the All-Big East first team for three years.

And Graham Sims' 18-0 run through the Big East gauntlet earns him another COY.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 6, 2037

#1 VILLANOVA Schedule

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11/09/36 vs. Idaho State 7-21 346 W 95-68 1-0
11/10/36 vs. Penn State 13-19 104 W 92-84 2-0
11/16/36 vs. #9 Fresno State 31-5 11 W 76-71 3-0
11/17/36 vs. #6 New Mexico 31-9 7 W 96-69 4-0
11/26/36 Vermont 16-18 239 W 90-58 5-0
12/01/36 Holy Cross 13-17 132 W 105-72 6-0
12/06/36 Davidson 13-18 231 W 85-58 7-0
12/10/36 at Gonzaga 21-12 72 W 81-56 8-0
12/14/36 Virginia 16-16 59 W 89-65 9-0
12/21/36 William & Mary 22-15 116 W 82-53 10-0
12/26/36 at George Washington 15-15 105 W 101-89 11-0
12/28/36 at Vanderbilt 21-14 40 W 93-74 12-0
01/03/37 #10 Lafayette 29-6 20 W 99-65 13-0
01/07/37 Cincinnati 20-14 33 W 75-63 14-0 (1-0)
01/10/37 at DePaul 8-22 151 W 109-81 15-0 (2-0)
01/14/37 Rutgers 13-18 86 W 93-85 16-0 (3-0)
01/17/37 at #19 West Virginia 21-11 28 W 68-62 17-0 (4-0)
01/21/37 Connecticut 20-14 17 W 74-57 18-0 (5-0)
01/24/37 at Marquette 10-22 124 W 76-59 19-0 (6-0)
01/28/37 Syracuse 19-13 64 W 95-68 20-0 (7-0)
01/31/37 at Providence 21-13 43 W 88-65 21-0 (8-0)
02/04/37 at Seton Hall 10-21 184 W 95-78 22-0 (9-0)
02/07/37 at Cincinnati 20-14 33 W 96-84 23-0 (10-0)
02/11/37 DePaul 8-22 151 W 93-68 24-0 (11-0)
02/14/37 St. John's 19-13 63 W 94-93 25-0 (12-0)
02/18/37 South Florida 13-19 134 W 104-78 26-0 (13-0)
02/21/37 #2 Georgetown 31-5 2 W 97-58 27-0 (14-0)
02/25/37 at #13 Notre Dame 26-11 5 W 87-66 28-0 (15-0)
02/28/37 at Rutgers 13-18 86 W 93-87 29-0 (16-0)
03/04/37 Pittsburgh 20-12 69 W 90-65 30-0 (17-0)
03/07/37 at #5 Louisville 29-7 4 W 103-69 31-0 (18-0)
03/12/37 vs. Syracuse 19-13 64 W 83-68 32-0
03/13/37 vs. #13 Notre Dame 26-11 5 W 89-78 33-0
03/14/37 vs. #2 Georgetown 31-5 2 L 88-83 33-1
03/19/37 vs. Arkansas State 16-19 178 W 103-61 34-1
03/21/37 vs. Oregon 22-11 46 W 104-61 35-1
03/26/37 vs. #12 Houston 27-7 18 W 82-74 36-1
03/28/37 vs. #7 Miami 30-8 8 W 103-77 37-1
04/04/37 vs. #5 Louisville 29-7 4 W 90-75 38-1
04/06/37 vs. #6 New Mexico 31-9 7 W 98-86 39-1

#1 VILLANOVA TEAM INFO

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 100 Record Vs 1-50: 18-1 Poll Rank: #1
Season Record: 39-1 Record Vs 51-100: 8-0 RPI Rank: #1
Conference Record: 18-0 Record Vs 101-200: 10-0
Home Record: 15-0 Record Vs 200+: 3-0


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 91.2 1 1 Points 70.9 9 237 Points 20.3 1 1
O.Reb 12.5 2 38 O.Reb 9.4 3 47 O.Reb 3.1 3 24
D.Reb 28.5 1 5 D.Reb 22.2 2 20 D.Reb 6.4 1 2
Rebounds 41.0 2 10 Rebounds 31.5 2 17 Rebounds 9.5 1 1
Assists 24.3 1 1 Assists 14.8 9 309 Assists 9.5 1 1
Steals 6.5 7 86 Steals 5.4 4 84 Steals 1.2 5 61
Blocks 4.4 8 68 Blocks 3.3 1 195 Blocks 1.1 7 68
Turnovers 13.9 6 166 Turnovers 16.1 5 27 Turnovers -2.3 4 37
Fouls 18.4 8 78 Fouls 18.7 11 251 Fouls -0.3 8 142
FG% .511 1 1 FG% .426 7 101 FG% .085 1 3
FT% .778 1 3 FT% .665 1 115 FT% .113 1 2
3P% .392 1 14 3P% .332 2 97 3P% .061 1 13
PPS 1.40 1 2 PPS 1.20 7 94 PPS .197 1 8
Adj. FG% .586 1 1 Adj. FG% .487 6 123 Adj. FG% .099 1 3
Once again, we were the nation's most dynamic offensive team. Only two teams in NCAA history have averaged over 90 PPG: Villanova '36 and, now, Villanova '37. We also broke the record for field goals made per game, which our '36 team set last year. (33.3 for 2037, 32.9 for 2036). Our offensive efficiency is 119.6, best in the country.

Our 24.3 assists per game is a new NCAA record, breaking the one we set last season. No other team in the nation averages as many as 20 APG. I love that about our playing style.

It's fair to evaluate our defensive stats in the context of the pace we're playing; I have it set all the way to 10. Our defensive efficiency was 93.6, which ranked 30th. Still, our margins look great because our offense was so prolific.

#1 VILLANOVA Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connor Baxter SG 40 40 30.0 14.5 1.4 3.5 6.3 1.6 0.2 2.2 2.2 17.1
Charlie Lambert PF 12 12 29.4 15.3 2.4 8.8 1.9 0.4 2.9 1.8 1.9 18.5
Eldon Castanon PG 40 40 28.7 10.8 1.1 4.4 7.4 1.5 0.1 2.8 2.4 16.8
Sebastian Roberts C 40 40 27.1 11.5 3.0 8.8 1.6 0.5 0.7 1.7 2.8 16.1
Kyle Gribble PF 37 37 25.3 14.2 2.4 5.5 1.7 0.5 0.1 1.1 2.9 14.9
Matt Valentine SF 36 23 23.7 15.9 0.7 3.2 1.9 0.6 0.2 1.4 2.6 12.7
Demetrius Reed C 40 0 19.1 3.4 1.8 6.2 0.7 0.2 1.3 1.0 1.7 8.7
Max Bennett SG 40 0 14.5 6.4 0.4 1.7 2.7 0.7 0.1 1.2 1.5 5.2
Luke Christensen SF 37 6 12.0 8.0 0.7 2.6 0.8 0.5 0.2 1.2 1.5 5.5
Erick Sullivan C 39 0 7.8 1.6 0.3 2.3 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.6 1.9
Dane Barlow PG 37 0 5.9 2.8 0.2 0.8 0.7 0.1 0.1 0.6 0.4 0.9
Charles Peterman PF 20 2 4.4 1.3 0.3 0.7 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 1.3
Derek Lamb PF 5 0 3.8 0.4 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.4 3.4
John Maroney SF 10 0 2.2 1.3 0.3 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0

#1 VILLANOVA Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connor Baxter SG 40 40 1199 581 54 138 252 62 6 86 86 684
Charlie Lambert PF 12 12 353 184 29 105 23 5 35 22 23 222
Eldon Castanon PG 40 40 1149 432 43 174 296 61 5 111 94 670
Sebastian Roberts C 40 40 1082 461 118 352 64 20 27 67 111 644
Kyle Gribble PF 37 37 935 525 88 203 63 19 4 41 106 551
Matt Valentine SF 36 23 852 574 25 114 68 23 8 52 93 456
Demetrius Reed C 40 0 762 136 71 247 29 7 53 39 66 348
Max Bennett SG 40 0 579 255 15 69 107 28 4 47 59 206
Luke Christensen SF 37 6 443 296 26 97 28 18 7 44 54 204
Erick Sullivan C 39 0 306 62 13 90 13 11 18 18 23 75
Dane Barlow PG 37 0 219 102 9 30 25 3 2 22 13 33
Charles Peterman PF 20 2 88 26 5 14 2 3 4 3 3 25
Derek Lamb PF 5 0 19 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 17
John Maroney SF 10 0 22 13 3 5 2 1 1 1 1 0

#1 VILLANOVA Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connor Baxter SG 214 433 .494 59 67 .881 94 236 .398 1.34
Charlie Lambert PF 67 130 .515 20 25 .800 30 63 .476 1.42
Eldon Castanon PG 148 307 .482 58 85 .682 78 203 .384 1.41
Sebastian Roberts C 173 323 .536 83 105 .790 32 77 .416 1.43
Kyle Gribble PF 190 351 .541 120 149 .805 25 77 .325 1.50
Matt Valentine SF 221 417 .530 77 103 .748 55 116 .474 1.38
Demetrius Reed C 53 100 .530 30 39 .769 0 4 .000 1.36
Max Bennett SG 85 184 .462 50 65 .769 35 104 .337 1.39
Luke Christensen SF 112 220 .509 50 59 .847 22 65 .338 1.35
Erick Sullivan C 21 45 .467 16 18 .889 4 14 .286 1.38
Dane Barlow PG 32 66 .485 23 38 .605 15 32 .469 1.55
Charles Peterman PF 10 24 .417 4 4 1.000 2 8 .250 1.08
Derek Lamb PF 1 2 .500 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 1.00
John Maroney SF 4 5 .800 5 8 .625 0 0 .000 2.60

I have several players to write about in the Farewells and Senior Tributes.

[MoonlightGraham]

2036/37 Farewell

MAX BENNETT

Max was a Southeast PA player whom Georgetown tried very hard to lure away from us. When we signed him, I thought he'd stay for four years. I'm sorry to say that's not how it turned out.

#10 SG Max Bennett - Villanova - Junior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-5
Weight: 206
High School: Penncrest High School
Hometown: Media, PA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 41 71 81 62 60 69 26 27 27 70 48 10 62 46 60 69
2035: 35 64 79 57 55 64 23 24 25 63 43 9 62 43 59 64
2034: 32 59 74 53 49 58 21 22 24 57 39 8 61 40 58 59
2033: 28 51 66 47 43 52 19 20 22 51 35 6 59 36 54 47
Potential: C B B B B B D D D B C F

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 96

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 31 0 11.0 3.8 0.3 1.0 1.4 1.1 1.29 0.4 0.1 0.8
2035 40 0 15.6 6.7 0.5 1.8 2.2 1.4 1.56 0.8 0.1 1.4
2036 40 0 14.5 6.4 0.4 1.7 2.7 1.2 2.28 0.7 0.1 1.5
Career 111 0 13.9 5.8 0.4 1.6 2.2 1.2 2.28 0.7 0.1 1.3

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 1.4 3.0 .452 0.4 0.5 .813 0.7 1.7 .389 1.27 2.16
2035 2.2 4.3 .524 1.2 1.4 .852 1.1 2.4 .453 1.57 8.93
2036 2.1 4.6 .462 1.3 1.6 .769 0.9 2.6 .337 1.39 5.15
Career 1.9 4.0 .483 1.0 1.2 .807 0.9 2.3 .391 1.43 5.68

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 31 0 342 118 10 32 44 34 12 2 26
2035 40 0 624 267 20 73 89 57 33 3 54
2036 40 0 579 255 15 69 107 47 28 4 59
Career 111 0 1545 640 45 174 240 138 73 9 139

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 42 93 13 16 21 54 67
2035 89 170 46 54 43 95 357
2036 85 184 50 65 35 104 206
Career 216 447 109 135 99 253 630

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 22 2 4 8 3 1 3 8 14 5 7 6 9
Career 25 2 5 8 3 1 4 8 14 7 7 6 9

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 2
2033 High School: Rated **** and #49 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2033 High School: All-State (Pennsylvania)
2033 High School: Mr. Basketball (Pennsylvania)
2035 NCAA Champion
2036 NCAA Champion

With two All-Big East guards manning the backcourt, Max was employed in a reserve role. His versatility--he could shoot and distribute--often made him the first perimeter player off the bench. He struggled a bit with his shot as a junior, but we still expected him to step into the starting lineup as a senior.

Instead, Max will try his luck in the professional ranks. FBCB won't allow a player to return to college if he's not drafted, so this will close the curtain on Max's Villanova career. He is an exceptionally strong student, so the option of returning to complete his degree is always there.

Thanks for the memories, Max.

[MoonlightGraham]

2036/37 Farewell

MATT VALENTINE

Delaware's Mr. Basketball as a high school senior was the first player in his class to commit to us. When we recruited him, we envisioned Matt as a do-everything guard. He turned out to be an dangerous offensive threat (Max Bennett ended up being a more well-rounded player).

#31 SF Matt Valentine - Villanova - Junior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 205
High School: Middletown High School
Hometown: Middletown, DE

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 82 68 46 65 49 45 11 35 41 21 15 30 82 43 55 95
2035: 78 65 46 62 46 42 10 34 38 19 14 28 81 41 55 84
2034: 72 62 46 59 44 40 9 32 36 17 13 27 80 39 54 75
2033: 64 54 42 53 40 36 7 30 32 15 11 25 78 33 53 45
Potential: A B C B C C F D C D F C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 36

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 29 0 6.2 2.5 0.1 0.6 0.7 0.4 1.73 0.3 0.1 0.3
2035 39 0 7.1 4.9 0.2 1.1 0.6 0.4 1.47 0.2 0.1 0.5
2036 36 23 23.7 15.9 0.7 3.2 1.9 1.4 1.31 0.6 0.2 2.6
Career 104 23 12.6 8.0 0.3 1.7 1.0 0.8 1.31 0.4 0.1 1.2

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 0.9 2.0 .439 0.6 0.7 .842 0.2 0.7 .286 1.26 0.21
2035 1.5 2.6 .583 1.2 1.6 .750 0.6 0.9 .611 1.84 3.26
2036 6.1 11.6 .530 2.1 2.9 .748 1.5 3.2 .474 1.38 12.67
Career 2.9 5.5 .530 1.4 1.8 .758 0.8 1.7 .480 1.45 5.66

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 29 0 180 72 3 18 19 11 9 3 10
2035 39 0 278 190 6 41 22 15 8 2 21
2036 36 23 852 574 25 114 68 52 23 8 93
Career 104 23 1310 836 34 173 109 78 40 13 124

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 25 57 16 19 6 21 6
2035 60 103 48 64 22 36 127
2036 221 417 77 103 55 116 456
Career 306 577 141 186 83 173 589

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 30 3 8 7 3 1 5 12 19 6 8 4 7
Career 30 3 8 7 3 1 5 12 19 6 10 4 7

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 6
2033 High School: Rated **** and #92 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2033 High School: All-State (Delaware)
2033 High School: Mr. Basketball (Delaware)
2035 NCAA Champion
2036 NCAA Champion

Matt saw action in most games as a freshman and sophomore. The outrageously good shooting he provided during his second season turned everyone's head, and we envisioned him as our sixth man this season. That's the role he played as the season began, and he was very good at it.

Charlie Lambert's suspension opened up a spot for Matt in the starting lineup, and he was effective in that role, too. He ended the season as our team's leading scorer. He dropped a career-best 30 points in the final game of his career--which happened to be the NCAA championship game.

Matt admittedly enjoys basketball much more than school. The breakout season he enjoyed as a junior has made him a pro prospect, and he'll try his luck in the draft. If he doesn't hear his name, he'll seek a free agent contract, or pursue overseas options.

Thanks for the memories, Matt.

[MoonlightGraham]

2036/37 Senior Tribute

CHARLES PETERMAN

Charles Peterman's experience at Villanova took a few intriguing turns. Charles' home town is 2074 miles and a national boundary away from our campus. We offered him a scholarship before we'd fully evaluated him. He spent a semester on academic suspension when he couldn't keep his grades up. He also spent quite a bit of time unhappy. Still, he ended up staying the course, and now he has two national championship rings.

#25 PF Charles Peterman - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-7
Weight: 231
High School: R.D. Parker Collegiate School
Hometown: Thomson, Canada

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 45 46 78 34 42 22 38 34 63 46 48 40 51 73 58 94
2035: 43 43 77 33 39 21 34 32 58 44 46 38 51 71 57 90
2034: 42 40 76 32 36 19 32 31 54 41 43 36 51 69 57 86
2033: 41 38 75 31 33 18 30 30 51 38 40 35 51 67 56 82
2032: 39 34 71 29 29 16 26 28 47 32 34 33 50 63 54 74
Potential: C C B D C D C C B C C C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 62

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2033 16 0 3.2 0.4 0.1 0.5 0.0 0.4 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.5
2034 35 0 4.8 2.1 0.3 1.2 0.1 0.3 0.50 0.2 0.1 0.4
2035 28 0 8.0 1.1 0.4 1.8 0.2 0.4 0.60 0.1 0.3 0.7
2036 20 2 4.4 1.3 0.3 0.7 0.1 0.2 0.67 0.2 0.2 0.2
Career 99 2 5.4 1.4 0.3 1.1 0.1 0.3 0.67 0.2 0.2 0.5

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2033 0.1 0.6 .200 0.2 0.3 .750 0.0 0.3 .000 0.70 -0.06
2034 0.7 1.5 .444 0.6 0.7 .800 0.1 0.5 .294 1.35 0.23
2035 0.4 1.1 .333 0.4 0.6 .688 0.0 0.2 .200 1.07 5.46
2036 0.5 1.2 .417 0.2 0.2 1.000 0.1 0.4 .250 1.08 1.25
Career 0.5 1.2 .390 0.4 0.5 .776 0.1 0.4 .229 1.17 1.87

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2033 16 0 51 7 1 8 0 7 0 0 8
2034 35 0 169 73 9 41 5 10 8 3 15
2035 28 0 224 32 12 49 6 10 4 9 20
2036 20 2 88 26 5 14 2 3 3 4 3
Career 99 2 532 138 27 112 13 30 15 16 46

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2033 2 10 3 4 0 5 -1
2034 24 54 20 25 5 17 8
2035 10 30 11 16 1 5 153
2036 10 24 4 4 2 8 25
Career 46 118 38 49 8 35 185

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 11 2 4 1 1 2 1 5 7 2 2 1 5
Career 11 2 4 2 1 4 3 5 7 7 8 2 5

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 High School: Rated *** and #100 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2035 NCAA Champion
2036 NCAA Champion

Charles never developed into the player we thought he might be. Projected as a "top eight" kind of guy, the kind who gave us 15 minutes a night of solid production, he never seemed to remain motivated enough to deliver on his potential. He started two games late in his senior season, scoring 11 points in one and failing to score in the other. That lack of consistency was Charles in a nutshell.

The same thing could be said for his academic career. Charles will need at least one more semester to complete his Accounting degree. He plans to do so, and I hope he does.

Thanks for the memories, Charles.

[MoonlightGraham]

2036/37 Senior Tribute

KYLE GRIBBLE

The story of Kyle Gribble is a story of patience and perseverance, and it has a happy ending. I've been looking forward to telling it.

#11 PF Kyle Gribble - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-8
Weight: 225
High School: Artesia High School
Hometown: Lakewood, CA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 89 70 84 58 67 47 70 27 70 8 31 9 50 64 60 100
2035: 76 62 82 53 62 44 60 26 61 8 30 9 49 61 60 97
2034: 66 57 75 49 58 41 52 23 54 7 29 9 49 58 59 86
2033: 58 53 69 46 55 39 46 21 50 6 27 9 47 54 58 71
2032: 50 47 61 42 51 35 40 19 46 4 23 7 46 46 55 41
Potential: A B B C B C B D B F D F

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 92

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2033 31 0 9.2 2.7 0.6 1.9 0.5 0.5 0.88 0.1 0.2 1.2
2034 37 0 11.3 3.9 0.8 2.2 0.7 0.4 1.92 0.2 0.1 1.2
2035 40 0 16.8 6.9 1.3 3.3 1.2 0.8 1.53 0.5 0.3 2.2
2036 37 37 25.3 14.2 2.4 5.5 1.7 1.1 1.54 0.5 0.1 2.9
Career 145 37 15.9 7.1 1.3 3.3 1.0 0.7 1.54 0.4 0.2 1.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2033 0.9 2.4 .373 0.5 0.7 .810 0.4 1.0 .355 1.12 0.65
2034 1.4 2.4 .568 0.8 0.9 .875 0.4 0.8 .536 1.63 3.14
2035 2.3 5.0 .465 1.7 2.2 .793 0.5 1.4 .357 1.38 9.08
2036 5.1 9.5 .541 3.2 4.0 .805 0.7 2.1 .325 1.50 14.89
Career 2.5 4.9 .506 1.6 2.0 .810 0.5 1.3 .370 1.44 7.24

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2033 31 0 284 84 20 58 15 17 4 5 38
2034 37 0 418 143 29 80 25 13 9 2 43
2035 40 0 671 275 51 131 46 30 20 11 88
2036 37 37 935 525 88 203 63 41 19 4 106
Career 145 37 2308 1027 188 472 149 101 52 22 275

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2033 28 75 17 21 11 31 20
2034 50 88 28 32 15 28 116
2035 93 200 69 87 20 56 363
2036 190 351 120 149 25 77 551
Career 361 714 234 289 71 192 1050

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 29 7 16 6 4 1 4 12 17 7 11 2 6
Career 29 7 16 6 4 2 4 12 17 7 11 3 6

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 7
2032 High School: Rated **** and #22 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2032 High School: All-State (California)
2035 NCAA Champion
2036 NCAA Champion
2036 1st Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)

We don't recruit many players from the West Coast. In fact, I think Kyle was our first California product.

Two things stick out to me when I look at his profile. Look how much Kyle improved over his four years with us. He arrived on campus with loads of promise, but he was far from a finished product. His improvement from year to year was impressive, a reflection of his tenacity and optimism.

And look at the progression of Kyle's role on our team. After two seasons as a depth player, he emerged as a key member of our rotation as a junior. And, in his fourth year, he was a fixture in our starting lineup and a first team All-Big East selection.

Kyle aspires to a professional basketball career, possibly in Europe. First, he'll complete his degree in Chemistry, with honors. He's also expressed interest in a career as a research chemist. I'll never bet against him achieving whatever he wants to achieve.

Thanks for the memories, Kyle.

[MoonlightGraham]

2036/37 Senior Tribute

ELDON CASTANON

Coming out of high school in the Class of 2032, Eldon Castanon was the kind of player we like to recruit. Maryland's Mr. Basketball and a high school All-American, he caught our eye right away. Unfortunately, Eldon didn't return the love. He'd grown up rooting for Lafayette and didn't like Villanova much at all. Not surprisingly, he signed with Lafayette, but after a lost season there, he entered the transfer portal. This time, he was eager to play for us, and we made it happen.
#4 PG Eldon Castanon - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-3
Weight: 217
High School: Montgomery Blair High School
Hometown: Silver Spring, MD

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 36 65 57 70 57 95 43 62 7 77 57 20 83 43 66 100
2035: 33 63 55 61 55 83 40 54 7 66 55 19 82 41 65 100
2034: 30 62 51 56 54 72 37 47 7 54 47 18 81 39 64 96
2033: 29 59 49 53 53 68 36 44 7 50 44 17 80 38 64 89
2032: 28 57 47 51 52 63 35 41 7 46 41 16 80 37 63 80
2031: 26 51 43 45 48 57 33 37 5 42 37 14 79 33 61 58
Potential: D B C B C A C B F B C D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 42

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 2 0 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 1.00 0.0 0.0 0.0
2034 37 37 26.2 9.1 1.1 4.4 4.3 1.9 2.30 1.4 0.1 2.6
2035 40 40 29.0 11.1 1.1 4.1 5.7 2.4 2.36 1.5 0.1 2.0
2036 40 40 28.7 10.8 1.1 4.4 7.4 2.8 2.67 1.5 0.1 2.4
Career 119 117 27.6 10.2 1.1 4.2 5.7 2.3 2.67 1.4 0.1 2.2

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.5 .000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.00 0.00
2034 3.3 6.7 .490 0.8 1.2 .698 1.6 4.2 .391 1.35 13.27
2035 4.1 7.5 .542 1.4 1.7 .824 1.6 4.0 .391 1.48 17.65
2036 3.7 7.7 .482 1.5 2.1 .682 2.0 5.1 .384 1.41 16.75
Career 3.6 7.2 .505 1.2 1.7 .731 1.7 4.4 .388 1.41 15.69

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 2 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2034 37 37 971 335 40 162 159 69 50 2 95
2035 40 40 1158 445 43 164 227 96 59 5 78
2036 40 40 1149 432 43 174 296 111 61 5 94
Career 119 117 3281 1212 126 500 683 276 170 12 267

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2032 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2034 122 249 30 43 61 156 491
2035 163 301 56 68 63 161 706
2036 148 307 58 85 78 203 670
Career 433 857 144 197 202 520 1867

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 28 3 12 12 5 1 8 9 14 5 7 7 10
Career 28 4 12 13 5 1 8 9 15 8 9 7 11

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 14
2031 High School: Rated **** and #84 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2031 High School: All-State (Maryland)
2031 High School: Mr. Basketball (Maryland)
2031 High School: All-American
2032 Transferred from Lafayette
2035 NCAA Champion
2035 1st Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2036 NCAA Champion
2036 1st Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)
A big, physical point guard, Eldon started for us from Day One. While he did quite a few things well, it was his passing that made him extra-special.

When a comparison between your skills and those of Justice Stafford isn't ridiculous, you're good. While sharing the playmaking responsibilities with a teammate who was also a great orchestrator, Eldon posted the third highest career assists total in Villanova history, while playing only three years. He also led the Big East in assists as a senior, with a total that ranks second to Justice's best season.

Eldon was a two-time All-Big East selection and, of course, a two-time national champion. He would like to continue his basketball career; if he isn't drafted this month, he might play in the G-League or in a foreign country. He'll complete a degree in Criminology next month.

And, if his name is called, he hopes it's pronounced correctly. Eldon pronounces his surname "Cass-TANNEN," rather than "CASS-ta-non."

Thanks for the memories, Eldon.

[MoonlightGraham]

2036/37 Senior Tribute

CONNOR BAXTER

I remember referring to this product of Slippery Rock, PA as a "young boss of a point guard" when we were recruiting him. I envisioned him as an all-action guard who could fill any and all backcourt roles. That's exactly the player Connor Baxter turned out to be.

#22 SG Connor Baxter - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-2
Weight: 204
High School: Slippery Rock Area High School
Hometown: Slippery Rock, PA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 55 89 85 62 77 81 37 23 46 76 58 16 62 54 54 80
2035: 53 89 85 62 76 81 33 18 41 74 57 14 60 51 53 73
2034: 47 75 82 60 74 74 30 15 38 65 55 13 59 48 52 66
2033: 44 67 74 59 66 66 28 13 36 57 50 12 58 46 52 61
2032: 40 61 68 59 58 58 26 11 34 49 44 10 57 42 51 51
Potential: C A B C B B D D C B C D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 98

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2033 37 17 17.6 5.6 0.6 1.4 2.1 1.1 2.03 0.5 0.1 1.3
2034 37 37 30.6 12.8 0.8 2.6 4.8 1.9 2.57 1.3 0.2 2.2
2035 40 40 29.8 16.1 1.3 3.2 5.9 1.8 3.29 2.0 0.2 2.4
2036 40 40 30.0 14.5 1.4 3.5 6.3 2.2 2.93 1.6 0.2 2.2
Career 154 134 27.1 12.4 1.0 2.7 4.8 1.7 2.93 1.3 0.1 2.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2033 1.8 4.4 .401 1.3 1.7 .774 0.8 2.5 .301 1.27 7.86
2034 4.5 9.3 .484 1.7 2.2 .778 2.2 5.6 .383 1.38 15.43
2035 5.9 12.7 .464 1.7 1.9 .895 2.7 7.5 .358 1.27 18.50
2036 5.4 10.8 .494 1.5 1.7 .881 2.4 5.9 .398 1.34 17.10
Career 4.4 9.4 .471 1.5 1.9 .832 2.0 5.4 .369 1.32 14.84

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2033 37 17 652 206 24 50 79 39 18 4 47
2034 37 37 1133 475 30 97 177 69 49 7 81
2035 40 40 1191 645 53 129 237 72 78 6 95
2036 40 40 1199 581 54 138 252 86 62 6 86
Career 154 134 4175 1907 161 414 745 266 207 23 309

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2033 65 162 48 62 28 93 291
2034 166 343 63 81 80 209 571
2035 235 506 68 76 107 299 740
2036 214 433 59 67 94 236 684
Career 680 1444 238 286 309 837 2286

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 25 5 11 11 4 1 5 10 20 5 6 5 12
Career 32 5 11 11 6 2 6 11 21 8 9 10 15

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 21
2032 High School: Rated **** and #28 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2034 1st Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2035 NCAA Champion
2035 3rd Team All-American
2035 1st Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2036 NCAA Champion
2036 2nd Team All-American
2036 1st Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)

Connor is one of the best, and most important, players in Villanova history. He was the heir apparent to Justice Stafford in the Wildcats backcourt and, like Justice, he stayed for four years. However, unlike his predecessor, he spent much of his freshman season as a starter. I'm almost positive Connor's 134 career starts is a Villanova record. I know his 4,175 career minutes played is.

Connor finished his career fourth on the all-time scoring list at Villanova, two buckets behind Mason Reynolds. His career assist total is second to Justice's. He's fourth all-time in steals, third all-time in field goals and three-pointers made.

He is the first player in Villanova history to be a three-time member of the All-Big East first team, and only the third to be a two-time All-American. Connor is not considered a draft prospect, and he's unsure if he'd like to continue playing basketball or prepare for medical school. He'll graduate in May with a degree in Biochemistry, with highest honors.

Thanks for the memories, Connor.

[MoonlightGraham]

Before we close the book on the 2036/37 season, let's see how Charlie Sutton's year turned out.
Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 35 35 28.1 17.9 1.1 3.6 2.1 2.7 0.80 0.5 0.2 2.8
Career 35 35 28.1 17.9 1.1 3.6 2.1 2.7 0.80 0.5 0.2 2.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 6.2 12.6 .491 2.2 2.5 .875 3.3 7.2 .464 1.42 4.83
Career 6.2 12.6 .491 2.2 2.5 .875 3.3 7.2 .464 1.42 4.83

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 35 35 984 628 39 125 75 94 19 8 98
Career 35 35 984 628 39 125 75 94 19 8 98

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 217 442 77 88 117 252 169
Career 217 442 77 88 117 252 169
Charlie was the leading scorer on a 21-14 Vanderbilt team that included the SEC Player of the Year, Steven Albrecht. He also led the nation's freshmen in scoring.

I'm surprised Charlie didn't earn any post-season honors. He was repeatedly beaten out by the national Freshman of the Year, Vicente Ezell of Tennessee.

Right now, I'd say Charlie is as likely to stay for three more years at Vanderbilt as he is to turn professional. I hope he decides to remain a Commodore.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 11, 2037

Draft night brings a range of emotions to 'Nova Nation. Matt Valentine receives the best news; he's a lottery pick, chosen at #12. Eldon Castanon is delighted to hear his name at #48.

But none of the other draft-eligible Wildcats--Charles Peterman, Connor Baxter, Kyle Gribble, or junior Max Bennett--were drafted. I wish that meant Bennett would return to Villanova, but that's not the case.

2036 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova Big East SF Tony Flaherty ***** 3 1 0 0 0
2. UNLV Mountain West PG Refugio White ***** 3 1 0 0 0
3. Kentucky SEC SF Erasmo Martinez ***** 2 1 1 0 0
4. Georgetown Big East PF James Sanders, Jr. ***** 1 3 1 0 0
5. Tennessee SEC SG Chris Vogt ***** 1 2 0 0 0
6. Miami ACC PG Lyman Boykins ***** 2 1 1 0 0
7. Texas Big 12 PG Don Murdock ***** 1 2 1 0 0
8. West Virginia Big East C Wilber Bull ***** 2 1 0 0 0
9. UCLA Pacific-10 PG Frank Escobar ***** 1 2 1 0 0
10. Southern California Pacific-10 SG Don Laboy ***** 1 2 1 0 0
11. Baylor Big 12 C Ezra Manley **** 0 3 1 0 0
12. St. John's Big East PF Erik Thomason **** 0 2 2 0 0
13. Notre Dame Big East PF Denny Lombardi ***** 1 1 2 0 0
14. Memphis Conference USA SG Steven Hodson ***** 1 1 2 0 0
15. Fresno State WAC PG Josiah Davis *** 0 0 5 0 0
Our haul of three five-star players--Tony Flaherty, Zayden Calhoun, and David Lovett--along with four-star Jordi Ballester, ranks as the best recruiting class in the nation. I'm surprised Tony gets top billing, since Zayden was the #3 player in the country, to Tony's #14. Perhaps I'll know why once I take a closer look at their actual ratings.

