Powerful motivation can come from the smallest of phrases.
Good or great?
That's the line St. Mary's head coach Randy Bennett and assistant coach Kyle Smith used to inspire Omar Samhan when he was a freshman.
Samhan, a 6-foot-10 center who plays his final scheduled home game tonight in McKeon Pavilion, needs 25 points to break the school's season record of 614, set by Eric Schraeder in 1998-99.
Three years ago, though, Samhan was simply a redshirt freshman trying to find his way.
"I remember thinking in my freshman year, 'Man, I hope I score 614 points in my career,' " Samhan said recently.
Good or great?
Bennett and Smith had gotten the line from ESPN's Doug Gottlieb, who said it at a St. Mary's camp. Samhan put together a solid freshman season, averaging 9.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and Bennett and Smith wanted to turn solid into something special.
Samhan began going to the gym at 6 a.m. to shoot for an hour and then lift weights for another hour before heading to class. Smith usually accompanied him in those early-morning sessions.
"The night before," Samhan said, "I'd text coach Kyle, 'Are we going tomorrow?' and he'd just text me back, 'Good or great?' and I knew that meant we were on. 'I'll see you at 6.' "
Samhan, a self-described "overweight high school kid who wasn't really recruited," improved his game and his confidence in those workouts.
"It got to the point," Samhan said, "where I was working so much, I was like, 'I deserve it more than a lot of these other guys.' That's how I felt."
"He works as hard as anyone I've ever met," junior guard Mickey McConnell said.
Samhan also probably is as demonstrative on the court and talkative off it as anyone McConnell has met.
"Omar's an extrovert, he's social," Bennett said. "He's got a little Muhammad Ali to him."
As McConnell put it, "He has a knack for getting under people's skin a little bit."
After spending the previous two seasons somewhat overshadowed by his best friend, forward Diamon Simpson, and guard Patty Mills, Samhan unquestionably has become the Gaels' leader in 2009-10.
"Every game is just so special," Samhan said, "just to be on this team with guys who are more than willing to let me be the leader, and look up to me.
"It's a great responsibility, but one that I truly enjoy."
Count USF head coach Rex Walters a Samhan booster. After the Dons lost 73-57 in Moraga on Feb. 6, Walters said the Gaels had played harder than his team during stretches of the game.
"A lot of that's a testament to Omar," Walters said, "because Omar will just kick your butt if you don't bring it. He'll absolutely bury you - and I love that about him."
Good or great?
Bennett calls Samhan "one of the biggest ambassadors for St. Mary's basketball," and that's not only because he leads the WCC in scoring (21.1 ppg), rebounding (11.2 per) and blocked shots (2.9 per).
"Nobody's perfect; I'm not saying Omar is," Bennett said, "but he's got a big heart. He gets it."
A communications major who hopes to get into broadcasting once his basketball career ends, Samhan is front and center on the Gaels' bandwagon.
"He feels like we are the best team in the country," McConnell said, "when he's on the floor, especially."
Said Bennett: "Don't try to tell him that St. Mary's shouldn't be really good and that that wasn't the best place for him to go because he's not going to hear that."
You can bet Samhan will hear resounding cheers before tonight's game when he and fellow seniors Ben Allen and Wayne Hunter get honored.
"I just want to be remembered as a guy who kind of defied the odds," Samhan said. "Chances were I wasn't going to be good. Chances were I would never play.
"I just didn't take no for an answer - and I think that that's the best legacy anybody could have."
What might have been.
After Omar Samhan graduated from San Ramon Valley High in 2005, no one would have predicted he'd become a cornerstone of the St. Mary's program - because he wasn't headed to Moraga.
Samhan committed to USF. He remained with the Dons until an SAT problem led to his departure from the Hilltop.
"I, at the time, was crushed," Samhan remembered.
Fairly soon thereafter, Samhan got a scholarship offer from the Gaels. He redshirted in 2005-06 and the rest is St. Mary's history.
Samhan remains grateful to Randy Bennett and his coaching staff.
"I think that it's a real tribute to those guys," Samhan said, "to think outside the box and take a chance on a kid nobody else really wanted."
Samhan says
During an interview in Moraga last week, Omar Samhan gave first-thing-that-comes-to-mind responses to various names and topics:
Randy Bennett: "Father figure."
Diamon Simpson: "Best friend."
McKeon Pavilion: "Home."
Australia: "Look forward to visiting. I never thought this when I came in here, but that's a place when I get family vacations when I'm older, I'll definitely go over there and see these guys. It's just a warm feeling over there. They've embraced us as much as we've embraced them."
Gonzaga: "Rivalry. They made my college career that much better, just between the wars and battles we've had over the years. They help the conference any way you look at it. ... Both sides have gotten more mature over the years. It started off a little rocky, but I think we both can acknowledge that the other one's pretty good at what they do."
Future: "Pro basketball."
2.28.2010
2.25.2010
COLLEGE BASKETBALL - IT'S A MARATHON
Late February is the 21-mile marker of the college basketball season's marathon. It's been more than six months since most players and coaches started preparing for the 2009-10 season. The practices, weight-training workouts and film sessions have been endless, but it is the next three weeks that will determine, for most teams, whether it has been a successful season.
The pressure of trying to get your team into the NCAA tournament is enormous. At the low and mid-major level, what you've done in the regular season is mostly irrelevant because winning your conference tournament in a couple of weeks is the only thing that matters.
For power conference teams, every league game down the stretch will determine not only whether you earn an at-large bid, but also how high your seed will be if you do.
For the elite teams, getting into the tournament is only the beginning of the pressure to perform up to expectations. Ask Kansas coach Bill Self if early-round exits in 2005 and 2006 at the hands of Bucknell and Bradley didn't give him major migraines for two years.
Regardless of what level you are coaching at, getting your team ready to play its best basketball in the last month of the season is an art form. More than at any other time of the season, a coach must play psychologist, drill sergeant, physical therapist, teacher, motivational speaker, time-management expert and problem-solver.
Mental preparation in February and March, in my opinion, is far more important than physical preparation. Most teams are beaten up physically and beaten down mentally by the length of the season, by tough losses, by long road trips and by academic work that always looms. How you choose to motivate your team has a big part in late-season success.
While there are different philosophies about the length of practice at the end of the season, I was always a believer in the "fresh legs" approach. As a coach, you want to keep your players sharp without making them mentally miserable.
While two-and-a-half to three-hour practices were common in the first half of the season, I always cut practice times down to as little as 45 minutes late in the season. The intensity level was still high, but the players knew that if they were crisp and attentive, we got them off the court quickly. The extra time could be used for "mental practice," like a film session or a few new plays to introduce or extra shooting and skill development.
