Villanova Formally Signs Philadelphian Markus Kennedy

To the Wildcat faithful-

As Villanova prepared to embark upon its 90th season of intercollegiate play, coach Jay Wright formally signed a recruit from its own backyard, 6-9 power forward Markus Kennedy. (It also signed 6-5 wing forward James Bell - see separate post.)

Back in July, a short Philadelphia Daily News article had this to say on Kennedy:

The last thing Markus Kennedy wanted to do was change schools for the fourth time in 4 years. But the highly touted 6-9, 260-pound Villanova recruit, who lives in Yeadon, Delaware County, has opted to go to Winchendon (Mass.) Prep.

Kennedy, who committed to Villanova in April, found out that his school, Living Faith Christian Academy in Cherry Hill, had closed last month. That left him and his family scrambling to find a high school for his senior year.

Kennedy was thinking strongly about attending Penn Wood, the defending PIAA Class AAAA state champions. But Barbara Kennedy, Markus' mother, asked for suggestions from Villanova coach Jay Wright and he recommended Winchendon...

Kennedy wanted to attend Penn Wood, but Winchendon offered stronger academics and plays a national schedule. The school is considered one of the top Class A programs in Massachusetts.

Kennedy started at Monsignor Bonner, transferred to St. Patrick's in North Jersey and attended Living Faith last year....

Comments, thoughts, observations: e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com...

On Eve of 90th Basketball Season, Villanova Formally Signs Floridian Forward James Bell

To the Wildcat faithful-

On the eve of Villanova's 90th season of intercollegiate basketball - and in the aftermath of its fourth appearance in the NCAA Final Four -

The Wildcats were able to formally land two new players - James Bell and Markus Kennedy. (See the separate post on Kennedy.)

Bell is a 6-5 wing forward, currently enrolled in Montverde (Florida) Academy. The recruiting victory for the Orlando, Florida native is an instance of Villanova's ability to recruit outside its geographical base - according to ESPN.com, Florida and the University of Miami were also interested, as well as Clemson and West Virginia.

The Orlando Sentinel had this to say, on Bell:

James Bell, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound guard from Jacksonville, signed with Villanova. The No. 43-rated player in the nation by ESPN has the athleticism and skills set to contribute immediately for the Wildcats, who are coming off a Final Four season...

So on a day when some high school student-athletes officially set down tracks for their futures, the work being done in that little corner of Lake County needs to be applauded.

"Major program, major academia. What's happening down there is really impressive," Scout.com analyst Dave Telep said of Montverde, which is 140-25 under Sutton, including a 30-0 record (and mythical national crown) in 2007. "And most importantly, it passes the smell test."

All these gifted players at one school might raise an eyebrow among some, especially in the oftentimes cynical world of recruiting and big-time athletics.

But don't think for a second that Sutton's program equates to one of those "prep schools" that doubles as a way station to get players eligible. There are no scholarships at Montverde — only financial aid based on need — and the academics are demanding. It's been that way since the school opened in 1912 (about 90 years before Sutton arrived).

"Sometimes there are perceptions, but in every walk of life perception overshadows reality," said Sutton, 45. "I don't focus on anything other than what we're trying to accomplish at our school and in our basketball program."

The academic environment at Montverde speaks for itself. What happens to basketball players when they get there speaks to the coaching staff.

Thoughts, Comments, Reactions - e-mail:

villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com

Go Wildcats!

The Prolific VUHoops on Future Villanova Wildcat Isaiah Armwood

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

The prolific site VUHoops has been running a series about the future Villanova Wildcats, who will be gracing the Pavilion and Davis Center with their presence, come the fall semester. Their most recent entry is on Isaiah Armwood.

Armwood - one of the most heralded backcourt prospects in the nation - will be joining the (fortunately) crowded backcourt. It remains crowded, due to Scottie Reynolds having wisely decided that it wasn't worth forfeiting his senior year to pursue a slim at best (and most likely, negligible) chance of being drafted as a junior.

I don't focus on recruiting at Villanova Viewpoint. Accordingly, I often learn from the expertise of the publishers of the other Villanova blogs, that do cover it extensively. So I found this piece to be a very informative summary on Armwood.

Here's a key excerpt from the post from VUHoops:

The 6′8″ forward from Maryland came on to the scene during his sophomore year at Montrose Christian in Rockville, MD. In the summer of 2007 he became a known quantity in the recruiting world due to an immense upside based on his athletic ability.

During his junior season at Montrose, he battled a knee injury that has since corrected and healed itself.

At Villanova, Armwood will need to bulk up but in time will play the 4 in Jay Wright’s brand of basketball. His athleticism is quick to see watching the agile player on the floor. Through the High School tournament circuit, Armwood was always able to provide showtime and entertainment with his high-flying dunks- one of which was ESPN’s Play of the Day back in April...

Isaiah selected Villanova over Georgetown, Syracuse, Ohio State, and Texas. He gave his verbal to become a Wildcat on July 1, 2008 and signed his National Letter of Intent in the November signing period.

Of course, check back for the latest posts in the Senior Farewell series, in which I'll be looking back at the Villanova tenures of the two final departing Wildcats - Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham; the Frank Tchuisi and Shane Clark series are now already completed...

What remains of the series is the senior year for Anderson - as well as his invitations to NBA workout camps, and then the full series on Cunningham. I purposefully saved the series on Cunningham for last, as I thought it would make a great retrospective, now that his NBA dreams have materialized as a high second-round pick (the third selection of that round, in fact), by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Go Wildcats!

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged, and will always be answered. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

Future Villanova Wildcat Dominic Cheek Slam Dunks in Jordan Brand Classic, According to ESPNRise.com

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

VUHoops.com reported on Friday, April 17, that a pair of future Villanova Wildcats - Dominic Cheek and Mouphtaou Yarou - would participate in the Jordan Brand All-Star Game on Saturday.

ESPNRise.com has reported on the results of the game, and Cheek was mentioned in the article by Christopher Lawlor, an expert on high school hoops for two decades:

The Black team was the aggressor for the first 13 minutes, taking a 37-25 lead following a Villanova-bound Dominic Cheek slam dunk off a miss.

However, I don't focus on recruiting on this site. I really don't know very much about recruiting, and so it's not something I consider my strong suit.

Accordingly, as a general rule, I'll try to refer you to sites that do have a particular expertise in that area. For example, for those of you who:

1. are avidly interested in recruiting, and
2. who do want more detail;

SLAM!'s Justin Walsh did an extremely detailed live blog. Unfortunately, from a Villanova perspective, Cheek isn't mentioned at all, although Walsh does note that the other future Wildcat, Yarou, went up for the opening tip:

Mouphtaou Yarou and John Henson tip off for white and black respectively- John wins the tip, passes off to Cousins.

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)