2036 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova Big East SF Tony Flaherty ***** 3 1 0 0 0
4. Georgetown Big East PF James Sanders, Jr. ***** 1 3 1 0 0
8. West Virginia Big East C Wilber Bull ***** 2 1 0 0 0
12. St. John's Big East PF Erik Thomason **** 0 2 2 0 0
13. Notre Dame Big East PF Denny Lombardi ***** 1 1 2 0 0
16. Louisville Big East PF Harris Rouse **** 0 3 1 0 0
29. Connecticut Big East PF Ellis Torres **** 0 2 1 0 0
36. Syracuse Big East PF Jeffrey Ott **** 0 1 1 0 0
40. Cincinnati Big East PG Jerry Dawson **** 0 1 2 0 0
54. Rutgers Big East PG Avery Headrick **** 0 1 1 0 0
56. DePaul Big East PG Jeffrey Gordon **** 0 1 1 1 0
59. South Florida Big East PG Jason Lemus **** 0 1 0 3 0
67. Pittsburgh Big East SG Tanner McLaughlin **** 0 1 0 0 0
86. Seton Hall Big East PF Eugene Mitchell *** 0 0 3 0 0
114. Providence Big East PG Charles Carmona *** 0 0 4 0 0
141. Marquette Big East PG Harold Rosa *** 0 0 3 2 0


The Big East, on the whole, recruited well, with six classes ranked among the top 16 in the nation. However, the conference will have a very different look this coming season...

[MoonlightGraham]

Spring 2037

I'd been thinking about a possible change to my college basketball universe for a while now, and I've decided it's time to give it a try.

It's inspired by the tumultuous conference realignments of the recent past, which have radically altered the landscape of college sports. I'm 40 years old, and I discovered college basketball in the early 1990s. And I heard my parents, who both love college hoops, talk about how much fun it was in the 1980s. I miss being able to easily name all the teams in the major conferences, comprised of teams with regional and traditional connections.

So I decided that, in my universe, the NCAA has turned back the clock.

I've spent a few hours in the editor, rearranging the conferences and teams in my game. I used the 1989/1990 season as my template, because I attended my first college basketball games that year. Because I was left with dozens of Independents, I added teams to some conferences and created several new, fictional conferences of my own.

That, of course, changes the setting of our story. The "old", nine-team Big East has returned. The Villanova-Georgetown rivalry, which is college basketball's best in this version of history, remains intact. There's a third powerhouse in the restructured league: Boston College, with its 100 prestige. Pitt (90) is the fourth-most highly regarded team; the rest are in the 70-80 range, with the exception of Seton Hall (55). Even without Louisville, West Virginia, and Miami, the Big East is the most competitive conference in the country. And we'll face all our opponents twice, home-and-home, which I think is wonderful.

I considered moving Lafayette (83 prestige) from the East Coast Conference to the Big East, but I decided to leave them alone. The Leopards are clearly the class of the league, but that was true in the Patriot League, too.

I hope the changes will be fun. Even more, I hope they didn't break the game...cross your fingers. :)

P.S. I saved an unaltered version of the game, so I can return to it if my changed version crashes, etc.

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2037

Another Hall of Fame-worthy coach has decided to retire. Thaddeus Dorton, who won the 2012 national championship with Arizona before moving to Texas, is stepping away from basketball at age 61.

Coach Dorton compiled a career record of 643-236 in 26 seasons as a head coach. He's the sixth-winningest coach of all time. Coach Dorton's teams won six conference championships and advanced to the Final Four twice. He coached 10 All-Americans over the course of his career.

Daniel Turcotte has left Lafayette for Oklahoma State. Coach Turcotte posted an 80-33 record with the Leopards. His place will be filled by former Hofstra head coach Mason Puckett. Coach Puckett, 59, has a 243-199 career record at Hofstra and Oakland, and wears the NCAA championship ring he won as an assistant at West Virginia in 2029/30.

There will be an opening on the Villanova staff this spring. John Gruber, who spent the last three years as Graham Sims' X-and-O man, has taken the head coaching job at Virginia Commonwealth.

His place will be filled by Greg Seward, who comes to us after a five-year run as the head coach at UC-Irvine. Coach Seward's record there was 79-77. He got his start as an assistant at Southern California. He's 44 years old, and is skilled in coaching both offense (83) and defense (100). Coach Seward will earn $142,099/year on a three-year deal.

Welcome to the staff, Coach.

We discover that Isiah Cook is transferring from Georgetown, and he's somewhat interested in playing for us. Cook was the #5 player in the nation as a high school senior, but he languished on the bench as a freshman Hoya. We offer Isiah a scholarship, but he picks Texas Christian instead.

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2037

It's the first day of recruiting season. We have only one senior on scholarship this year: post player Charlie Lambert. The early departures of Matt Valentine and Max Bennett leave us with only 10 scholarship players, and five walk-ons. We "officially" have two offers to make, but I can cut some of the walk-ons and gain more scholarships.

A closer look at the roster tells me that we need to make big men the focus of this year's recruiting efforts. Lambert is graduating, and junior center Sebastian Roberts has been expected to be an early departure since he was a freshman. That would leave Demetrius Reed as the only true big on the roster next season.

There are two five-star center recruits in Pennsylvania this year, and their high schools are located 42 miles apart. Chris Wilson, a 6'9" All-American from Dallas, is the more highly regarded. However, he prefers Boston College and North Carolina right now. Tony Craighead, from Carbondale, is taller (6'11") and lists Villanova first on his Top Schools list. We'll look very closely at both Chris and Tony.

We're also intrigued by Amir Kirk, a very productive player from the Detroit suburbs, and Zak Marshall, a power forward from rural Ohio. Both players express Very High interest in playing for us, but neither list us among their top five schools.

Power forwards Forrest Curl and Matthew Scholl are four-star talents who have us on top of their lists.

Riley Rose, Broderick Boone, and DeAndre Brown are among the wings we're recruiting. Our needs aren't as immediate on the perimeter, but we've recently seen how injuries, academic issues, and early departures can wreak havoc on a roster.

Here's our initial call list, sorted by "interest":
#1 VILLANOVA Recruiting

Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Riley Rose SF 6-6 188 ***** Very High Michigan
Zak Marshall PF 6-10 207 ***** Very High Ohio
Broderick Boone SG 6-3 187 ***** Very High Pennsylvania
Chris Wilson C 6-9 235 ***** Very High Pennsylvania
Tony Craighead C 6-11 258 ***** Very High Pennsylvania
Abe Gunderson C 7-0 222 ***** Very High Connecticut
DeAndre Brown SG 6-2 186 **** Very High Pennsylvania
Augustine Natale C 6-10 203 **** Very High Virginia
Forrest Curl PF 6-10 220 **** Very High New Jersey
Matthew Scholl PF 6-6 232 **** Very High Pennsylvania
William Loveland PF 6-8 214 **** Very High New York
Andy Womack SF 6-8 213 **** Very High New Jersey
Joshua Pearman PG 5-11 159 *** Very High New York
Chuck Farrington C 6-8 221 *** Very High Pennsylvania
Amir Kirk C 6-10 247 ***** High Michigan
Otto Harrold PG 5-11 159 ***** High New York

I'll be back with more news after we evaluate them.

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2037

I decided to cut a walk-on so I would have three scholarships to offer. Let's take a look at them first.
#0 C Chris Wilson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 235
High School: Dallas High School
Hometown: Dallas, PA
GPA: 3.08
Test Score: 1080
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 72 43 39 14 19 34 45 39 52 48 8 54 33 80 21 47
Potential: B B C D C C C C A B F A

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24.4 3.2 10.0 2.0 2.3 0.87 0.5 2.9 2.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.6 18.6 .567 3.1 4.4 .693 0.2 1.5 .138

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #2 Overall, #1 C, East Region #1 Overall, East Region #1 C
High School Awards: All-State, All American
Top 5 Schools: *Villanova, *North Carolina, Georgetown, West Virginia, St. John's
Chris is good at almost everything a basketball player can do. I'll write more about him if we sign him, but for now, it suffices to say that he looks like he'd be ready to contribute from the day he stepped on the court.

He's moved us to the top of his list, and we'll do all we can to keep us there. Coaches Sims and Caballero will visit him, and we'll bring him to campus.

After taking a look at Forrest Curl, we've made an offer to him, too.
#4 PF Forrest Curl
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 220
High School: Chatham High School
Hometown: Chatham, NJ
GPA: 2.65
Test Score: 1190
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 45 53 23 12 31 55 50 47 45 38 16 25 31 79 45 15
Potential: C A D F C C B B B B C C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
25.7 3.9 10.8 2.6 1.8 1.44 1.5 1.5 2.2

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.8 17.2 .628 4.1 7.2 .566 0.0 0.0 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #87 Overall, #18 PF, East Region #17 Overall, East Region #4 PF
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (New Jersey), All American
Top 5 Schools: *Villanova, Boston College, St. John's, Connecticut, Seton Hall
If it's possible for a top 100 player to be a sleeper, Forrest might be that player. His most notable skill is a jumper that's as smooth as any we've seen from a 6'10" big man.

Boston College is the only other top-prestige program on Forrest's list, and we'll try to seal the deal with an all-out recruiting effort that includes a trip to campus.

Guard DeAndre Brown is the third player to whom we've made an offer.
#4 SG DeAndre Brown
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-2
Weight: 186
High School: Pen Argyl Area High School
Hometown: Pen Argyl, PA
GPA: 3.57
Test Score: 1350
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 40 57 70 41 75 36 30 18 19 48 66 20 68 53 59 40
Potential: C A B C B B D D D C A D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
25.3 1.9 6.5 4.0 1.5 2.72 3.7 0.5 2.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.6 19.4 .544 1.9 2.5 .776 2.3 5.8 .391

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #26 Overall, #9 SG, East Region #6 Overall, East Region #2 SG
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Pennsylvania), All American
Top 5 Schools: *Villanova, Boston College, Lafayette, North Carolina, Kentucky
DeAndre beat out Chris Wilson for the title of Mr. Basketball for the state of Pennsylvania. He's a lead guard who is probably most comfortable playing off the ball, and he's an active defender who forces turnovers.

I wonder if other programs have almost conceded DeAndre to us. I won't take anything for granted; we'll invite him to visit campus and send our coaches to visit him, too.

There are enough other intriguing players I think we might sign that I decide to cut a second walk-on and gain a fourth scholarship. I'm considering big men Zak Marshall and Tony Craighead, along with wing Riley Rose.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2037

I decided to award the fourth scholarship offer to Zak Marshall, so let's take a look at him.
#40 PF Zak Marshall
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 207
High School: Newcomerstown High School
Hometown: Newcomerstown, OH
GPA: 3.24
Test Score: 1250
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 42 20 37 11 14 18 47 50 57 28 14 50 47 46 44 47
Potential: B F C C D D B B A A B C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13.0 3.3 12.6 1.5 2.9 0.52 1.5 2.8 2.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.7 9.9 .576 1.6 2.8 .554 0.1 0.3 .167

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #7 Overall, #1 PF, Midwest Region #5 Overall, Midwest Region #1 PF
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: *Villanova, West Virginia, Louisville, North Carolina, Pittsburgh
Zak is a mobile post player who takes pride in his rebounding and defense. He hasn't been a big scorer in high school, but we see some potential there.

I'm surprised we're the only school who has offered Zak a scholarship. That's one reason why I chose to offer him one. He apparently enjoyed his visit, and we'll continue to recruit him heavily.

The rest of our recruiting efforts went well, too. DeAndre Brown got an offer from Boston College, but we're still atop his list. Forrest Curl narrowed his list to us and Boston College, but the Eagles haven't made him an offer. And Chris Wilson removed every other school from his list.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2037

Chris Wilson decides to add Georgetown and Boston College to his Top Schools list, but neither Big East foe has offered him a scholarship. For that reason, I feel good about our chances with him.

Likewise, Zak Marshall lists Louisville as his #2 choice, but we're still the only school who has made him an offer. Unless that changes, I think we'll receive good news from him, too.

Forrest Curl also lists two schools--BC and UNC--that haven't made offers. We've always been Forrest's first choice.

And DeAndre Brown, who does hold a Boston College offer, says he'd rather play for us. I would love to go four-for-four this year.

Let's see what happens on November 1...

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2037

Good news comes in threes this month!

First, we hear from Zak Marshall, who says yes to the chance to play for Villanova. We think he will develop into an elite defender who can guard any position on the floor. That versatility, along with his lean frame, makes me think he might switch to the three as a collegian. Zak hasn't been a big scorer in high school, but we think he could develop enough inside game to be a threat.

Next, we learn that DeAndre Brown will be joining us next year. He's not the most college-ready player in his class, but we envision him as a versatile guard who can score and defend, possibly as a sixth man.

Finally, Chris Wilson tells us that he's chosen Villanova. Chris combines elite rim protection and interior defense with the ability to score from the post or midrange. Listed as a center, I think Chris could play effectively anywhere in the frontcourt.

We're still waiting for Forrest Curl's decision. He doesn't have another offer, so it seems like it's simply a matter of time.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 8, 2037

The two-time defending national champions will send these players into the 2037/38 season:

#1 VILLANOVA General

Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dane Barlow 3 PG So 6-2 200 Yes 87 OK Wilmington, DE
Jordi Ballester 4 PF Fr 6-7 247 Yes 85 OK El Prat de Llobregat, Spain
Zayden Calhoun 11 SF Fr 6-5 211 Yes 83 OK Princeton, NJ
Nick Spencer 12 PG Fr* 5-11 177 Yes 72 OK Collegeville, PA
Charlie Lambert 14 PF Sr 6-9 235 Yes 64 OK Hyattsville, MD
Sebastian Roberts 30 C Jr 7-0 252 Yes 99 OK Frenchtown, NJ
Demetrius Reed 32 C So 7-1 286 Yes 91 OK Philadelphia, PA
David Lovett 33 SG Fr 6-3 204 Yes 38 OK Mount Horeb, WI
Luke Christensen 34 SF Jr 6-4 197 Yes 64 OK Philadelphia, PA
Erick Sullivan 35 C Sr 6-10 276 No 87 OK Wilmington, DE
Tony Flaherty 40 SF Fr 6-7 228 Yes 77 OK New York, NY
Derek Lamb 41 PF So* 6-6 215 No 73 OK Latham, OH
Gary Hinkley 45 SG Fr 6-2 191 No 77 OK Lloydminster, Canada

And this is how their autumn training camp went:
#1 VILLANOVA Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dane Barlow 2 7 6 6 7 7 1 1 1 5 4 1 0 1 0 3
Jordi Ballester 6 4 2 0 6 2 8 12 12 2 4 4 1 4 1 7
Zayden Calhoun 4 8 6 8 4 6 4 4 2 8 8 2 2 8 1 12
Nick Spencer 2 2 3 2 1 3 1 1 1 6 3 1 0 1 1 5
Charlie Lambert 0 1 1 0 3 3 1 5 3 3 2 0 3 6 2 6
Sebastian Roberts 13 10 2 10 3 3 0 3 0 2 2 6 3 8 0 8
Demetrius Reed 3 3 6 3 2 2 12 9 8 2 2 11 1 0 1 7
David Lovett 6 6 6 4 4 2 2 2 2 4 6 2 2 4 3 18
Luke Christensen 2 5 2 2 2 1 2 4 4 6 8 4 1 2 0 0
Erick Sullivan 1 2 4 1 0 2 4 8 9 1 2 5 1 3 0 0
Tony Flaherty 6 6 2 4 4 6 2 6 6 8 8 8 3 6 3 14
Derek Lamb 2 1 2 0 1 2 2 0 5 0 1 2 1 2 1 3
Gary Hinkley 4 2 2 6 6 2 4 2 4 2 10 2 1 4 2 12


Charlie Lambert has returned for his senior season, determined to atone for the negligence of his academic responsibilities that cost him much of last year. He's one of the nation's most complete players, able to score, rebound, and play defense.

Joining him in the frontcourt will be junior Sebastian Roberts. The seven-footer was already considered a top professional prospect, but he entered camp determined to improve even more. He's emerged as a more dangerous scorer, armed with a jump shot that is effective from three-point range.

Coach Graham Sims has two desirable options for the third frontcourt spot. He can go big, which means moving Roberts to power forward and inserting Demetrius Reed at center. The 7'1" sophomore is an intimidating defender, rebounder, and shot blocker. Sims can also choose Luke Christensen, an athletic 6'4" junior who can get to the rim on offense and create havoc on the defensive perimeter. Both Reed and Christensen have also been effective coming off the bench, too.

Last year's team featured an All-Big East first team backcourt, Connor Baxter and Eldon Castanon. Their primary backup, Max Baldwin, left school, so Coach Sims must reload with young players.

Freshman Zayden Calhoun demonstrated enough growth in camp to earn the chance to start his first collegiate game. A 6'5" wing, Zayden is an excellent shooter and a responsible defender. The Wildcats won't need him to carry the load offensively this season, although he looks like he could do so if needed.

The keys to the offense will be in the hands of sophomore Dane Barlow, who apprenticed with his veteran teammates last season. A five-star recruit and a high school All American, Dane worked hard to improve his game in camp and should be ready to take his place as the next Villanova backcourt star.

Redshirt freshman Nick Spencer looks like he'll be a better player than the "experts" thought he'd be. He is an old-fashioned point guard who looks to pass first and takes care of the ball. Nick will be the first guard off the bench.

Another highly-regarded freshman, Tony Flaherty, will provide depth at both forward spots. And the best walk-on I've ever seen, senior center Erick Sullivan, is now a Green player whom I wouldn't hesitate to start in any game.

Also available are freshmen David Lovett, whose development might be curtailed by his lack of academic readiness, and Jordi Ballester, a Spanish work-in-progress who reminds me of a young Venceslás Castillo.

The "new" Big East contains nine teams, and five of them begin the season ranked #13 or higher. The team that emerges from this crucible as its champion will be a worthy one. I don't see Villanova, or anyone else, going 18-0 this season.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 12, 2037
Preseason NIT, First Round
(2) #1 Villanova 95, (15) Western Illinois 72
The Wildcats came out firing, putting up 35 threes and making 17 (the school record for three-pointers in a game is 20).

Dane Barlow and Charlie Lambert lead the way with 24 points each; Dane goes 7-for-12 from distance, and Charlie is 5-for-9. Lambert also adds 8 rebounds and 6 assists.

Sebastian Roberts (14p/9r/5a) and reserves Luke Christensen (10p) and Tony Flaherty (10p) also score in double figures, while Demetrius Reed grabs 10 rebounds and blocks 4 shots.

It's an especially big day for Charlie Lambert, as he scores his 1000th career point.
Record: 1-0.


November 14, 2037
Preseason NIT, Quarterfinal
(2) #1 Villanova 93, (10) Oklahoma State 70
Three Wildcats score at least 22 points as we advance to the Preseason NIT semifinals.

Charlie Lambert (26p/6r) and Dane Barlow (24p/4a) top the 20-point barrier again, and this time they're joined by Seb Roberts (22p/6r).

Demetrius Reed pulls in 11 rebounds, Nick Spencer records 5 assists, and Luke Christensen scores 10 points.
Record: 2-0.


November 21, 2037
Preseason NIT Semifinal
(2) #1 Villanova 90, (6) Air Force 68
Tonight, freshman Zayden Calhoun is the star as we knock out the Falcons and earn a spot in the tournament championship game.

Zayden scores 18 points, going 4-for-6 from behind the arc, and makes 4 steals. Sebastian Roberts (16p/12r/3b), Charlie Lambert (16p/9r/2b/2s), Luke Christensen (12p), Dane Barlow (7p/8a), and Tony Flaherty (6p/7r/5a/2s in 16 minutes) are all solid supporting actors.
Record: 3-0.


November 23, 2037
Preseason NIT Championship
(2) #1 Villanova 93, (1) #3 Kentucky 91

--------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (4-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 30 1-3 1-2 5 11 1 1 3
Sebastian Roberts PF 34 8-11 4-4 4 9 1 4 24
Charlie Lambert SF 33 8-18 6-6 2 6 2 4 26
Zayden Calhoun SG 32 2-5 2-3 1 4 4 1 8
Dane Barlow PG 32 3-11 3-4 3 4 5 2 11
Nick Spencer PG 14 3-4 0-0 0 0 1 2 8
Luke Christensen SF 10 1-3 4-4 0 3 2 0 6
Tony Flaherty SF 7 2-4 0-0 1 2 1 3 4
Erick Sullivan C 7 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 3
Jordi Ballester PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (S.Roberts 3, C.Lambert 3, Z.Calhoun 3,
D.Barlow 2, N.Spencer 2, L.Christensen 1, T.Flaherty 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (Z.Calhoun 1, L.Christensen 1,
E.Sullivan 1)
Steals: 1 (D.Barlow 1)
3P FGs: 15-30 (S.Roberts 4-4, C.Lambert 4-10, Z.Calhoun
2-4, D.Barlow 2-7, N.Spencer 2-3, E.Sullivan 1-2)

Kentucky (3-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jack Sitton C 32 3-8 0-0 5 12 2 2 6
Burton Brister PF 32 9-15 5-6 2 5 3 3 23
Ahmed Way SF 25 6-7 1-2 0 2 5 5 16
Jeffrey Cowley SG 30 4-9 0-0 1 2 4 5 10
Avery Dumont PG 33 5-10 5-6 2 2 4 1 17
Mark Rotz C 10 2-5 2-2 0 2 1 1 7
Chris Williams PF 6 3-5 0-0 1 3 0 0 6
Lucas Sheehan SG 19 2-7 0-1 1 2 1 2 6
Charles Kemp PG 8 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Jeffrey Binion SF 4 0-3 0-0 2 2 0 2 0

Turnovers: 10 (B.Brister 3, A.Way 2, J.Cowley 2,
A.Dumont 1, L.Sheehan 2)
Blocked Shots: 4 (B.Brister 2, A.Way 1, A.Dumont 1)
Steals: 6 (J.Sitton 2, A.Way 2, A.Dumont 2)
3P FGs: 10-26 (A.Way 3-4, J.Cowley 2-6, A.Dumont 2-7,
M.Rotz 1-1, L.Sheehan 2-5, C.Kemp 0-1, J.Binion 0-2)

Player of Game: PF Sebastian Roberts (VLNV)
The ending of a very close championship game is made even more interesting by a feisty exchange between Dane Barlow and Kentucky's Mark Rotz.

It begins with 18 seconds remaining in the game. Avery Dumont has just made a three-pointer to bring UK within two points, at 90-88. As Sebastian Roberts inbounds the ball to Barlow, the Villanova guard is trucked by Rotz. Dane immediately bounces up and confronts his opponent. Barlow is a solid 6'2", 200 pounds, but Rotz is eight inches taller and 78 pounds heavier.

The officials separate them, and Dane steps to the line to shoot two free throws. He makes the first, but the second bounces off the rim. Rotz grabs the rebound and, rather than giving the ball to a guard, begins to gallop up the court himself. Kentucky coach Brooks Runyan is out of timeouts, so he can only watch, his hands on his head, as Rotz runs amok.

Somehow, the big man with a 9 rating for Ballhandling manages to reach the Villanova end of the floor without losing his handle. This feat accomplished, Mark then decides to launch a three-point shot. Mark Rotz is rated 0, as in zero, for this skill.

The shot goes in. Rotz turns and taunts the Villanova bench, skipping sideways, a wild grin on his face, as he pretends to shoot an arrow. He then shakes three fingers in the general direction of Dane Barlow.

The score is now tied at 91, and seven seconds remain. That's enough time for a decent shot, and Graham Sims calls time out to plan his strategy.

Kentucky comes out in a full-court press. Zayden Calhoun passes the ball to Barlow, who slices through the press and leads a 3-on-2 break. Dane fakes a pass to Charlie Lambert, keeps the ball, and drives to the basket. His layup goes in with one second left.

Dane gets the last laugh, and we get the victory. Sebastian Roberts and Charlie Lambert play superbly once again.
Record: 4-0.

https://i.imgur.com/TQU0u5z.jpeg


November 28, 2037
@#1 Villanova 110, Lipscomb 61
We shoot .625/.545/.783 as we take care of our visitors from Nashville.

Sebastian Roberts (20p/6r) leads a group of five players with at least 15 points. The others are Zayden Calhoun (17p/5r), Charlie Lambert (17p/4a/2s), Dane Barlow (15p/6a/4r/2s), and Luke Christensen (15p/2s). Demetrius Reed grabs 8 rebounds and rejects 4 shots.
Record: 5-0.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2037

Let's take a look at Charlie Sutton, Vanderbilt's redshirt sophomore guard.

#3 SG Charlie Sutton - Vanderbilt - Sophomore
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 210
High School: Decatur Central High School
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 58 74 84 87 58 40 20 25 20 36 33 16 58 43 41 74
2036: 52 67 82 80 50 34 17 22 17 32 29 15 58 40 40 69
2035: 50 64 79 77 47 32 16 21 16 30 27 14 57 37 39 64
2034: 46 58 73 71 41 28 14 19 14 27 24 12 57 31 38 53
Potential: C B A A B C D D D C C D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 82

Charlie emerged from camp with an even deadlier jump shot, which is an especially dangerous weapon from long range. However, he's begun the season in a bit of a slump.
Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 35 35 28.1 17.9 1.1 3.6 2.1 2.7 0.80 0.5 0.2 2.8
2037 5 5 27.0 11.6 0.8 3.4 2.6 2.2 1.18 1.0 0.0 2.2
Career 40 40 28.0 17.2 1.1 3.6 2.2 2.6 1.18 0.6 0.2 2.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 6.2 12.6 .491 2.2 2.5 .875 3.3 7.2 .464 1.42 4.83
2037 3.0 9.2 .326 3.6 4.6 .783 2.0 5.2 .385 1.26 6.20
Career 5.8 12.2 .475 2.4 2.8 .856 3.2 7.0 .457 1.41 5.00

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 35 35 984 628 39 125 75 94 19 8 98
2037 5 5 135 58 4 17 13 11 5 0 11
Career 40 40 1119 686 43 142 88 105 24 8 109

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 217 442 77 88 117 252 169
2037 15 46 18 23 10 26 31
Career 232 488 95 111 127 278 200

He's not shooting as often, and not nearly as accurately, as he did last year. The season is still young, however, and Charlie showed signs of breaking out in his last game, a 71-70 win at Georgia Tech. There, he scored a much more Suttonesque 20 points featuring 4-for-5 from three-point range.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2037

Our recruiting class is now complete, as Forrest Curl gives us his commitment!

Forrest is a traditional big man with an added feature: an especially smooth jump shot that is accurate out to 18 feet. He also passes the ball very well; I can envision him taking the ball in the high post, finding an open shooter, and kicking the ball out to him for a catch-and-shoot three.

Forrest's signing gives us three high school All Americans among our four-man class. I'm looking forward to seeing how this talented quartet turns out, aren't you?

For some strange reason, there's another 5-star big man who doesn't have an offer! If I had a fifth scholarship, I'd offer it to Amir Kirk in a hot second.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 2, 2037
@#1 Villanova 103, Green Bay 75
Charlie Lambert's career-high 31 points highlight a comfortable victory at Wawa Arena. Charlie also grabs 8 rebounds and blocks 6 shots.

Sebastian Roberts finishes with 24 points; Zayden Calhoun pitches in 14; Dane Barlow adds 12 points and 8 assists.
Record: 6-0.


December 5, 2037
#1 Villanova 71, @#5 Duke 39
A trip to Durham for a marquee matchup against the Blue Devils isn't nearly as interesting a game as we thought it would be. Duke scores only 14 points in the second half, as we pull away for an easy win.

Unless you like free throw shooting, there's very little to please a connoisseur of offense. The two teams combine to go 10-for-50 from three-point range.

There are a lot of rebounds to be had, and Charlie Lambert claims 16 of them. He also scores 19 points, blocks 5 shots, and makes 2 steals. Dane Barlow scores 12 points, and Seb Roberts scores 8 with 9 rebounds.

Things like this don't usually happen at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Record: 7-0.


December 9, 2037
@#1 Villanova 98, Pennsylvania 44
We return home and rout the visiting Quakers, holding an opponent to less than 30% shooting for the second straight game.

Meanwhile, Zayden Calhoun leads a group of six Wildcats in double figures with 21 points, adding 5 rebounds and 5 assists for good measure. Zayden is joined by Dane Barlow (17p/5a), Sebastian Roberts (15p/12r/2b), Charlie Lambert (13p/8r), Luke Christensen (10p/5r) and Tony Flaherty (10p).

Demetrius Reed (7r/3b) and Erick Sullivan (5p/6r/2b in 14 minutes) also contribute meaningfully to a balanced, enjoyable victory.
Record: 8-0.


December 12, 2037
#1 Villanova 91, Notre Dame 88

---------------------------------------------------------
Notre Dame (3-4, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jack Miller C 34 3-9 2-3 2 5 2 1 8
Ronnie Hodge PF 28 1-8 2-2 0 0 4 2 4
Coleman Burns SF 29 4-9 2-2 2 5 3 4 12
N. Heatherly SG 34 13-21 3-4 3 9 3 4 35
Rolland McCabe PG 22 2-3 3-4 0 2 3 4 8
Jeffery Rangel C 20 0-3 0-0 3 8 2 0 0
Jack DeRosa C 7 1-1 0-0 0 3 2 0 3
Pete Griffin PG 22 4-5 0-0 0 1 1 1 9
Jesus Boring SG 5 3-3 0-0 0 0 0 1 9

Turnovers: 16 (J.Miller 2, R.Hodge 2, C.Burns 4,
N.Heatherly 4, R.McCabe 1, J.Rangel 1, P.Griffin 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Burns 1, J.Rangel 1, J.DeRosa 1)
Steals: 7 (C.Burns 3, N.Heatherly 4)
3P FGs: 14-18 (C.Burns 2-2, N.Heatherly 6-8, R.McCabe
1-2, J.DeRosa 1-1, P.Griffin 1-2, J.Boring 3-3)

Villanova (9-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 28 10-12 0-0 9 11 0 1 20
Sebastian Roberts PF 33 1-6 0-0 4 13 3 4 2
Charlie Lambert SF 34 9-22 2-2 2 10 1 1 24
Zayden Calhoun SG 22 1-4 3-4 0 0 2 3 5
Dane Barlow PG 29 5-12 2-3 1 2 10 3 16
Nick Spencer PG 21 3-5 0-0 1 1 3 0 6
Luke Christensen SF 13 4-6 3-5 0 2 1 1 11
Tony Flaherty SF 13 3-8 0-0 2 3 0 0 7
Erick Sullivan C 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
David Lovett SG 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Jordi Ballester PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (S.Roberts 1, C.Lambert 2, Z.Calhoun 2,
D.Barlow 3, N.Spencer 2, L.Christensen 2, E.Sullivan 1)
Blocked Shots: 8 (D.Reed 5, S.Roberts 2, C.Lambert 1)
Steals: 9 (S.Roberts 1, C.Lambert 2, Z.Calhoun 1,
N.Spencer 2, L.Christensen 1, T.Flaherty 2)
3P FGs: 9-29 (S.Roberts 0-1, C.Lambert 4-13, Z.Calhoun
0-1, D.Barlow 4-8, N.Spencer 0-2, L.Christensen 0-1,
T.Flaherty 1-3)

Player of Game: C Demetrius Reed (VLNV)
I hoped we'd get a stern challenge from Notre Dame when I scheduled them, and that's exactly what we get. The Fighting Irish are probably better than their record would indicate; their only bad loss came at the hands of Cleveland State, and they've beaten two ranked teams.

Senior Nathaniel Heatherly plays the game of his life against us, but we get a similar effort from big Demetrius Reed. Big D demonstrates offensive chops I hadn't seen from him before.

All three frontcourt players grab at least 10 rebounds for us, and Dane Barlow completes the guard's classic version of the double-double.

The last of Heatherly's 13 baskets brings Notre Dame to within a point of us in the final half-minute of the game, but Zayden Calhoun's two free throws secure the win for us.

Jesus Boring, a freshman guard who possesses one of the best names I've seen, makes the most of his 5 minutes of action, making a three every 100 seconds.
Record: 9-0.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 16, 2037
@#1 Villanova 105, Dartmouth 69
Another balanced, productive offensive display sees five players score between 12 and 22 points: Sebastian Roberts (22), Zayden Calhoun (18), Dane Barlow and Charlie Lambert (15 each), and reserve Nick Spencer (12).

Lambert (13r) and Roberts (12r) complete double-doubles. Erick Sullivan blocks 4 shots and scores 7 points in 12 minutes.
Record: 10-0.


December 20, 2037
#1 Villanova 89, @Virginia 51
We travel to Charlottesville for a matchup against the struggling 3-6 Cavaliers, and only add to their struggles.

Charlie Lambert's 21-point, 5-rebound, 5-block effort earns him a PotG. Sebastian Roberts adds another 20 point double-double (20p/12r). Dane Barlow (13p/9a) and Zayden Calhoun (13p/5a/3s) play well, and Demetrius Reed (8r/2b/3s) makes his presence felt defensively.
Record: 11-0.