Late in the season, I believed in keeping my players off-balance. At one practice following a devastating loss, our players were expecting a tough, hard practice. Instead, we practiced last-second shots, and every time we scored, our bench players had to run on the court and celebrate with their teammates. After a few pile-ons and with the team in a great mood, we ended practice before anyone got hurt. Coincidence or not, we ended the regular season on a seven-game winning streak.
I also believed in adding some of our best offensive plays late in the season. With the familiarity that comes with playing in a conference and breaking down film, everyone is prepared for the opponent's best stuff throughout the season. So we would practice new sets or add wrinkles to plays we already had in our offense.
One season, when John Calipari was still coaching at UMass and I was at Manhattan, he gave me a last-second play over the phone one night in early January. We practiced it the next day, and I told our team that we would run the play only when we needed a sure basket. We called it "Winner."
For the next two months, we worked on "Winner" every day -- and finally, with the score tied in our conference championship game, we called the play in our final timeout. The players knew "Winner" in their sleep, executed it, and it helped get the Jaspers to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 35 years. It's a great feeling when your players have confidence in you because you have prepared them for success in a pressure situation.
The pressure of trying to get your team into the NCAA tournament is enormous. At the low and mid-major level, what you've done in the regular season is mostly irrelevant because winning your conference tournament in a couple of weeks is the only thing that matters.
For power conference teams, every league game down the stretch will determine not only whether you earn an at-large bid, but also how high your seed will be if you do.
For the elite teams, getting into the tournament is only the beginning of the pressure to perform up to expectations. Ask Kansas coach Bill Self if early-round exits in 2005 and 2006 at the hands of Bucknell and Bradley didn't give him major migraines for two years.
Regardless of what level you are coaching at, getting your team ready to play its best basketball in the last month of the season is an art form. More than at any other time of the season, a coach must play psychologist, drill sergeant, physical therapist, teacher, motivational speaker, time-management expert and problem-solver.
Mental preparation in February and March, in my opinion, is far more important than physical preparation. Most teams are beaten up physically and beaten down mentally by the length of the season, by tough losses, by long road trips and by academic work that always looms. How you choose to motivate your team has a big part in late-season success.
While there are different philosophies about the length of practice at the end of the season, I was always a believer in the "fresh legs" approach. As a coach, you want to keep your players sharp without making them mentally miserable.
While two-and-a-half to three-hour practices were common in the first half of the season, I always cut practice times down to as little as 45 minutes late in the season. The intensity level was still high, but the players knew that if they were crisp and attentive, we got them off the court quickly. The extra time could be used for "mental practice," like a film session or a few new plays to introduce or extra shooting and skill development.
Late in the season, I believed in keeping my players off-balance. At one practice following a devastating loss, our players were expecting a tough, hard practice. Instead, we practiced last-second shots, and every time we scored, our bench players had to run on the court and celebrate with their teammates. After a few pile-ons and with the team in a great mood, we ended practice before anyone got hurt. Coincidence or not, we ended the regular season on a seven-game winning streak.
I also believed in adding some of our best offensive plays late in the season. With the familiarity that comes with playing in a conference and breaking down film, everyone is prepared for the opponent's best stuff throughout the season. So we would practice new sets or add wrinkles to plays we already had in our offense.
One season, when John Calipari was still coaching at UMass and I was at Manhattan, he gave me a last-second play over the phone one night in early January. We practiced it the next day, and I told our team that we would run the play only when we needed a sure basket. We called it "Winner."
For the next two months, we worked on "Winner" every day -- and finally, with the score tied in our conference championship game, we called the play in our final timeout. The players knew "Winner" in their sleep, executed it, and it helped get the Jaspers to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 35 years. It's a great feeling when your players have confidence in you because you have prepared them for success in a pressure situation.
2.22.2010
DIRK
“Dirk lives the game,” says Rick Carlisle. Since age 13, everything he does in his life is and has been geared toward being the best basketball player he can be. And the thing that you love about Dirk is that he loves living this life. The life for Nowitzki – All-Star, NBA MVP, future Hall of Famer – is and has always been only about basketball. “He’s not flashy. He’s not conspicuously spending money or hanging with high profile friends. He’s not after every dollar he can get. It isn’t interesting to him.”
“I’m not going to jump over two guys and dunk it or stare or muscle you down,” he says of is style, which is quiet, quick and efficient. Nowitzki is old school, a workhorse. He loves doing all sorts of drills, he does push-ups on his fingertips, and late night shooting practice. Sometimes the coaches will ban him from the practice facility because they think his body needs rest so he sneaks down to the local high school to use their gym. He does not drink or smoke.
A driver for Hotel ZaZa, the Dallas glitterate hangout, sums up Dirk: “I know all the players. They all come hang out here. But Dirk? Him I never see. “
“I’m not going to jump over two guys and dunk it or stare or muscle you down,” he says of is style, which is quiet, quick and efficient. Nowitzki is old school, a workhorse. He loves doing all sorts of drills, he does push-ups on his fingertips, and late night shooting practice. Sometimes the coaches will ban him from the practice facility because they think his body needs rest so he sneaks down to the local high school to use their gym. He does not drink or smoke.
A driver for Hotel ZaZa, the Dallas glitterate hangout, sums up Dirk: “I know all the players. They all come hang out here. But Dirk? Him I never see. “
2.21.2010
RAY ALLEN - SHOOTING
Ray Allen was talking the other day about how he goes out to shoot before every practice, every game, for 20 to 30 minutes. He hoists up shot after shot from different places all over the floor. "When I shoot, whether its for 20 minutes or an hour and half, I really focus on my mechanics and making each shot important."
“I just evolved into finding the time where I could get into the gym when nobody’s in there and do my own thing some of the time,” he said. “I think there are a lot of guys that vary, change up their routines. But, me, it stays the same.”
Not surprisingly, he said he’s often out there with Rondo and Pierce.
“With kill shooters, guys that really perfect their craft, you see that consistency, where they want to get out on the floor and in the gym and shoot when there’s nobody out there to deter them from getting up their shots and deter them from doing what they have to do.”
The sight of Allen throwing up some of his perimeter shots has reminded many of Larry Bird, which Allen takes as a great compliment.
“That’s good company,” he said of the Celtics legend. “He shot the ball the way he did for a reason. To be a great shooter, to be one of the best, you have to be one of the hardest workers, Bird worked tirelessly, he had his own style where he worked so hard that when the games came he was only practicing what he did over and over again.
“I just evolved into finding the time where I could get into the gym when nobody’s in there and do my own thing some of the time,” he said. “I think there are a lot of guys that vary, change up their routines. But, me, it stays the same.”
Not surprisingly, he said he’s often out there with Rondo and Pierce.
