After an illustrious four-year career at Villanova, Scottie Reynolds didn’t go down the typical path of a consensus First Team All-American. Finishing his tenure at ’Nova second all-time in scoring and leading the Wildcats to a Final Four appearance in ’09 – highlighted by an unforgettable mad-dash game-winner over one-seeded Pittsburgh – Scottie went undrafted in 2010. After a brief stint with Prima Veroli in Italy, he set his sights back on America in hopes of getting the opportunity to play at the next level. Taken 13th overall in the NBA D-League Draft by the Tulsa 66ers, he was then traded to the Springfield Armor. As one of the perennial figures of Villanova Basketball and a current standout in the D-League, we decided there was no one better to turn to for an inside scoop on life in the NBA’s minor league. In his first entry, Scottie talks about life on the road, Dee Brown as a coach and being heckled. Read More »

Don’t think that the Year of the Point Guard only applies to the NBA. In college basketball, a bumper crop of ones is helping write the national narrative in a way similar to their pro counterparts: With diverse styles and circumstances that make it tough to pick exactly who is No. 1 on a daily basis.

Two of the front-running candidates for national Player of the Year are point guards. One of the top 10 teams in the country (according to the most recent Associated Press poll), at least five could arguably say their point guard is their best player. Read More »

Five NCAA teams that got my attention this past weekend for various reasons:

1. Arizona (5-1) A national TV win over Kansas would have been a seminal moment for coach Sean Miller as he rebuilds the Arizona program. It didn’t happen Saturday night, but the Wildcats can take a lot away from a close loss against a Jayhawks squad that had been destroying their comp by 40 points per game. Derrick Williams, who put up 27 points and 8 boards against KU, is my early favorite for for Pac-10 Player of the Year. Read More »

Despite the fact Dirk Nowitzki signed a new four-year contract with the Mavericks this summer, the realistic oddsmaker knows Dallas’ championship window for the Dirk era only has a couple of years left — if it hasn’t been slammed shut already by the likes of Tim Duncan, Dwyane Wade and Baron Davis — before it’s officially rebuilding time. The Mavs took another hit this weekend, as rising star Rodrigue Beaubois broke his left foot while playing for Team France, a setback in the young guard’s development. Read More »

After the NBA Draft and before Midnight Madness, it seems nobody really talks about college basketball. While free agency and trades in the pros dominate the headlines, now is the time where your favorite NCAA team is gearing up and building the chemistry that could carry them to a national championship. The recruits are on campus, the returners are learning their new roles, and coaches are devising game plans. Here is my pre-preseason national Top-10: Read More »

Once upon a time, Antonio Pena was known only as one of the “other guys” on Sebastian Telfair‘s team at storied Lincoln High School (Brooklyn, NY). But after a journey that has since taken him through two years at a prep school in Connecticut, knee surgery and a redshirt season, Pena has re-emerged as one of the key players on a Villanova University squad contending for a national championship in 2010.

Pena, a 6-8 junior power forward, is averaging 11 points and 7.5 rebounds for the Wildcats (22-3, 11-2 Big East), ranked No. 3 in the country before last night’s loss to UConn. Read More »

That’s right, the college hoops season is here and you know what that means: it’s time to unleash the mother effing fury! For the past seven months, I’ve been bottling up a vicious mixture of excitement and rage, just waiting for the moment to release my emotions onto the rest of the world. Well that time has come. Your boy Matty D is back to give you a look at the top teams in the country and to separate the champs from the chumps. Read More »

VILLANOVA 89, UCLA 69 Back in October, I interviewed Villanova PG Scottie Reynolds for Dime’s college basketball preview. “I have to make sure everybody is on task and has the right mindset,” Reynolds said then, “that we’re gonna play Villanova basketball for 40 minutes.” Read More »