December 27, 2037
#1 Villanova 118, Manhattan 70

---------------------------------------------------------
Manhattan (5-5, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Scott Duckworth C 19 2-5 2-2 0 2 2 4 6
Allen Rambo PF 27 3-4 1-4 4 9 0 1 7
Edmund Sitton SF 25 3-11 6-8 0 4 1 4 15
Chris Billups SG 26 0-7 0-0 0 1 1 2 0
Shelton Dolan PG 26 2-5 3-4 0 0 4 3 8
F. Neighbors PG 18 2-4 2-2 0 1 0 1 7
Philip Jolly PG 2 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 0 0
Pedro Propst PF 16 2-4 5-7 2 6 1 0 9
Erich Douglas PF 25 5-13 0-0 2 3 1 5 12
Jeffery Joyner SF 13 2-5 0-0 0 2 2 1 6
Richard Aponte C 3 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 0

Turnovers: 16 (S.Duckworth 2, A.Rambo 2, E.Sitton 1,
C.Billups 3, S.Dolan 3, F.Neighbors 2, P.Propst 1,
E.Douglas 2)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 4 (S.Duckworth 1, S.Dolan 1, P.Propst 2)
3P FGs: 9-28 (E.Sitton 3-9, C.Billups 0-4, S.Dolan 1-3,
F.Neighbors 1-3, E.Douglas 2-5, J.Joyner 2-3, R.Aponte
0-1)

Villanova (12-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 23 1-2 0-0 2 7 2 4 2
Sebastian Roberts PF 27 7-14 10-13 1 10 5 3 25
Charlie Lambert SF 27 7-10 2-2 0 7 2 3 20
Zayden Calhoun SG 30 10-14 0-0 2 3 5 2 26
Dane Barlow PG 28 6-9 5-5 1 2 8 3 19
Nick Spencer PG 14 1-2 1-2 0 0 4 1 4
Luke Christensen SF 16 2-7 2-2 1 4 1 1 6
Tony Flaherty SF 16 5-6 0-0 3 7 2 0 11
Erick Sullivan C 9 1-3 2-2 1 1 2 2 5
David Lovett SG 2 0-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 0
Jordi Ballester PF 7 0-1 0-0 0 3 2 2 0

Turnovers: 8 (D.Reed 1, S.Roberts 1, C.Lambert 2,
Z.Calhoun 1, L.Christensen 1, J.Ballester 2)
Blocked Shots: 6 (D.Reed 2, C.Lambert 1, Z.Calhoun 1,
L.Christensen 1, T.Flaherty 1)
Steals: 10 (C.Lambert 2, Z.Calhoun 3, D.Barlow 2,
N.Spencer 1, D.Lovett 1, J.Ballester 1)
3P FGs: 16-24 (S.Roberts 1-3, C.Lambert 4-6, Z.Calhoun
6-7, D.Barlow 2-3, N.Spencer 1-2, T.Flaherty 1-2,
E.Sullivan 1-1)

Player of Game: SG Zayden Calhoun (VLNV)
Zayden Calhoun shows us why he was one of the nation's top recruits as a high school senior, playing the best game of his young collegiate career.

It's the second-highest scoring game in school history, trailing only the 121 points we scored against Dartmouth in January 2036.

We're shooting .501/.414/.806 for the season, a pace I'd love to see us maintain (although I doubt we'll fare as well against Big East competition).
Record: 12-0.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 1, 2038

Sutton Watch: Vanderbilt (7-5) isn't off to its customary outstanding start, but Charlie Sutton's play has picked up considerably of late. He's shooting his way out of the slump that nagged him in November.
Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 35 35 28.1 17.9 1.1 3.6 2.1 2.7 0.80 0.5 0.2 2.8
2037 12 12 26.3 15.8 1.0 3.6 2.8 1.7 1.70 0.9 0.1 2.4
Career 47 47 27.7 17.4 1.1 3.6 2.3 2.4 1.70 0.6 0.2 2.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 6.2 12.6 .491 2.2 2.5 .875 3.3 7.2 .464 1.42 4.83
2037 5.2 10.8 .481 2.6 3.1 .838 2.8 6.0 .472 1.47 6.92
Career 5.9 12.1 .489 2.3 2.7 .864 3.2 6.9 .466 1.43 5.36

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 35 35 984 628 39 125 75 94 19 8 98
2037 12 12 316 189 12 43 34 20 11 1 29
Career 47 47 1300 817 51 168 109 114 30 9 127

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 217 442 77 88 117 252 169
2037 62 129 31 37 34 72 83
Career 279 571 108 125 151 324 252

Charlie's points per shot mark this season is better than last season's, mainly because he's hitting threes at an even higher percentage. He's shooting a bit less, so his scoring average is a bit lower. Charlie is still one of the best players in one of the best conferences in the nation.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 2, 2038
#1 Villanova 113, Lafayette 72

---------------------------------------------------------
Lafayette (12-4, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jalen Christian C 18 0-0 0-0 0 2 1 4 0
Q. Derryberry SF 23 4-6 2-2 0 0 3 2 10
Grant Pang SF 19 1-4 2-2 0 4 2 4 4
Charles Loy SG 33 5-17 5-5 2 3 2 3 17
Liam Harris PG 32 7-11 0-0 0 1 2 2 16
E. Leatherwood PF 23 3-8 0-2 1 2 2 4 6
Jon Jordan C 19 1-3 1-3 4 10 0 1 3
Hugo Adams PF 14 0-1 1-2 1 2 1 4 1
Josef Edmonds SG 18 3-8 8-10 1 2 2 2 15
Larry Molina C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (J.Christian 1, Q.Derryberry 2, G.Pang 1,
C.Loy 3, L.Harris 3, H.Adams 2, J.Edmonds 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (J.Christian 1, Q.Derryberry 1,
E.Leatherwood 1)
Steals: 6 (C.Loy 2, J.Jordan 1, J.Edmonds 3)
3P FGs: 5-16 (C.Loy 2-8, L.Harris 2-3, J.Jordan 0-1,
J.Edmonds 1-4)

Villanova (13-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 27 0-1 0-0 3 10 0 1 0
Sebastian Roberts PF 27 5-11 5-9 3 7 2 3 16
Charlie Lambert SF 31 8-15 8-8 4 8 2 1 28
Zayden Calhoun SG 24 5-8 2-5 3 6 1 3 15
Dane Barlow PG 20 5-8 0-0 1 2 1 4 15
Nick Spencer PG 24 4-7 4-4 0 2 6 1 14
Luke Christensen SF 16 4-7 4-4 1 2 3 2 13
Tony Flaherty SG 14 4-6 0-1 2 5 2 4 10
Erick Sullivan C 9 0-0 0-0 0 3 0 1 0
David Lovett SG 6 0-2 2-2 0 1 0 0 2
Jordi Ballester PF 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 13 (D.Reed 2, S.Roberts 2, C.Lambert 4,
Z.Calhoun 2, L.Christensen 1, T.Flaherty 1,
J.Ballester 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (D.Reed 2, C.Lambert 2, T.Flaherty 1,
E.Sullivan 1)
Steals: 6 (S.Roberts 1, Z.Calhoun 1, N.Spencer 2,
L.Christensen 1, T.Flaherty 1)
3P FGs: 18-34 (S.Roberts 1-3, C.Lambert 4-8, Z.Calhoun
3-5, D.Barlow 5-7, N.Spencer 2-3, L.Christensen 1-3,
T.Flaherty 2-3, D.Lovett 0-2)

Player of Game: SF Charlie Lambert (VLNV)
This year's Graham Sims Derby isn't much of a contest.

Every Wildcat who played more than 10 minutes scored at least 10 points except one: center Demetrius Reed. He got 10 rebounds instead. Big D also blocked more shots than he attempted, which I would think happens very rarely.

Charlie Lambert's return from academic suspension has been a successful one. I admit I sweated the January 1 email delivery, wondering if he would be sidelined again.

Two of the freshmen--David Lovett and Jordi Ballester--are unhappy. It's probably a lack of playing time that has them upset. I'm getting them into every game, but they're only playing a few minutes per game. Unfortunately, the rules of basketball restrict us to five players on the court at a time, and it's hard to make everyone happy.
Record: 13-0.

2037 Big East Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
------------------------------------------------------------------
#3 Pittsburgh 1 0 1.000 13 1 .929 48 90
Syracuse 1 0 1.000 8 6 .571 141 74
#1 Villanova 0 0 .000 13 0 1.000 2 100
#12 Connecticut 0 0 .000 12 1 .923 7 77
#2 Boston College 0 0 .000 12 1 .923 14 100
#11 Georgetown 0 0 .000 11 2 .846 92 100
Providence 0 1 .000 8 6 .571 236 72
Seton Hall 0 0 .000 7 5 .583 214 55
St. John's 0 1 .000 6 9 .400 149 72
Oops...I forgot to print the Big East standings before two league games were played. All that means is that we're not on top of the list, but that's OK.

Our conference does have the top three teams in this week's poll, and the #4 and #5 teams--Louisville and West Virginia--were members of the "old," pre-realignment Big East.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 6, 2038
#1 Villanova 76, @#12 Connecticut 66
We pass our first Big East test with a victory at UConn.

Sebastian Roberts (21p/9r) and Zayden Calhoun (20p) lead the offense, with help from Charlie Lambert (14p/6r). Dane Barlow passes out 9 assists. Sebastian also becomes the newest member of our 1000-point club.

The Huskies' Jelani Obasie, a big man we recruited actively, posts a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double and adds 2 steals.
Record: 14-0 (1-0).


January 9, 2038
#1 Villanova 86, @#11 Georgetown 81
We make it two victories in a row against ranked teams on the road, fighting off a second-half comeback by the Hoyas.

Charlie Lambert wouldn't let us lose this game. He finishes with 27 points and 6 rebounds. Zayden Calhoun adds 17 more, including 9-for-11 from the line, and 3 steals. Seb Roberts contributes 11 points and 9 boards.

Georgetown drops to 0-2 in Big East play.
Record: 15-0 (2-0).


January 13, 2038
@#1 Villanova 82, Xavier 57
A break in the conference schedule sees the Musketeers visit Wawa Arena.

The offense is again keyed by Charlie Lambert (22p/8r) and Sebastian Roberts (19p/7r). A disruptive defensive effort features 12 blocks (Roberts has 3 and Lambert 6), and 3 steals from Dane Barlow.
Record: 16-0.


January 16, 2038
#1 Villanova 117, Providence 60

---------------------------------------------------------
Providence (8-9, 0-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Andrew Smith C 27 2-9 0-0 1 3 0 3 4
Tommie Maxfield PF 18 1-1 0-0 1 5 0 4 2
Michale Strait SF 22 0-6 0-0 1 3 0 1 0
Barton Curcio SG 24 7-12 1-2 0 1 1 1 19
Joseph Roney PG 20 1-5 3-5 0 0 2 2 6
Charles Carmona SG 23 1-2 1-6 0 6 4 1 3
Jonas Trainor PG 10 1-2 1-2 0 0 1 0 4
Keenan Ober SF 19 4-9 2-2 1 2 4 3 13
Roger Turnbull SG 2 2-4 0-0 0 2 0 1 4
Jimmmy Sewell PF 24 1-7 0-0 3 3 1 3 2
Greg West PF 12 1-2 1-2 2 3 0 2 3

Turnovers: 16 (A.Smith 1, T.Maxfield 2, M.Strait 4,
B.Curcio 2, J.Roney 3, C.Carmona 1, J.Trainor 1,
K.Ober 1, G.West 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (A.Smith 2, J.Sewell 1)
Steals: 4 (B.Curcio 2, J.Roney 1, C.Carmona 1)
3P FGs: 9-23 (M.Strait 0-1, B.Curcio 4-7, J.Roney 1-3,
C.Carmona 0-1, J.Trainor 1-1, K.Ober 3-5, R.Turnbull
0-1, J.Sewell 0-3, G.West 0-1)

Villanova (17-0, 3-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 27 2-3 3-3 2 10 2 1 7
Sebastian Roberts PF 30 6-10 9-11 2 12 6 1 21
Charlie Lambert SF 31 9-17 1-1 1 5 3 1 23
Zayden Calhoun SG 28 8-10 5-5 1 5 4 3 26
Dane Barlow PG 17 3-4 0-0 0 0 4 4 9
Nick Spencer PG 23 1-6 0-1 1 3 6 4 3
Luke Christensen SF 15 4-5 0-0 1 3 1 3 10
Tony Flaherty SG 14 7-8 1-2 1 3 2 1 15
David Lovett SG 2 0-1 2-2 1 1 0 1 2
Jordi Ballester PF 9 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Erick Sullivan C 4 0-0 1-2 0 3 0 0 1

Turnovers: 10 (S.Roberts 3, C.Lambert 3, D.Barlow 1,
L.Christensen 2, E.Sullivan 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (D.Reed 2, S.Roberts 2, C.Lambert 3)
Steals: 11 (C.Lambert 1, Z.Calhoun 1, D.Barlow 3,
N.Spencer 1, L.Christensen 2, T.Flaherty 3)
3P FGs: 15-26 (S.Roberts 0-1, C.Lambert 4-8, Z.Calhoun
5-6, D.Barlow 3-4, N.Spencer 1-5, L.Christensen 2-2)

Player of Game: SG Zayden Calhoun (VLNV)
This satisfying performance deserves a box score.

Zayden Calhoun ties his career high with 26 points, knocking down 5 of 6 threes. We shoot 15-for-26 from behind the arc, and end with more steals than turnovers.

Seb Roberts misses his only three-point attempt tonight, but he's shooting almost 44 percent for the year. He's taken 39 of them, so the stat's not a fluke. Not many seven-footers can shoot like that, while also doing their job in the post. No wonder some experts think he'll be the first overall pick in the next pro draft.
Record: 17-0 (3-0).

[MoonlightGraham]

January 20, 2038
#1 Villanova 66, @Seton Hall 53
This game is different, an old-fashioned Big East rock fight. We demonstrate our ability to win ugly.

Sebastian Roberts (19p/9r), Zayden Calhoun (14p), and Charlie Lambert (14p/8r/2b/2s) score in double figures. Dane Barlow (7p/6a/0t) runs the offense efficiently. And everyone plays tight defense.
Record: 18-0 (4-0).


January 23, 2038
@#1 Villanova 92, St. John's 61
Charlie Lambert and Sebastian Roberts combine to shoot 17-for-26 from the floor and 10-11 from the line and score 49 points between them: 25 for Charlie and 24 for Seb.

Dane Barlow (12p/9a/3s) also plays well. Sebastian snags 13 rebounds and Charlie blocks 4 shots. Zayden Calhoun misses all 8 of his shots and fails to score, but hands out 7 assists.
Record: 19-0 (5-0).


January 27, 2038
#1 Villanova 89, #2 Boston College 80

---------------------------------------------------------
Boston College (17-3, 4-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
David Getty C 28 5-10 4-6 2 9 2 3 15
Mark Plourde PF 30 4-13 4-6 1 4 1 2 12
William Pittman SF 27 3-8 1-3 4 5 3 3 7
Damien Walz SG 31 4-9 2-2 0 2 0 2 13
Taylor Murray PG 32 4-6 4-4 1 2 9 1 15
Garret Slone C 16 1-4 0-0 2 2 1 0 2
Michael Smyth SF 14 2-5 2-2 0 2 2 5 8
Sandy Howells PG 8 1-1 1-1 0 0 1 1 3
Arkady Spiridonov PF 6 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Lincoln Dickinson SF 6 2-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 5
Gary Fairfield SF 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0

Turnovers: 10 (D.Getty 1, M.Plourde 2, W.Pittman 1,
D.Walz 3, T.Murray 1, G.Slone 1, S.Howells 1)
Blocked Shots: 8 (D.Getty 1, M.Plourde 3, G.Slone 3,
S.Howells 1)
Steals: 6 (D.Getty 1, W.Pittman 2, T.Murray 1, G.Slone
2)
3P FGs: 10-19 (D.Getty 1-1, W.Pittman 0-2, D.Walz 3-6,
T.Murray 3-4, M.Smyth 2-4, L.Dickinson 1-2)

Villanova (20-0, 6-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 31 2-3 0-0 5 15 2 3 4
Sebastian Roberts PF 31 8-11 3-7 2 9 4 3 21
Charlie Lambert SF 33 8-15 2-3 2 7 5 3 19
Zayden Calhoun SG 32 5-11 4-4 4 7 3 3 17
Dane Barlow PG 27 4-9 0-0 1 3 3 4 11
Nick Spencer PG 14 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 2
Luke Christensen SF 16 4-9 4-4 1 1 0 1 12
Tony Flaherty SG 13 1-5 0-0 1 2 1 3 3
David Lovett SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 1 0
Jordi Ballester PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 16 (D.Reed 3, S.Roberts 2, C.Lambert 5,
Z.Calhoun 2, D.Barlow 2, N.Spencer 1, T.Flaherty 1)
Blocked Shots: 11 (D.Reed 2, C.Lambert 7, Z.Calhoun 2)
Steals: 3 (C.Lambert 1, L.Christensen 1, T.Flaherty 1)
3P FGs: 10-26 (S.Roberts 2-2, C.Lambert 1-5, Z.Calhoun
3-7, D.Barlow 3-8, L.Christensen 0-3, T.Flaherty 1-1)

Player of Game: PF Sebastian Roberts (VLNV)
Players come to schools like Villanova and Boston College to play in games like this one. Wawa Arena is packed, and the student section is spirited and loud.

Several names on the Eagles' roster are very familiar, because I recruited several of them. In the cases of David Getty and Taylor Murray, I spent quite a bit of money and time trying to get them to come to Villanova. And several of our players were recruited actively by BC, too. Having them in the Big East with us will be fun.

We have a major size advantage here. Getty is their tallest starter, and he's 6'9". Our bigs are both at least seven feet tall, and our three (Charlie Lambert) is 6'9" and protects the rim like he owns it.

Our rematch against Boston College is the last game of the regular season. I think both coaches have already circled it in red ink.
Record: 20-0 (6-0).


January 30, 2038
#1 Villanova 109, @Syracuse 84
Sebastian Roberts is very good at basketball. He demonstrates this once again tonight, scoring a career-high 31 points as we dismantle Syracuse at the Carrier Dome.

Seb adds 10 rebounds and 5 assists, and the pair of threes he shoots and makes raise his season mark to 24-for-48.

On most nights, Charlie Lambert would be an easy choice for PotG, with his 18 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks, 3 assists and 2 steals. But The Final Boss, as his creative teammate Dane Barlow now calls him, has to yield center stage to Roberts this time. Dane's 14 points and 10 assists are also noteworthy, as are Zayden Calhoun's 15 points and 5 boards.
Record: 21-0 (7-0).

[MoonlightGraham]

February 1, 2038

2037 Big East Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
-------------------------------------------------------------------
#1 Villanova 7 0 1.000 21 0 1.000 2 100
#3 Pittsburgh 6 1 .857 19 2 .905 22 90
#2 Boston College 5 2 .714 18 3 .857 3 100
#12 Georgetown 4 3 .571 15 5 .750 52 100
#19 Connecticut 2 5 .286 15 6 .714 10 77
Syracuse 2 5 .286 9 12 .429 150 74
Providence 2 5 .286 10 11 .476 194 72
Seton Hall 2 5 .286 9 11 .450 137 55
St. John's 2 6 .250 8 14 .364 104 72

What a fun league! The five ranked teams are all listed as Locks in the first edition of the Bubble Watch. We still have to play Pitt twice; we play there tonight, and at Wawa Arena on March 3.

Sutton Watch: Vanderbilt (14-7, 7-2) has been playing well lately, moving up to second place in the SEC behind Kentucky. Charlie Sutton's improved performance has been one reason why.
Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 35 35 28.1 17.9 1.1 3.6 2.1 2.7 0.80 0.5 0.2 2.8
2037 21 21 26.0 16.4 1.0 3.6 2.9 1.9 1.53 1.3 0.1 2.3
Career 56 56 27.3 17.4 1.1 3.6 2.4 2.4 1.53 0.8 0.2 2.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 6.2 12.6 .491 2.2 2.5 .875 3.3 7.2 .464 1.42 4.83
2037 5.4 10.9 .500 2.8 3.5 .797 2.8 5.7 .483 1.51 6.81
Career 5.9 12.0 .494 2.4 2.9 .840 3.1 6.6 .470 1.45 5.57

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 35 35 984 628 39 125 75 94 19 8 98
2037 21 21 546 345 20 76 61 40 27 2 49
Career 56 56 1530 973 59 201 136 134 46 10 147

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 217 442 77 88 117 252 169
2037 114 228 59 74 58 120 143
Career 331 670 136 162 175 372 312

Charlie shot 52-for-99 during January (52.5%) and 24-for-48 on three-pointers (50.0%). He's among the SEC's leaders in scoring (6th), field goal percentage (6th) and three-point percentage (3rd). He's very close to the 1000-point plateau; at his current scoring pace, he'll reach it at LSU later this week.

His overall play is improving, too. His assist-to-turnover ratio is almost twice as good this season as it was as a freshman.

Vanderbilt fans will be delighted to learn that Charlie isn't listed among the top 50 professional prospects in his class. That means they're likely to enjoy his sharpshooting for two years after this one.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 1, 2038
#3 Pittsburgh 88, #1 Villanova 79

---------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (21-1, 7-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 21 2-4 1-1 0 5 2 4 5
Sebastian Roberts PF 34 9-16 5-7 4 8 3 2 24
Charlie Lambert SF 35 4-13 0-0 0 6 2 3 8
Zayden Calhoun SG 27 1-4 0-0 1 7 2 5 2
Dane Barlow PG 30 3-9 2-2 0 1 7 0 11
Nick Spencer PG 16 3-3 0-0 0 1 5 1 7
Luke Christensen SF 14 7-10 0-0 1 4 0 0 18
Tony Flaherty SF 15 2-3 0-0 0 1 4 0 4
Jordi Ballester PF 8 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0

Turnovers: 16 (D.Reed 2, S.Roberts 1, C.Lambert 2,
Z.Calhoun 5, D.Barlow 2, N.Spencer 2, L.Christensen 1,
T.Flaherty 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (D.Reed 1, C.Lambert 3)
Steals: 5 (C.Lambert 2, L.Christensen 1, T.Flaherty 2)
3P FGs: 9-29 (D.Reed 0-1, S.Roberts 1-3, C.Lambert 0-6,
Z.Calhoun 0-2, D.Barlow 3-8, N.Spencer 1-1,
L.Christensen 4-7, T.Flaherty 0-1)

Pittsburgh (20-2, 7-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Alonzo Hale C 25 7-14 2-5 1 3 0 5 16
Chris Hicks PF 28 5-8 0-0 3 7 4 2 11
Tyrese Russell SF 29 2-4 0-0 2 6 3 1 4
John Yarbrough SG 21 5-11 4-6 1 6 2 1 14
Jack Blankenship PG 35 6-13 1-2 1 7 8 2 15
Henry McGhee SG 24 5-11 2-2 1 2 1 2 16
Larry Carrasco SG 10 1-2 2-2 0 1 0 0 5
Victor Goble SF 1 1-1 2-2 0 0 0 0 5
Elden Anderson C 19 1-2 0-0 1 4 1 1 2
William Gordan PF 7 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (A.Hale 2, C.Hicks 2, T.Russell 3,
J.Blankenship 2, H.McGhee 2, E.Anderson 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (C.Hicks 3, T.Russell 1, J.Yarbrough
1, W.Gordan 1)
Steals: 8 (A.Hale 1, C.Hicks 1, T.Russell 1,
J.Yarbrough 1, J.Blankenship 3, H.McGhee 1)
3P FGs: 9-25 (C.Hicks 1-3, J.Yarbrough 0-3,
J.Blankenship 2-7, H.McGhee 4-9, L.Carrasco 1-2,
V.Goble 1-1)

Player of Game: PG Jack Blankenship (PITT)
This outcome doesn't surprise me. If I'm coaching Pitt, I think of this game as one we have to win if we're as good as I think we are.

Tyrese Russell, whom I tried to lure to Villanova when he was a high school senior, does a very good job guarding Charlie Lambert. Tyrese is 6'8", 230 pounds, an excellent defender, and an insanely good athlete (97 Quickness, 77 Strength, 96 Jumping). And Jack Blankenship (like Russell, a four-year player whom we recruited) outplays our guards.

We get another very strong performance from Sebastian Roberts, and an exceptional effort from reserve Luke Christensen. We don't beat ourselves, and that's the best thing I can take away from this game.

We'll see the Panthers in March.
Record: 20-1 (7-1).


February 3, 2038
#1 Villanova 98, #12 Georgetown 90

----------------------------------------------------------
Georgetown (15-6, 4-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Brent Taylor C 25 2-4 0-0 0 5 2 3 4
Joshua Lee PF 32 7-14 0-0 1 9 0 2 14
Bernie Johnson SF 33 8-10 0-0 3 9 5 5 21
Ahmad Ashworth SG 32 7-17 2-2 0 1 1 3 20
Douglas Wilson PG 35 2-10 3-3 2 2 16 2 8
J. Sanders, Jr. PF 13 3-6 3-3 1 4 0 3 9
Jerry King C 9 1-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 3
Edgar Beck SF 18 4-7 0-0 0 4 2 1 11
Gus Dean PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 19 (B.Taylor 3, J.Lee 1, B.Johnson 1,
A.Ashworth 3, D.Wilson 7, J.Sanders, Jr. 1, E.Beck 3)
Blocked Shots: 1 (E.Beck 1)
Steals: 4 (J.Lee 1, B.Johnson 2, D.Wilson 1)
3P FGs: 14-31 (B.Johnson 5-5, A.Ashworth 4-10, D.Wilson
1-8, J.King 1-2, E.Beck 3-6)

Villanova (22-1, 8-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 30 3-8 3-4 1 3 1 0 9
Sebastian Roberts PF 20 2-7 0-0 0 5 1 4 4
Charlie Lambert SF 32 6-10 4-5 2 11 0 1 18
Zayden Calhoun SG 27 6-10 3-3 1 5 2 3 17
Dane Barlow PG 31 6-14 2-4 0 1 8 1 16
Nick Spencer PG 17 1-2 0-0 1 1 6 0 2
Luke Christensen SF 15 4-9 2-2 2 2 0 0 11
Tony Flaherty SF 14 4-6 1-2 1 3 0 2 9
David Lovett SG 2 2-2 0-0 1 1 1 0 5
Jordi Ballester PF 11 1-3 0-2 2 7 0 0 2
Erick Sullivan C 1 2-2 1-1 0 0 0 0 5

Turnovers: 14 (S.Roberts 3, C.Lambert 4, Z.Calhoun 3,
D.Barlow 2, N.Spencer 1, T.Flaherty 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (D.Reed 2, C.Lambert 3, Z.Calhoun 1,
T.Flaherty 1)
Steals: 9 (C.Lambert 2, Z.Calhoun 3, D.Barlow 1,
N.Spencer 2, J.Ballester 1)
3P FGs: 8-28 (D.Reed 0-3, S.Roberts 0-1, C.Lambert 2-5,
Z.Calhoun 2-3, D.Barlow 2-8, N.Spencer 0-1,
L.Christensen 1-5, T.Flaherty 0-1, D.Lovett 1-1)

Player of Game: SF Charlie Lambert (VLNV)
Let's post the box score from this one too, shall we?

We trail the Hoyas, 45-42, at the half, but the Wawa Center crowd sends the players to the locker room with a mighty roar of approval. We emerge from the break with an 11-2 run, punctuated by a dunk and a three from Charlie Lambert. Zayden Calhoun's three steals all come in the second half, as part of a robust defensive effort.

Sebastian Roberts endures a forgettable game, but his teammates have his back.
Record: 22-1 (8-1).


February 8, 2038
@#1 Villanova 79, #19 Connecticut 71
The Huskies put up a valiant fight at Wawa Arena, but Sebastian Roberts is more than the visitors can handle. Seb finishes with 26 points and 11 rebounds.

I'm surprised to see UConn play so much zone defense against us. All five of their starters are good defensive players. Big men Jelani Obasie and Matt Palermo are both very good post defenders, and the 7'1" Obasie has the size to match up with Sebastian.

Luke Christensen and Dane Barlow each score 12 points; they're the only other Wildcats in double figures.
Record: 23-1 (9-1).


February 10, 2038
#1 Villanova 88, @Providence 78
Sebastian Roberts adds to his credentials as a possible Big East Player of the Year with a 21-point, 17-rebound performance at Providence.

He leads a group of three double-figure scorers that also includes Charlie Lambert (20) and Luke Christensen (17 in 16 minutes). And Seb also leads a group of three double-figure rebounders, along with Lambert (10) and Demetrius Reed (12). Dane Barlow matches his 6.0 assists-per-game average perfectly.
Record: 24-1 (10-1).

[MoonlightGraham]

February 14, 2038
@#1 Villanova 100, Michigan 74
A brief interlude from the Big East campaign brings the Wolverines to Wawa Arena. Dane Barlow stars with a career-best 26 points and adds 9 assists.

Dane gets quality help from Charlie Lambert (22p/11r) and Demetrius Reed (7p/8r/3b). Our high point total is more the effect of our very fast pace. We take 79 shots, making 42; the other night, we attempted 81 against Providence. We're not accurate from three-point range (8-for-27).

Fun stat fact: All five starters finish with exactly four fouls.
Record: 25-1 (10-1).


February 17, 2038
#1 Villanova 90, @St. John's 53
Five of our players score in double figures, and all finish with totals divisible by five.

Charlie Lambert (20p/12r/2b) leads the way. Zayden Calhoun (15p/4a/3s), Sebastian Roberts (15p/8r/3b), Luke Christensen (15p), and Dane Barlow (10p/6a) follow. Demetrius Reed plays 27 minutes, grabs 9 rebounds, and misses his single field goal attempt.
Record: 26-1 (11-1).


February 24, 2038
@#1 Villanova 86, Syracuse 73
All three frontcourt starters grab at least 12 rebounds, part of a 52-39 advantage on the glass that helps us overcome our 36% shooting.

Charlie Lambert (24p/12r), Sebastian Roberts (19p/12r), and Demetrius Reed (2p/13r/3b) are active all night long. Big D again blocks more shots than he attempts. Nick Spencer contributes 10 points off the bench.
Record: 27-1 (12-1).


February 28, 2038
@#1 Villanova 65, Seton Hall 58
The Pirates focus their defensive efforts on containing Charlie Lambert, and it works well. Charlie takes only 9 shots (he averages over 13), making 2, and scoring 7 points. Fortunately, several of Charlie's teammates step up.

Zayden Calhoun leads us with 14 points, and grabs 8 boards. Sebastian Roberts finishes with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double. Demetrius Reed, tired of being cast as a no-offense player, produces 10 points to go with his 10 rebounds.
Record: 28-1 (13-1).


Sutton Watch: I'll post Charlie Sutton's "hero card" at the end of the season, but I want to congratulate him for scoring his 1000th career point. He scored it at LSU on February 6, as I thought he might.

Charlie's Vanderbilt Commodores (18-11, 11-6) are looking forward to an NCAA tournament invitation.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 3, 2038
#1 Villanova 71, #2 Pittsburgh 56

----------------------------------------------------------
Pittsburgh (25-4, 12-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Alonzo Hale C 32 6-14 5-6 6 14 1 4 17
Chris Hicks PF 31 3-5 0-0 5 10 1 1 7
Tyrese Russell SF 27 3-5 2-2 3 6 2 2 9
John Yarbrough SG 24 3-13 0-0 2 6 0 0 7
Jack Blankenship PG 35 2-17 0-0 1 4 7 4 6
Henry McGhee SF 20 2-7 2-2 1 4 1 2 7
Larry Carrasco SG 11 1-3 0-0 2 3 1 0 3
Victor Goble SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Elden Anderson C 11 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 2 0
William Gordan PF 6 0-4 0-0 2 5 1 0 0

Turnovers: 19 (A.Hale 1, T.Russell 2, J.Yarbrough 3,
J.Blankenship 5, H.McGhee 5, V.Goble 1, E.Anderson 2)
Blocked Shots: 5 (A.Hale 1, C.Hicks 2, J.Yarbrough 1,
E.Anderson 1)
Steals: 4 (C.Hicks 1, T.Russell 1, J.Yarbrough 1,
J.Blankenship 1)
3P FGs: 7-31 (A.Hale 0-1, C.Hicks 1-2, T.Russell 1-2,
J.Yarbrough 1-7, J.Blankenship 2-12, H.McGhee 1-4,
L.Carrasco 1-2, W.Gordan 0-1)

Villanova (29-1, 14-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Erick Sullivan C 21 2-4 1-1 0 3 0 4 6
Sebastian Roberts PF 33 8-16 6-9 0 6 3 2 24
Charlie Lambert SF 32 7-13 1-2 0 4 1 2 16
Zayden Calhoun SG 32 1-11 1-1 0 3 3 2 3
Dane Barlow PG 32 1-4 0-0 0 2 7 1 2
Demetrius Reed C 21 2-2 2-2 3 9 0 1 6
Nick Spencer PG 13 4-5 0-0 2 2 1 1 10
Luke Christensen SF 11 2-6 0-0 1 3 2 0 4
Tony Flaherty SG 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Jordi Ballester PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (S.Roberts 3, C.Lambert 2, Z.Calhoun 1,
D.Barlow 1, N.Spencer 1, L.Christensen 1)
Blocked Shots: 8 (E.Sullivan 3, S.Roberts 1, C.Lambert
1, D.Reed 2, N.Spencer 1)
Steals: 8 (C.Lambert 2, Z.Calhoun 1, D.Barlow 2, D.Reed
1, L.Christensen 2)
3P FGs: 6-19 (E.Sullivan 1-2, S.Roberts 2-4, C.Lambert
1-5, Z.Calhoun 0-2, D.Barlow 0-2, N.Spencer 2-3,
L.Christensen 0-1)

Player of Game: PF Sebastian Roberts (VLNV)
We clinch the first championship of the reconfigured Big East Conference with a victory over Pitt in a contest between the top two teams in the polls.