“With kill shooters, guys that really perfect their craft, you see that consistency, where they want to get out on the floor and in the gym and shoot when there’s nobody out there to deter them from getting up their shots and deter them from doing what they have to do.”
The sight of Allen throwing up some of his perimeter shots has reminded many of Larry Bird, which Allen takes as a great compliment.
“That’s good company,” he said of the Celtics legend. “He shot the ball the way he did for a reason. To be a great shooter, to be one of the best, you have to be one of the hardest workers, Bird worked tirelessly, he had his own style where he worked so hard that when the games came he was only practicing what he did over and over again.
2.19.2010
THE TALENT CODE NOTES
- Every expert in every field is the result of around 10,000 hours of committed practice, also known as “deep practice.” Deep practice is defined as working on technique, seeking constant feedback, and working ruthlessly on shoring up weaknesses.
- World class expertise requires roughly a decade of committed practice.
- Do you have the rage to master? If you have to ask that question about somebody they don’t have the rage to master.
- Myelin – Barn ball, mini hoops, 3 on 3 full court
o Z Boys – swimming pool
o Brazil – Futsal
- Guilds: Around the age of 7 they would go spend 5-10 years working with a master. They would learn things from the ground up. (Mixing paint and preparing canvas for the painters)
- Ron Howard: was the son of Jean Howard, an actress, and Rance Howard, a director, writer, and actor. Howard graduated from John Burroughs High School, and later attended the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts but did not graduate. Ron is now an American film director and producer. He came to prominence in the 1960s while playing Andy Griffith's TV son, Opie Taylor, on The Andy Griffith Show.
- Watch the movie, “Small Wonders”
o The inspiring story of Roberta Guaspari-Tzavaras and her passion for teaching. A single mother, she moved to East Harlem and began teaching violin to support her family. When the Board of Education eliminated her position due to budget cuts, Roberta refused to stop. Instead she started her own non-profit organization in 1990 to fund a violin program for three East Harlem public schools. The popularity of her program is so astounding that a lottery was established to fairly select 150 students each year for instruction. Roberta's unique teaching technique and immeasurable energy capture the respect and love of her students as well as recognition from such famed violinists as Isaac Stern and Itzhak Perlman. Through rigorous instruction she focuses their attention and instills in them discipline and commitment. But what the kids learn extends far beyond the realm of music and inspires them to achieve in the bigger arenas of their lives.
- Is it possible to judge ability solely by the way people describe the way they practice and train?
- It’s not the hours spent but the deep practice hours spent.
- If you turn it over, why did you turn it over? If your in a shooting slump, why are you in a shooting slump? If you miss a blockout, why did you miss a blockout?
- Future hotbeds can be predicted.
- Dandelions spread throughout suburban yards with one puff. Overtime that puff will bring many flowers.
- Passion: Hotbeds treat bare bones practice with focus and intensity.
- You learn first by struggling and then by getting through it and succeding.
- The words you never here from the one that “made it” are…effortless, automatic, easy, natural.
- The McPherson Test: Musical children wre asked how long they planned to play. There answers were broken down into three categories: short term, medium term, long term. The children who said, “I want to be a musician for the long run” outperformed everybody else. It’s all about the perception of themselves.
- Recruits: coaches sons and sons of pros. They want to be like their Dad which is who they love the most and look up to. They also think of being a pro as normal.
- If you want “X” later, you better do “Y” like crazy now.
- Programs/groups: It’s all about creating belonging. You want people to say look. “those people over there are doing something terrifically worthwhile.” Youth programs are the key at the high school level.
- Talent hotbeds tended to be junky, unattractive places. Most of the buildings were makeshift, the fields were weedy and uneven, and the walls were bald. If your in a nice, easy, pleasant environment, its easy to naturally shut off and not work as hard.
- People who lose a parent: They learn that nothing is guaranteed or safe which can create a massive outpouring of energy that can be created by a lack of safety. These people can overcome the many obstacles and frustrations standing in the path of achievement.
- Talent requires deep practice, deep practice requires vast amounts of energy, and primal cues trigger huge outpourings of energy.
- Violen – one school succeded that had the lottery for the students and the other school that bought everybody violens died off because there wasn’t the same excitement and motivation in the kids.
- Why do breakthrough performances sometimes ignite talent booms and sometimes not? They are able to keep the ignition firing.
- Curacao’s: Curiel “lives at the field.” He says you need three things to be a player; heart, mind, and balls.
- 1987 Spartak Tennis Club: The coach Rauza Islanova started her class with 25 seven year olds. Every two weeks or so she would reduce it by one. Of the seven players that made the final selection, three became top 10 in the world.
- Verbal cues: However small can be very powerful.
- KIPP: Verbal cue, “Your all going to college.”
- Take youth programs to go watch college teams practice and bring them to high school practices. It gives them a vision that they can see and chase.
- Master Coaches: quiet, reserved, older, most have been teaching 30-40years. They listen more than they talk. They didn’t give pep talks or inspiring speeches. They give small, targeted, highly specific adjustments. They understand the person they are talking to and know how to relay the information to them.
- JaMarcus Russell: He is like anybody else, he can’t do it by himself. You can’t put him on the field and say win a super bowl. He needs mentoring and development.
- Pay attention to what your children are fascinated by and praise them for there effort.
- World class expertise requires roughly a decade of committed practice.
- Do you have the rage to master? If you have to ask that question about somebody they don’t have the rage to master.
- Myelin – Barn ball, mini hoops, 3 on 3 full court
o Z Boys – swimming pool
o Brazil – Futsal
- Guilds: Around the age of 7 they would go spend 5-10 years working with a master. They would learn things from the ground up. (Mixing paint and preparing canvas for the painters)
- Ron Howard: was the son of Jean Howard, an actress, and Rance Howard, a director, writer, and actor. Howard graduated from John Burroughs High School, and later attended the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts but did not graduate. Ron is now an American film director and producer. He came to prominence in the 1960s while playing Andy Griffith's TV son, Opie Taylor, on The Andy Griffith Show.
- Watch the movie, “Small Wonders”
o The inspiring story of Roberta Guaspari-Tzavaras and her passion for teaching. A single mother, she moved to East Harlem and began teaching violin to support her family. When the Board of Education eliminated her position due to budget cuts, Roberta refused to stop. Instead she started her own non-profit organization in 1990 to fund a violin program for three East Harlem public schools. The popularity of her program is so astounding that a lottery was established to fairly select 150 students each year for instruction. Roberta's unique teaching technique and immeasurable energy capture the respect and love of her students as well as recognition from such famed violinists as Isaac Stern and Itzhak Perlman. Through rigorous instruction she focuses their attention and instills in them discipline and commitment. But what the kids learn extends far beyond the realm of music and inspires them to achieve in the bigger arenas of their lives.
