Villanova counting on its healthy big man

For Villanova coach Jay Wright, who usually has enough guards to be able to play four on the court effectively at the same time, the 2010-11 season could be a little different and, in the coach's words, "really cool."

With 6-foot-10 sophomore center Mouphtaou Yarou a year older and healthy, the Wildcats will have a legitimate post presence who can score.

"Just the basic fundamental basketball comments like, 'Hey, let's get it inside, let's get a post touch,' " Wright said Thursday during the Cats' media day at the Wells Fargo Center. "We've never said that before . . . 'Great blocked shot,' all that stuff, it's really cool."

Villanova, which was ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press preseason poll released Thursday, still has a bunch of talented guards headed by senior Corey Fisher, a preseason all-Big East selection. But Wright is looking forward to establishing a more traditional style of play as part of his offense.

A key to that is the maturing of Yarou, who missed 11 games last season with hepatitis and never got back to full strength until close to the end of the season.

"When he was out, he couldn't do anything with us," Wright said. "They were concerned about his bodily fluids touching somebody else, so he couldn't shoot with an assistant. So when he came back, he helped us because we didn't have size, but he still didn't know what he was doing.

"For him to be out there now and for us to be a cohesive unit when he's on the floor, it's great. I think he can really help us. . . . We've got a chance to see great improvement this year."

Yarou gives the Wildcats their first big man who can contribute on both ends of the floor since Jason Fraser, who played effectively from 2002 through 2006 when healthy.

Yarou, who returned to the lineup last season on Jan. 6, averaged 4.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 21 contests. His best performance came late in the season, a 17-point, eight-rebound effort in the Cats' NCAA first-round win over Robert Morris.

Yarou said his first season "wasn't any fun at all," particularly the time he spent away from his teammates. But he felt great during the summer and spent the time working on all aspects of his game as well as conditioning, strength and flexibility.

Asked what he can contribute to this year's team, he replied, "I can block shots, rebound, and play hard." And what about offense?

"I'm not really worried about my offense," said Yarou, who was born in the West African nation of Benin. "I just want to play for my teammates, play defense, and really help my teammates because they count on me on defense. I want to be there when they call on me."

Although the Wildcats, who were 20-1 at one point last season, finished 25-8 after being upset by St. Mary's in the NCAA's second round, Yarou said he felt the team didn't have anything to prove this season.

"We just realize we have to work harder," he said. "Like Coach always says, we have to play harder and play together."

With Yarou and 6-11 redshirt sophomore Maurice Sutton, Wright feels he can have a steady post presence and utilize the pick-and-roll more.

"The guy that was rolling was too small to finish," he said. "Now we are literally picking and rolling, and the guy rolling to the basket, hopefully, it's a dunk."

Temple also ranked. Temple was the second Big Five school to be listed in the AP preseason rankings, coming in at No. 22.