Villanova Wildcats

The last two seasons have not ended well for Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats basketball team. High expectations during the preseason were met both years, but late-season collapses led to the ‘Cats bowing out in the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2010, and a first round exit at the hands of George Mason in 2011. Now, Wright will attempt to reload his program following the exit of a senior class that yielded more wins than any other in the history of the school.

Gone are stalwarts Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes and Antonio Pena. The trio was influential in leading Villanova to the 2009 Final 4, and now a new cast will need to step up if ‘Nova is to reclaim its rightful place among the nation’s elite. Isaiah Armwood has also left the program, transferring to George Washington prior to the start of the school year.

Point guard Maalik Wayns and center Mouphtaou Yarou will be the obvious leaders of this year’s Villanova squad. The top returning scorer and rebounder, respectively, will take the reins for a team that is expected to be in rebuild mode. They’ll be joined by junior wing Dominic Cheek, who put together an impressive summer when the team traveled to Europe, scoring 34 points in a win against the senior Israeli national team. James Bell, coming off an up-and-down freshman year, will also provide needed experience on the wing.

What will have ‘Nova Nation most excited will be a fine crop of incoming freshman. 5 new faces will grace the floor this year for Villanova, headlined by former blue-chip recruit JayVaughn Pinkston, who was suspended for the entire year following an off-campus incident prior to the start of last season. Pinkston’s versatility to play both inside and out, plus his bruiser’s pedigree should put a smile on Jay Wright’s face during the wars of Big East basketball.

In addition to Pinkston, big-man Markus Kennedy is coming off a prep year where he has redefined his body and looks ready to contribute alongside Yarou immediately. Point guard Tyrone Johnson broke his foot during summer workouts, but is now back to full health and will be the primary backup to Wayns. Rounding out the freshman crop are do-it-all wing Darrun Hilliard and shooting guard Achraf Yacoubou, who both performed admirably in the preseason trip to Europe.

While this season doesn’t bring the Top-10 expectations of years past, Villanova has always relished the underdog role, and while this group of Wildcats may not be seasoned, they are certainly talented enough to turn a few heads in the 2011-2012 season.