- Is it possible to judge ability solely by the way people describe the way they practice and train?
- It’s not the hours spent but the deep practice hours spent.
- If you turn it over, why did you turn it over? If your in a shooting slump, why are you in a shooting slump? If you miss a blockout, why did you miss a blockout?
- Future hotbeds can be predicted.
- Dandelions spread throughout suburban yards with one puff. Overtime that puff will bring many flowers.
- Passion: Hotbeds treat bare bones practice with focus and intensity.
- You learn first by struggling and then by getting through it and succeding.
- The words you never here from the one that “made it” are…effortless, automatic, easy, natural.
- The McPherson Test: Musical children wre asked how long they planned to play. There answers were broken down into three categories: short term, medium term, long term. The children who said, “I want to be a musician for the long run” outperformed everybody else. It’s all about the perception of themselves.
- Recruits: coaches sons and sons of pros. They want to be like their Dad which is who they love the most and look up to. They also think of being a pro as normal.
- If you want “X” later, you better do “Y” like crazy now.
- Programs/groups: It’s all about creating belonging. You want people to say look. “those people over there are doing something terrifically worthwhile.” Youth programs are the key at the high school level.
- Talent hotbeds tended to be junky, unattractive places. Most of the buildings were makeshift, the fields were weedy and uneven, and the walls were bald. If your in a nice, easy, pleasant environment, its easy to naturally shut off and not work as hard.
- People who lose a parent: They learn that nothing is guaranteed or safe which can create a massive outpouring of energy that can be created by a lack of safety. These people can overcome the many obstacles and frustrations standing in the path of achievement.
- Talent requires deep practice, deep practice requires vast amounts of energy, and primal cues trigger huge outpourings of energy.
- Violen – one school succeded that had the lottery for the students and the other school that bought everybody violens died off because there wasn’t the same excitement and motivation in the kids.
- Why do breakthrough performances sometimes ignite talent booms and sometimes not? They are able to keep the ignition firing.
- Curacao’s: Curiel “lives at the field.” He says you need three things to be a player; heart, mind, and balls.
- 1987 Spartak Tennis Club: The coach Rauza Islanova started her class with 25 seven year olds. Every two weeks or so she would reduce it by one. Of the seven players that made the final selection, three became top 10 in the world.
- Verbal cues: However small can be very powerful.
- KIPP: Verbal cue, “Your all going to college.”
- Take youth programs to go watch college teams practice and bring them to high school practices. It gives them a vision that they can see and chase.
- Master Coaches: quiet, reserved, older, most have been teaching 30-40years. They listen more than they talk. They didn’t give pep talks or inspiring speeches. They give small, targeted, highly specific adjustments. They understand the person they are talking to and know how to relay the information to them.
- JaMarcus Russell: He is like anybody else, he can’t do it by himself. You can’t put him on the field and say win a super bowl. He needs mentoring and development.
- Pay attention to what your children are fascinated by and praise them for there effort.
2.18.2010
La Bomba
It's roughly two hours until tipoff and Rudy Fernandez practices alone on the arena floor before a recent Trail Blazers game.
The time has come to work on "La Bomba."
Fernandez jogs from half court, collects a pass from assistant coach Kaleb Canales and fakes a shot from the three-point arc. After a hesitation, Fernandez drives toward the hoop and lofts a high-arcing floater near the free throw line as assistant coach Bill Bayno sprints toward him hoisting giant black pads with raised arms.
Splash.
Since returning from microdiscectomy surgery on Jan. 13, Fernandez has endured inconsistency as he has worked his way back into midseason form. But one thing that has remained consistent is his tireless pursuit at expanding his offensive repertoire to feature more than three-point shots. The second-year guard is intent on improving his driving ability and the weapon he practices most often is the tear drop, an Old School move that few in the NBA use.
"I think I'm a good shooter but I can do a lot more," Fernandez said. "I can go to the basket and I have the ability (to make) layups. I play hard and want to go to the basket more. I think it's a good move, a good shot, because in the NBA there are a lot of big men and athletic (players) ... and it's tough situation for them to block the shot."
For Fernandez, a critical element of his future is the evolution of his offense. The tear drop is an especially difficult shot to defend because it's virtually impossible to block, particularly when a lanky and athletic 6-foot-6 player such as Fernandez is attempting it. And because so few players in the NBA use it, it's unconventional and often surprising.
Players who do feature it -- a short list that most notably includes San Antonio's Tony Parker, Phoenix's Steve Nash -- are multifaceted offensive forces. The tear drop revolutionized Tony Parker's game, elevating him from a prospect into an All-Star. It helped Nash become an MVP.
Because Fernandez is such a respected shooter, a simple pump fake frees him up to drive the lane unabated.
Once he reaches the free throw line, the threat of a tear drop then opens up multiple possibilities. If a front line player approaches to offer help defense, Fernandez can dish to a suddenly open teammate for an easy layup or dunk. Or Fernandez can simply lob the shot.
"I want him attacking," McMillan said. "I like the fact that he's going to the paint. I like the aggressiveness. I think we need that. I think that's something he needs to add to his game. He should be a guy that can get to the rim and get to the free throw line because he goes hard, he knows how to draw fouls."
So why does Fernandez call it "La Bomba?" It's an ode to one of the most respected native Spanish players, Juan Carlos Navarro, who plays in the Spanish ACB League. Fernandez' relationship with Navarro dates to when he was 17 and playing on the Spanish National Team. Navarro, who's nickname is "La Bomba," was a mentor and one of his trademark moves is the tear drop.
Fernandez works on the challenging shot for extensive stretches during most practices and before every game with Canales.
"It's another move for me and I think every player needs to always work on improving," Fernandez said.
The time has come to work on "La Bomba."
Fernandez jogs from half court, collects a pass from assistant coach Kaleb Canales and fakes a shot from the three-point arc. After a hesitation, Fernandez drives toward the hoop and lofts a high-arcing floater near the free throw line as assistant coach Bill Bayno sprints toward him hoisting giant black pads with raised arms.
Splash.
Since returning from microdiscectomy surgery on Jan. 13, Fernandez has endured inconsistency as he has worked his way back into midseason form. But one thing that has remained consistent is his tireless pursuit at expanding his offensive repertoire to feature more than three-point shots. The second-year guard is intent on improving his driving ability and the weapon he practices most often is the tear drop, an Old School move that few in the NBA use.
"I think I'm a good shooter but I can do a lot more," Fernandez said. "I can go to the basket and I have the ability (to make) layups. I play hard and want to go to the basket more. I think it's a good move, a good shot, because in the NBA there are a lot of big men and athletic (players) ... and it's tough situation for them to block the shot."