It's Senior Night for Charlie Lambert and Erick Sullivan, and both men play well. Erick is as impactful as any walk-on I've ever coached, and he plays much more than "thank you" minutes in a game we have to win. He blocks almost as many shots per 30 minutes as Charlie does, and he displays his trademark skill 3 times tonight.

The Panthers' zone defense contains Zayden Calhoun and Dane Barlow very well, but Sebastian Roberts finds plenty of joy. I'm surprised Pitt coach Steven Bumgarner doesn't let Chris Hicks, one of the nation's best post defenders, guard Seb man-to-man.

We face one more very tough opponent, Boston College, on Saturday. But no matter what happens, we'll enter the conference tournament as its top seed.
Record: 29-1 (14-1).


March 6, 2038
@#5 Boston College 87, #1 Villanova 74
Taylor Murray scores 22 points and dishes out 11 assists to lead the Eagles in a successful defense of their home court.

They defend us well, and we shoot terribly: we're 23-for-67 overall, and a horrific 5-for-28 from three-point distance.

Sebastian Roberts finishes with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Charlie Lambert (12p/9r), Dane Barlow (16p/7a/2s), Demetrius Reed (7p/9a/6b), and Luke Christensen (12p/4s) also do noteworthy things.
Record: 29-2 (14-2).

[MoonlightGraham]

March 11, 2038

After tonight's play-in game, here's how the Big East tournament bracket looks:

https://i.imgur.com/sgZUB7B.jpeg


March 12, 2038
Big East Tournament Quarterfinal
(1) #1 Villanova 85, (8) Seton Hall 57
We play much better than we did against the Pirates last month, and advance to the semifinals with relative ease.

Our opponents once again do a decent job of containing Charlie Lambert (13p/5r), but they have no answer for Sebastian Roberts (20p/11r). Seb scores 10 of his points at the free throw line, in 11 attempts. They have even more difficulty containing Zayden Calhoun, who scorches them for 24 points and grabs 9 boards. Luke Christensen scores 15 points, and Dane Barlow hands out 8 assists.

Graham Sims has coached his Villanova teams to 30 or more victories every year since he arrived on the Main Line. His last four Lafayette squads also won at least 30 games. so that means Coach Sims' streak extends to 16 consecutive seasons.
Record: 30-2.


March 13, 2038
Big East Tournament Semifinal
(1) #1 Villanova 106, (4) #9 Georgetown 73

---------------------------------------------------------
Georgetown (24-8, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Brent Taylor C 18 2-5 1-1 1 5 0 4 5
Joshua Lee PF 22 3-10 5-7 1 5 1 4 11
Edgar Beck SF 27 4-8 0-0 1 3 1 3 9
Bernie Johnson SG 24 2-3 0-1 1 2 2 3 5
Douglas Wilson PG 32 2-8 0-0 4 6 7 0 6
J. Sanders, Jr. PF 26 1-8 0-0 4 7 2 3 2
Josh Medley SG 20 6-10 2-2 2 5 0 1 17
Gus Dean PG 14 3-7 0-0 0 3 1 0 9
Jerry King C 15 3-5 1-2 0 4 2 0 9
Emmett West PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 20 (B.Taylor 2, J.Lee 3, E.Beck 6, B.Johnson
1, D.Wilson 3, J.Medley 4, J.King 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (B.Taylor 1, E.Beck 2)
Steals: 3 (E.Beck 1, B.Johnson 1, G.Dean 1)
3P FGs: 12-24 (E.Beck 1-4, B.Johnson 1-2, D.Wilson 2-5,
J.Medley 3-4, G.Dean 3-6, J.King 2-3)

Villanova (31-2, 14-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 20 1-3 0-2 2 8 2 2 2
Sebastian Roberts PF 17 3-6 4-7 1 5 1 4 10
Charlie Lambert C 25 3-8 1-2 0 2 1 1 10
Zayden Calhoun SG 25 6-9 0-0 0 2 4 2 16
Dane Barlow PG 27 5-9 1-1 2 3 4 1 13
Nick Spencer PG 20 3-6 2-2 1 3 3 1 11
Luke Christensen SF 26 9-17 1-1 0 1 3 1 22
Tony Flaherty SG 11 3-5 4-4 2 3 0 0 10
David Lovett SG 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Jordi Ballester PF 19 3-4 0-0 0 7 1 1 6
Erick Sullivan C 9 3-3 0-0 1 2 1 0 6

Turnovers: 6 (S.Roberts 2, Z.Calhoun 2, N.Spencer 1,
E.Sullivan 1)
Blocked Shots: 8 (D.Reed 3, S.Roberts 1, C.Lambert 2,
N.Spencer 1, J.Ballester 1)
Steals: 11 (C.Lambert 1, Z.Calhoun 3, D.Barlow 2,
N.Spencer 1, L.Christensen 3, T.Flaherty 1)
3P FGs: 15-29 (S.Roberts 0-1, C.Lambert 3-6, Z.Calhoun
4-5, D.Barlow 2-6, N.Spencer 3-6, L.Christensen 3-4,
D.Lovett 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Luke Christensen (VLNV)
We roll into the final with a very satisfying victory over those Hoyas. It's 55-31 at halftime, and the Georgetown fans in attendance at Madison Square Garden start heading for the exits.

I don't think I've ever seen us finish with seven players in double figures.

James Sanders, Jr. is going to be a very good college player, but he goes up against grown men tonight in Seb Roberts, Erick Sullivan, Charlie Lambert, and Demetrius Reed. Big D is only a year older, but a year's worth of Big East battles matures a player quickly.

A rematch with Boston College awaits us.
Record: 31-2.


March 14, 2038
Big East Tournament Championship
(1) #1 Villanova 79, (2) #3 Boston College 74

---------------------------------------------------------
Boston College (28-5, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
David Getty C 28 1-8 1-6 0 5 0 2 3
Mark Plourde PF 30 2-7 5-6 4 7 2 1 9
William Pittman SF 31 8-13 1-2 3 6 2 1 19
Damien Walz SG 29 6-7 0-0 3 7 1 2 16
Taylor Murray PG 32 5-13 2-2 0 2 7 5 14
Gary Fairfield PG 16 0-3 0-1 0 2 8 4 0
Garret Slone C 16 2-4 0-0 0 5 2 3 4
Michael Smyth SF 10 3-8 0-3 1 2 0 1 6
Sandy Howells SG 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Arkady Spiridonov PF 6 1-3 0-0 2 4 0 0 3

Turnovers: 13 (D.Getty 2, M.Plourde 2, W.Pittman 1,
D.Walz 3, T.Murray 3, G.Fairfield 1, G.Slone 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (D.Getty 1, M.Plourde 2, G.Slone 2,
M.Smyth 1)
Steals: 9 (W.Pittman 4, T.Murray 2, G.Fairfield 2,
G.Slone 1)
3P FGs: 9-28 (D.Getty 0-3, W.Pittman 2-3, D.Walz 4-5,
T.Murray 2-6, G.Fairfield 0-2, G.Slone 0-2, M.Smyth
0-3, S.Howells 0-1, A.Spiridonov 1-3)

Villanova (32-2, 14-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 29 2-3 0-0 1 7 0 1 4
Sebastian Roberts PF 28 5-15 2-2 0 4 1 5 13
Charlie Lambert SF 30 5-11 0-0 2 9 1 5 13
Zayden Calhoun SG 33 8-11 2-4 3 8 3 1 23
Dane Barlow PG 31 3-7 5-6 1 3 5 3 12
Nick Spencer PG 12 2-2 2-2 0 0 2 1 7
Luke Christensen SF 16 1-7 2-2 2 6 3 4 4
Tony Flaherty SF 7 0-1 0-0 1 3 1 0 0
David Lovett SG 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Jordi Ballester PF 9 1-3 1-2 1 2 0 0 3
Erick Sullivan C 3 0-1 0-0 0 2 0 0 0

Turnovers: 16 (D.Reed 2, S.Roberts 1, C.Lambert 4,
Z.Calhoun 4, N.Spencer 1, L.Christensen 3, E.Sullivan
1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (D.Reed 2, S.Roberts 1, C.Lambert 1,
L.Christensen 1)
Steals: 4 (S.Roberts 1, C.Lambert 1, Z.Calhoun 1,
D.Barlow 1)
3P FGs: 11-23 (S.Roberts 1-2, C.Lambert 3-5, Z.Calhoun
5-8, D.Barlow 1-3, N.Spencer 1-1, L.Christensen 0-2,
T.Flaherty 0-1, D.Lovett 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Zayden Calhoun (VLNV)
The Wildcats defeat Boston College in a close game, winning the sixth Big East tournament championship of the Graham Sims era.

You could say we win it at the free throw line, where we go 14-for-18 to the Eagles 9-for-20. Our percentage is almost exactly equal to our nation's best .775 mark from the stripe. We also knock down almost half our three-pointers, giving us another edge that could mathematically ensure our victory.

Freshman Zayden Calhoun plays very well on a day when the Eagles handle our top scorers quite well.
Record: 32-2.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 15, 2038
The Ides of March see us seeded first in the NCAA East Region. The other top seeds are Kentucky (West), Boston College (Midwest), and Louisville (South).


March 19, 2038
NCAA East Region, First Round
(1) #1 Villanova 106, (16) Albany 47
Two Wildcats achieve career highs in scoring as we muzzle the Great Danes.

Charlie Lambert drills 7 of 11 three-pointers en route to a 32-point game. Dane Barlow goes 6-for-9 behind the arc and finishes with 27.

Sebastian Roberts (15p/12r), Luke Christensen (12p/2s) and Demetrius Reed (0p/8r/3b) provide strong support.

I looked it up, and over the course of his career, Demetrius has blocked more of his opponents' shots (120) than he has made (111). Lafayette's Samuel Davis did that, too, and Big Sazzy's difference was even greater (403 blocks, 286 FGM).

Maybe true Blue Collar Men do this more often than I thought. Ezra Love only made 22 more shots than he blocked in his career, and he was the #1 pick in the pro draft.
Record: 33-2.


March 21, 2038
NCAA East Region, Second Round
(1) #1 Villanova 88, (8) Vanderbilt 84

---------------------------------------------------------
Vanderbilt (20-13, 12-6):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ramon Corcoran C 26 2-3 0-0 5 12 2 4 4
Justin Hui PF 23 2-6 0-0 0 2 1 5 4
Richard Bent SF 25 3-8 2-2 3 6 2 4 10
Charlie Sutton SG 28 9-16 1-2 0 5 2 2 26
Fletcher Watkins PG 27 4-9 3-5 0 2 7 3 11
Matthew Applegate SG 25 5-14 2-2 1 4 5 3 12
Paul Santana PG 7 1-2 0-0 0 0 1 0 2
Reuben Perez PF 15 3-3 1-2 2 5 0 4 7
Brady Joe PF 16 0-2 0-0 0 2 0 0 0
Edward Jones SF 7 3-4 0-0 0 0 1 0 8

Turnovers: 15 (R.Corcoran 3, J.Hui 1, R.Bent 2,
C.Sutton 2, F.Watkins 1, M.Applegate 2, R.Perez 1,
B.Joe 1, E.Jones 2)
Blocked Shots: 4 (J.Hui 2, R.Bent 1, R.Perez 1)
Steals: 3 (R.Corcoran 2, R.Bent 1)
3P FGs: 11-23 (R.Bent 2-2, C.Sutton 7-9, F.Watkins 0-4,
M.Applegate 0-4, B.Joe 0-2, E.Jones 2-2)

Villanova (34-2, 14-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 28 0-2 1-2 1 5 0 3 1
Sebastian Roberts PF 31 12-17 7-9 3 10 2 4 35
Charlie Lambert SF 32 2-6 3-3 1 7 3 1 8
Zayden Calhoun SG 30 5-9 2-3 3 6 4 3 14
Dane Barlow PG 30 3-8 0-0 0 2 6 3 8
Nick Spencer PG 12 0-3 1-2 0 1 0 0 1
Luke Christensen SF 17 3-11 2-2 1 4 3 4 9
Tony Flaherty SF 12 3-5 2-2 0 0 0 1 8
David Lovett SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Jordi Ballester PF 6 2-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 4

Turnovers: 14 (D.Reed 2, S.Roberts 5, C.Lambert 4,
L.Christensen 2, T.Flaherty 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (D.Reed 1, C.Lambert 2, Z.Calhoun 1,
T.Flaherty 1)
Steals: 4 (C.Lambert 1, D.Barlow 1, N.Spencer 1,
L.Christensen 1)
3P FGs: 10-27 (S.Roberts 4-5, C.Lambert 1-3, Z.Calhoun
2-5, D.Barlow 2-6, L.Christensen 1-6, T.Flaherty 0-2)

Player of Game: PF Sebastian Roberts (VLNV)
Charlie Sutton nearly fires the Commodores to an upset, but Sebastian Roberts won't let that happen. Villanova's junior center scores a career-high 35 points to lead his team to victory.

The game is tied, 37-37 at halftime. Seb scores 22 of his points in the second period, and we need almost every one of them. In fact, Sutton nearly ties the score at 87 with 11 seconds left, but his shot kicks in and out. It's only one of two threes he'll miss.

Charlie's still had a heck of a season. I'll include a look at it in my year-end reports.
Record: 34-2.


March 26, 2038
NCAA East Region Semifinal: the Sweet Sixteen
(1) #1 Villanova 82, (4) #17 Kansas State 55
Dane Barlow authors a 16-point, 8-assist, 8-rebound performance to lead Villanova to the East Region final.

Zayden Calhoun scores 20 and rebounds 8, while Seb Roberts finishes with 14 points, 5 boards, and 2 steals.
Record: 35-2.


March 28, 2038
NCAA East Region Final: the Elite Eight
(1) #1 Villanova 102, (2) #6 West Virginia 91
We get the better of a former conference foe, with several Wildcats making crucial contributions.

Sebastian Roberts is named PotG on the strength of his 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. Zayden Calhoun (20p/8r/3s) would have been another fine choice, as would Charlie Lambert (24p/5r). Dane Barlow (14p/7a) and Luke Christensen (13p) also perform well.

Rod Brinkman scores 30 points for the Mountaineers, and Jack Edwards adds 27. You might remember us recruiting Edwards three years ago. He's lived up to that #2 overall ranking.

We earn a spot in the Final Four once again. This is Graham's seventh trip to the Final Four at Villanova, and his ninth overall.
Record: 36-2.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 3, 2038
NCAA National Semifinal: the Final Four
#2 Boston College 84, #1 Villanova 81

---------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (36-3, 14-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 29 4-5 0-0 4 8 0 1 8
Sebastian Roberts PF 32 3-16 0-0 1 4 2 3 7
Charlie Lambert SF 32 10-20 2-3 4 11 1 3 28
Zayden Calhoun SG 32 2-7 1-2 1 5 4 4 7
Dane Barlow PG 32 5-9 0-0 1 2 9 3 15
Nick Spencer PG 12 1-3 0-0 0 0 3 0 2
Luke Christensen SF 14 4-8 2-2 4 6 1 0 10
Tony Flaherty SG 4 1-2 0-0 0 2 1 0 2
Jordi Ballester PF 8 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 2 2
Erick Sullivan C 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (D.Reed 1, S.Roberts 2, C.Lambert 3,
Z.Calhoun 4, D.Barlow 3, J.Ballester 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (D.Reed 3, S.Roberts 1, C.Lambert 2,
E.Sullivan 1)
Steals: 6 (Z.Calhoun 3, D.Barlow 1, L.Christensen 2)
3P FGs: 14-35 (S.Roberts 1-4, C.Lambert 6-15, Z.Calhoun
2-6, D.Barlow 5-8, L.Christensen 0-1, T.Flaherty 0-1)

Boston College (33-5, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
David Getty C 27 5-10 1-2 0 8 1 0 11
Mark Plourde PF 28 8-12 4-4 2 4 1 2 20
William Pittman SF 33 4-13 2-2 5 9 5 3 12
Damien Walz SG 18 1-6 1-2 2 4 0 4 3
Taylor Murray PG 33 4-9 7-8 0 3 8 2 18
Gary Fairfield PG 19 1-3 0-0 1 3 5 1 3
Garret Slone C 22 2-3 0-0 0 2 2 1 4
Michael Smyth SF 11 3-5 0-0 1 1 1 1 8
Sandy Howells SG 7 2-4 0-0 1 1 0 0 5
Arkady Spiridonov PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 1 0
Lincoln Dickinson SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (D.Getty 3, M.Plourde 1, W.Pittman 1,
D.Walz 2, T.Murray 1, G.Slone 1, M.Smyth 2)
Blocked Shots: 7 (D.Getty 1, M.Plourde 2, G.Slone 4)
Steals: 6 (W.Pittman 3, D.Walz 1, T.Murray 2)
3P FGs: 9-20 (D.Getty 0-1, W.Pittman 2-3, D.Walz 0-3,
T.Murray 3-7, G.Fairfield 1-2, M.Smyth 2-2, S.Howells
1-2)

Player of Game: PG Taylor Murray (BSCOL)

Zayden Calhoun releases the ball an instant before the buzzer sounds. He'll later say that he could tell he missed it when it left his fingers. Charlie Lambert, who inbounded the ball, sits in the center circle, his head in his hands. Charlie's Villanova career is now over. Sebastian Roberts pulls his jersey from his shorts and looks upward, closing his eyes. His collegiate career is without a doubt complete, too.

Graham Sims shakes hands with, and embraces, assistants Greg Seward, Gregg Haddad, and Tom Caballero. Coach Sims has been to ten Final Fours. Only once before has he lost in the national semifinal game, with Lafayette in 2018. His record in the Final Four is 13-5. None of that matters to him right now; this loss is the one that matters.

The first player Coach Sims speaks to is Erick Sullivan, the senior walk-on. Tears run down Erick's face as he whispers three words: "Thank you, Coach."

"Thank you, Erick," Graham whispers back.

"I have two rings," Sullivan observes later that evening. "I know most guys never get one. But I still wanted one more. I wanted my career to end that way."

Erick plays 5 minutes in his final game, and he grabs a rebound. Charlie's swan song is lovely: 28 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocked shots. In their locker room, they and their teammates console each other, but they all manage to find things to smile about together, too.

The season may be over, and with it, their careers, but they have so very much to be proud of.
Record: 36-3.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 4, 2038

The high school All American game gives Villanova fans an enticing peek at the future.
West 124, East 113

----------------------------------------------------------
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Forrest Curl PF 23 8-9 1-2 1 7 3 2 17
Chris Wilson PF 27 3-8 3-4 1 3 1 1 9
Andy Womack SF 12 4-6 0-0 0 0 1 4 11
Jeffrey Dill SG 29 6-14 6-9 3 8 2 3 21
DeAndre Brown PG 24 6-6 4-6 1 3 6 1 18
Gregory Mendez PG 19 2-9 2-2 0 2 3 1 7
Augustine Natale C 31 7-12 1-4 1 12 4 4 15
Otto Harrold SG 7 1-2 2-2 1 1 0 2 4
Leo Delrio SF 18 1-8 3-4 1 2 2 0 5
Erasmo Nelson PF 9 3-4 0-0 0 3 2 0 6

Turnovers: 13 (C.Wilson 1, A.Womack 1, J.Dill 1,
D.Brown 3, G.Mendez 2, A.Natale 4, O.Harrold 1)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 5 (D.Brown 2, A.Natale 1, L.Delrio 1, E.Nelson
1)
3P FGs: 9-27 (A.Womack 3-3, J.Dill 3-9, D.Brown 2-2,
G.Mendez 1-8, O.Harrold 0-1, L.Delrio 0-3, E.Nelson
0-1)

West:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Amir Kirk C 14 6-8 1-1 1 3 2 4 13
Steven Jones PF 20 2-5 2-2 1 7 4 4 6
Chris Glassman SF 26 10-22 6-8 4 8 2 2 33
Odis McLaughlin SG 22 3-8 1-2 0 4 7 4 7
Roland Goodnight PG 30 6-13 0-1 0 1 3 2 15
Thomas Abshire PG 11 5-6 2-2 0 1 2 3 14
Dennis Botelho PF 23 2-7 1-2 4 12 2 2 5
James Bozarth C 16 2-5 2-2 1 5 3 2 6
Tony Brown SF 23 3-4 1-2 3 4 4 4 8
Gregory Spry SF 15 7-11 0-0 3 7 0 2 17

Turnovers: 15 (A.Kirk 1, C.Glassman 1, O.McLaughlin 1,
R.Goodnight 1, T.Abshire 1, D.Botelho 1, J.Bozarth 2,
T.Brown 5, G.Spry 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (A.Kirk 1)
Steals: 7 (A.Kirk 1, C.Glassman 1, O.McLaughlin 2,
R.Goodnight 1, T.Abshire 1, J.Bozarth 1)
3P FGs: 16-33 (C.Glassman 7-16, O.McLaughlin 0-2,
R.Goodnight 3-8, T.Abshire 2-2, T.Brown 1-1, G.Spry
3-4)

Player of Game: SG Chris Glassman (West)
Three of the East starters--Chris Wilson, Forrest Curl, and [DeAndre Brown--are Villanova bound. All three future Wildcats acquit themselves well. Chris Glassman, the nation's #1 recruit and arguably the best player the state of North Dakota has ever produced, is the biggest star. Chris will play his college ball at California, after the Golden Bears beat out Baylor and Kansas for his services.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 5, 2038

Boston College defeats New Mexico, 65-62, in the national championship game. Big man Mark Plourde, a redshirt senior who began his career at USC, is named the PotG for his 18-point, 7-rebound, 6-block performance. The Eagles take only 6 three-point shots, making only one.

2037 OVERALL AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR SG Jonathon Larios Louisville 28.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.8 APG 3.3 SPG, 0.9 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SG Zayden Calhoun Villanova 12.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.8 APG 1.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Frank Baker Detroit 24 - 7 (11 - 3)

All-league 1st Team:
C JR Cletus Watterson Washington 16.8 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.9 BPG
PF JR Burton Brister Kentucky 21.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.7 BPG
SF SR Charlie Lambert Villanova 18.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 2.4 BPG
SG SR Jonathon Larios Louisville 28.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.8 APG, 3.3 SPG, 0.9 BPG
PG JR Taylor Murray Boston College 12.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 7.6 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Joseph Connelly Tulsa 11.3 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.7 SPG, 3.7 BPG
PF JR Sebastian Roberts Villanova 18.3 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.9 BPG
SF JR William Pittman Boston College 14.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 3.6 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SG SR Charles Loy Lafayette 21.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.6 APG, 2.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SO Vicente Ezell Tennessee 16.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG

All-league 3rd Team:
C JR James Zook Wake Forest 21.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.7 BPG
PF JR Frank Crawford Air Force 16.1 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.3 SPG, 2.4 BPG
SF JR Jack Edwards West Virginia 17.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG SR William Harris Marist 19.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PG SR Richard Stuart Cal State Northridge 16.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR David Getty Boston College 10.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.2 SPG, 1.1 BPG
PF FR Allen Rambo Manhattan 7.1 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SF FR Bennie Kennedy Long Island 12.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG FR Zayden Calhoun Villanova 12.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG FR Frank Escobar UCLA 13.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Zayden Calhoun is the first Freshman of the Year Villanova has ever produced. Considering the talented first year players we've had here--including Freshman All-Americans like Asher Wise and Chris Woolstenhulme--that's quite the honor.

Charlie Lambert joins some very select company, too. He and Mason Reynolds are Villanova's only first team All-Americans. The committee chooses Burton Brister's more explosive scoring over Sebastian Roberts' all-around excellence, and Seb earns a spot on the second team.

2037 BIG EAST AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

JR PG Taylor Murray Boston College 12.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 7.6 APG 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SG Zayden Calhoun Villanova 12.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.8 APG 1.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Graham Sims Villanova 36 - 3 (14 - 2)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR Freddie Belisle Syracuse 16.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.4 SPG, 2.9 BPG
PF JR Sebastian Roberts Villanova 18.3 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.9 BPG
SF SR Charlie Lambert Villanova 18.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 2.4 BPG
SG JR Ahmad Ashworth Georgetown 18.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG JR Taylor Murray Boston College 12.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 7.6 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C JR Andrew Smith Providence 15.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.5 SPG, 2.6 BPG
PF SR Mark Plourde Boston College 13.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.3 SPG, 3.8 BPG
SF JR William Pittman Boston College 14.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 3.6 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SG FR Zayden Calhoun Villanova 12.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG SR Douglas Wilson Georgetown 11.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 8.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR David Getty Boston College 10.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.2 SPG, 1.1 BPG
PF FR Ellis Torres Connecticut 7.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.5 BPG
SF FR Keenan Ober Providence 8.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG FR Zayden Calhoun Villanova 12.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG FR Nick Spencer Villanova 5.2 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG

I was hoping Charlie would win Big East Player of the Year, but Taylor Murray is a deserving choice. Charlie and Sebastian achieve their second All-Big East honors; both were tapped two years ago, too.

Zayden is a natural choice for conference FOY, and I'm delighted to see Nick Spencer join him on the conference Freshman Team.

Graham Sims receives a sixth Big East Coach of the Year award for his personal trophy case.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 5, 2038

#1 VILLANOVA TEAM INFO

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 100 Record Vs 1-50: 17-3 Poll Rank: #1
Season Record: 36-3 Record Vs 51-100: 3-0 RPI Rank: #1
Conference Record: 14-2 Record Vs 101-200: 13-0
Home Record: 17-0 Record Vs 200+: 3-0


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 90.9 1 1 Points 69.4 5 184 Points 21.5 1 1
O.Reb 13.5 1 9 O.Reb 10.4 4 130 O.Reb 3.1 2 19
D.Reb 29.4 1 2 D.Reb 23.1 4 52 D.Reb 6.3 1 2
Rebounds 42.9 1 2 Rebounds 33.4 2 60 Rebounds 9.4 1 1
Assists 20.4 2 3 Assists 16.0 9 344 Assists 4.4 3 9
Steals 7.6 3 37 Steals 5.1 1 52 Steals 2.5 1 17
Blocks 6.5 2 10 Blocks 3.8 5 282 Blocks 2.7 2 17
Turnovers 13.4 2 93 Turnovers 16.0 4 34 Turnovers -2.6 3 33
Fouls 17.1 3 16 Fouls 19.0 6 236 Fouls -1.9 2 52
FG% .488 1 6 FG% .409 2 34 FG% .080 2 6
FT% .775 1 1 FT% .698 7 296 FT% .077 1 10
3P% .395 2 13 3P% .346 6 218 3P% .049 3 33
PPS 1.38 1 5 PPS 1.12 2 13 PPS .264 2 3
Adj. FG% .569 1 2 Adj. FG% .469 2 55 Adj. FG% .100 1 2

The stats aren't quite as eye-popping as they are some years, but they reflect the personality of the teams we've created here. My Villanova teams play a fast pace; we ranked fifth in the nation in this category at 76.2. We attempted the most shots per game in the country (65.7), while still managing to shoot at a high percentage. Put that together, and we have an offense that led the nation in scoring by seven points. I guess that's more eye-popping than I thought.

Our offensive efficiency (119.3) was also first in the nation. We placed 22nd in defensive efficiency (91.3). Louisville was first at 83.8, and the next team was at 87.8.

#1 VILLANOVA Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charlie Lambert SF 39 39 30.2 18.5 1.9 7.7 2.1 1.2 2.4 2.5 1.9 17.5
Sebastian Roberts PF 39 39 29.0 18.3 2.9 9.2 2.2 0.4 0.9 2.0 2.8 18.8
Dane Barlow PG 39 39 28.1 12.4 1.0 2.3 6.1 1.3 0.0 1.8 2.4 17.4
Zayden Calhoun SG 39 39 26.8 12.9 1.6 4.6 2.8 1.4 0.2 2.2 2.8 16.7
Demetrius Reed C 39 38 25.4 4.4 2.6 7.8 0.9 0.3 1.9 1.3 2.1 15.7
Nick Spencer PG 39 0 17.8 5.2 0.3 1.1 2.8 0.8 0.1 0.8 1.1 6.9
Luke Christensen SF 39 0 14.5 10.2 1.1 3.2 1.3 1.3 0.3 1.1 1.4 7.2
Tony Flaherty SF 39 0 11.5 5.1 0.8 2.4 1.4 0.5 0.2 1.0 1.1 3.3
Jordi Ballester PF 39 0 7.8 1.4 0.7 2.4 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.6 2.0
Erick Sullivan C 35 1 7.3 2.0 0.4 1.9 0.4 0.1 0.6 0.3 0.6 1.7
David Lovett SG 28 0 2.8 1.2 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.1 0.4 0.1
Derek Lamb PF 1 0 1.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 4.0
Gary Hinkley SG 1 0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 4.0

#1 VILLANOVA Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charlie Lambert SF 39 39 1179 720 76 302 82 45 92 96 74 684
Sebastian Roberts PF 39 39 1131 712 113 359 84 15 34 77 111 733
Dane Barlow PG 39 39 1094 483 40 90 237 49 1 71 95 678
Zayden Calhoun SG 39 39 1046 505 63 178 111 54 9 84 108 651
Demetrius Reed C 39 38 990 170 103 306 36 13 73 51 82 614
Nick Spencer PG 39 0 693 202 13 44 108 32 2 33 41 271
Luke Christensen SF 39 0 567 398 44 125 49 50 10 41 54 282
Tony Flaherty SF 39 0 448 197 30 95 56 21 9 39 43 129
Jordi Ballester PF 39 0 304 53 27 94 15 8 4 15 25 78
Erick Sullivan C 35 1 255 70 14 68 14 2 20 11 22 58
David Lovett SG 28 0 78 33 3 11 4 7 0 3 12 4
Derek Lamb PF 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Gary Hinkley SG 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4

#1 VILLANOVA Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charlie Lambert SF 249 513 .485 112 131 .855 110 270 .407 1.40
Sebastian Roberts PF 254 490 .518 168 232 .724 36 84 .429 1.45
Dane Barlow PG 165 360 .458 58 77 .753 95 232 .409 1.34
Zayden Calhoun SG 172 348 .494 67 90 .744 94 206 .456 1.45
Demetrius Reed C 64 124 .516 40 51 .784 2 9 .222 1.37
Nick Spencer PG 69 162 .426 38 48 .792 26 84 .310 1.25
Luke Christensen SF 143 284 .504 87 95 .916 25 77 .325 1.40
Tony Flaherty SF 73 153 .477 36 51 .706 15 50 .300 1.29
Jordi Ballester PF 23 45 .511 7 15 .467 0 0 .000 1.18
Erick Sullivan C 26 49 .531 12 17 .706 6 17 .353 1.43
David Lovett SG 12 32 .375 6 7 .857 3 15 .200 1.03
Derek Lamb PF 1 1 1.000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 2.00
Gary Hinkley SG 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0.00

Some years we are very lucky when it comes to injuries and suspensions. This was one of those years. We could have started the same five players in every game, but I chose to honor Erick Sullivan with a start on his Senior Night.

Jordi Ballester, David Lovett, and walk-on Gary Hinkley spent much of the season unhappy about their playing time. I won't be surprised if at least one of them chooses to transfer. I'd hate to lose Jordi, because I think he's got a bright future. David didn't look like the player we recruited, and he didn't work very hard in camp.

