Reynolds to Play in Italy

After mulling a offer to go to the Phoenix Sun's training camp, former Villanova's #2 All-Time scorer, guard Scottie Reynolds decided to sign a guaranteed contract with Prima Verdi of the Italian League Second Division and take a year abroad. Reynolds follows in the footsteps of former teammate Mike Nardi and fellow Villanova alum Alan Ray, in going to the Italian League.

Best of luck Scottie!

Chicken Counting 2010, part I

Villanova's All Time Scoring Leader...Reviewing the Numbers
The all-time leading Wildcat scorer is Kerry Kittles (1992-96), who scored 2,243 points over a 4 year career that saw Villanova win the NIT for the 1st time (becoming 1 of 18 programs to win both the NCAA and the NIT) in his sophomore season, and the Big East Tournament in his junior season. Kerry scored his 2,243 points over the course of 122 games, averaging 18.4 points per game. Scottie currently ranks #15 in the list, just above Tom Inglesby (1970-73, 1,616) with 1,620 points, scored over the course of 105 games. There are two elements (health aside...) to factor in determining if Scottie can match (or exceed) Kerry Kittle's record...

1. How many points does he need?  and
2. How many games will he have to score them?

As to the first question -- 624 points, as posed in the title to a thread posted over at Villanova's VUSport's board last week is the answer. 623 points will tie Kittles' lifetime scoring record, 624 and the record is Scottie's alone. Scoring 600 points in a season has been accomplished only 19 times by (only) 15 players (yes, for the record Howard Porter & Keith Herron scored > 600 points twice during their careers on the Main Line; Kerry Kittles did it three times). The last player to score over 600 points in a season was Dante Cunningham in 2009. Dante scored 612 points in his senior season, leading the Wildcats to a #3 seed in the NCAAs ending in the Final Four. Dante was, by the way, only the third player of the Jay Wright Era to score 600 points -- Randy Foye in 2006 (his senior season) scored 677 points and Alan Ray, with 604 points in his sophomore season (2004) -- are the other two. Should Scottie reach the 600 point mark, it would be only the 5th time since 1950-51 that Villanova teams would have had 600+ point scorers in back-to-back seasons. And only the second time that the feat would have been accomplished by two different players.

Will Scottie have enough games? This is the least certain factor. We know that the Wildcats will play at least 31 games; 30 in the "regular season" and (at least) one Big East Tournament game -- and Scottie is virtually certain to play in (if not start) every one of those games. The math suggests he would have to average at least 20.1 points per game, a scoring pace comparable to Randy Foye's 20.5 ppg in 2006 (and Mike Bradley's 20.8 ppg in 2001), but not as demanding as Kerry Kittles' 21.4 average in 1995 (Kerry scored 706 points in 33 games that season) to have a chance of breaking Kittles' record. If however the 2010 squad plays about the same number of games as the past few seasons, count on Reynolds having between 33 and 35 (maybe more?) games with which to work. At 35 games Scottie will have to average better than 17.8 ppg, comparable to Doug West's 1989 season (17.9 -- he scored 608 points in 34 games) or Chris Ford's 1972 season (also 17.9 -- he scored 500 points in 28 games). With the lack of inside scoring early for the Wildcats Reynolds may have a few early season opportunities to build a good ppg, but best outcomes for the team would be healthy point production from a number of squad members, both in the low post and out on the perimeter.

Milestones & Guide Posts
Even if he has at best a small chance of breaking or even getting close to Kerry Kittles' record, chances are excellent Scottie will pass the 2,000 point career mark and become only the eighth Villanovan in that exclusive club. Alan Ray joined the group in 2006, and Kerry Kittles before Ray. Needing 380 points, a point total Reynolds has exceeded in each of his three preceding seasons, expect (if he plays all games next season and averages 15-16 points per game -- his average currently is 15.2) Scottie to pass the 2,000 mark about 2/3s of the way through the Big East regular season -- sometime in the second/third week of February. For the counters -- if Scottie's ppg > 15.2, move the "record game" up; if his ppg < 15.2, move the "record game" back. In any event, should the Wildcats play 33 or more games in 2010 and should Scottie appear in all of them, he will have tied or broken the record for most games played, 138, shared by Gary Massey and Doug West (both 1985-89).