For Fernandez, a critical element of his future is the evolution of his offense. The tear drop is an especially difficult shot to defend because it's virtually impossible to block, particularly when a lanky and athletic 6-foot-6 player such as Fernandez is attempting it. And because so few players in the NBA use it, it's unconventional and often surprising.
Players who do feature it -- a short list that most notably includes San Antonio's Tony Parker, Phoenix's Steve Nash -- are multifaceted offensive forces. The tear drop revolutionized Tony Parker's game, elevating him from a prospect into an All-Star. It helped Nash become an MVP.
Because Fernandez is such a respected shooter, a simple pump fake frees him up to drive the lane unabated.
Once he reaches the free throw line, the threat of a tear drop then opens up multiple possibilities. If a front line player approaches to offer help defense, Fernandez can dish to a suddenly open teammate for an easy layup or dunk. Or Fernandez can simply lob the shot.
"I want him attacking," McMillan said. "I like the fact that he's going to the paint. I like the aggressiveness. I think we need that. I think that's something he needs to add to his game. He should be a guy that can get to the rim and get to the free throw line because he goes hard, he knows how to draw fouls."
So why does Fernandez call it "La Bomba?" It's an ode to one of the most respected native Spanish players, Juan Carlos Navarro, who plays in the Spanish ACB League. Fernandez' relationship with Navarro dates to when he was 17 and playing on the Spanish National Team. Navarro, who's nickname is "La Bomba," was a mentor and one of his trademark moves is the tear drop.
Fernandez works on the challenging shot for extensive stretches during most practices and before every game with Canales.
"It's another move for me and I think every player needs to always work on improving," Fernandez said.
1.29.2010
Lucas Becomes A Leader For Spartans
Nearly two minutes to play. Michigan State down three. Crisler Arena howling. Michigan students swaying. Winning time looming. Break for media timeout.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo entered his team’s huddle Tuesday night and blinked at the most astounding sight:
Kalin Lucas, the team’s sometimes silent point guard, barking instructions to teammates. Telling them they’d better not surrender an inch on defense. Telling them every rebound better be a Green rebound. Telling them Michigan was not winning this game.
For a second, Izzo simply enjoyed the view. Then he spoke. “Is it all right if I talk, Kalin?” Izzo asked.
Player and coach exchanged a nod. Next thing you knew Crisler Arena was as quiet as an art exhibit, and Michigan State (18-3) was looking like a team you’d better return to the list of contenders completely capable of finishing the season at Lucas Oil Stadium in early April.
A basket by Raymar Morgan. Then a game-wining jumper by Lucas with 3.5 seconds to play. Michigan State 57, Michigan 56. The Wolverines tasted that same splash of heartburn that Minnesota tasted last weekend when Lucas hit a game-winner to beat the Gophers, too.
Suddenly the Spartans are 8-0 in the Big Ten, at least two games ahead of everybody in the loss column. Magic Johnson and Mateen Cleaves delivered national titles to East Lansing, but they didn’t start 8-0 in the league. It’s a first for the Spartans as they await a Saturday visit by Northwestern and then trips to Wisconsin and Illinois next week.
Izzo delivered hugs in the locker room. One of the first went to Lucas.
“Maybe now you understand why I was on you the way I was, because I know what you’re capable of doing,” Izzo said.
Maybe now everybody understands -- without hyperventilating. It was Dec. 29 when Izzo told Lucas he didn’t want him at practice that day. You would have thought the coach had announced that Magic Johnson’s jersey was being pulled down at the Breslin Center. The news led one segment on the Big Ten Network and dominated the crawl on another network. The message boards warped into meltdown mode.
Izzo has directed five of the last 11 Michigan State teams to the Final Four. He understands the rhythms of how habits formed in December shape what happens in March. A player as gifted and as gritty as Kalin Lucas needed to lead more forcefully than Lucas was leading. MSU had lost three of its first dozen games. This was no freshman. Lucas is a junior who had directed the Spartans into Detroit, his hometown, for the 2009 national championship game.
“We need Kalin to score, pass, defend, rebound, lead, sell popcorn and coach the team,” Izzo said. “He understood some of that, but I don’t think he understood all of it. I wasn’t looking for him to lead in a rah-rah style. I was looking for him to embrace his teammates more.”
In Lucas, Morgan, Draymond Green, Durrell Summers, Chris Allen and Delvon Roe, Michigan State has a formidable core. But the Spartans aren’t blessed with as many potential high NBA draft picks as Kentucky, Kansas, Syracuse or Texas. The Spartans don’t have a DeMarcus Cousins, Damion James, Cole Aldrich or Wesley Johnson glaring from the post. They need a collective buzz – stirred by Kalin Lucas.
It wasn’t just that Michigan State had been beaten by Florida, North Carolina and Texas. It was that State averaged more than 18 turnovers in those defeats – and Izzo could not tolerate that.
Here’s another set of numbers you don’t associate with a Tom Izzo team: The Spartans had been outscored by a combined 11 points in the final two minutes or so of those losses.
Izzo wanted more. He had to have more if the Spartans intended to survive against Purdue, Wisconsin, Ohio State and the others itching to displace MSU atop the Big Ten.
“I told him not to come to practice,” Izzo said. “I told him he could go in the other gym and shoot, or he could watch extra video or he could go sit in my office and think about what he was ready to do to make us a better team.”
Did it work? Roll video from the final two minutes of the Minnesota and Michigan wins, when State outscored those teams by five points. Are the Spartans better? They have not lost another game. Feel free to connect the dots.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo entered his team’s huddle Tuesday night and blinked at the most astounding sight:
Kalin Lucas, the team’s sometimes silent point guard, barking instructions to teammates. Telling them they’d better not surrender an inch on defense. Telling them every rebound better be a Green rebound. Telling them Michigan was not winning this game.
For a second, Izzo simply enjoyed the view. Then he spoke. “Is it all right if I talk, Kalin?” Izzo asked.
Player and coach exchanged a nod. Next thing you knew Crisler Arena was as quiet as an art exhibit, and Michigan State (18-3) was looking like a team you’d better return to the list of contenders completely capable of finishing the season at Lucas Oil Stadium in early April.
A basket by Raymar Morgan. Then a game-wining jumper by Lucas with 3.5 seconds to play. Michigan State 57, Michigan 56. The Wolverines tasted that same splash of heartburn that Minnesota tasted last weekend when Lucas hit a game-winner to beat the Gophers, too.
Suddenly the Spartans are 8-0 in the Big Ten, at least two games ahead of everybody in the loss column. Magic Johnson and Mateen Cleaves delivered national titles to East Lansing, but they didn’t start 8-0 in the league. It’s a first for the Spartans as they await a Saturday visit by Northwestern and then trips to Wisconsin and Illinois next week.