[MoonlightGraham]

2037/38 Farewell

SEBASTIAN ROBERTS

The recruitment of Sebastian Roberts was a classic case of "boy meets team." It was mutual love at first sight. I offered the New Jersey seven-footer a scholarship before I saw his ratings, and neither of us ever looked back.
#30 PF Sebastian Roberts - Villanova - Junior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 7-0
Weight: 252
High School: Delaware Valley Regional High School
Hometown: Frenchtown, NJ

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 91 70 58 69 38 37 88 81 76 29 21 52 57 89 59 58
2036: 78 60 56 59 35 34 88 78 76 27 19 46 54 81 59 50
2035: 62 54 52 53 33 32 72 75 67 25 17 40 54 75 59 44
2034: 52 48 48 47 31 30 62 70 61 23 15 36 51 61 54 30
Potential: A B C B C D A B B D D C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 99

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2035 40 40 26.5 7.9 2.3 7.9 1.0 1.4 0.76 0.2 0.4 3.1
2036 40 40 27.1 11.5 3.0 8.8 1.6 1.7 0.96 0.5 0.7 2.8
2037 39 39 29.0 18.3 2.9 9.2 2.2 2.0 1.09 0.4 0.9 2.8
Career 119 119 27.5 12.5 2.7 8.6 1.6 1.7 1.09 0.4 0.6 2.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2035 2.9 6.0 .483 1.6 2.3 .707 0.5 1.8 .286 1.32 17.28
2036 4.3 8.1 .536 2.1 2.6 .790 0.8 1.9 .416 1.43 16.10
2037 6.5 12.6 .518 4.3 5.9 .724 0.9 2.2 .429 1.45 18.79
Career 4.6 8.8 .516 2.7 3.6 .737 0.7 1.9 .381 1.42 17.38

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2035 40 40 1060 317 91 315 41 54 9 15 125
2036 40 40 1082 461 118 352 64 67 20 27 111
2037 39 39 1131 712 113 359 84 77 15 34 111
Career 119 119 3273 1490 322 1026 189 198 44 76 347

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2035 116 240 65 92 20 70 691
2036 173 323 83 105 32 77 644
2037 254 490 168 232 36 84 733
Career 543 1053 316 429 88 231 2068

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 35 9 17 6 2 3 5 12 18 10 13 4 5
Career 35 11 17 6 4 3 5 12 18 10 13 4 5

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 17
2034 High School: Rated ***** and #12 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2034 High School: All-State (New Jersey)
2034 High School: Mr. Basketball (New Jersey)
2034 High School: All-American
2035 NCAA Champion
2035 Freshman All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2036 NCAA Champion
2037 2nd Team All-American
2037 1st Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)
Sebastian's work ethic matched his natural talent. From the moment he arrived on campus, he began to develop his skills. He started his first game as a freshman, and every one after that.

This year, he was the Big East's third leading scorer and its second leading rebounder. Despite playing only three seasons, Seb is the only player in Villanova history to claim over 1000 rebounds in his career. He even developed a very respectable outside shot, which forced defenses to pay attention to him when he moved behind the three-point line.

While he distinguished himself on the court, he also excelled in the classroom. Sebastian would have easily been admitted to Villanova had he never touched a basketball. He intends to complete his degree in Classical Studies, and he tells people, without irony, that he'd like to teach high school Latin one day.

Players with skill sets like Sebastian's play three years of college basketball and move into the professional game. At the beginning of the year, Seb was considered the best professional prospect in the game, and everything he's done this season reinforces that evaluation. I'll be surprised if he's not the first pick in the draft.

That's the way I want this love story to end.

Thanks for the memories, Sebastian.

[MoonlightGraham]

2037/38 Senior Tribute

ERICK SULLIVAN

I confess to being fairly ruthless with walk-ons in this game. I think it's cool that FBCB pulls them from the ranks of signable recruits, but I often cut them if (1) I can gain a scholarship to offer a player I like, (2) they aren't good students or (3) they won't play defense.

When I first saw Erick Sullivan, I looked at his projected ratings and thought "Whoa, this guy is actually good!" I didn't think I'd ever seen a walk-on with Green potential. There was no way I was going to cut him. I handled and coached Erick almost the way I would a scholarship player. Erick lived up to my hopes...and then some.
#35 C Erick Sullivan - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 276
High School: Salesianum School
Hometown: Wilmington, DE

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 55 24 51 54 9 25 42 76 79 26 34 49 15 86 42 100
2036: 54 22 47 53 9 23 38 68 70 25 32 44 14 83 42 100
2035: 53 20 44 50 8 22 35 62 63 24 30 40 14 80 42 100
2034: 50 19 42 48 7 21 32 56 57 23 29 37 13 77 42 100
2033: 44 17 38 44 5 19 26 46 47 21 27 31 11 67 40 82
Potential: C D C C F D C B B D C C

Health: Good
Scholarship: No
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 87

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 25 0 2.4 0.4 0.3 0.7 0.1 0.2 0.75 0.0 0.1 0.2
2035 22 0 6.3 1.0 0.4 1.9 0.2 0.1 1.67 0.0 0.1 0.6
2036 39 0 7.8 1.6 0.3 2.3 0.3 0.5 0.72 0.3 0.5 0.6
2037 35 1 7.3 2.0 0.4 1.9 0.4 0.3 1.27 0.1 0.6 0.6
Career 121 1 6.3 1.4 0.4 1.8 0.3 0.3 1.27 0.1 0.4 0.5

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 0.1 0.2 .600 0.2 0.3 .500 0.0 0.0 .000 2.00 0.52
2035 0.3 0.8 .412 0.4 0.5 .800 0.0 0.3 .167 1.35 1.14
2036 0.5 1.2 .467 0.4 0.5 .889 0.1 0.4 .286 1.38 1.92
2037 0.7 1.4 .531 0.3 0.5 .706 0.2 0.5 .353 1.43 1.66
Career 0.5 1.0 .491 0.3 0.4 .755 0.1 0.3 .297 1.42 1.41

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 25 0 61 10 8 17 3 4 1 2 5
2035 22 0 138 23 9 42 5 3 0 3 14
2036 39 0 306 62 13 90 13 18 11 18 23
2037 35 1 255 70 14 68 14 11 2 20 22
Career 121 1 760 165 44 217 35 36 14 43 64

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 3 5 4 8 0 0 13
2035 7 17 8 10 1 6 25
2036 21 45 16 18 4 14 75
2037 26 49 12 17 6 17 58
Career 57 116 40 53 11 37 171

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 7 2 6 3 1 4 1 3 5 3 4 1 3
Career 7 3 7 3 2 4 3 3 5 3 4 1 3

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 High School: Rated * and #1327 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2034 Walked on at Villanova
2035 NCAA Champion
2036 NCAA Champion
Big dudes like Erick, who weighed 270 pounds when he arrived, usually need huge amounts of conditioning. Not Erick, who maxed out his Fitness after one preseason camp. That, and his academic readiness, enabled me to train all his other skills to their potential. The result was a Green/Green player who could have played a major role for any team in the country.

I say I coached Erick "almost the way I would a scholarship player" for only one reason. Based on his skill alone, Erick would have possibly started at center for us, and would have been, at the very least, the first big man off the bench. However, scholarship players don't develop well and/or become unhappy if they don't play. I moved Erick lower on the depth chart than he deserved to be so I could give the youngsters more playing time. Erick never complained once.

Had Sebastian Roberts or Demetrius Reed gotten hurt this season, I would have moved Erick into the starting five without a moment's hesitation. His rebounding and defense were Big East quality, and he developed a sneaky-good ability to score.

Erick also helped us recruit the point guard from his Delaware state champion high school team. The guard was a sophomore when Erick was a senior, and he was widely regarded as one of the best players in his class. It worked out well. Erick and Dane Barlow went on to win a national championship together, too.

Erick will soon complete his degree in Africana Studies, with honors. He's accepted a teaching position at an elementary school that serves at-risk children in his home town of Wilmington. He'll also do some coaching at his high school alma mater.

I've decided to honor Erick in a special way. I'm going to reserve Erick's jersey number, 35, for a walk-on who distinguishes himself as a student and a player. If there's a player who earns it, I'll award the 35 jersey to him at the conclusion of preseason camp.

Thanks for the memories, Erick.

[MoonlightGraham]

2037/38 Senior Farewell

CHARLIE LAMBERT

If you don't like the way the story is going to end, write a new one. That's what Charlie Lambert did.
#14 SF Charlie Lambert - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 235
High School: DeMatha Catholic High School
Hometown: Hyattsville, MD

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 70 75 83 94 37 34 51 72 69 46 41 77 57 63 71 100
2036: 70 74 82 94 34 31 50 67 66 43 39 77 54 57 69 94
2035: 60 68 74 92 30 27 48 57 55 38 37 74 54 54 69 85
2034: 50 63 68 86 28 25 41 47 45 35 35 64 54 51 68 77
2033: 42 59 62 80 26 23 35 39 37 33 33 56 53 41 67 49
Potential: B B B A D C C B B C C B

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 64

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 37 0 21.2 8.7 1.1 4.4 0.8 1.5 0.56 0.5 1.3 1.8
2035 40 40 28.0 11.9 1.7 6.2 1.5 1.4 1.05 0.5 3.1 2.1
2036 12 12 29.4 15.3 2.4 8.8 1.9 1.8 1.05 0.4 2.9 1.9
2037 39 39 30.2 18.5 1.9 7.7 2.1 2.5 0.85 1.2 2.4 1.9
Career 128 91 26.9 13.3 1.7 6.4 1.5 1.8 0.85 0.7 2.3 1.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 2.9 5.8 .505 1.2 1.6 .750 1.6 3.8 .429 1.50 9.65
2035 3.9 8.2 .474 2.2 2.7 .824 2.0 4.6 .426 1.46 18.00
2036 5.6 10.8 .515 1.7 2.1 .800 2.5 5.3 .476 1.42 18.50
2037 6.4 13.2 .485 2.9 3.4 .855 2.8 6.9 .407 1.40 17.54
Career 4.5 9.3 .489 2.1 2.5 .821 2.2 5.1 .424 1.44 15.49

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 37 0 786 321 39 162 30 54 17 49 68
2035 40 40 1119 477 68 249 60 57 18 122 84
2036 12 12 353 184 29 105 23 22 5 35 23
2037 39 39 1179 720 76 302 82 96 45 92 74
Career 128 91 3437 1702 212 818 195 229 85 298 249

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2034 108 214 45 60 60 140 357
2035 155 327 89 108 78 183 720
2036 67 130 20 25 30 63 222
2037 249 513 112 131 110 270 684
Career 579 1184 266 324 278 656 1983

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 32 5 16 6 3 7 6 10 22 8 10 7 15
Career 32 5 16 6 3 10 6 10 22 8 10 7 15

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 21
2033 High School: Rated **** and #57 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2033 High School: All-State (Maryland)
2035 NCAA Champion
2035 2nd Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)
2036 NCAA Champion
2037 1st Team All-American
2037 1st Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)
The big man from one of the most storied high school programs in the country, and I was surprised when he hadn't received a scholarship offer until well into the recruiting season. He demonstrated a wide range of skills and earned serious playing time as a freshman. The next season, he started on an NCAA championship team and earned Big East honors.

Charlie's junior season started out even better. He led our team in scoring through the first 12 games. Then, his grades were released...and he was ruled academically ineligible. That floored me; players with 64 Intelligence almost never screw up academically. Charlie admitted he stopped caring about school once he was mentioned as a possible professional draft pick.

Charlie watched his teammates win a second national championship without him. That was the final factor behind his decision to return to Villanova for his senior season. He got off to a blazing start that forced opponents to alter their game plans to stop him. And, when they did, players like Sebastian Roberts, Zayden Calhoun, and Dane Barlow found more room to operate. And Charlie still ended the year as the conference's second leading scorer.

He didn't win another national championship, but Charlie became only the second first team All-American in school history. The 720 points he scored as a senior is the second-highest single season total on record, behind Mason Reynolds' luminous 858. His 1702 career points rank eighth all-time, and his 818 rebounds place him sixth. And he is the most prolific shot blocker in Villanova history, with a total of 298 rejections. He's had quite a career, hasn't he?

Now Charlie is forecast as a lottery pick in this week's draft. He's also going to graduate in May with a degree in Business Analytics, after earning a 3.33 GPA in his senior year. That's the sort of ending Charlie and I were hoping for.

Thanks for the memories, Charlie.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 10, 2038

Nobody is surprised when Sebastian Roberts is chosen first in the professional draft. He is the second Villanova player to be drafted #1 overall; Gerald Eubanks (2019) preceded him. Seb is the first player Graham Sims has ever coached to earn this honor.

Charlie Lambert doesn't have to wait much longer to hear his name. He's chosen at #8.

Other familiar players who will soon be joining pro teams are West Virginia's Jack Edwards (#3), Boston College's William Pittman (#16) and Taylor Murray (#21) and Georgetown's Ahmad Ashworth (#35) and Douglas Wilson (#53).


Recruiting rankings come out today, too. :)
2037 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova Big East C Chris Wilson ***** 2 2 0 0 0
2. Pittsburgh Big East C Amir Kirk ***** 3 1 0 0 0
3. Boston College Big East C Patya Bure ***** 2 1 2 0 0
4. Kansas Big Eight SG Timothy Seay ***** 1 3 0 0 0
5. Missouri Big Eight PG Dewayne Puckett ***** 1 3 0 0 0
6. Washington Pacific-10 SF James Lopez ***** 2 1 1 0 0
7. California Pacific-10 SG Chris Glassman ***** 1 1 1 0 0
8. Georgetown Big East PG Otto Harrold ***** 1 1 3 0 0
9. Tennessee SEC SF Riley Rose ***** 1 2 0 0 0
10. Notre Dame Great Lakes SF Boris Anson ***** 1 1 2 0 0
11. Florida SEC SF Lonny Hair ***** 1 1 2 0 0
12. Southern California Pacific-10 SG Odis McLaughlin ***** 1 1 2 0 0
13. Virginia ACC PF Tod Armitage **** 0 2 2 0 0
14. Tulane Metro PG Joseph Michaud **** 0 1 3 0 0
15. Wake Forest ACC SF Leo Delrio **** 0 2 2 0 0
16. Houston Southwest SG Tom Fowler ***** 1 1 1 0 0
17. Stanford Pacific-10 SF Gregory Battle **** 0 2 2 0 0
18. Mississippi SEC SG Jeffrey Dill ***** 1 0 3 0 0
19. Vanderbilt SEC SG Brian Patterson **** 0 2 1 0 0
20. North Carolina ACC C Jacinto Leader **** 0 2 1 0 0
Five-star players Chris Wilson and Zak Marshall headline our incoming class, but DeAndre Brown looks like he might be more ready for the Big East than either of them. Forrest Curl might need to be patient; I hope he'll let the process run its course before he becomes upset and wants to transfer.

Pitt eventually won the Amir Kirk sweepstakes. I am not looking forward to playing against him for (at least) three years.
2037 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova Big East C Chris Wilson ***** 2 2 0 0 0
2. Pittsburgh Big East C Amir Kirk ***** 3 1 0 0 0
3. Boston College Big East C Patya Bure ***** 2 1 2 0 0
8. Georgetown Big East PG Otto Harrold ***** 1 1 3 0 0
23. Seton Hall Big East PF Matthew Scholl **** 0 1 3 0 0
28. St. John's Big East SF Andy Womack **** 0 1 3 0 0
42. Connecticut Big East C Tony Craighead ***** 1 0 1 0 0
59. Providence Big East PF William Loveland **** 0 1 2 0 0
90. Syracuse Big East SF Raymon Rodman **** 0 1 1 1 0

Most Big East teams don't rebuild. They reload. If you don't bring in a top class, you pay for it down the line.

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2038

Spring brings with it the retirements of several highly acclaimed veteran coaches.

Perhaps the biggest name is Brooks Runyan, who's stepping down from the head coaching position at Kentucky that he's held since 2015. Coach Runyan, 61, retires with a career record of 732-215, the third winningest coach in history. He took his teams to five Final Fours, and won the 2022 national championship.

Zack Lott, age 64, is retiring from his position at Stanford. His career record is 533-200, and he took the 2026/27 Cardinal to the Final Four. That's the closest Coach Lott, who also coached at Mississippi and Winthrop, came to a national title.

Tennessee's Hans Gatewood surprises many people by stepping down at age 57. Coach Gatewood, 602-305 for his career, ranks 11th in all-time victories. He took two California teams to the Final Four before moving to the Volunteers for the 2030/31 season.

Chris Box is also retiring, which means Vanderbilt and Charlie Sutton will have a new head coach next season. And the desirable job at Pittsburgh is open, with the retirement of Steven Bumgarner.

All the aforementioned programs would gladly hire Graham Sims, but he's not leaving Villanova for another job.

Kentucky lures Jonas Given away from New Mexico, where he's just taken two straight teams to the national championship game. Pitt turns to Scott Rickert, formerly of Wake Forest, a veteran with 503 career wins.

Tennessee hires the peripatetic Joseph Owens, who's leaving West Virginia after eight successful seasons. You might remember Coach Owens from his days at Louisville and Wisconsin. He has a career record of 648-279 and the 2014/15 national championship to his credit.

Vanderbilt surprises many by hiring 61-year-old Lyman Lamb, formerly of Texas Christian. Coach Lamb was hired at TCU in 2022, and most thought he'd retire from there. He brings with him a career record of 419-220.

We need to replace our Recruiting Coordinator, bright young Tom Caballero, who is the new head coach at Western Kentucky. In his place, we hire Jeffrey Hairston, who's leaving the same position at Tennessee after Hans Gatewood's retirement. Coach Hairston, 51, was the head coach at Yale from 2022 to 2036, where he posted a 182-225 record. He's rated 100 for Recruiting, which is what matters to us. Welcome aboard, Coach.

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2038

I'm a bit surprised when none of our disgruntled players elect to transfer. We have one scholarship available--the one Sebastian Roberts had--and we take a shot at luring former five-star SG Erasmo Martinez, lately of Kentucky. He chooses North Carolina instead.

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2038

We currently have one senior player on scholarship: SF Luke Christensen. I can cut a walk-on and free up another roster spot, and I might do that. I have a feeling junior PG Dane Barlow might turn pro this spring, and there's an outside chance of C Demetrius Reed doing the same thing.

I definitely need to recruit a wing player this year, preferably a long, athletic one who can play alongside Zayden Calhoun.

After I look at the incoming class, I quickly cut a walk-on. The #2 and #3 players in the nation are both Pennsylvania guys, and they're both showing a lot of interest in playing for Villanova.

Kai Smith is a point guard from Lansdale Catholic High, about half an hour from Villanova. Kai's listed height is 5'5", which he assures everyone is legit. Regardless, he's considered the top point guard in his class. Kai averages 9.8 assists and 1.3 turnovers per game--that's a 7.80:1 turnover ratio--and he makes almost five steals a game, too.

Ranked right above him on the national lists is another area product, Tadgh Phelan, a 6'7" small forward from Wissahickon High in Ambler. Phelan, whose Irish given name is pronounced "Tige," doesn't put up huge numbers--17.0 PPG, 8.1 RPG, a .538 shooting percentage--but the experts must like his underlying skills.

Here's our call list:
Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tadgh Phelan SF 6-7 196 ***** Very High Pennsylvania
Kai Smith PG 5-5 158 ***** Very High Pennsylvania
Chris Pless C 6-7 230 ***** Very High New York
Oscar Cottle PG 5-11 151 **** Very High Indiana
Steve Honeycutt PG 5-7 162 **** Very High New Jersey
Jerry Jewell SF 6-4 198 **** Very High New Jersey
Raphael Ramos SF 6-4 203 **** Very High New York
Brian Bollinger SF 6-6 213 *** Very High New Jersey
Basil Upshaw SG 6-3 183 *** Very High Pennsylvania
Phoenix Underwood PF 6-8 198 ***** Very High Virginia
Adam Webb C 6-11 227 ***** High Pennsylvania
Stanley Cole PG 6-0 171 ***** High Virginia
Max Fall PG 6-0 172 ***** High New York
Charles Greenfield PF 6-6 218 ***** High California
Skyler Knowles SG 6-3 185 **** High Ohio
Ronald Paquette PG 5-4 155 **** High Virginia
Casey Wallace PG 5-10 158 **** High Michigan
Justin Noonan SG 6-4 188 **** High New Jersey
Vance Badgett SG 5-10 174 **** High New York
Andrew Austin C 6-8 222 *** High Maryland


I'm willing to offer Tadgh and Kai scholarships without seeing their ratings. I can always retract the offers if the ratings don't look good.

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2038

I'm going to let Kai Smith and Tadgh Phelan keep those scholarship offers. I think they're both Villanova-style players.

#2 PG Kai Smith
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 5-5
Weight: 158
High School: Lansdale Catholic High School
Hometown: Lansdale, PA
GPA: 3.28
Test Score: 1290
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 17 50 74 45 66 70 7 14 18 59 63 5 100 29 27 74
Potential: C B A C A A F C F A B D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12.0 0.9 3.6 9.8 1.3 7.80 4.6 0.1 1.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.3 10.4 .510 0.5 0.7 .769 0.9 2.8 .304

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #3 Overall, #1 PG, East Region #3 Overall, East Region #1 PG
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: *Villanova, *Pittsburgh, Boston College, *Wake Forest, North Carolina

I figured Kai had to be quick, and he is. He's scary quick. He's also an unselfish player who loves to set up his teammates and a tenacious defender. Pitt and Wake Forest have also offered him, and we'll make an all-out effort to keep him excited about playing for Villanova.

#15 SF Tadgh Phelan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-7
Weight: 196
High School: Wissahickon High School
Hometown: Ambler, PA
GPA: 3.64
Test Score: 1440
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 50 67 69 67 31 40 33 48 40 33 28 22 50 38 47 42
Potential: B A B A C B C B B C D D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17.0 1.9 8.1 2.6 2.7 0.96 1.1 0.8 3.5

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.4 13.8 .538 1.4 1.7 .824 0.8 2.9 .259

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #2 Overall, #1 SF, East Region #2 Overall, East Region #1 SF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: *Villanova, Georgetown, Boston College, *Michigan, Pittsburgh

Tadgh's ratings look even better than his stats. I wasn't expecting to see him projected to be a top flight three-point shooter, but that's what our scouts think he'll become. He looks like he'll pay attention to his defensive abilities, and he's an exceptionally good student. The usual suspects are also recruiting him, with the addition of Michigan, who's made him an offer. We'll continue to recruit Tadgh as actively as possible.

We might be in a bit of a jam if we don't land Kai and Tadgh. The other players we like a lot don't like us nearly as much.

#12 PF Phoenix Underwood
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-8
Weight: 198
High School: Brooke Point High School
Hometown: Stafford, VA
GPA: 3.21
Test Score: 1310
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 64 45 44 21 3 21 56 70 53 20 11 43 40 67 66 27
Potential: A C C D D D B B B D D C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.5 3.3 10.9 1.7 2.7 0.64 0.9 2.4 3.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.9 14.4 .551 2.6 5.0 .520 0.1 0.6 .182

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Average
Rankings: #8 Overall, #3 PF, Southeast Region #1 Overall, Southeast Region #1 PF
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Virginia), All American
Top 5 Schools: Georgetown, *North Carolina, Duke, *Pittsburgh, West Virginia
I'd recruit Phoenix Underwood for his name alone. The fact he's a good inside scorer, rebounder, and defender are icing on the cake.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2038

Good news: It looks like the rest of the field have conceded Kai Smith to us. Pitt and Wake Forest have apparently pulled their offers, and Kai has only Villanova on his list of top schools.

Bad news: Tadgh Phelan has three schools on his list, and Georgetown is at the top. He has an offer from the Hoyas, too.

More bad news: Phoenix Underwood is the player I'd like to sign if we can't get Phelan. He also has a Georgetown offer, along with one from UNC. He lists both the Hoyas and Heels ahead of us.

Mea culpa: Somehow I forgot to invite Tadgh Phelan to visit campus last month! I quickly remedy that oversight. I hope that's the only reason why Tadgh says he prefers the Hoyas.

I find a couple of players who don't have offers and clear spots on my call list for them.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2038

Kai Smith must have liked a post about North Carolina on one of his social media accounts. The Tar Heels are now on his list, but they haven't offered him a scholarship. I still feel good about our chances with him.

I might have *expletive deleted* things up with Tadgh Phelan, however. Even after his campus visit, he still says Georgetown is his top choice. I know we've "stolen" guys from the Hoyas before; Mason Reynolds is the one who comes to mind immediately. I need another dose of Graham Sims magic. Perhaps he can bring all five of his NCAA championship rings with him when he visits the Phelan home this month.

One of the guys I just evaluated would probably be the next man up now. He's Justin Chatham, a 6'5" wing from Tennessee whom the SEC schools haven't pursued avidly. He's Tennessee's Mr. Basketball, an All-State player who averages over 30 per game. I don't see a thing wrong with him, either. Texas Christian has offered him a scholarship.

Decision Day approaches. Cross your fingers, Nova Nation...

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2038

We begin the day with wonderful news: Kai Smith will play his college basketball at Villanova! Kai leads the nation's four- and five-star recruits in assists and steals per game. He knows when to make a dazzling pass, and when to keep it simple. Kai's quickness and cat-quick hands allow him to defend players who are nearly a foot taller than he is. He'll be a great fit for our program.

We lose Tadgh Phelan to Georgetown. That means I'll have visible reminders of the absolute need to bring players to campus as soon as I can for the next three seasons, at minimum. The Hoyas sign Phoenix Underwood, too, and Justin Chatham takes the offer from TCU.

Now it's time to look at players who haven't committed yet. The top player in the class, center Adam Webb, is among them. He holds an offer from Georgetown. Of course he does. I hope Pitt steals him, because I don't want to see the Hoyas sign the #1 and #2 players in this year's class. I don't think Adam is a reasonable target for us; too many things have to fall our way for him to pick the Wildcats.

But there's another five-star player who hasn't received an offer. It's John Cannon, a 6'4" shooting guard from Alabama. He's the #11 player in the class. John averages 24.6 PPG and makes 44 percent of his three-point attempts. He's an All-State player, and he's Alabama's Mr. Basketball. He's a good student, too.

At this stage in the recruiting season, throwing a Hail Mary looks like a good idea. I offer John a scholarship and hope we can swoop in to bring him home.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 7, 2038

Here are your 2038/39 Villanova Wildcats...

Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Wilson 0 C Fr 6-9 245 Yes 97 OK Dallas, PA
Dane Barlow 3 PG Jr 6-2 203 Yes 87 OK Wilmington, DE
Jordi Ballester 4 PF So 6-7 247 Yes 85 Unhappy El Prat de Llobregat, Spain
DeAndre Brown 10 SG Fr 6-2 191 Yes 97 OK Pen Argyl, PA
Zayden Calhoun 11 SG So 6-6 214 Yes 83 OK Princeton, NJ
Nick Spencer 12 PG So* 5-11 178 Yes 72 OK Collegeville, PA
Forrest Curl 22 PF Fr 6-10 230 Yes 59 Redshirt Chatham, NJ
Demetrius Reed 32 C Jr 7-1 288 Yes 91 OK Philadelphia, PA
David Lovett 33 SG So 6-3 206 Yes 38 Unhappy Mount Horeb, WI
Luke Christensen 34 SF Sr 6-4 198 Yes 64 OK Philadelphia, PA
Tony Flaherty 40 SF So 6-7 236 Yes 77 OK New York, NY
Derek Lamb 41 PF Jr* 6-6 216 No 73 OK Latham, OH
Gary Hinkley 45 SG So 6-4 196 No 77 Unhappy Lloydminster, Canada
Zak Marshall 50 PF Fr 6-10 211 Yes 88 OK Newcomerstown, OH

Did they work hard in training camp? Let's find out.
#1 VILLANOVA Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Wilson 10 4 4 2 2 2 6 6 12 4 2 12 2 10 1 26
Dane Barlow 4 15 3 11 9 2 2 2 3 13 9 1 0 2 1 4
Jordi Ballester 5 3 2 0 3 1 7 9 9 2 3 3 1 2 0 0
DeAndre Brown 2 8 8 6 6 4 2 2 2 8 10 2 2 4 2 10
Zayden Calhoun 7 10 7 10 7 10 7 7 3 9 9 3 0 3 2 5
Nick Spencer 3 3 5 3 2 7 2 2 1 13 7 1 2 1 1 5
Forrest Curl 6 2 2 0 2 4 8 8 8 2 2 4 2 10 4 42
Demetrius Reed 3 3 6 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 1 7
David Lovett 4 4 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 3 1 1 2 0 10
Luke Christensen 1 8 0 3 3 1 2 3 4 6 8 4 0 2 1 0
Tony Flaherty 4 8 2 4 3 5 2 4 7 8 8 10 0 3 0 6
Derek Lamb 2 1 2 0 1 2 2 0 4 0 1 2 1 2 1 0
Gary Hinkley 2 1 1 4 3 1 2 1 2 1 5 1 1 2 1 5
Zak Marshall 8 4 4 2 2 2 8 12 10 2 2 10 2 6 0 10

Coach Graham Sims returns for his 13th season at the helm. Since arriving at Villanova, his teams have posted a 415-44 record, 190-24 in Big East Conference play. Coach Sims began his coaching career at Lafayette, where he spent 15 seasons. Sometime during this season, he'll coach his 1000th college game.

Coach Sims will have three returning starters at his disposal this year. Junior guard Dane Barlow averaged 12.4 points and 6.1 assists per game last season. He emerges from camp with an improved jumper, a more secure handle, and greater defensive tenacity. A former high school All American, Dane is poised to establish himself as the heir to a tradition of excellent point guard play at Villanova.

He'll team in the backcourt with sophomore Zayden Calhoun. Last year's Big East and national Freshman of the Year and a second team All-Big East selection, Zayden scored 12.9 PPG and grabbed 4.6 RPG, and he revealed tantalizing glimpses of the game-changing player he can become. He, too, made big strides during camp.

Center Demetrius Reed started 38 games last year as a sophomore. The 7'1", 288-pound strongman is an excellent rebounder and shot blocker. Demetrius seldom shoots, but he converts over half the shots he does take.

Freshman Chris Wilson has the inside track to start beside Big D in the frontcourt. He was regarded as the best high school big man in the country, with the potential to develop into an elite inside scorer and post defender. Chris greatly improved his conditioning and took big steps to prepare himself for college ball.

We have several options for the fifth starter. We can go small, which means calling on sophomore Nick Spencer, a classic point guard, and moving Calhoun to the three. Spencer's passing, ballhandling, and defense are all first-rate. We can go with experience, giving senior Luke Christensen his first opportunity as a starter. Luke's calling card is his ability to score. Or we can go big, with muscular 6'7" sophomore Tony Flaherty. All three of these players will see quite a bit of court time this season. Or, if we want to go even bigger, there's 6'10" freshman Zak Marshall, a strong rebounder and defender.

Keep an eye on freshman DeAndre Brown, a 6'2" guard with a bright future. His classmate, big man Forrest Curl, will take a redshirt year. Forrest spent training camp preparing his body for Big East action.

Sophomores Jordi Ballester and David Lovett round out the list of scholarship players. Jordi worked hard in camp, gaining more of the big man skills he'll need to earn playing time. David, unfortunately, doesn't seem to be improving much, making me wonder if he'll ever live up to the glowing reputation he had coming out of high school.

Walk-on Gary Hinkley deserves mention here, too. The Alberta native spent much of last season unhappy, but he returned this season with a renewed commitment to the program. Gary will redshirt this year, and he'll have three years of eligibility remaining when he returns.

Expectations are always high on the Main Line, and this year is no exception. The Wildcats begin the season ranked #1, but there are two other teams--Boston College and Connecticut--in the top five. And there's always Georgetown, with whom Graham's teams have battled since his arrival in the Big East. Pittsburgh, with their new coach, Scott Rickert, are ranked, too.

We have a string of five consecutive Big East regular season championships on the line. The chances for a sixth depend on several factors. Will Zayden Calhoun and Dane Barlow take another step forward and establish themselves as main attractions? Is Chris Wilson already the real deal? How will the remaining spots in the rotation settle out? A very good basketball team will finish fifth in the Big East.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 13, 2038
Legends Invitational Semifinal
(1) #1 Villanova 78, (4) Illinois State 69
It's our first trip to this four-team preseason tournament. We have a bit of trouble with Illinois State, who went 24-7 last season and made the NCAA tournament.

Dane Barlow plays like a star, with 24 points and 8 assists. Luke Christensen scores 11 in his first collegiate start, and Chris Wilson (10p/6r/1b) looks good in his Villanova debut. So does Zak Marshall, who scores 6 points and grabs 6 rebounds. Demetrius Reed does his thing: 12 rebounds, 3 blocks. Zayden Calhoun has a rough night shooting, and finishes with 10 points.
Record: 1-0.


November 14, 2038
Legends Invitational Final
(1) #1 Villanova 89, (2) Purdue 65
Senior Luke Christensen steals the show as we defeat the Boilermakers and earn another trophy.

Operating mainly from 15 feet in, Luke scores 27 points, a new career high. He's amply supported by Zayden Calhoun (16p/9r/2s), Dane Barlow (12p/6a), and reserves Zak Marshall (13r) and DeAndre Brown (6p/3s in FOUR minutes).
Record: 2-0.

https://i.imgur.com/cTa1m2P.jpeg

November 20, 2038
@#1 Villanova 88, Davidson 50
Departing from our usual script, we take only 14 threes in a comfortable win over the North Carolina breed of Wildcats.

