THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
Villanova’s basketball team will unofficially begin its season Thursday at the Wachovia Center with a 7 o’clock scrimmage against Kutztown, which is ranked as high as 16th in several preseason Division II polls.
The Wildcats, of course, are No. 5 in Division I, coming off their first Final Four appearance in nearly a quarter-century. Picked to finish first in the Big East, they have to replace three starters.
But five players from their rotation are back, led by senior guard Scottie Reynolds. Coach Jay Wright has also added four highly regarded freshmen, and Duke transfer Taylor King is eligible. They’ll be without senior swingman Reggie Redding for the first semester (10 games); he was suspended by the university for violating its student code of conduct following an on-campus incident last summer.
Kutztown has two starters back from a team that went 28-5. One of them is 6-6 senior Stephen Davis, from West Chester, who averaged 21.7 points per game (he has 1,529 for his career) and is a Player of the Year candidate. The Golden Bears reached the D-II Sweet 16 last season, and are picked to win the PSAC East.
Villanova’s first game is Nov. 13 at the Pavilion against Fairleigh Dickinson.
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FRAN DUNPHY, Temple
He begins his third season on North Broad with nearly 350 career victories after a long tenure at Penn. The Owls won the Atlantic 10 Tournament last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
BRUISER FLINT, Drexel
He begins his eighth season with the Dragons after returning to the city where he played collegiately at St. Joe’s. The Dragons have advanced to the postseason in four of the last six years and have won at least 17 games four times under Flint.
DR. JOHN GIANNINI, La Salle
He begins his fifth season at the school after successful tenures at the University of Maine and Rowan, where teams made two trips to the Division III Final Four. At LaSalle two seasons ago, he engineered an 18-win season and third-place finish in the Atlantic 10, the school’s best finish since joining the league for the 1995-96 season.
PHIL MARTELLI, Saint Joseph’s
He begins his 14th season on Hawk Hill, having won more than 250 games. He is a four-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year and has taken the Hawks to the postseason in seven of the last eight years.
GLEN MILLER, Penn
He begins his third season at the school after moving within the Ivy League from Brown. In his first season, he led the Quakers to an Ivy League championship and their third consecutive NCAA Tournament bid.
JAY WRIGHT, Villanova
He begins his eighth season at ‘Nova, having amassed 148 wins at the school. Villanova has made the NCAA Tournament for the last four seasons, including three trips to the Sweet 16 and an Elite Eight appearance. Wright came to Villanova following his tenure at Hofstra and has 270 career victories.