Izzo delivered hugs in the locker room. One of the first went to Lucas.
“Maybe now you understand why I was on you the way I was, because I know what you’re capable of doing,” Izzo said.
Maybe now everybody understands -- without hyperventilating. It was Dec. 29 when Izzo told Lucas he didn’t want him at practice that day. You would have thought the coach had announced that Magic Johnson’s jersey was being pulled down at the Breslin Center. The news led one segment on the Big Ten Network and dominated the crawl on another network. The message boards warped into meltdown mode.
Izzo has directed five of the last 11 Michigan State teams to the Final Four. He understands the rhythms of how habits formed in December shape what happens in March. A player as gifted and as gritty as Kalin Lucas needed to lead more forcefully than Lucas was leading. MSU had lost three of its first dozen games. This was no freshman. Lucas is a junior who had directed the Spartans into Detroit, his hometown, for the 2009 national championship game.
“We need Kalin to score, pass, defend, rebound, lead, sell popcorn and coach the team,” Izzo said. “He understood some of that, but I don’t think he understood all of it. I wasn’t looking for him to lead in a rah-rah style. I was looking for him to embrace his teammates more.”
In Lucas, Morgan, Draymond Green, Durrell Summers, Chris Allen and Delvon Roe, Michigan State has a formidable core. But the Spartans aren’t blessed with as many potential high NBA draft picks as Kentucky, Kansas, Syracuse or Texas. The Spartans don’t have a DeMarcus Cousins, Damion James, Cole Aldrich or Wesley Johnson glaring from the post. They need a collective buzz – stirred by Kalin Lucas.
It wasn’t just that Michigan State had been beaten by Florida, North Carolina and Texas. It was that State averaged more than 18 turnovers in those defeats – and Izzo could not tolerate that.
Here’s another set of numbers you don’t associate with a Tom Izzo team: The Spartans had been outscored by a combined 11 points in the final two minutes or so of those losses.
Izzo wanted more. He had to have more if the Spartans intended to survive against Purdue, Wisconsin, Ohio State and the others itching to displace MSU atop the Big Ten.
“I told him not to come to practice,” Izzo said. “I told him he could go in the other gym and shoot, or he could watch extra video or he could go sit in my office and think about what he was ready to do to make us a better team.”
Did it work? Roll video from the final two minutes of the Minnesota and Michigan wins, when State outscored those teams by five points. Are the Spartans better? They have not lost another game. Feel free to connect the dots.
1.26.2010
LEADERSHIP LACKING AT MICHIGAN
When evaluating Michigan in the preseason, the consensus was to project on the production returning and assume the Wolverines would be just as good if not even better than the team that advanced to the second round of last year's NCAA tournament.
Manny Harris was returning, and so too were DeShawn Sims, Zack Novak and Stu Douglass. Plus the Wolverines would get a full year from Laval Lucas-Perry.
But what didn't come back -- what is clearly missing from this Michigan team -- is leadership from two players who were hardly perceived as necessities.
Gone from last year's team are seniors C.J. Lee and David Merritt, who played in all 35 games but were ninth and 12th respectively on the scoring list.
"They were born leaders," Michigan coach John Beilein said. "It was obvious to us. C.J. is already going into politics and David already has started his own company."
Manny Harris led Michigan to a NCAA win last year, but hasn't been able to make the Wolverines a contender this season.
As the Wolverines slumber through a disappointing 10-9 season (3-4 in the Big Ten), what is missing from this group is the locker room and practice leadership that clearly wasn't in place when Harris went awry last week. The junior guard was suspended for a behavioral issue in practice last week in advance of a game at Purdue. The Wolverines' leading scorer didn't play against the Boilermakers because of the action.
Beilein said Lee and Merritt were the type of players that were leaders in the locker room and during practice. They were the coach on the floor that a head coach desperately needs.
"Basketball is a flow sport where play continues," Beilein said. "It's not like football where you can have the quarterback huddle everyone up after a dropped pass."
Beilein said that Lee and Merritt didn't let last season's team drift. And this exact type of situation -- not knowing where the leadership might come from -- has occurred elsewhere this season. Like at Boston College, for example.
The Eagles didn't fret much about losing Tyrese Rice because he had a bit of an enigmatic personality and tended to drift. But what Rice could do, and had the respect to do it among his teammates, was get the Eagles refocused at times if the situation called for it. Biko Paris, who took over for Rice, doesn't have the demonstrative personality and neither does Reggie Jackson or Rakim Sanders. Senior Tyler Roche doesn't have that personality trait and neither does Joe Trapani. Yet, a lack of leadership in key moments has led to BC floundering in home games it should have won like against Rhode Island, Harvard and Maine.
But the Eagles (11-9, 2-4 ACC) were picked ninth in the ACC and even though they should have a much better record, there wasn't as high an expectation for them as there was for the Wolverines. Michigan, which lost to BC at home in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge in December, was ranked No. 15 in the preseason.
They didn't show leadership in late-game situations against Alabama in Orlando in the Old Spice Classic or at Indiana or against Northwestern at home.
Look, blaming the problems on the loss of Lee and Merritt may sound like an excuse, but no one has apparently filled the void. They need someone to act as an extension of Beilein, someone like Lee and Merritt who can be more assertive. If it doesn't happen soon, the Wolverines will be playing their final game this season in the NIT.
Manny Harris was returning, and so too were DeShawn Sims, Zack Novak and Stu Douglass. Plus the Wolverines would get a full year from Laval Lucas-Perry.
But what didn't come back -- what is clearly missing from this Michigan team -- is leadership from two players who were hardly perceived as necessities.
Gone from last year's team are seniors C.J. Lee and David Merritt, who played in all 35 games but were ninth and 12th respectively on the scoring list.
"They were born leaders," Michigan coach John Beilein said. "It was obvious to us. C.J. is already going into politics and David already has started his own company."
Manny Harris led Michigan to a NCAA win last year, but hasn't been able to make the Wolverines a contender this season.
As the Wolverines slumber through a disappointing 10-9 season (3-4 in the Big Ten), what is missing from this group is the locker room and practice leadership that clearly wasn't in place when Harris went awry last week. The junior guard was suspended for a behavioral issue in practice last week in advance of a game at Purdue. The Wolverines' leading scorer didn't play against the Boilermakers because of the action.
Beilein said Lee and Merritt were the type of players that were leaders in the locker room and during practice. They were the coach on the floor that a head coach desperately needs.
"Basketball is a flow sport where play continues," Beilein said. "It's not like football where you can have the quarterback huddle everyone up after a dropped pass."
Beilein said that Lee and Merritt didn't let last season's team drift. And this exact type of situation -- not knowing where the leadership might come from -- has occurred elsewhere this season. Like at Boston College, for example.