Luke Christensen again leads the way with 22 points. Zayden Calhoun adds 17, and Chris Wilson contributes 16 more. Nick Spencer (8) and Dane Barlow (6) combine for 14 assists, and Demetrius Reed pulls down 13 rebounds and blocks 3 shots.
Record: 3-0.

November 26, 2038
#1 Villanova 83, #17 Vanderbilt 72

----------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (4-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 24 5-6 2-2 4 10 1 2 12
Chris Wilson PF 13 4-6 0-1 0 0 0 1 8
Luke Christensen SF 26 7-17 1-1 2 8 5 1 16
Zayden Calhoun SG 27 9-18 2-2 3 6 2 2 25
Dane Barlow PG 31 3-8 0-0 1 4 10 2 8
Nick Spencer PG 18 3-4 0-0 1 2 2 0 8
Tony Flaherty SF 13 1-6 1-4 1 2 0 0 4
DeAndre Brown SG 5 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 1 0
Zak Marshall C 29 1-2 0-0 1 6 1 2 2
Jordi Ballester PF 13 0-2 0-0 0 4 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (D.Reed 1, C.Wilson 1, L.Christensen 1,
Z.Calhoun 2, D.Barlow 3, T.Flaherty 2, Z.Marshall 1,
J.Ballester 2)
Blocked Shots: 6 (C.Wilson 1, Z.Calhoun 1, D.Barlow 1,
N.Spencer 1, T.Flaherty 1, Z.Marshall 1)
Steals: 4 (L.Christensen 1, Z.Calhoun 1, D.Barlow 2)
3P FGs: 11-22 (L.Christensen 1-3, Z.Calhoun 5-8,
D.Barlow 2-5, N.Spencer 2-2, T.Flaherty 1-3, D.Brown
0-1)

Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Brady Joe C 17 0-2 0-0 0 2 0 3 0
Justin Hui PF 32 7-18 1-3 5 9 0 3 15
Edward Jones SF 26 2-5 1-2 1 2 2 1 5
Charlie Sutton SG 32 8-19 1-2 0 4 1 0 22
Fletcher Watkins PG 33 6-13 6-6 2 6 6 1 19
Paul Santana PG 16 0-3 0-0 0 1 2 0 0
Reuben Perez C 18 0-1 0-0 1 3 0 1 0
Ramon Corcoran C 20 1-3 0-0 4 12 0 1 2
Brian Patterson SF 4 1-1 0-0 0 0 2 1 3
Dominick Legrand SG 2 2-3 0-0 0 0 1 0 6

Turnovers: 13 (B.Joe 1, J.Hui 2, E.Jones 2, C.Sutton 3,
F.Watkins 1, P.Santana 2, R.Perez 1, R.Corcoran 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (B.Joe 1, J.Hui 1, C.Sutton 1,
P.Santana 1, R.Perez 2)
Steals: 4 (C.Sutton 2, F.Watkins 2)
3P FGs: 9-25 (E.Jones 0-1, C.Sutton 5-13, F.Watkins
1-5, P.Santana 0-1, R.Corcoran 0-1, B.Patterson 1-1,
D.Legrand 2-3)

Player of Game: SG Zayden Calhoun (VLNV)
We return from a trip to Nashville with an impressive win, but the excitement is dampened by an injury to Chris Wilson. The freshman post complains of soreness in his knee, and he's diagnosed with a case of patellar tendonitis that will keep him out of action until around Christmas.

Vanderbilt sharpshooter Charlie Sutton enters the game averaging 23 PPG, and he nearly reaches his average against us. Sutton is the real deal, and the key to beating the Commodores seems to be limiting the damage his teammates do. Fletcher Watkins and Justin Hui gash us a bit, but we counter with a big game from Zayden Calhoun and solid production from Luke Christensen.

Demetrius Reed is showing more inclination to score this season. It's still early days, but he's nearly doubling his scoring average from last year. Now, who will we move into the starting lineup beside him? It'll probably be Zak Marshall or Jordi Ballester, and I'm not sure who's the better fit.

Fortunately, we have several weeks of non-conference games to figure it out.
Record: 4-0.

[Chas in Cinti]

So Sutton is a JR this season? Is he on the list to go pro after the season?

[MoonlightGraham]

So Sutton is a JR this season? Is he on the list to go pro after the season?

He's a redshirt sophomore. When the AI coach didn't give him any playing time his first year, I went into the editor and gave Charlie a redshirt year. If I'm not mistaken, the NCAA doesn't consider the redshirt "official" until the season ends. The game doesn't do this, and I consider that a bug, not a feature.

I found a few other players across my college basketball universe who were affected this way. They were all players I remembered from their days as recruits, players I was curious about. The AI coaches usually play them in a few games, which burns their redshirt. It turns out that Charlie was one of the lucky ones.

Charlie, therefore, won't be turning pro this spring. And you have to dig fairly deep on the lists of pro prospects to find him. Charlie's not listed among the top 50 prospects in the sophomore class. He's considered the #16 prospect among all players in the SEC, regardless of class. Unless things change--and his recent play suggests it might--he will be staying at Vanderbilt all four years.

Thanks for stopping by!

EDIT: I was wrong. He's a junior. See below for more on how his season is going!

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2038

Our eventful recruiting season ends with good news. Two bits of good news, in fact.

The first is a message from John Cannon. He's coming to Villanova next year. We offered him a scholarship without fully scouting him, because we couldn't afford to wait that long.

The second good news comes when we take a look at his ratings.
#22 SG John Cannon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-4
Weight: 191
High School: Hueytown High School
Hometown: Hueytown, AL
GPA: 3.12
Test Score: 1270
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 39 47 45 85 54 28 28 5 13 52 69 27 71 58 51 42
Potential: C B C A B C D F F B A C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24.2 2.3 3.9 6.0 1.7 3.64 5.9 1.2 2.3

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.1 19.8 .508 1.3 2.1 .634 2.8 6.3 .444

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Committed to Villanova
Rankings: #11 Overall, #3 SG, Southeast Region #2 Overall, Southeast Region #1 SG
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Alabama)
Top 5 Schools: Tennessee, *Villanova, Wake Forest, Missouri, North Carolina

John is definitely the kind of player I would have recruited anyway. His high three-point shooting percentage is supported by his ratings. He takes care of the ball, and he'll do his part defensively, as long as we don't ask him to guard a bigger player. John won't average six steals per game the way he does in high school, but opposing ballhandlers will constantly need to be on the lookout.

I can understand why a boy from SEC country might have grown up wanting to play for Tennessee. I'm hoping John won't be too homesick playing almost 800 miles from his suburban Birmingham home.

Welcome to the Wildcat family, John.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2038
@#1 Villanova 90, St. Mary's 44
We double the score on the Gaels, featuring a career-high 30 points from Luke Christensen.

Dane Barlow adds 15 points and 5 assists, and Zayden Calhoun contributes 11 and 6. Demetrius Reed controls the paint with 7 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots.

Jordi Ballester starts, and he finishes with 2 points and 6 rebounds. Zak Marshall provides 7 points, 5 boards, and 2 blocks in reserve duty.
Record: 5-0.


December 5, 2038
#1 Villanova 88, @Penn State 76
This time it's Zayden Calhoun's time to shine, as he scores 25 points and grabs 11 rebounds in a road victory up in State College.

Luke Christensen helps out with 20 points. Tony Flaherty adds 10 points and 6 rebounds off the bench.

The Nittany Lions attempt only 4 three-pointers, making one of them. I don't think I've ever seen a team take that few threes.
Record: 6-0.


December 11, 2038
@#1 Villanova 85, Bucknell 63
Graham Sims' former Patriot League foe keeps things close for a half, before we pull away to a comfortable victory.

Dane Barlow combines 14 points with 13 assists and 4 steals, while Zayden Calhoun and Jordi Ballester lead us with 20 points and 10 rebounds, respectively. Luke Christensen adds 15 points, and Calhoun grabs 9 rebounds.
Record: 7-0.


December 15, 2038
@#1 Villanova 81, #12 Stanford 53
I expected this game would be an exciting one when I scheduled it, but the Cardinal can't generate any offense in the face of a pesky, opportunistic Villanova defense.

We record 15 steals, the second-most by a Sims-coached Villanova team, and hold the visitors to 18-for-55 shooting from the field. Meanwhile, we get solid performances from Zayden Calhoun (21p/4s), Dane Barlow (15p/9a/2s), and Luke Christensen (13p/6r/3s/2b)

Zak Marshall scores 8 points and grabs 4 rebounds in his first career start. Jordi Ballester finishes with 5 points and 6 boards off the bench.
Record: 8-0.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 19, 2038
@#1 Villanova 90, Marquette 55
An opponent from the "old" Big East gives us all we can handle for 20 minutes. It's 37-33 at the half. After the break, it's a completely different game.

Zayden Calhoun remains hot, scoring 21 points, dishing out 5 assists, and making 2 steals. Luke Christensen, our leading scorer this season (19.6 PPG) hits his average with 20 and grabs 6 rebounds. Dane Barlow adds 18 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Nick Spencer has 5 assists and 7 points in 17 productive minutes.
Record: 9-0.


December 23, 2038
@#1 Villanova 72, William & Mary 55
The Tribe visit for an interesting pre-Christmas contest. The visitors shoot well from behind the arc, making 9 threes; they probably should have tried more than 17 of them. Meanwhile, we work the ball inside more than we usually do, too.

That's where Luke Christensen likes to operate, and he leads us with 24 points. Zayden Calhoun scores 13 with 7 rebounds, and Nick Spencer adds 13 more off the bench. Dane Barlow scores only 4 points, but he has 7 assists.

Chris Wilson returns to action, collecting 9 points and 5 rebounds.
Record: 10-0.


December 30, 2038
@Lehigh 81, #1 Villanova 73
The Mountain Hawks pull off one of the biggest upsets Graham Sims' teams have ever experienced. I'm sure many Lehigh fans particularly enjoy putting one over on their former Lafayette nemesis.

We shoot often (72 field goal attempts) and terribly (28 field goals made). Dane Barlow is especially profligate, firing 26 shots--the second most in team history--and making only 9. He also ties our all-time record with 20 three-point tries, making 7. Dane finishes with 25 points.

Zayden Calhoun is more efficient, hitting 5 of 10 triples and finishing with 23 points. Luke Christensen (10) is the only other Wildcat in double figures.
Record: 10-1.


January 1, 2039
I wondered how we would respond after the surprising loss to Lehigh.
#1 Villanova 102, #22 Lafayette 77

----------------------------------------------------------
Lafayette (9-3, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jalen Christian C 23 4-8 1-3 2 3 2 1 9
Q. Derryberry PF 25 5-13 4-8 2 3 2 2 14
D. Lingenfelter SF 31 4-9 2-2 0 7 4 2 13
Morris Smith SG 22 0-1 4-4 0 3 1 4 4
Liam Harris PG 32 4-5 2-2 1 3 8 3 11
E. Leatherwood C 24 8-10 0-0 0 4 0 1 16
Jon Jordan C 11 0-1 0-0 1 2 0 1 0
Hugo Adams SF 7 1-4 0-0 0 1 2 0 2
Josef Edmonds SG 19 1-4 0-0 0 4 2 1 2
Clark Granado SG 7 2-2 0-0 0 0 1 2 6

Turnovers: 18 (J.Christian 2, Q.Derryberry 4,
D.Lingenfelter 1, M.Smith 3, L.Harris 1, E.Leatherwood
2, J.Edmonds 4, C.Granado 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (Q.Derryberry 1, D.Lingenfelter 1,
M.Smith 1, E.Leatherwood 1)
Steals: 6 (D.Lingenfelter 1, L.Harris 2, E.Leatherwood
1, J.Edmonds 2)
3P FGs: 6-14 (D.Lingenfelter 3-6, M.Smith 0-1, L.Harris
1-2, H.Adams 0-1, J.Edmonds 0-2, C.Granado 2-2)

Villanova (11-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 26 1-1 0-2 0 6 0 2 2
Chris Wilson PF 20 1-3 0-1 0 2 3 4 2
Luke Christensen SF 28 6-12 0-0 2 6 5 2 13
Zayden Calhoun SG 26 11-19 0-0 3 6 4 3 31
Dane Barlow PG 31 12-17 0-1 2 7 4 1 30
Nick Spencer PG 17 3-4 4-4 0 0 3 1 12
Tony Flaherty SF 12 2-6 0-0 0 1 2 1 4
DeAndre Brown SG 6 2-2 0-0 0 1 0 0 6
Zak Marshall C 23 0-4 0-0 2 6 1 1 0
Jordi Ballester PF 10 1-1 0-1 1 1 1 3 2

Turnovers: 13 (Z.Calhoun 4, D.Barlow 2, T.Flaherty 2,
Z.Marshall 5)
Blocked Shots: 6 (C.Wilson 2, D.Barlow 1, Z.Marshall 3)
Steals: 9 (D.Reed 1, L.Christensen 3, D.Barlow 3,
N.Spencer 1, T.Flaherty 1)
3P FGs: 20-36 (L.Christensen 1-5, Z.Calhoun 9-15,
D.Barlow 6-10, N.Spencer 2-3, T.Flaherty 0-1, D.Brown
2-2)

Player of Game: PG Dane Barlow (VLNV)
I'd say we respond very well.

We tie our all-time record with 20 made three-pointers. Dane Barlow and Zayden Calhoun, who account for 15 of them, both achieve career highs in points.

The first half resembles an all-star game; we lead 63-47 going into the intermission. More normal college basketball is played during the following twenty minutes.
Record: 11-1.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 3, 2039
2038 Big East Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------------
#9 Connecticut 0 0 .000 12 2 .857 28 77
#7 Boston College 0 0 .000 12 1 .923 29 100
#13 Georgetown 0 0 .000 12 2 .857 151 100
#2 Villanova 0 0 .000 11 1 .917 1 100
Pittsburgh 0 0 .000 10 4 .714 44 93
Providence 0 0 .000 10 2 .833 126 70
St. John's 0 0 .000 8 3 .727 162 68
Seton Hall 0 0 .000 8 6 .571 270 54
Syracuse 0 0 .000 7 3 .700 297 73

The Big East is going to be fun to watch again this year. There seems to be a "top five" and a "bottom three," but I still get the sense that any of the eight teams could defeat each other on any given night.

Sutton Watch: Guess who's leading the SEC in scoring?
Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 35 35 28.1 17.9 1.1 3.6 2.1 2.7 0.80 0.5 0.2 2.8
2037 33 33 25.8 17.2 0.9 3.4 2.7 1.9 1.42 1.1 0.2 2.5
2038 13 13 31.4 21.2 1.1 4.4 3.3 1.4 2.39 1.5 0.2 2.3
Career 81 81 27.7 18.2 1.0 3.6 2.5 2.1 2.39 0.9 0.2 2.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 6.2 12.6 .491 2.2 2.5 .875 3.3 7.2 .464 1.42 4.83
2037 5.6 11.2 .499 3.0 3.8 .800 3.0 6.1 .485 1.53 5.03
2038 7.8 15.2 .510 2.2 2.5 .848 3.5 7.0 .505 1.39 11.62
Career 6.2 12.5 .498 2.5 3.0 .833 3.2 6.7 .479 1.46 6.00

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 35 35 984 628 39 125 75 94 19 8 98
2037 33 33 851 568 29 112 88 62 36 6 81
2038 13 13 408 276 14 57 43 18 19 3 30
Career 81 81 2243 1472 82 294 206 174 74 17 209

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 217 442 77 88 117 252 169
2037 185 371 100 125 98 202 166
2038 101 198 28 33 46 91 151
Career 503 1011 205 246 261 545 486

I realize I mis-posted earlier. Charlie Sutton is, indeed, a junior this year. This could be his final season at Vanderbilt, but pro scouts aren't crazy about him for some reason. He's not listed among the top 50 players in his class. Dane Barlow is--he's #36--and Dane is being told it would be a mistake for him to declare for the draft.

I think it's likely we'll see Charlie back for his senior season.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 5, 2039
@#2 Villanova 77, Seton Hall 59
Chris Wilson plays the best game of his young collegiate career as we win our Big East opener.

The freshman post player scores 14 points and pulls in a career-high 11 rebounds. Luke Christensen scores 23 points, Zayden Calhoun adds 16, and Dane Barlow has 10 and 8 assists.

We don't shoot very well (.456/.263/.714), but we make up for it with sound defense.
Record: 12-1 (1-0).


January 8, 2039
#2 Villanova 72, #13 Georgetown 69

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (13-1, 2-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 27 0-1 3-4 3 7 1 0 3
Chris Wilson PF 29 5-13 7-8 2 4 1 2 17
Luke Christensen SF 29 1-10 4-4 0 1 4 0 6
Zayden Calhoun SG 30 9-14 1-1 0 11 3 2 21
Dane Barlow PG 34 2-7 0-0 0 1 10 1 5
Nick Spencer PG 14 2-5 0-0 2 2 1 0 4
Tony Flaherty SF 11 3-5 3-3 0 0 0 0 10
DeAndre Brown SG 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Zak Marshall C 17 2-4 1-2 1 1 0 3 6
Jordi Ballester PF 7 0-1 0-0 0 3 0 1 0

Turnovers: 9 (C.Wilson 4, Z.Calhoun 1, D.Barlow 1,
N.Spencer 2, Z.Marshall 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (D.Reed 4, Z.Marshall 1)
Steals: 10 (D.Reed 2, L.Christensen 2, Z.Calhoun 3,
N.Spencer 1, T.Flaherty 2)
3P FGs: 5-13 (L.Christensen 0-1, Z.Calhoun 2-4,
D.Barlow 1-4, N.Spencer 0-1, T.Flaherty 1-2,
Z.Marshall 1-1)

Georgetown (12-4, 0-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
J. Sanders, Jr. C 30 5-9 2-2 4 10 0 2 12
Joshua Lee PF 34 6-12 2-2 2 10 2 4 14
Edgar Beck SF 21 3-8 0-0 1 2 1 5 8
Josh Medley SG 34 5-15 1-1 2 4 3 3 14
Bernie Johnson PG 34 4-8 0-0 2 6 2 2 11
Gus Dean SF 19 2-6 0-0 3 7 2 3 6
Jerry King C 13 0-3 0-0 1 5 1 1 0
Gregory Mendez SG 6 1-1 0-0 0 0 1 0 2
Otto Harrold PG 4 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Stevie Liang PF 4 0-0 2-2 0 2 0 0 2

Turnovers: 20 (J.Sanders, Jr. 4, J.Lee 3, E.Beck 1,
J.Medley 4, B.Johnson 2, G.Dean 4, J.King 1, G.Mendez
1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (J.Sanders, Jr. 4, J.Lee 1, G.Mendez 1)
Steals: 0
3P FGs: 10-23 (E.Beck 2-6, J.Medley 3-8, B.Johnson 3-5,
G.Dean 2-4)

Player of Game: SG Zayden Calhoun (VLNV)

We hold off a late charge from the Hoyas to win a big game on the road.

Our lead is 11 points with 1:45 remaining, and Georgetown cuts that lead to 4 courtesy of a three-pointer from Josh Medley with 14 seconds left. After Luke Christensen converts a one-and-one, Gus Dean bangs in a three to cut our lead to 72-69.

Zayden Calhoun once again shows up for a big game, and Dane Barlow runs the offense like an orchestra conductor. Young Chris Wilson holds his own against the Hoyas' tough James Sanders, Jr. and Joshua Lee, both of whom I tried hard to get into Villanova colors.
Record: 13-1 (2-0).


January 12, 2039
#4 Villanova 97, @Syracuse 50
Who says Luke Christensen can't shoot threes?

The senior swingman goes 5-for-7 from long range and finds enough room for his trademark inside moves to score a career-high 33 points. He adds 7 rebounds and 2 blocked shots for good measure. Luke, who didn't have a secure handle on a starting job coming out of camp, is ever-present in the lineup now, and ranks third among Big East scorers at an even 19.0 per game.

Dane Barlow (23p/7r/6a), Zayden Calhoun (9p/7r/6a), and Tony Flaherty (11p) are also big contributors.
Record: 14-1 (3-0).


January 17, 2039
#2 Villanova 101, Pittsburgh 41

----------------------------------------------------------
Pittsburgh (11-8, 1-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Amir Kirk C 24 1-7 0-0 4 10 0 3 2
Chris Hicks PF 27 0-3 0-0 3 9 0 4 0
Carl Bias SF 23 1-4 0-0 0 0 0 3 2
Victor Goble SG 26 3-9 0-0 0 1 3 4 9
Roland Goodnight PG 24 3-7 3-3 0 1 2 1 11
Tanner McLaughlin SG 14 0-0 2-2 0 0 1 0 2
Broderick Boone SF 23 3-12 1-2 0 5 2 3 8
Stanley Arnold PG 8 1-2 0-0 0 0 1 1 2
Tad Dupuis PF 23 0-3 0-0 3 4 1 1 0
Luigi Woods C 7 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 2
Kenneth McGee SG 2 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 3

Turnovers: 30 (A.Kirk 2, C.Hicks 2, C.Bias 3, V.Goble
5, R.Goodnight 6, T.McLaughlin 4, B.Boone 7, S.Arnold
1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (C.Hicks 3, T.Dupuis 2)
Steals: 3 (R.Goodnight 1, B.Boone 2)
3P FGs: 7-21 (C.Hicks 0-2, V.Goble 3-6, R.Goodnight
2-4, B.Boone 1-6, T.Dupuis 0-1, K.McGee 1-2)

Villanova (15-1, 4-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 24 1-2 2-2 4 9 1 1 4
Chris Wilson PF 26 2-4 1-2 0 3 2 1 5
Luke Christensen SF 24 10-18 5-5 3 5 2 4 28
Zayden Calhoun SG 30 12-27 5-6 4 8 2 0 34
Dane Barlow PG 8 1-1 1-1 0 1 3 4 3
Nick Spencer PG 29 4-6 2-2 0 0 5 1 13
Tony Flaherty SF 23 4-7 0-0 0 2 5 2 10
DeAndre Brown SG 7 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 0
Zak Marshall C 23 0-1 1-2 3 10 0 0 1
Jordi Ballester PF 7 0-0 3-4 1 2 1 0 3

Turnovers: 10 (L.Christensen 1, Z.Calhoun 2, D.Barlow
1, N.Spencer 2, T.Flaherty 3, D.Brown 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (D.Reed 4, C.Wilson 1, T.Flaherty 1,
Z.Marshall 1)
Steals: 17 (C.Wilson 1, L.Christensen 5, Z.Calhoun 4,
D.Barlow 1, N.Spencer 4, T.Flaherty 1, D.Brown 1)
3P FGs: 13-28 (L.Christensen 3-5, Z.Calhoun 5-15,
N.Spencer 3-4, T.Flaherty 2-3, D.Brown 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Zayden Calhoun (VLNV)
Wawa Arena is as loud as it's ever been, as the Wildcats roar to a big, big victory over in-state, conference rival Pitt.

We play as well as I've ever seen us, doing so many things so very well--and it happens against a tough opponent.

The student section awards new nicknames to two of their favorites, holding signs that say Z-Money for Mr. Calhoun and the Force for Mr. Christensen. Those two gentlemen combine for 62 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 steals.

We keep pace with a powerful Boston College team at the top of the Big East standings.
Record: 15-1 (5-0).

[MoonlightGraham]

January 19, 2039
#2 Villanova 97, @Providence 63
The Friars are struggling in conference play, and we don't make things easier for them today.

We rack up 24 "stocks" (steals + blocks), evenly divided. Luke Christensen (19p/6r/4s), Zayden Calhoun (19p), Tony Flaherty (14p/3s), Demetrius Reed (7p/12r/5b), and Chris Wilson (7p/10r) record at least 10 of something, and Dane Barlow finishes with 8 points and 6 helpers.
Record: 16-1 (5-0).


January 24, 2039
Game #1000
#3 Villanova 95, #10 Connecticut 76

---------------------------------------------------------
Connecticut (16-4, 4-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Tony Craighead C 21 5-9 0-0 1 2 2 2 10
Jelani Obasie C 20 1-3 2-3 2 5 1 5 4
Morris Thiele SF 28 7-20 5-7 1 4 1 3 19
Clifton Bowe SG 31 5-12 1-1 1 4 6 2 13
Michael Mancini PG 29 3-6 0-0 1 3 1 2 8
Larry Malone PG 11 0-3 2-2 0 0 1 3 2
Ellis Torres PF 15 1-4 3-4 0 3 1 5 5
Daniel Brown PF 22 3-6 0-0 4 9 2 1 6
Edmond Aaron SG 21 3-4 0-1 2 5 3 0 9
Lindsay Tipton C 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Michael Voss PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 17 (T.Craighead 1, J.Obasie 3, M.Thiele 5,
C.Bowe 4, E.Aaron 4)
Blocked Shots: 2 (M.Thiele 1, C.Bowe 1)
Steals: 7 (T.Craighead 2, M.Thiele 2, C.Bowe 1,
E.Torres 1, D.Brown 1)
3P FGs: 7-24 (J.Obasie 0-1, M.Thiele 0-3, C.Bowe 2-9,
M.Mancini 2-4, L.Malone 0-3, E.Aaron 3-4)

Villanova (17-1, 6-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 22 0-1 6-6 2 10 0 4 6
Chris Wilson PF 27 5-8 2-5 1 3 5 2 12
Luke Christensen SF 19 5-10 9-9 1 1 1 3 19
Zayden Calhoun SG 26 8-15 0-0 1 4 2 2 19
Dane Barlow PG 31 5-9 1-2 0 4 5 1 11
Nick Spencer PG 17 3-6 1-2 0 3 6 0 9
Tony Flaherty SF 16 2-3 5-6 0 1 1 1 9
DeAndre Brown SG 8 0-0 2-2 0 2 1 2 2
Zak Marshall C 22 2-2 0-0 0 4 2 3 4
Jordi Ballester PF 11 2-2 0-0 0 5 0 0 4
David Lovett SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (D.Reed 2, C.Wilson 2, L.Christensen 2,
Z.Calhoun 2, D.Barlow 3, N.Spencer 1, T.Flaherty 1,
Z.Marshall 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (D.Reed 2, T.Flaherty 1, Z.Marshall 2)
Steals: 12 (C.Wilson 1, L.Christensen 2, Z.Calhoun 1,
D.Barlow 2, N.Spencer 1, T.Flaherty 3, J.Ballester 2)
3P FGs: 5-19 (L.Christensen 0-3, Z.Calhoun 3-9,
D.Barlow 0-3, N.Spencer 2-4)

Player of Game: SF Luke Christensen (VLNV)
On November 14, 2011, a thirty-two-year-old basketball coach named Graham Sims coached his first NCAA game. His Lafayette Leopards lost to St. Peter's, 70-61, at the Kirby Center.

Tonight, all five of the men who started that game for Lafayette, over 27 years ago, are among those on hand to celebrate the 1000th game of Coach Sims' illustrious career. Graham is the first coach in NCAA history to reach this milestone.

All in all, 83 players who suited up for Coach Sims at Lafayette or Villanova are at Wawa Arena tonight. So is the one man who played for him at both schools: his son, Duncan, who has recently drawn the curtain closed on an eight-year professional basketball career. Duncan isn't sure if he remembers his dad's first season; he was five years old at the time.

Also on hand are retired coaches Brooks Runyan and Wallace Hastings, two of Graham's favorite opponents. Those venerable coaches have between them 1732 career victories, 20 conference titles, and three national championships. When this fact is pointed out to Coach Runyan, he smiles. "That's wonderful, but I think Graham has that many himself." The humble Kentuckian is correct in two cases; Graham has coached teams to 21 conference crowns and five national titles.

The capacity crowd watches the current Wildcats roll to victory over a tough UConn team. The victory runs Coach Sims' career record to 860-140.

How many lie ahead for the veteran coach, who is still trim and healthy at age 59?

We shall see.
Record: 17-1 (6-0).

[MoonlightGraham]

January 26, 2039
Another boxscore-worthy Big East battle.
#3 Villanova 79, #7 Boston College 76

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boston College (17-3, 5-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
David Getty C 31 6-10 7-11 2 7 3 1 20
Patya Bure PF 30 2-6 1-2 2 6 2 2 5
Michael Smyth SF 31 4-11 6-8 0 4 1 4 15
Damien Walz SG 30 4-7 0-0 4 6 2 1 11
Gary Fairfield PG 35 4-9 1-1 0 2 7 0 9
Sandy Howells SG 16 4-8 4-4 0 1 0 1 14
Abe Gunderson C 12 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 2 2
Mervin Hutchison PF 6 0-1 0-0 1 3 0 2 0
Teddy Wine SF 5 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Gary Jordan PG 3 0-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 18 (D.Getty 2, P.Bure 1, M.Smyth 7, D.Walz
4, G.Fairfield 1, M.Hutchison 2, T.Wine 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Getty 3)
Steals: 7 (D.Getty 1, M.Smyth 1, D.Walz 2, G.Fairfield
3)
3P FGs: 7-19 (D.Getty 1-1, M.Smyth 1-3, D.Walz 3-5,
G.Fairfield 0-3, S.Howells 2-5, G.Jordan 0-2)

Villanova (18-1, 7-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 28 2-3 0-1 2 10 5 2 4
Chris Wilson PF 27 5-10 2-2 1 4 2 3 12
Luke Christensen SF 28 7-15 0-0 1 4 4 5 15
Zayden Calhoun SG 24 3-7 0-0 1 3 4 5 7
Dane Barlow PG 33 6-9 0-0 0 1 4 1 14
Nick Spencer PG 18 3-8 0-0 0 2 4 0 7
Tony Flaherty SF 12 3-3 2-2 0 0 0 1 9
DeAndre Brown SG 4 1-1 2-2 0 1 2 0 4
Zak Marshall C 19 3-3 0-0 0 5 2 1 6
Jordi Ballester PF 5 0-0 1-2 1 2 0 3 1

Turnovers: 20 (D.Reed 1, C.Wilson 2, L.Christensen 4,
Z.Calhoun 1, D.Barlow 6, N.Spencer 1, T.Flaherty 2,
Z.Marshall 2, J.Ballester 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (D.Reed 4, C.Wilson 2, Z.Marshall 1)
Steals: 9 (C.Wilson 1, L.Christensen 2, Z.Calhoun 2,
D.Barlow 1, N.Spencer 1, D.Brown 1, J.Ballester 1)
3P FGs: 6-13 (L.Christensen 1-3, Z.Calhoun 1-1,
D.Barlow 2-5, N.Spencer 1-3, T.Flaherty 1-1)

Player of Game: C David Getty (BSCOL)
We only shoot nine free throws all game long, but the four we make in the game's closing minute were crucial to this important victory. We're two games ahead of the Eagles atop the Big East race.

With Dane Barlow and Luke Christensen on the bench with five fouls, the stage is set for DeAndre Brown and Tony Flaherty to write their names in the story of this season. Both reserves coolly knock down both ends of one-and-ones to stall the Eagles' comeback attempt.

Demetrius Reed has his hands full with BC's star pivot, David Getty. Big D makes 2 of the 3 shots he takes, grabs 10 rebounds, blocks 4 shots, and finds teammates for a career-high 5 assists.

DeAndre has been unhappy lately. I hope his experience tonight helps reconvince him that Villanova is the place for him.
Record: 18-1 (7-0).


February 2, 2039
#2 Villanova 84, #15 Georgetown 80

--------------------------------------------------------
Georgetown (16-6, 4-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
J. Sanders, Jr. C 22 0-1 0-0 3 5 0 4 0
Joshua Lee PF 31 7-13 6-7 5 11 0 4 20
Edgar Beck SF 16 3-7 0-2 0 2 1 4 7
Josh Medley SG 35 9-18 4-6 2 4 4 3 26
Bernie Johnson PG 36 5-7 2-2 0 4 7 3 14
Gus Dean SF 26 2-7 0-0 0 1 2 3 6
Jerry King C 23 3-3 0-0 0 7 1 1 7
Gregory Mendez PG 4 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 0
Stevie Liang PF 6 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0 0

Turnovers: 23 (J.Sanders, Jr. 4, J.Lee 3, J.Medley 6,
B.Johnson 7, G.Dean 2, G.Mendez 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (B.Johnson 1, J.King 2, S.Liang 1)
Steals: 5 (E.Beck 2, B.Johnson 3)
3P FGs: 10-23 (E.Beck 1-5, J.Medley 4-7, B.Johnson 2-3,
G.Dean 2-7, J.King 1-1)

Villanova (19-1, 8-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 27 3-5 2-2 4 9 0 2 8
Chris Wilson PF 21 5-10 3-4 1 2 0 5 13
Luke Christensen SF 29 6-16 5-6 0 7 3 1 17
Zayden Calhoun SG 31 4-14 1-1 1 2 3 2 10
Dane Barlow PG 32 4-9 4-4 1 2 5 3 13
Nick Spencer PG 12 2-2 0-0 1 1 4 1 4
Tony Flaherty SF 13 3-4 3-4 2 3 2 2 9
DeAndre Brown SG 3 2-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 4
Zak Marshall C 26 3-6 0-0 1 5 0 1 6
Jordi Ballester PF 6 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (D.Reed 2, C.Wilson 1, L.Christensen 1,
Z.Calhoun 3, N.Spencer 1, T.Flaherty 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (C.Wilson 1, Z.Calhoun 1)
Steals: 10 (L.Christensen 2, Z.Calhoun 1, D.Barlow 2,
N.Spencer 2, T.Flaherty 1, D.Brown 2)
3P FGs: 2-17 (L.Christensen 0-4, Z.Calhoun 1-9,
D.Barlow 1-4)

Player of Game: PG Dane Barlow (VLNV)

We go into the intermission trailing the Hoyas, 46-32. Joshua Lee is treating our big men like his little brothers. Josh Medley keeps getting open looks and keeps making them. We can't make a three-pointer for anything.

