Jay Wright met with reporters Wednesday and here are all the important takeaways. For anyone interested in just a quick summary, here a few key points:
-I believe it's safe to rely on the scheduling reports we heard earlier this weeek (Dec. 11 start to conference play, Nova's likely non-conference opponents). Some tweaks are still possible, but I think that it gives us a pretty good idea of what to expect. Also, I think we will get word of an official Big East schedule soon, and Nova's full schedule is likely to follow quickly after that.
-The team has been dealing with some minor injuries. Wright didn't get into specifics regarding what the injuries were or who was affected, but noted it has disrupted their preparation and has prevented him from nailing down the starting lineup and defining roles. I didn't get the impression that any of these injuries were serious or would linger into the regular season, but they have added another challenge to an already difficult preseason.
-One thing that isn't mentioned in the article: Villanova is working to figure out the best way to determine what fans can get into games. Recent changes to Pennsylvania COVID guidelines have allowed for attendance at sporting events, and the university is currently working under the assumption that approximately 900 people would be allowed in the Pavilion. Now, that 900 is total occupancy, so it includes teams, referees, TV personnel, media, and arena and other staff, but it's still nice that there is a chance that at least some fans will be able to attend. It's also worth wondering if this will affect the location of games, as we mentioned earlier in the summer the possibility of playing more games at the Wells Fargo Center in order to get more fans in based on percentage of capacity. Just something else to keep an eye on as there appears to be optimism that there might be some sort of fan attendance.
More detail on the first two points, along with other topics discussed and quotes from Jay, are contained in the following article.
villanova.rivals.com
-I believe it's safe to rely on the scheduling reports we heard earlier this weeek (Dec. 11 start to conference play, Nova's likely non-conference opponents). Some tweaks are still possible, but I think that it gives us a pretty good idea of what to expect. Also, I think we will get word of an official Big East schedule soon, and Nova's full schedule is likely to follow quickly after that.
-The team has been dealing with some minor injuries. Wright didn't get into specifics regarding what the injuries were or who was affected, but noted it has disrupted their preparation and has prevented him from nailing down the starting lineup and defining roles. I didn't get the impression that any of these injuries were serious or would linger into the regular season, but they have added another challenge to an already difficult preseason.
-One thing that isn't mentioned in the article: Villanova is working to figure out the best way to determine what fans can get into games. Recent changes to Pennsylvania COVID guidelines have allowed for attendance at sporting events, and the university is currently working under the assumption that approximately 900 people would be allowed in the Pavilion. Now, that 900 is total occupancy, so it includes teams, referees, TV personnel, media, and arena and other staff, but it's still nice that there is a chance that at least some fans will be able to attend. It's also worth wondering if this will affect the location of games, as we mentioned earlier in the summer the possibility of playing more games at the Wells Fargo Center in order to get more fans in based on percentage of capacity. Just something else to keep an eye on as there appears to be optimism that there might be some sort of fan attendance.
More detail on the first two points, along with other topics discussed and quotes from Jay, are contained in the following article.
NovaIllustrated - Jay Wright Updates State of Program as Season Approaches
From an unusual offseason to a challenging preseason, Wright updated the state of the team as the season approaches.
villanova.rivals.com