The Eagles didn't fret much about losing Tyrese Rice because he had a bit of an enigmatic personality and tended to drift. But what Rice could do, and had the respect to do it among his teammates, was get the Eagles refocused at times if the situation called for it. Biko Paris, who took over for Rice, doesn't have the demonstrative personality and neither does Reggie Jackson or Rakim Sanders. Senior Tyler Roche doesn't have that personality trait and neither does Joe Trapani. Yet, a lack of leadership in key moments has led to BC floundering in home games it should have won like against Rhode Island, Harvard and Maine.
But the Eagles (11-9, 2-4 ACC) were picked ninth in the ACC and even though they should have a much better record, there wasn't as high an expectation for them as there was for the Wolverines. Michigan, which lost to BC at home in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge in December, was ranked No. 15 in the preseason.
They didn't show leadership in late-game situations against Alabama in Orlando in the Old Spice Classic or at Indiana or against Northwestern at home.
Look, blaming the problems on the loss of Lee and Merritt may sound like an excuse, but no one has apparently filled the void. They need someone to act as an extension of Beilein, someone like Lee and Merritt who can be more assertive. If it doesn't happen soon, the Wolverines will be playing their final game this season in the NIT.
1.17.2010
SCOTTIE REYNOLDS - ALL GROWN UP
Like every parent, Rick Reynolds packed his son off to college in the hopes that the university would return to him a man.
As father and son embraced on Sunday afternoon, the father, marveling at what he's witnessed in four years, nodded.
The university had delivered.
A kid scores points.
A man pulls in the critical rebound.
A kid plays for himself.
A man plays for everyone else.
A kid relishes the joy of playing with abandon.
A man smiles knowingly at the new kids playing with reckless abandon and says, "Enjoy it now."
A kid wins Big East Rookie of the Year.
A man just might sandwich his career with Big East Player of the Year honors.
Scottie Reynolds has helped Villanova get off to a 16-1 start, 5-0 in the Big East.
"What's remarkable to me isn't what he's doing; it's the impact he's having on other people," Rick Reynolds said. "Next year, who knows what's going to happen next year, but I know what's going to happen after this season, and that's life. What he's doing right now, impacting other people, that's life."
As No. 4 Villanova steamrolls through the Big East, rolling to a 5-0 record after escaping Georgetown 82-77, it is being steadied by the sure-handed guidance of a man.
In some regards, senior guard Scottie Reynolds always had poise beyond his years. He deferred to his older teammates to the point that his coach practically had to beg him to stop passing the ball.
He was polite, yes sir-ing his way through interviews, and coachable, taking Wright's instruction almost down to the literal definition of the word.
(Though there was that time in Reynolds' sophomore season when Villanova was playing Pitt. Reynolds showed up late.
Because he was at church).
But it was in between the whistles when Reynolds remained a kid his freshman season. With Wright's blessing if not tacit encouragement, he giddily went to the rim on a 1-on-3 break. He jacked up long-range 3-pointers without a worry even if there was a better shot available. Villanova had just graduated one of the best classes in school history and the Wildcats needed points. Reynolds' job was to provide them.
"He put up 40 against UConn and he probably took at least seven or eight [bad] shots," Wright said of the player who would sew up Big East Rookie of the Year honors with that game against the Huskies. "We would tell Mike Nardi and Curtis Sumpter, you can't do that, but he has to. That was the only way he knew how to score, to sort of just be wild."
Reynolds would average 14.8 points on 39 percent shooting from the floor in his freshman season.
Today? Reynolds leads Villanova with 19.3 points per game.
He shoots 50 percent from the floor.
He and Wright spent the offseason talking about what Wright believed was the last step in Reynolds' progression as a player: being efficient.
Against Georgetown, that efficiency was on display everywhere. Reynolds scored a team-high 27 points, hitting 8 of his 15 shots from the floor and 4-of-7 from the arc.
Mr. Big Shot, who sealed his moniker with the buzzer-beating floater to send Villanova to the Final Four last year, also scored on a drive to the hoop to seal Sunday's victory. Going from left to right, he went to the side of the basket, tucking the ball like a running back approaching the goal line and went up hard and strong to the rim. The bucket counted and Villanova, which watched Georgetown rally from a 15-point halftime deficit, owned a 71-69 lead, an edge it would never surrender.
"Scottie can't be contained," John Thompson III said. "I don't say that in jest. He's too good of an offensive player and they do too good of a job of getting him where he needs to be. It's nothing new. He's been doing it for four years. What's different is now as a senior, when they need a basket, he ends up with the ball in his hand and good things happen."
Were Reynolds still a kid, he would have loved to talk about that big bucket.
Instead he was more excited about a play 90 seconds later.
Georgetown rode Greg Monroe back into the game, with the sophomore pulling in 16 of his career-high 29 points in the second half. Villanova tried Antonio Pena on Monroe; it tried Mouphtaou Yarou; it tried Isaiah Armwood. If the guy in Section 124 had any eligibility left, the Wildcats might have suited him up because no one could stop Monroe's sweet repertoire of post moves or his work on the glass. He finished with 16 boards.
But the Wildcats finally found a way to handle Monroe.
Clinging to that 72-71 lead, Reggie Redding missed a jumper and in the forest of rebounders that included Monroe, the lone guy in a white jersey, the one 9 inches shorter came down with the rebound, signaling for a timeout as he fell.
It was Reynolds.
"That rebound felt pretty good," Reynolds said. "I'm not allowed to go to the offensive glass. The 1 and 2, we're supposed to go back, but the ball was there and I thought I could go get it. Of course in that situation, you have to make sure you go get it or I'm back on the bench."
Wright wasn't complaining.
"That was the play of the game right there," Wright said. "But that's what great players do. It's making plays to win the game. Not necessarily shots, just big plays."
Wright has seen this evolution before. Randy Foye came to Villanova as an unpolished guard and left as a lottery pick. Kyle Lowry came with fearlessness and speed and learned a way to channel it.
Now it is Reynolds, learning how to create a play when he needs it but be wise about his choices.
And it is Reynolds doing what his predecessors taught him -- taking the final step on the ladder of maturity and teaching the guys behind him. Maalik Wayns scored 11 against Georgetown, playing as if he was blissfully ignorant of the brutal physicality of the game, the importance of the game or the sellout crowd of 20,000-plus.
Sometimes Reynolds smirks when he watches Wayns play. Somewhere in the depths of the Villanova film room there exists game tape of Scottie Reynolds, circa 2007. He, like Wayns, crashes into the paint with almost reckless abandon. He, like Wayns, thinks nothing of jacking up a 3 in transition when a more patient shot might be the better option.