But it's a different game in the second half. We start disrupting the Georgetown offense with steals. Young Chris Wilson starts locking down Lee. Luke Christensen and Wilson find room to score inside.

Then, Nick Spencer takes over the game.

There's 2:37 left to play, and the Hoyas lead, 80-74. Spencer is in the game giving a very tired Dane Barlow a breather. I plan on bringing Dane back at the next stoppage.

Then Nick steals a lazy Joshua Lee pass, takes it all the way, and finishes with a resounding dunk that drives the crowd wild. Nick Spencer is 5'11" on a tall day, with a Jumping rating of 45. No wonder they're excited!

The Hoyas inbound the ball, and we attack with a full-court press. Spencer swipes a Bernie Johnson pass. This time he settles for a layup. Georgetown 80, Villanova 78.

The Hoyas call time out, and coach Clint Grams devises a way for his team to advance the ball into the frontcourt. They get it into the hands of Josh Medley, which is what they want. Medley tries to drive...and DeAndre Brown, who is in the game to make a defensive stop, steals the ball from Medley. The sound inside Wawa Arena is deafening as DeAndre cruises in for the layup that ties the score.

Coach Sims calls off the press, but the Hoyas can't penetrate the Wildcat defense. Joshua Lee gets the ball inside, but Zak Marshall bodies him up and forces him to pass it back out. Bernie Johnson commits another turnover, flinging a wild pass into the stands.

The clock reads 1:34 as we inbound the ball against the Hoyas' press. We break it successfully and get what would ordinarily be a good shot: an uncontested corner three from Zayden Calhoun. Tonight, that shot's not going in. But Demetrius Reed outworks James Sanders, Jr., claims the rebound, and puts it back in. 82-80, Villanova.

Poor Sanders endures a nightmare of a game. The Villanova student section chant their belief that "Dad was better."

Two Dane Barlow free throws put the game on ice.
Record: 19-1 (8-0).


February 5, 2039
#2 Villanova 65, @St. John's 62
Remember when I said that any Big East team could beat any other, on any given night? The Red Storm, 3-4 in conference play, nearly prove that this evening. We need a buzzer-beating three from Dane Barlow to keep this one from going into overtime, when literally anything can happen.

Barlow finishes with 12 points and 7 assists. Zayden Calhoun has 14 points and 5 helpers. Tony Flaherty comes off the bench for 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Zak Marshall and Demetrius Reed also block 3 shots apiece.

We lengthen our lead in the Big East race to three games; UConn and Boston College are tied for second with 6-3 records.
Record: 20-1 (9-0).

[MoonlightGraham]

Sutton Watch: Charlie Sutton's Vanderbilt Commodores are fourth in the SEC, with a 7-3 conference record. That says more about the SEC, the nation's third-toughest conference* according to RPI, than it does about Vanderbilt, a 15-7 team that should go dancing next month.

Georgia's Stephen Reynolds (21.1 PPG) has edged ahead of Charlie in the conference scoring race, but the junior sharpshooter is still enjoying a fantastic year. He averages 20.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. He's one of the nation's most dangerous shooters, with a .508/.474/.833 slash line.

Charlie has scored 1651 points in his collegiate career. He needs 25 more to become Vanderbilt's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Robert Mapes '33.

* The Metro Conference and the Big East rank ahead of the SEC in conference RPI.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 8, 2039
Vanderbilt 79, #6 Kentucky 73

---------------------------------------------------------
Vanderbilt (16-7, 8-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Brady Joe C 28 1-3 0-0 0 5 1 2 2
Reuben Perez PF 30 2-3 4-4 2 6 2 3 8
Charlie Sutton SF 28 9-13 6-6 1 5 0 3 28
Brian Patterson SG 36 4-12 2-2 0 5 4 2 11
Fletcher Watkins SF 23 4-9 4-4 3 4 2 4 13
Paul Santana PG 26 4-6 1-1 1 1 5 1 9
Ramon Corcoran C 15 0-2 2-2 0 4 2 0 2
Romeo Ross PG 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 0
Dominick Legrand SF 4 2-3 0-0 1 1 0 0 4
Tyrell Essary C 7 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 2 2

Turnovers: 15 (B.Joe 3, R.Perez 1, C.Sutton 2,
B.Patterson 4, F.Watkins 1, P.Santana 3, R.Corcoran 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (R.Perez 1, C.Sutton 1, R.Corcoran 1)
Steals: 7 (B.Joe 1, C.Sutton 2, B.Patterson 1,
F.Watkins 2, P.Santana 1)
3P FGs: 6-16 (C.Sutton 4-5, B.Patterson 1-5, F.Watkins
1-5, P.Santana 0-1)

Kentucky (21-4, 9-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Mark Rotz C 25 2-9 6-6 1 6 1 4 10
Chris Williams PF 33 2-4 1-5 0 1 1 2 5
Ahmed Way SF 14 2-4 0-0 2 2 1 4 5
Avery Dumont SG 31 2-11 2-3 2 4 7 1 7
Jeffrey Cowley PG 28 2-3 2-2 2 4 3 3 7
Lucas Sheehan SG 15 4-6 0-0 0 2 3 1 10
Jeffrey Binion SF 23 6-7 2-4 2 5 1 4 18
Terry Tharp SG 14 1-7 0-0 1 2 1 0 3
Gordon Kern PG 7 3-4 0-0 1 1 1 1 8
Steve Brown PF 8 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0

Turnovers: 14 (M.Rotz 3, C.Williams 3, A.Way 1,
A.Dumont 1, J.Cowley 4, T.Tharp 2)
Blocked Shots: 8 (M.Rotz 1, C.Williams 5, L.Sheehan 2)
Steals: 7 (C.Williams 1, A.Way 1, A.Dumont 2, J.Cowley
1, T.Tharp 1, G.Kern 1)
3P FGs: 12-27 (A.Way 1-2, A.Dumont 1-9, J.Cowley 1-1,
L.Sheehan 2-4, J.Binion 4-4, T.Tharp 1-4, G.Kern 2-3)

Player of Game: SF Charlie Sutton (VNDY)

Charlie Sutton becomes the leading scorer in Vanderbilt history, pouring in 28 points to help his Commodores upset #6 Kentucky at Rupp Arena.

Charlie sinks 4 of his 5 three-point tries, all 6 of his free throw attempts, and 5 of his 8 two-point field goal attempts.

The junior from Indianapolis has a career total of 1679 points. He's made 292 three-pointers, and with three more treys, he'll pass Maynard Tucker '23 and become Vanderbilt's all-time leader in that category, too. I'll point out here that Charlie has taken 613 threes in his career, and Maynard attempted 673.

Congratulations, Mr. Sutton!

[MoonlightGraham]

February 12, 2039
#1 Villanova 76, @Seton Hall 67
The nation's new #1 team makes a short trip to Seton Hall and comes from behind to defeat the Pirates.

Luke Christensen (24p/8r/3s) leads all scorers. Zayden Calhoun, who is enduring a slump, adds 11 on 3-for-14 shooting. Chris Wilson scores 10, Dane Barlow hands out 9 assists, and Demetrius Reed grabs 12 rebounds and blocks 2 shots.

Our 3-for-19 shooting from three-point distance is concerning, as it follows a 2-for-17 performance against Georgetown. Nevertheless, a win is a win.
Record: 21-1 (10-0).


February 14, 2039
@#1 Villanova 92, Syracuse 60
Remember what I said about Zayden Calhoun being in a slump?

Never mind.

Z-Money scores a career-high 38 points in a big win over the Orange. He goes 5-for-6 outside the arc and 7-for-10 inside it. He also makes all 9 of his free throws. Oh, and he finds time to grab 7 rebounds. Zayden's total is the highest ever achieved by a Villanova player not named Mason Reynolds, who scored 52 and 38 on his best scoring nights.

Luke Christensen (18p/5r/5s), Nick Spencer (12p/8a/6r), and Tony Flaherty (12p) join Zayden in double figures, and Demetrius Reed has 9 rebounds.

Zayden is everybody's Valentine tonight.
Record: 22-1 (11-0).


February 16, 2039
#1 Villanova 89, @Pittsburgh 80
This Villanova-Pitt matchup is much more like the usual, as we withstand 33 points from Victor Goble to secure a competitive win.

Dane Barlow (19p/8a) is the Player of the Game, although I might have honored Goble's efforts instead. Luke Christensen (17p/2s), Demetrius Reed (6p/12r/2b) and Zayden Calhoun (15p/5r) also make important contributions.
Record: 23-1 (12-0).


February 21, 2039
@#1 Villanova 100, Providence 72
Five Villanovans finish in double figures and a sixth scores 9 points to facilitate a victory over the Friars at Wawa Arena.

Luke Christensen (22p/7r/3s) leads the way. He's followed by Chris Wilson (17p/2b/2s), Zayden Calhoun (16p/3s), Tony Flaherty (14p/8r), and Nick Spencer (13p/6a). Demetrius Reed (11p/5b) and Dane Barlow (9p/5a/2s) help, too.
Record: 24-1 (13-0).

[MoonlightGraham]

February 23, 2039
@#10 Connecticut 76, #1 Villanova 60
We enter the day with a chance to clinch the Big East championship, but the Huskies make sure we don't do it at their house.

Luke Christensen matches UConn star Morris Thiele with 19 points, but five Huskies score in double digits to our three. Zayden Calhoun (15p/7r) and Nick Spencer (10p) also reach that standard.

Turnovers are our undoing. We commit 25 of them, which is the most ever by a Villanova team and one less than the record for a Graham Sims-coached team. Christensen is the most careless, with 8.
Record: 24-2 (13-1).


February 27, 2039
@#1 Villanova 88, Vermont 79
The pesky Catamounts give us a stern test in an out-of-conference interlude today.

Zayden Calhoun leads us with 22 points and contributes 3 steals. Chris Wilson adds a career-high 19, with 6 rebounds. Luke Christensen and Demetrius Reed contribute 11 each; Dane Barlow finishes with 7 points and 10 assists.
Record: 25-2 (13-1).


March 2, 2039
#2 Villanova 95, St. John's 50

---------------------------------------------------------
St. John's (17-11, 7-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jack Chartier C 22 2-4 3-5 0 4 1 4 7
Chris Miskin PF 22 1-5 0-0 1 4 0 4 2
Walker Smith SF 33 4-10 0-0 0 2 0 3 8
Geoffrey Springer SG 25 2-4 0-0 0 0 2 1 6
James Boucher PG 20 0-2 0-0 0 2 2 4 0
Erik Thomason PF 22 3-8 2-4 3 8 2 1 9
Andy Womack C 15 0-2 3-4 0 1 1 1 3
James Pfaff PG 15 0-2 0-0 0 3 0 2 0
Michael Hall SF 6 1-3 1-2 1 1 0 0 3
Wilmer Jackson SG 20 5-10 0-1 1 2 0 1 12

Turnovers: 19 (C.Miskin 1, W.Smith 6, G.Springer 3,
J.Boucher 2, E.Thomason 1, J.Pfaff 2, W.Jackson 4)
Blocked Shots: 2 (C.Miskin 1, E.Thomason 1)
Steals: 6 (G.Springer 3, A.Womack 1, M.Hall 1,
W.Jackson 1)
3P FGs: 5-13 (G.Springer 2-3, E.Thomason 1-2, A.Womack
0-1, J.Pfaff 0-2, W.Jackson 2-5)

Villanova (26-2, 14-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 23 5-5 0-0 4 7 1 4 10
Chris Wilson PF 30 3-8 4-6 4 15 0 1 10
Luke Christensen SF 29 9-15 5-6 5 10 2 2 26
Zayden Calhoun SG 31 7-15 4-4 1 4 4 2 21
Dane Barlow PG 32 4-11 2-2 1 1 7 1 13
Nick Spencer PG 12 2-3 1-2 0 1 3 0 5
Tony Flaherty SF 11 1-3 0-0 1 3 2 0 2
DeAndre Brown SG 6 1-2 0-0 1 1 0 3 3
Zak Marshall C 22 1-5 1-4 2 4 1 0 3
Jordi Ballester PF 5 1-2 0-0 0 4 1 1 2
David Lovett SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 9 (C.Wilson 2, L.Christensen 1, Z.Calhoun 2,
D.Barlow 1, T.Flaherty 3)
Blocked Shots: 8 (D.Reed 2, C.Wilson 4, T.Flaherty 1,
Z.Marshall 1)
Steals: 13 (L.Christensen 8, Z.Calhoun 1, D.Barlow 1,
N.Spencer 1, D.Brown 1, Z.Marshall 1)
3P FGs: 10-23 (L.Christensen 3-5, Z.Calhoun 3-8,
D.Barlow 3-7, T.Flaherty 0-2, D.Brown 1-1)

Player of Game: SF Luke Christensen (VLNV)
Luke Christensen celebrates his Senior Night in style, scoring 26 points and making more steals in a single game than any player Graham Sims has ever coached. The previous record was 6, set by Lafayette star Alvaro Kinard, back in 2017.

The Force willingly shares the spotlight with Zayden Calhoun, whose 21 points give him an even 1000 for his Villanova career. Z is a sophomore; very few players reach this milestone so soon.

And, best of all, we secure our sixth consecutive Big East conference championship in a row.
Record: 26-2 (14-1).


March 5, 2039
@#7 Boston College 85, #2 Villanova 75
Junior forward Michael Smyth scores 30 points to lead the Eagles to victory on the last day of the Big East regular season. David Getty scores 21 points, and Gary Fairfield dishes out 15 assists.

We're led by Dane Barlow, who scores 21, and Luke Christensen, who combines 14 points with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Chris Wilson finishes with 12 points.
Record: 26-3 (14-2).

[MoonlightGraham]

March 11, 2039

Syracuse wins the play-in game, and the Orange will face us next.
https://i.imgur.com/TR0Xzed.jpeg

Big East Tournament Quarterfinals
(1) #3 Villanova 77, Syracuse 69
We ride a career-best 30 points from junior guard Dane Barlow into the tournament semifinal.

Great Dane hits 4 of his 7 threes, and also manages 4 assists. Luke Christensen adds 13 points, and Demetrius Reed secures 10 rebounds.
Record: 27-3.


March 12, 2039
Big East Tournament Semifinal
(1) #3 Villanova 79, (4) #19 Georgetown 74
This time it's Zayden Calhoun at center stage, scoring 25 points as we eliminate the Hoyas and move to the final.

Luke Christensen (10p/10r/4s), Dane Barlow (7p/8a/4s), and Chris Wilson (13p/6r) provide quality assistance.
Record: 28-3.


March 13, 2039
Big East Tournament Championship
(1) #3 Villanova 91, (6) Pittsburgh 81

--------------------------------------------------------
Pittsburgh (19-14, 7-9):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Amir Kirk C 26 3-4 0-0 3 11 1 2 6
Chris Hicks PF 26 3-6 0-0 3 5 2 4 8
Carl Bias SF 28 6-11 0-2 3 6 2 1 12
Victor Goble SG 28 7-18 2-2 0 3 1 2 20
Roland Goodnight PG 19 2-6 0-0 0 1 5 4 6
Tanner McLaughlin PG 26 3-9 4-4 1 3 5 1 12
Broderick Boone SG 13 2-5 2-2 3 6 1 1 7
Kenneth McGee SF 6 2-4 0-0 1 1 0 1 6
Stanley Arnold PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Tad Dupuis PF 18 1-3 0-0 1 3 1 4 2
Luigi Woods C 10 1-4 0-0 0 0 0 1 2

Turnovers: 23 (A.Kirk 3, C.Hicks 1, C.Bias 1, V.Goble
4, R.Goodnight 2, T.McLaughlin 3, B.Boone 2, K.McGee
3, T.Dupuis 3, L.Woods 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (C.Hicks 2, C.Bias 1, T.Dupuis 2)
Steals: 10 (C.Bias 2, V.Goble 1, R.Goodnight 1,
T.McLaughlin 3, B.Boone 2, T.Dupuis 1)
3P FGs: 13-32 (C.Hicks 2-3, C.Bias 0-1, V.Goble 4-9,
R.Goodnight 2-6, T.McLaughlin 2-5, B.Boone 1-3,
K.McGee 2-4, T.Dupuis 0-1)

Villanova (29-3, 14-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 28 1-5 0-2 4 11 0 3 2
Chris Wilson PF 29 1-2 2-6 1 6 1 3 4
Luke Christensen SF 25 9-14 0-0 1 1 1 4 21
Zayden Calhoun SG 32 10-19 5-6 2 7 3 2 30
Dane Barlow PG 33 4-8 6-6 1 5 6 3 17
Nick Spencer PG 20 3-5 2-2 0 0 6 1 8
Tony Flaherty SF 10 0-4 2-2 0 1 1 0 2
DeAndre Brown SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Zak Marshall C 18 2-4 3-4 2 6 0 0 7
Jordi Ballester PF 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 18 (C.Wilson 3, L.Christensen 2, Z.Calhoun
4, D.Barlow 5, N.Spencer 2, Z.Marshall 1, J.Ballester
1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (D.Reed 3, L.Christensen 1, Z.Marshall
1)
Steals: 16 (L.Christensen 5, Z.Calhoun 3, D.Barlow 4,
N.Spencer 2, Z.Marshall 1, J.Ballester 1)
3P FGs: 11-27 (L.Christensen 3-6, Z.Calhoun 5-12,
D.Barlow 3-7, N.Spencer 0-1, T.Flaherty 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Zayden Calhoun (VLNV)
Strong performances from our perimeter players make the difference as we end Pitt's Cinderella story with a victory in the Big East tournament final.

Guards and wings score 76 of our points, led by Zayden Calhoun's 30 and Luke Christensen's 21. Luke uses the Force to make 5 more steals; if he manages 3 more before his career ends, he'll break our single-season record in that category.

The Wildcats lift the tournament trophy for the seventh time since Coach Sims arrived.
Record: 29-3.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 14, 2039
The NCAA tournament committee awards us the top seed in the East Region. The other one seeds are North Carolina (West), Kansas State (Midwest), and Louisville (South).


March 17, 2039
NCAA East Region, First Round
(1) #2 Villanova 78, (16) Western Carolina 62
We run our record to 2-0 against teams with the Catamount mascot.

Dane Barlow's 17 points lead a balanced attack; he also distributes 7 assists. And, in the process, Dane scores the 1000th point of his Villanova career.

Zayden Calhoun and Chris Wilson score 14 each. Luke Christensen adds 12, Tony Flaherty 11. Demetrius Reed claims 12 rebounds.
Record: 30-3.


March 19, 2039
NCAA East Region, Second Round
(1) #2 Villanova 78, (8) Butler 47
We have very little trouble with the Bulldogs, who try to slow the pace of the game down but fail to solve our half-court defense.

Zayden Calhoun leads a balanced pack of scorers with 16 points. Chris Wilson (14p/10r) completes a nice double-double. Luke Christensen (14) and Dane Barlow (13) also reach double figures, and Demetrius Reed (10) does so in rebounds.

Two steals by Luke Christensen are enough to break Brock Busse's single season record, set in 2024.
Record: 31-3.


March 24, 2039
NCAA East Regional Semifinal: the Sweet Sixteen
(1) #2 Villanova 82, (5) #25 Florida 75
Teams that make long tournament runs often get outstanding play from experienced guards, like Dane Barlow. He scores 19 points, hands out 8 assists, and makes 4 steals as we defeat the Gators and advance to the regional final.

Zayden Calhoun (15p/8r), Luke Christensen (15p), Chris Wilson (13p), and Demetrius Reed (10p/3b) also make solid contributions.
Record: 32-3.


March 26, 2039
NCAA East Region Championship: the Elite Eight
(2) #6 Kentucky 85, (1) #2 Villanova 78 (OT)

--------------------------------------------------------
Kentucky (32-5, 15-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Mark Rotz C 32 8-15 4-8 2 9 2 4 21
Chris Williams PF 37 2-7 2-2 0 4 2 1 6
Ahmed Way SF 37 6-10 0-0 3 6 0 4 15
Avery Dumont SG 34 1-11 4-4 0 5 9 3 6
Jeffrey Cowley PG 40 8-12 2-3 2 4 4 0 21
Lucas Sheehan SG 13 3-5 1-2 1 2 2 4 8
Jeffrey Binion PF 16 0-1 0-0 0 3 1 3 0
Terry Tharp SG 8 3-4 0-0 0 0 0 0 8
Gordon Kern PG 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Steve Brown PF 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 17 (C.Williams 1, A.Way 3, A.Dumont 8,
J.Cowley 3, L.Sheehan 1, G.Kern 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (C.Williams 1, A.Way 3, A.Dumont 1)
Steals: 13 (M.Rotz 3, A.Way 3, A.Dumont 3, J.Cowley 2,
J.Binion 1, T.Tharp 1)
3P FGs: 10-27 (M.Rotz 1-1, A.Way 3-7, A.Dumont 0-7,
J.Cowley 3-7, L.Sheehan 1-2, T.Tharp 2-3)

Villanova (32-4, 14-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Demetrius Reed C 31 0-1 0-0 5 9 3 4 0
Chris Wilson PF 31 1-6 1-4 0 9 2 4 3
Luke Christensen SF 32 12-19 0-0 2 6 0 3 25
Zayden Calhoun SG 35 4-13 4-5 2 8 5 3 12
Dane Barlow PG 36 9-12 4-6 0 1 3 2 25
Nick Spencer PG 17 3-7 0-0 1 1 5 2 6
Tony Flaherty SF 14 2-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 5
DeAndre Brown SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Zak Marshall C 19 1-6 0-0 2 5 0 0 2
Jordi Ballester PF 8 0-2 0-0 1 3 1 0 0

Turnovers: 22 (D.Reed 2, C.Wilson 3, L.Christensen 2,
Z.Calhoun 8, D.Barlow 4, N.Spencer 1, T.Flaherty 2)
Blocked Shots: 4 (D.Reed 2, Z.Marshall 2)
Steals: 9 (L.Christensen 4, Z.Calhoun 3, D.Barlow 1,
N.Spencer 1)
3P FGs: 5-18 (L.Christensen 1-4, Z.Calhoun 0-5,
D.Barlow 3-5, N.Spencer 0-1, T.Flaherty 1-1,
Z.Marshall 0-1, J.Ballester 0-1)

Player of Game: PG Jeffrey Cowley (KY)
Our season ends with an overtime loss to Kentucky in the East Region championship game. It's a loss that will hurt for a while, because of the way it happened.

We're ahead, 67-59, with 36 seconds remaining in regulation. Then, UK's Mark Rotz hits a three-pointer. Do you remember Mark Rotz? Dane Barlow does. Rotz has made two three-point field goals in his career. Both have come against Villanova. Both have been noteworthy. (https://forums.operationsports.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=3427657&postcount=686)

A steal and dunk by Jeffrey Cowley makes the score 67-64. Kentucky fouls Dane Barlow, a 71 percent free throw shooter who will now have two shots. He misses both of them.

We get a defensive stop, and Kentucky fouls Chris Wilson with six seconds left on the clock. Chris misses both his shots, too.

Kentucky's Terry Tharp, a freshman who is in the game for one reason, plays his role perfectly He buries a three from the left wing as the buzzer sounds, sending the game to overtime.

We battle hard, but I think we're still reeling from the way the last 36 seconds of regulation time played out.
Record: 32-4.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 4, 2039

The Final Four, the first in four years without Villanova, is a classic. Louisville beats North Carolina, 77-76, and Kentucky knocks off Kansas State, 113-110, in overtime.

The all-Bluegrass State championship game goes to Louisville, who outlast the Wildcats, 59-55.

And then, we're shocked by the news that Dane Barlow and Demetrius Reed are entering the professional draft. Dane is ranked #33 among draft prospects in his class. Demetrius isn't listed among the top 50 nationally, and he's #7 among juniors in the Big East (Dane is #6).

Vanderbilt fans also have bittersweet feelings about the news that Charlie Sutton has decided to turn pro, too. He leaves Nashville as the Commodores' all-time leading scorer, and a first team All-SEC selection.
#3 SG Charlie Sutton - Vanderbilt - Junior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 210
High School: Decatur Central High School
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 62 80 86 93 64 44 22 27 23 40 37 17 59 46 41 79
2037: 58 74 84 87 58 40 20 25 20 36 33 16 58 43 41 74
2036: 52 67 82 80 50 34 17 22 17 32 29 15 58 40 40 69
2035: 50 64 79 77 47 32 16 21 16 30 27 14 57 37 39 64
2034: 46 58 73 71 41 28 14 19 14 27 24 12 57 31 38 53
Potential: C B A A B C D D D C C D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 82

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 35 35 28.1 17.9 1.1 3.6 2.1 2.7 0.80 0.5 0.2 2.8
2037 33 33 25.8 17.2 0.9 3.4 2.7 1.9 1.42 1.1 0.2 2.5
2038 33 33 31.3 19.9 1.1 4.0 2.9 2.7 1.09 1.3 0.2 2.7
Career 101 101 28.4 18.3 1.0 3.6 2.6 2.4 1.09 1.0 0.2 2.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 6.2 12.6 .491 2.2 2.5 .875 3.3 7.2 .464 1.42 4.83
2037 5.6 11.2 .499 3.0 3.8 .800 3.0 6.1 .485 1.53 5.03
2038 7.2 14.7 .492 2.3 2.8 .835 3.1 7.1 .434 1.35 9.39
Career 6.3 12.9 .493 2.5 3.0 .832 3.1 6.8 .460 1.43 6.39

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 35 35 984 628 39 125 75 94 19 8 98
2037 33 33 851 568 29 112 88 62 36 6 81
2038 33 33 1033 656 37 131 97 89 43 8 88
Career 101 101 2868 1852 105 368 260 245 98 22 267

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 217 442 77 88 117 252 169
2037 185 371 100 125 98 202 166
2038 239 486 76 91 102 235 310
Career 641 1299 253 304 317 689 645

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 31 4 8 6 3 2 10 12 22 7 9 7 14
Career 38 4 9 7 4 2 10 13 24 10 11 10 14

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 26
2034 High School: Rated **** and #62 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2034 High School: All-State (Indiana)
2034 High School: Mr. Basketball (Indiana)
2038 1st Team All-Conference (Southeastern Conference)

[MoonlightGraham]

April 4, 2039
2038 OVERALL AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

JR PG Vicente Ezell Tennessee 18.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.4 APG 1.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SF Riley Rose Tennessee 12.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.5 APG 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Joey Maestas Kansas State 34 - 4 (12 - 2)

All-league 1st Team:
C SO David Getty Boston College 16.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.3 SPG, 3.9 BPG
PF JR Ethan DeLuca North Carolina 15.2 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.8 SPG, 2.6 BPG
SF SR Russel Nemeth Southern California 19.2 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.2 BPG
SG JR Matthew Matt Holy Cross 21.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG JR Vicente Ezell Tennessee 18.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Blaine Piper Oklahoma 20.1 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.7 SPG, 2.8 BPG
PF SR Marco Nieto Texas 16.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 2.1 BPG
SF SR Rocky Hornback Louisville 24.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.4 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.7 BPG
SG SO Zayden Calhoun Villanova 18.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG JR John Ferreira Kansas 15.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.9 APG, 2.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 3rd Team:
C SR Frank Crawford Air Force 17.3 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.2 SPG, 2.8 BPG
PF SR Andrew Jackson Rutgers 9.0 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.3 SPG, 3.5 BPG
SF SR Luke Christensen Villanova 17.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.4 APG, 2.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG
SG SR Michael Salters Maryland-East Shore 20.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PG JR Joe Williams Louisville 8.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 8.5 APG, 3.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Amir Kirk Pittsburgh 7.6 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG
PF FR Ron McNamara Illinois State 7.7 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SF FR Riley Rose Tennessee 12.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG FR Daniel Osborn Notre Dame 15.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG FR Pablo Aguilar Southern Methodist 8.7 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG

The dynamic duo who carried us all season long are honored with All American nominations. Zayden Calhoun earns his second national honor, as he made last year's freshman team. Luke Christensen's award is a wonderful recognition for a player who stayed with us for four years.

2038 BIG EAST AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SO C David Getty Boston College 16.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.7 APG 0.3 SPG, 3.9 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR C Amir Kirk Pittsburgh 7.6 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.1 APG 0.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Graham Sims Villanova 32 - 4 (14 - 2)

All-league 1st Team:
C SO David Getty Boston College 16.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.3 SPG, 3.9 BPG
PF SR Joshua Lee Georgetown 12.4 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.9 BPG
SF SR Luke Christensen Villanova 17.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.4 APG, 2.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG
SG SO Zayden Calhoun Villanova 18.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG SR Bernie Johnson Georgetown 12.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.6 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Andrew Smith Providence 18.3 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.6 SPG, 2.9 BPG
PF SO Jeffrey Ott Syracuse 12.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SF JR Michael Smyth Boston College 19.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.7 BPG
SG JR Morris Thiele Connecticut 21.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG
PG JR Dane Barlow Villanova 13.3 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 6.4 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Amir Kirk Pittsburgh 7.6 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG
PF FR Chris Wilson Villanova 8.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.8 BPG
SF FR Raymon Rodman Syracuse 8.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG FR Broderick Boone Pittsburgh 7.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR Roland Goodnight Pittsburgh 8.8 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 3.6 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG
We do well on Big East awards night, too. Four of our starters and our head coach all receive awards.

For Zayden, it's his second year as an honoree; for Luke, Dane, and freshman Chris, it's their first. Graham Sims has won six Big East Coach of the Year prizes, to go with the seven he won in the Patriot League.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 4, 2039
#2 VILLANOVA TEAM INFO

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 100 Record Vs 1-50: 18-3 Poll Rank: #2
Season Record: 32-4 Record Vs 51-100: 4-0 RPI Rank: #1
Conference Record: 14-2 Record Vs 101-200: 7-1
Home Record: 16-0 Record Vs 200+: 3-0


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 84.0 1 1 Points 66.6 3 112 Points 17.4 1 3
O.Reb 12.1 5 59 O.Reb 10.4 4 131 O.Reb 1.6 5 65
D.Reb 27.0 4 37 D.Reb 23.1 1 61 D.Reb 3.8 1 14
Rebounds 39.1 4 34 Rebounds 33.6 1 63 Rebounds 5.5 2 19
Assists 20.5 1 3 Assists 13.0 1 138 Assists 7.5 1 2
Steals 9.5 1 4 Steals 5.8 4 179 Steals 3.8 1 3
Blocks 5.4 4 29 Blocks 3.5 1 244 Blocks 1.9 3 37
Turnovers 14.0 6 199 Turnovers 18.1 2 4 Turnovers -4.1 2 9
Fouls 17.4 3 37 Fouls 18.0 7 294 Fouls -0.6 5 128
FG% .494 1 3 FG% .416 6 80 FG% .078 1 7
FT% .726 3 24 FT% .673 5 149 FT% .053 2 27
3P% .380 2 23 3P% .351 8 255 3P% .029 3 78
PPS 1.33 1 22 PPS 1.16 4 43 PPS .171 2 17
Adj. FG% .559 1 7 Adj. FG% .476 6 101 Adj. FG% .083 1 5

We repeat as the nation's highest-scoring team, even though we score about six points fewer per game than we did last season. As usual, we shoot well, even from the free throw line; those four misses at the end of the Kentucky game are still haunting me somewhat.

Interestingly, Lafayette ranked #2 in points per game, with 81.9.

Our offensive efficiency (112.8) ranked fifth in the nation. Our defensive efficiency (89.4) was eleventh. We were a bit better defensively than we have been in previous seasons.

This wasn't a great Villanova team, but it was still a very good one. The bar is set very high on the Main Line.

#2 VILLANOVA Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dane Barlow PG 36 36 30.1 13.3 0.8 2.4 6.4 1.8 0.1 2.4 2.1 12.4
Zayden Calhoun SG 36 36 28.2 18.1 1.4 5.3 3.4 1.6 0.2 2.4 2.6 13.3
Luke Christensen SF 36 36 27.2 17.9 2.0 5.3 2.4 2.4 0.5 2.5 2.3 13.2
Demetrius Reed C 36 36 26.2 5.0 3.3 9.1 1.1 0.3 2.0 1.0 2.4 13.7
Chris Wilson PF 33 31 25.5 8.9 1.5 5.4 1.4 0.3 0.8 1.4 2.4 11.2
Zak Marshall C 36 2 20.7 4.3 1.5 5.1 0.6 0.4 1.3 1.1 1.7 7.4
Nick Spencer PG 36 0 17.1 6.7 0.5 1.4 3.3 1.0 0.1 1.1 1.3 6.4
Tony Flaherty SF 36 0 14.0 6.4 0.6 2.6 1.4 1.0 0.4 1.6 1.4 5.2
Jordi Ballester PF 36 3 9.1 2.0 0.6 2.6 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.4 1.1 3.4
Derek Lamb PF 2 0 6.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 -4.5
DeAndre Brown SG 33 0 4.4 2.5 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.9
David Lovett SG 3 0 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.3

#2 VILLANOVA Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dane Barlow PG 36 36 1084 478 27 85 232 64 4 88 77 447
Zayden Calhoun SG 36 36 1014 650 50 192 121 59 6 85 92 479
Luke Christensen SF 36 36 980 645 72 190 85 86 17 90 82 475
Demetrius Reed C 36 36 944 179 118 329 40 9 72 36 85 492
Chris Wilson PF 33 31 842 293 49 177 47 11 25 47 80 370
Zak Marshall C 36 2 746 153 55 182 23 15 46 41 62 265
Nick Spencer PG 36 0 616 241 18 52 118 35 3 38 46 231
Tony Flaherty SF 36 0 505 232 22 92 50 36 16 56 49 187
Jordi Ballester PF 36 3 328 72 22 94 12 10 4 14 40 122
Derek Lamb PF 2 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 -9
DeAndre Brown SG 33 0 146 81 2 12 9 18 2 9 13 30
David Lovett SG 3 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1
#2 VILLANOVA Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dane Barlow PG 172 362 .475 51 72 .708 83 220 .377 1.32
Zayden Calhoun SG 237 472 .502 67 81 .827 109 261 .418 1.38
Luke Christensen SF 246 505 .487 109 131 .832 44 124 .355 1.28
Demetrius Reed C 71 130 .546 36 50 .720 1 9 .111 1.38
Chris Wilson PF 109 222 .491 73 114 .640 2 5 .400 1.32
Zak Marshall C 61 123 .496 30 48 .625 1 6 .167 1.24
Nick Spencer PG 87 176 .494 35 43 .814 32 73 .438 1.37
Tony Flaherty SF 91 197 .462 35 58 .603 15 61 .246 1.18
Jordi Ballester PF 25 49 .510 22 32 .688 0 1 .000 1.47
Derek Lamb PF 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0.00
DeAndre Brown SG 26 42 .619 17 25 .680 12 26 .462 1.93
David Lovett SG 0 1 .000 0 0 .000 0 1 .000 0.00


Zayden and Luke finished fourth and fifth in the Big East in scoring. Luke was second in steals, Dane was second in assists, and Demetrius was fourth in rebounding and fifth in blocked shots.

Next, two Farewells and a Tribute.

[MoonlightGraham]

2038/39 Farewell

DEMETRIUS REED

I wasn't expecting to write this one for another season. In his three years with us, Big D grew into a quintessential Blue Collar Man, a valuable member of a cast of players who won a lot of basketball games.
#32 C Demetrius Reed - Villanova - Junior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 7-1
Weight: 288
High School: William Penn Charter School
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 38 33 59 26 17 24 87 74 71 34 27 82 35 100 33 54
2037: 35 30 53 23 14 21 84 72 69 32 25 80 35 100 32 47
2036: 32 27 47 20 12 19 72 63 61 30 23 69 34 100 31 40
2035: 30 25 43 18 10 17 62 55 53 28 21 59 33 95 27 28
Potential: C C C D D D B B B D C B

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 91

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 40 0 19.1 3.4 1.8 6.2 0.7 1.0 0.74 0.2 1.3 1.7
2037 39 38 25.4 4.4 2.6 7.8 0.9 1.3 0.71 0.3 1.9 2.1
2038 36 36 26.2 5.0 3.3 9.1 1.1 1.0 1.11 0.3 2.0 2.4
Career 115 74 23.4 4.2 2.5 7.7 0.9 1.1 1.11 0.3 1.7 2.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 1.3 2.5 .530 0.8 1.0 .769 0.0 0.1 .000 1.36 8.70
2037 1.6 3.2 .516 1.0 1.3 .784 0.1 0.2 .222 1.37 15.74
2038 2.0 3.6 .546 1.0 1.4 .720 0.0 0.3 .111 1.38 13.67
Career 1.6 3.1 .531 0.9 1.2 .757 0.0 0.2 .136 1.37 12.64

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 40 0 762 136 71 247 29 39 7 53 66
2037 39 38 990 170 103 306 36 51 13 73 82
2038 36 36 944 179 118 329 40 36 9 72 85
Career 115 74 2696 485 292 882 105 126 29 198 233

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 53 100 30 39 0 4 348
2037 64 124 40 51 2 9 614
2038 71 130 36 50 1 9 492
Career 188 354 106 140 3 22 1454

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 12 7 14 5 2 5 3 5 7 6 6 1 2
Career 20 9 16 5 3 6 4 10 12 6 6 1 3

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 2
2035 High School: Rated **** and #64 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2036 NCAA Champion
Demetrius attended the same school as Lafayette star Todd DeHaven. He wasn't a big scorer in high school, so we didn't expect him to carry a big offensive load for us, either. We counted on Big D for rebounding, defense, and rim protection, and he did all those jobs very well.

We all thought Demetrius would return for his senior season. If he had, he almost certainly would have finished his career as our all-time leader in total rebounds; his total places him fourth as it stands. He was especially good on the offensive glass; he's third in that category, only 30 behind Avery Sullivan's record. And, with a 100-block season--not an impossible feat for a 7'1" center--he'd move up from 10th to first on that career list, too.

If Demetrius isn't drafted, he might return to Villanova and complete his degree in History next fall. He's an excellent student who is interested in a career in law. Or, he might try his luck at professional basketball overseas. We wish him well, whatever he decides.

Thanks for the memories, Demetrius.

[MoonlightGraham]

2038/39 Farewell

DANE BARLOW

Dane Barlow deserves a better final scene than the one that played out in our Elite Eight game against Kentucky. When the buzzer sounded, he stood with his hands atop his head for a long moment. Had he made the two free throws he attempted late in the second half, we might very well have won the game in regulation.

In a perfect world, Dane returns to Villanova and leads us to a national championship. That's not the way this story will end.
#3 PG Dane Barlow - Villanova - Junior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-2
Weight: 203
High School: Salesianum School
Hometown: Wilmington, DE

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 53 91 70 75 86 80 17 19 17 66 51 12 64 54 66 70
2037: 49 76 67 64 77 78 15 17 14 53 42 11 64 52 65 66
2036: 47 69 61 58 70 71 14 16 13 48 38 10 64 51 65 63
2035: 43 61 55 52 62 63 12 14 11 40 32 8 62 47 65 53
Potential: C A B B A B D D D B C D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 87

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 37 0 5.9 2.8 0.2 0.8 0.7 0.6 1.14 0.1 0.1 0.4
2037 39 39 28.1 12.4 1.0 2.3 6.1 1.8 3.34 1.3 0.0 2.4
2038 36 36 30.1 13.3 0.8 2.4 6.4 2.4 2.64 1.8 0.1 2.1
Career 112 75 21.4 9.5 0.7 1.8 4.4 1.6 2.64 1.0 0.1 1.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 0.9 1.8 .485 0.6 1.0 .605 0.4 0.9 .469 1.55 0.89
2037 4.2 9.2 .458 1.5 2.0 .753 2.4 5.9 .409 1.34 17.38
2038 4.8 10.1 .475 1.4 2.0 .708 2.3 6.1 .377 1.32 12.42
Career 3.3 7.0 .468 1.2 1.7 .706 1.7 4.3 .399 1.35 10.34

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 37 0 219 102 9 30 25 22 3 2 13
2037 39 39 1094 483 40 90 237 71 49 1 95
2038 36 36 1084 478 27 85 232 88 64 4 77
Career 112 75 2397 1063 76 205 494 181 116 7 185

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2036 32 66 23 38 15 32 33
2037 165 360 58 77 95 232 678
2038 172 362 51 72 83 220 447
Career 369 788 132 187 193 484 1158

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 30 3 7 13 4 2 6 12 26 6 7 7 20
Career 30 3 7 13 4 2 6 12 26 7 8 7 20

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 11
2035 High School: Rated ***** and #10 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2035 High School: All-State (Delaware)
2035 High School: Mr. Basketball (Delaware)
2035 High School: All-American
2036 NCAA Champion
2038 2nd Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)
I suppose when you're a high school All-American, like Dane was, you assume you'll only play college basketball for three years. Dane's career followed a pattern that's common for high school standouts who sign with Villanova: a year's apprenticeship as a rotation player, followed by increasing success as a member of the starting five. Perhaps, like Dane, you'll earn some All-Big East recognition along the way.

Dane leaves us as a 1000-point scorer, and the sixth-most prolific assist man in school history. Another year's worth of playmaking would have put him close to Eldon Castanon, who's third on the list. Instead, Great Dane is leaving a year of eligibility on the table and declaring for the draft. Like Demetrius Reed, he's only mildly regarded as a draft prospect. He may end up pursuing opportunities overseas, or returning to campus to complete his Business Analytics degree.

Thanks for the memories, Dane.

[MoonlightGraham]

2038/39 Senior Tribute

LUKE CHRISTENSEN

Unlike the two players I just wrote about, Luke Christensen followed the four-year plan. His patience wore thin at times, but he stayed with us, and the story of his career followed a very pleasing arc.
#34 SF Luke Christensen - Villanova - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-4
Weight: 198
High School: St. Joseph's Preparatory School
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 87 64 84 46 31 17 38 44 48 72 89 42 47 65 49 100
2037: 86 56 84 43 28 16 36 41 44 66 81 38 47 63 48 100
2036: 84 51 82 41 26 15 34 37 40 60 73 34 46 61 48 100
2035: 83 45 74 39 24 14 33 35 37 54 65 31 46 59 48 100
2034: 73 39 66 37 22 12 31 29 33 48 57 27 45 55 46 93
Potential: A B B C D F C C C B A C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 64

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2035 32 0 10.2 6.7 0.8 2.3 1.0 1.0 0.97 0.7 0.1 1.1
2036 37 6 12.0 8.0 0.7 2.6 0.8 1.2 0.64 0.5 0.2 1.5
2037 39 0 14.5 10.2 1.1 3.2 1.3 1.1 1.20 1.3 0.3 1.4
2038 36 36 27.2 17.9 2.0 5.3 2.4 2.5 0.94 2.4 0.5 2.3
Career 144 42 16.1 10.8 1.2 3.4 1.3 1.4 0.94 1.2 0.3 1.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2035 2.3 4.4 .525 1.6 1.8 .893 0.5 1.4 .341 1.51 6.38
2036 3.0 5.9 .509 1.4 1.6 .847 0.6 1.8 .338 1.35 5.51
2037 3.7 7.3 .504 2.2 2.4 .916 0.6 2.0 .325 1.40 7.23
2038 6.8 14.0 .487 3.0 3.6 .832 1.2 3.4 .355 1.28 13.19
Career 4.0 8.0 .500 2.1 2.4 .868 0.7 2.2 .342 1.35 8.09

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2035 32 0 326 213 24 73 31 32 21 4 36
2036 37 6 443 296 26 97 28 44 18 7 54
2037 39 0 567 398 44 125 49 41 50 10 54
2038 36 36 980 645 72 190 85 90 86 17 82
Career 144 42 2316 1552 166 485 193 207 175 38 226

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2035 74 141 50 56 15 44 204
2036 112 220 50 59 22 65 204
2037 143 284 87 95 25 77 282
2038 246 505 109 131 44 124 475
Career 575 1150 296 341 106 310 1165

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 33 5 10 6 8 2 8 14 22 9 9 5 8
Career 33 5 10 6 8 2 8 14 22 9 9 5 8

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 13
2034 High School: Rated ***** and #40 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2035 NCAA Champion
2036 NCAA Champion
2038 3rd Team All-American
2038 1st Team All-Conference (Big East Conference)
Luke grew up in a Villanova household. His parents attended the wedding of Graham and Mary Kate Sims, and the Sims family were present for Luke's christening and First Communion. Luke grew into a five-star prospect at St. Joseph's Prep before signing with his dream school.

Luke complained a little about his playing time as a freshman, but he listened when his coach reminded him of the virtue of patience. He became a dynamic scorer, averaging in double figures as a junior while playing fewer than 15 minutes per game.

Finally earning a chance to start as a senior, Luke responded well to the increased attention he received from opposing defenses. Always a solid defender, he became a true Force in that area, recording more steals in a single season than any player in Wildcat history.

Luke will end his career as a 1000-point scorer, despite starting only 42 of 144 games. He'll also end it as an All-Big East first teamer, and a third team All-American. A Humanities major, he'll receive his degree in May, and he's already made arrangements to sign with a professional team in England.

How's that for a happy ending?

Thanks for the memories, Luke.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 9, 2039

The advice someone whispered in Dane Barlow's ear turned out to be good after all. Dane was chosen with the #47 pick.

The news wasn't as good for Demetrius Reed, who went undrafted. So did Charlie Sutton, which surprised me quite a bit. They'll both look for a team who wants to sign them as free agents.

To nobody's surprise, Connecticut star Morris Thiele was the #1 overall pick. Other draftees you might remember are Ethan DeLuca of North Carolina (#2), Michael Smyth of Boston College (#6), UConn's Jelani Obasie (#16), Lafayette's Jalen Christian (#26), and West Virginia's Eimantas Fetkevicius (#52).

2038 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Georgetown Big East C Adam Webb ***** 3 0 0 0 0
2. Stanford Pacific-10 PF Albert Novak ***** 2 1 1 0 0
3. Michigan Big Ten C Millard Wallis ***** 1 2 3 0 0
4. Boston College Big East C Chris Pless ***** 2 1 1 0 0
5. Southern California Pacific-10 PG Randolph Zayas ***** 2 0 2 0 0
6. Houston Southwest SF Tyree Jiminez ***** 1 3 0 0 0
7. Kentucky SEC SG Skyler Knowles **** 0 2 2 0 0
8. Mississippi State SEC PG Angel Valdivia **** 0 3 2 0 0
9. Villanova Big East PG Kai Smith ***** 2 0 0 0 0
10. Louisville Metro SG Dalton Ambrose **** 0 2 2 0 0
11. Duke ACC SF Rob Edmonds ***** 1 2 1 0 0
12. Texas Christian Southwest SG Justin Chatham ***** 2 0 2 0 0
13. Richmond CAA PF Kraig Hildebrandt **** 0 3 2 0 0
14. Tennessee SEC SF James Pierce ***** 1 2 0 0 0
15. UCLA Pacific-10 SG Scott Hare ***** 1 1 1 0 0

2038 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Georgetown Big East C Adam Webb ***** 3 0 0 0 0
4. Boston College Big East C Chris Pless ***** 2 1 1 0 0
9. Villanova Big East PG Kai Smith ***** 2 0 0 0 0
18. Pittsburgh Big East PG Casey Wallace **** 0 3 0 0 0
19. Connecticut Big East SG Norris Dawkins ***** 1 1 1 0 0
30. Syracuse Big East SG Napoleon Luis **** 0 2 1 0 0
33. Providence Big East SG Harold Willett **** 0 2 1 0 0
63. Seton Hall Big East C Frank Wilmoth *** 0 0 3 0 0
100. St. John's Big East SF Jerry Jewell **** 0 1 0 0 0

Our pair of five-star freshmen, Kai Smith and John Cannon, give us the #9 recruiting class in the nation and the #3 class in the Big East. Kai is a bit better than we thought he'd be, and Cannon is just about as good.

Georgetown's trio--Adam Webb, Phoenix Underwood, and Tadgh Phelan--are considered the best incoming class in the nation. Tadgh looks even better than we thought he'd be. I hope that doesn't haunt us for the next three years.

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2039

As another year begins, I'm excited to announce another change in my college basketball universe.

In my version of NCAA basketball, Division I has been enlarged to include 27 more teams. These teams represent some of the most prestigious small colleges and universities in the nation. These 27 teams are arranged into three new conferences:

Midwest Conference: Carleton, Case Western Reserve, Chicago, Denison, Grinnell, Kenyon, Macalester, St. Olaf, Washington-St. Louis

New England Conference: Amherst, Bates, Brandeis, Bowdoin, Colby, Middlebury, Tufts, Wesleyan, Williams

University Athletic Association: Carnegie Mellon, Emory, Hamilton, Haverford, Johns Hopkins, Rochester, Swarthmore, Vassar, Washington & Lee

All three conferences are inspired by real Division III conferences, with a few changes. In my world, they're lowly Level 1 conferences, but they all get automatic bids to the NCAA tournament. And all the teams have low prestige; the highest are 25 or so.

I chose colleges with which I'm more familiar, in parts of the country I know well. If this works out, I'll probably add a western small-school conference, too.

And, if things go as planned, I'll begin the next story based on my college basketball world at one of these small programs. :)

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2039

Today the college basketball world celebrates the career of Erwin Gadson, who is retiring from his position as the head coach at Boston College.

Coach Gadson, 65, is one of the giants of his profession. The only head coach the Eagles have ever known, he retired with a career record of 778 wins and 210 losses. His teams won 11 conference championships, and cut the nets down as NCAA champions three times: in 2017, 2034, and 2038.

Coach Gadson's victory total ranks second all-time, and he is one of only two coaches to win more than two NCAA titles. Graham Sims is the only coach to surpass Coach Gadson's achievements in those areas.

Rather surprisingly, the Eagles choose a new head coach who is even older than Coach Gadson. He's Larry Ramirez, who shocks everyone by leaving the Miami job where he's been since 2011! Coach Ramirez is the third-winningest active coach, with 665 victories to his credit, but he's 68 years old. He'll be there for a good time, not for a long time.

Youngstown State hires Villanova assistant Greg Haddad to fill its head coaching position. To replace Coach Haddad as our scouting director, we hire Dwight Worsham. Coach Worsham, a Level 8 coach, has over 500 games of head coaching experience, with a record of 246-262. He's also been an assistant for successful programs at Tennessee and Texas A&M. Welcome to Villanova, Coach.

Coach Sims has never been known for the quality of his coaching tree. Most of his former assistants have struggled with head coaching positions of their own. The most successful has been Chris Kiger, who has posted a 258-194 record at five schools since 2023. Dario Ferreira has a career record of 243-183, but he recorded 86 wins as a head coach before he joined Graham's staff at Villanova. The most successful of the younger coaches who have apprenticed under Graham has been Daniel Bryant. At age 36, Coach Bryant has led Kennesaw State to a 132-116 record since 2031.

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2039

We have two scholarships available to use on transfers this spring. As I look at the portal, there are two players who list us among their top five who are appealing: former Vanderbilt big man Tanner Merriweather and erstwhile Florida swingman Lamarcus Hare. I like both these players, and offer scholarships to both of them.

Both players list us as their second choices, and both accept an offer from the program they like better. Tanner is off to Stanford, while Lamarcus will transfer to West Virginia.

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2039

Although the only senior on our roster is walk-on Derek Lamb, we have only 12 scholarship players. That means we have one scholarship to offer to members of the class of 2040. I also cut a walk-on who isn't good and won't study; now we have two offers in hand.

One of them is immediately going to Dan O'Halloran. He's the top player in the country, and he plays at Episcopal Academy, five miles from campus. Dan averages 26.4 points and 15.7 rebounds per game. Right now, he likes Boston College and North Carolina better than Villanova, but we'll try to change that in a hurry.

As I project what our roster will look like over the next two years, we'll definitely need to recruit a big wing. I'm almost positive the player we'll want most is Israel Moody, a smooth 6'6" forward from Maryland.

Here's our first call list:
#2 VILLANOVA Recruiting

Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Israel Moody SF 6-6 194 ***** Very High Maryland
Jermaine Swank PG 6-1 204 ***** Very High Ohio
Joel Pollard PG 6-0 181 ***** Very High Indiana
Harold Kennedy SF 6-6 253 **** Very High Maryland
Roderick Estep SG 6-2 170 **** Very High Pennsylvania
Erich Garmon SG 6-2 175 **** Very High Pennsylvania
Charles Harder SF 6-7 244 **** Very High Maryland
RJ Cannon PF 6-8 232 **** Very High Delaware
Elias Zamarripa PF 6-5 221 **** Very High Pennsylvania
Leroy Lant PF 6-5 201 **** Very High UK
Dan O'Halloran C 6-10 266 ***** High Pennsylvania
Chris Vice PF 7-0 227 ***** High New York
Robert Corbett C 6-9 246 ***** High Mississippi
Dwight Henry PF 6-9 232 ***** High California
Winfred Galan SG 6-2 188 **** High Virginia
Gary Murray SG 6-6 179 **** High Tennessee
Andre Keys SF 6-7 195 ***** Average Ohio

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2039

Dan O'Halloran is the real deal.
#52 C Dan O'Halloran
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 266
High School: Episcopal Academy
Hometown: Newtown Square, PA
GPA: 3.35
Test Score: 1310
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 70 25 44 21 8 36 76 78 56 35 12 66 27 81 44 46
Potential: A C C D D D A A B B D B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
26.4 4.8 15.7 1.9 2.4 0.79 1.0 2.5 2.1

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.4 18.9 .602 3.6 5.5 .661 0.1 1.0 .105

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: High
Rankings: #1 Overall, #1 C, East Region #1 Overall, East Region #1 C
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Pennsylvania), All American
Top 5 Schools: Boston College, *North Carolina, *Pittsburgh, Duke, *Villanova

Dan would possibly start for us if he were on campus right now. That's how good he already is. We have some work to persuade him, and if we don't make progress with him soon, I'll have to abandon the chase. But he's too impressive a prospect to pass by. Needless to say, Dan will be visiting campus this month. ;)

So will Israel Moody. He's a baller, too.
#50 SF Israel Moody
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 194
High School: Joppatowne High School
Hometown: Joppa, MD
GPA: 3.10
Test Score: 1030
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 81 68 57 39 18 6 22 31 68 25 46 45 44 45 75 32
Potential: A B B C D F D C A D A B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.0 1.9 6.3 0.6 3.0 0.19 5.0 2.6 2.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.2 15.3 .598 2.6 3.6 .722 1.1 2.7 .389

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #4 Overall, #2 SF, East Region #3 Overall, East Region #1 SF
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Maryland), All American
Top 5 Schools: Villanova, *Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Boston College, Tennessee
We'll be adding the offer star to "Villanova" immediately. He already likes us, so let's hope a scholarship offer makes us even more attractive to him.

I know I need a strong Plan B in place for O'Halloran. As a possible sleeper, I like RJ Cannon quite a bit.
#34 PF RJ Cannon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-8
Weight: 232
High School: Cape Henlopen High School
Hometown: Lewes, DE
GPA: 3.14
Test Score: 1290
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 40 26 53 12 25 22 53 59 50 15 10 29 33 70 42 33
Potential: C D B D D C C B A D F C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.4 4.3 13.0 2.4 1.8 1.33 1.0 1.8 2.2

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.7 12.4 .540 5.0 6.3 .786 0.1 0.6 .091

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #79 Overall, #17 PF, East Region #22 Overall, East Region #7 PF
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Delaware)
Top 5 Schools: Villanova, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, American
I don't have a scholarship for him (yet), but I'm going to bring him to campus and have Coaches Sims and Hairston visit him and his family.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2039

Israel Moody holds offers from Villanova and Pitt, and he prefers ours. I feel good about our chances of signing him.

We're still in the running for Dan O'Halloran, too. He's moved us up to second on his list, behind Boston College and ahead of North Carolina. It appears to be a three-team competition, as Pitt and Duke appear to be out of the running. What should I do?

RJ Cannon has an offer from American, but he's still saying he'd like to play for us. What should I read into the fact that the other schools on RJ's list have prestige in the 60s? Is he not as good as we think he is?

Charles Harder is another player I'm looking at closely.
#25 SF Charles Harder
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-7
Weight: 244
High School: Queen Anne's County High School
Hometown: Centreville, MD
GPA: 2.41
Test Score: 1060
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 54 39 42 62 31 13 24 22 41 33 22 50 50 55 82 48
Potential: A C B A C F D D C B D C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.7 1.8 6.0 1.4 2.3 0.60 1.4 2.6 2.1

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.5 16.7 .568 2.6 5.4 .472 1.3 3.5 .357

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Villanova: Very High
Rankings: #26 Overall, #8 SF, East Region #7 Overall, East Region #3 SF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Villanova, *American, Boston College, *East Carolina, North Carolina

I'm going to stand pat for another month. I'd hate to pull O'Halloran's offer and wonder for the next three years what might have happened if I'd hung in there and fought.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2039

Israel Moody moves one step closer to putting on a Villanova cap on Decision Day next month. He's taken everyone else off his list.

And Dan O'Halloran releases a new Top Schools list...with Villanova at the top! Coaches Sims and Hairston will try all their best recruiting moves with the O'Hallorans. Make sure to bring your championship rings, gentlemen.

St. John's offers RJ Cannon a scholarship, and the Red Storm moves to the top of RJ's list as a result. The offer Charles Harder holds from American has the same effect. I don't blame either young man for those decisions.

Decision Day approaches...

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2039

We fill the biggest need in our recruiting class today when Israel Moody makes his commitment official. Israel isn't a big guy--6'5", and less than 200 pounds--but he plays a bigger man's game. He can slash to the hoop, score in transition, and do lots of damage with a smooth mid-range jumper. He's also very comfortable guarding bigger players. We can't wait to get you on campus, Israel!

Dan O'Halloran hasn't made his decision yet, but we're still in first place on his list, with North Carolina behind us. If the Tar Heels make a successful, late push, we won't have RJ Cannon as a possibility anymore. He signs with St. John's today. Charles Harder, however, might remain a possibility.

We'll have plenty of other things to think about, as the season is right around the corner.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 6, 2039

It's time to meet the 2039/40 Villanova Wildcats:

#1 VILLANOVA General

Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Wilson 0 PF So 6-11 248 Yes 97 OK Dallas, PA
Kai Smith 2 PG Fr 5-5 167 Yes 80 OK Lansdale, PA
Jordi Ballester 4 PF Jr 6-7 248 Yes 85 Unhappy El Prat de Llobregat, Spain
DeAndre Brown 10 SG So 6-2 196 Yes 97 Unhappy Pen Argyl, PA
Zayden Calhoun 11 SG Jr 6-6 221 Yes 83 OK Princeton, NJ
Nick Spencer 12 PG Jr* 5-11 182 Yes 72 OK Collegeville, PA
John Cannon 20 SG Fr 6-4 200 Yes 68 OK Hueytown, AL
Forrest Curl 22 PF Fr* 6-10 231 Yes 59 OK Chatham, NJ
Nick O'Brien 24 PG Fr 6-0 175 No 76 OK Tonbridge, UK
David Lovett 33 SG Jr 6-3 207 Yes 38 Unhappy Mount Horeb, WI
John Locklear 34 C Fr 6-8 237 No 38 OK Ithaca, MI
Tony Flaherty 40 SF Jr 6-7 239 Yes 77 OK New York, NY
Derek Lamb 41 PF Sr* 6-6 217 No 73 OK Latham, OH
Zak Marshall 50 C So 6-10 212 Yes 88 OK Newcomerstown, OH

And here's how training camp went:
#1 VILLANOVA Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Wilson 3 4 4 2 3 3 6 6 15 5 1 15 1 0 1 10
Kai Smith 2 6 8 6 10 10 2 2 2 10 10 2 2 2 1 10
Jordi Ballester 5 3 2 0 4 1 7 2 9 2 3 3 1 2 0 0
DeAndre Brown 2 6 6 5 3 2 2 2 1 4 6 1 1 2 1 5
Zayden Calhoun 4 9 2 2 2 11 4 1 3 1 1 1 0 5 2 8
Nick Spencer 4 3 1 1 1 4 2 2 1 12 2 1 1 1 2 6
John Cannon 2 8 4 8 6 4 2 2 2 10 10 2 4 6 1 24
Forrest Curl 2 2 1 0 1 2 3 3 4 2 2 2 2 3 1 12
Nick O'Brien 2 4 2 4 0 4 2 2 2 6 6 2 1 4 1 20
David Lovett 5 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 3 1 1 2 0 10
John Locklear 2 2 2 0 2 4 4 12 4 2 2 8 2 6 0 16
Tony Flaherty 4 7 1 4 4 6 2 4 8 6 6 11 0 2 0 5
Derek Lamb 2 1 2 0 1 2 2 0 4 0 1 0 1 3 0 0
Zak Marshall 9 5 5 3 2 2 9 12 12 3 2 12 1 3 0 5

Coach Graham Sims celebrates his 60th birthday this year, as he leads his fourteenth Villanova team into a new season. This might be the deepest team Coach Sims has ever sent into action.

All-American shooting guard Zayden Calhoun is the team's biggest star. He'll be the focal point of the Wildcats offense, and he's made himself even more dangerous by improving his passing skill. His ability to shoot and score have long been well-known.

He'll be joined in the backcourt by redshirt junior point guard Nick Spencer. Nick has spent two seasons as a top reserve, and he's now ready to take the controls. He's a lockdown defender and a marvelous distributor.

Junior Tony Flaherty will also move into the starting five this season. At 6'7" and nearly 240 pounds, Tony can handle the rough stuff near the hoop or step outside and make teams pay.

The post will be occupied by junior Zak Marshall and sophomore Chris Wilson. Both are excellent defensive players with the potential to score at the rim. Marshall made particularly impressive progress in camp.

Three talented young guards are available for reserve duty: freshman point guard Kai Smith, sophomore combo guard DeAndre Brown, and freshman shooter John Cannon. Smith, a 5'5" dynamo, was the team's most improved player during camp. All three will have to exercise some patience, but all will also see meaningful minutes.

Forrest Curl, a redshirt sophomore, and junior Jordi Ballester will be the primary reserves in the front court. And David Lovett, who's still considered a possible draft prospect despite barely playing for two years, is available, too.

Just for fun, keep an eye on freshman walk-on guard Nick O'Brien. He's from England, and he's an Orange/Green player.

The Big East is once again the home of some of college basketball's elite programs. Georgetown's roster is loaded, and so is Boston College's. Connecticut and Pitt aren't far behind. Still, it's hard to imagine Graham Sims not being able to lead this team to another 30-victory season that ends no earlier than late March.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 12, 2039
@#1 Villanova 107, Swarthmore 44
Honestly, I should have stopped to think about how the new teams in my world would fill their rosters before I scheduled any of them. Poor Swarthmore comes into Wawa Arena with a team full of freshman walk-ons. The result is what you'd expect.

Zayden Calhoun connects on 6 of 11 three-balls and finishes with 31 points. Chris Wilson adds 19, and reserves John Cannon and DeAndre Brown contribute 13 and 10, respectively. Brown adds 3 steals. Kai Smith dazzles in 21 minutes of court time, finishing with 8 points, 9 assists, and 3 steals.

Tony Flaherty is in severe pain after the game, and he's diagnosed with a stress fracture. He'll be out of action for about a month. Perhaps that's karma getting us back for scheduling the Garnet. DeAndre Brown will fill Tony's spot in the starting lineup, with Z-Money shifting to the three.
Record: 1-0.


November 17, 2039
Maui Shootout, First Round
(1) #1 Villanova 90, (8) Charlotte 66
A trip to the tropical shores of Hawai'i begins with a dominant performance from Chris Wilson, who finishes with 27 points as we dismantle the 49ers.

Zayden Calhoun scores 12 points and grabs 6 rebounds, and John Cannon contributes another dozen off the bench. Nick Spencer finishes with 10 points and 6 assists, and new starter DeAndre Brown leads us with 7 helpers.
Record: 2-0.


November 18, 2039
Maui Shootout Semifinal
(1) #1 Villanova 76, (5) San Diego State 58
We're not terribly sharp tonight, making only 6 of 21 three-point shots, but we play good defense and advance to the Shootout final.

Zayden Calhoun (19p) makes 4 of those 6 threes. Zak Marshall (12p/7r/2b) and Chris Wilson (10p/5r) man the frontcourt capably. Hats off to Nick Spencer (9p/9a/3s) and Kai Smith (3 steals in 10 minutes). And props to David Lovett, who scores 7 points in 14 minutes.
Record: 3-0.


November 19, 2039
Maui Shootout Final
(1) #1 Villanova 82, (2) Washington 71
We'll return to the Main Line with tans and a trophy, as we defeat the Huskies and capture the Maui Shootout.

Zayden Calhoun's 23 points and Nick Spencer's 20 lead the scoring; Calhoun adds 6 rebounds and 6 assists, while Spencer contributes 3 steals. Chris Wilson scores 12 points with 5 rebounds and 4 blocks.
Record: 4-0.

https://i.imgur.com/sW8Xxyv.jpeg

[Chas in Cinti]

Really enjoying this still... we ready for another submission from me?

How about Wayne Bradhold, Elder HS in Cincinnati, OH. Blue Collar Man PF...