And he, like Wayns, watches and learns.
"I tell him all the time, 'Enjoy it now,"' Reynolds said, sounding very much like the elder statesman. "Pretty soon they're going to be clogging the lane and not letting you have those shots."
Someone recently fashioned Reynolds' fancy headphones with Villanova logos at Reynolds' request.
It was a small thing, especially for a guy constantly tricked out in Villanova gear thanks to his basketball career.
But to Rick Reynolds, the decision spoke volumes.
"He gets it now," Rick Reynolds said. "You go to college and at first, it's where you're going to school. But if it goes right for you, if it's really a special experience, it gets inside of you. It's part of who you are. That's what's happened to Scottie."
He's grown up.
Into a player.
And a man.
As father and son embraced on Sunday afternoon, the father, marveling at what he's witnessed in four years, nodded.
The university had delivered.
A kid scores points.
A man pulls in the critical rebound.
A kid plays for himself.
A man plays for everyone else.
A kid relishes the joy of playing with abandon.
A man smiles knowingly at the new kids playing with reckless abandon and says, "Enjoy it now."
A kid wins Big East Rookie of the Year.
A man just might sandwich his career with Big East Player of the Year honors.
Scottie Reynolds has helped Villanova get off to a 16-1 start, 5-0 in the Big East.
"What's remarkable to me isn't what he's doing; it's the impact he's having on other people," Rick Reynolds said. "Next year, who knows what's going to happen next year, but I know what's going to happen after this season, and that's life. What he's doing right now, impacting other people, that's life."
As No. 4 Villanova steamrolls through the Big East, rolling to a 5-0 record after escaping Georgetown 82-77, it is being steadied by the sure-handed guidance of a man.
In some regards, senior guard Scottie Reynolds always had poise beyond his years. He deferred to his older teammates to the point that his coach practically had to beg him to stop passing the ball.
He was polite, yes sir-ing his way through interviews, and coachable, taking Wright's instruction almost down to the literal definition of the word.
(Though there was that time in Reynolds' sophomore season when Villanova was playing Pitt. Reynolds showed up late.
Because he was at church).
But it was in between the whistles when Reynolds remained a kid his freshman season. With Wright's blessing if not tacit encouragement, he giddily went to the rim on a 1-on-3 break. He jacked up long-range 3-pointers without a worry even if there was a better shot available. Villanova had just graduated one of the best classes in school history and the Wildcats needed points. Reynolds' job was to provide them.
"He put up 40 against UConn and he probably took at least seven or eight [bad] shots," Wright said of the player who would sew up Big East Rookie of the Year honors with that game against the Huskies. "We would tell Mike Nardi and Curtis Sumpter, you can't do that, but he has to. That was the only way he knew how to score, to sort of just be wild."
Reynolds would average 14.8 points on 39 percent shooting from the floor in his freshman season.
Today? Reynolds leads Villanova with 19.3 points per game.
He shoots 50 percent from the floor.
He and Wright spent the offseason talking about what Wright believed was the last step in Reynolds' progression as a player: being efficient.
Against Georgetown, that efficiency was on display everywhere. Reynolds scored a team-high 27 points, hitting 8 of his 15 shots from the floor and 4-of-7 from the arc.
Mr. Big Shot, who sealed his moniker with the buzzer-beating floater to send Villanova to the Final Four last year, also scored on a drive to the hoop to seal Sunday's victory. Going from left to right, he went to the side of the basket, tucking the ball like a running back approaching the goal line and went up hard and strong to the rim. The bucket counted and Villanova, which watched Georgetown rally from a 15-point halftime deficit, owned a 71-69 lead, an edge it would never surrender.
"Scottie can't be contained," John Thompson III said. "I don't say that in jest. He's too good of an offensive player and they do too good of a job of getting him where he needs to be. It's nothing new. He's been doing it for four years. What's different is now as a senior, when they need a basket, he ends up with the ball in his hand and good things happen."
Were Reynolds still a kid, he would have loved to talk about that big bucket.
Instead he was more excited about a play 90 seconds later.
Georgetown rode Greg Monroe back into the game, with the sophomore pulling in 16 of his career-high 29 points in the second half. Villanova tried Antonio Pena on Monroe; it tried Mouphtaou Yarou; it tried Isaiah Armwood. If the guy in Section 124 had any eligibility left, the Wildcats might have suited him up because no one could stop Monroe's sweet repertoire of post moves or his work on the glass. He finished with 16 boards.
But the Wildcats finally found a way to handle Monroe.
Clinging to that 72-71 lead, Reggie Redding missed a jumper and in the forest of rebounders that included Monroe, the lone guy in a white jersey, the one 9 inches shorter came down with the rebound, signaling for a timeout as he fell.
It was Reynolds.
"That rebound felt pretty good," Reynolds said. "I'm not allowed to go to the offensive glass. The 1 and 2, we're supposed to go back, but the ball was there and I thought I could go get it. Of course in that situation, you have to make sure you go get it or I'm back on the bench."
Wright wasn't complaining.
"That was the play of the game right there," Wright said. "But that's what great players do. It's making plays to win the game. Not necessarily shots, just big plays."
Wright has seen this evolution before. Randy Foye came to Villanova as an unpolished guard and left as a lottery pick. Kyle Lowry came with fearlessness and speed and learned a way to channel it.
Now it is Reynolds, learning how to create a play when he needs it but be wise about his choices.
And it is Reynolds doing what his predecessors taught him -- taking the final step on the ladder of maturity and teaching the guys behind him. Maalik Wayns scored 11 against Georgetown, playing as if he was blissfully ignorant of the brutal physicality of the game, the importance of the game or the sellout crowd of 20,000-plus.
Sometimes Reynolds smirks when he watches Wayns play. Somewhere in the depths of the Villanova film room there exists game tape of Scottie Reynolds, circa 2007. He, like Wayns, crashes into the paint with almost reckless abandon. He, like Wayns, thinks nothing of jacking up a 3 in transition when a more patient shot might be the better option.
And he, like Wayns, watches and learns.
"I tell him all the time, 'Enjoy it now,"' Reynolds said, sounding very much like the elder statesman. "Pretty soon they're going to be clogging the lane and not letting you have those shots."
Someone recently fashioned Reynolds' fancy headphones with Villanova logos at Reynolds' request.
It was a small thing, especially for a guy constantly tricked out in Villanova gear thanks to his basketball career.
But to Rick Reynolds, the decision spoke volumes.
"He gets it now," Rick Reynolds said. "You go to college and at first, it's where you're going to school. But if it goes right for you, if it's really a special experience, it gets inside of you. It's part of who you are. That's what's happened to Scottie."
He's grown up.
Into a player.
And a man.
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