This afternoon the Villanova Men’s basketball team held a rare open practice and a handful of local fans actually showed up for it.
Among the attendees were some boards member and I had the pleasure to sit and chat with some of them, such as UncleBill, MattD, EdMcM, Bobbydix, SeanDon, and TAB.
The practice was the real deal and if you ever saw a Nova practice, you know very well that it’s a very serious business.
The practice consisted of continuous game situation with points and clock management. There were a lot of interruptions to discuss the play that just took place and explain what could have been done better or different options.
The play very choppy because of all the interruptions but definitely highly educational.
The guys all played hard in typical Villanova fashion, with bodies flying everywhere.
Toward the last hour of practice they had a Blue vs. White game.
The Blue consisted of what seems to be the conceived starters by most: Arcidiacono, Brunson, Hart, Jenkins, and Ochefu.
The White team had Booth, DiVincenzo, Paschall, Bridges, and Reynolds.
It was impossible to tell the score because the play was again situational and had some coaching moments interspersed throughout.
There were some nice plays by many different players and the ball movement at times looked very crisp and at times rough. This is, after all a work in process that has just begun.
Interestingly enough, for the second half the final scrimmage, Ochefu and Jenkins went with the White team and DiVicenzo and Reynolds went Blue.
Five things stood out:
1. On this particular practice, Booth was clearly the MVP. He owned the day.
2. The glass, to the delight of UncleBill, was used in quite a few shot attempts.
3. Hart does not appear to be at 100% yet.
4. Reynolds is a player.
5. Ochefu shot well away form the basket.
Some quick thoughts on the players:
Paschall
He is a player. If he were eligible this year, I have no doubt, he’d be starting.
Bridges
He can be one of those high-energy guys that comes in and changes the tempo of the game.
Reynolds
I’ll repeat myself and say that he’s a player. I think he can be one of those guys that finally puts all together and becomes a major player. I expect him to be much more than just a back up for Ochefu. In fact I hope that he will see some minutes in the line up with Ochefu.
DiVincenzo
The sky is the limit for this kid. He has a lot of tools but he is a freshmen so we will just have to wait and see how he adjusts. He looks super in practice.
Booth
You have to love his attitude. This kid could easily start but will do whatever is asked of him and probably end up winning the Sixth Man of the Year Award.
Brunson
He and Arcidiacono battled against each other in the first part of the practice and it was really a very even match. Brunson had one drive early on that could be described as Foye-sque. He went thru three players and made a lay up. If he can do this in a consistent manner, it will be a lotta fun. When he and Ryan played on the same team, both were bringing the ball up.
Arcidiacono
This guy really is a complete college players. He does a lotta things well. You add leadership capabilities to all and that is why the guy wins. Today he even appeared to be bouncier and quicker than normal and he shot the ball well. I’m looking forward to his senior year and we will all miss him when he graduates.
Jenkins
I almost feel bad for him because he guy came in as a shooter and now he’s gonna have to handle big guys on the other team. I don’t know ho well he will fare in that and I hope that all that hard work that he will have to do defensively will not affect his shooting touch.
Hart
He rebounded very well today but did not stand out on offense. Josh does not seem to be quite at 100% yet but I don’t we have to worry about him.
Ochefu
I think big Dan is poised to have huge year.
In two practices he has shown a bit of a nice touch away from the board. We will see if he will be able to do in game situation and if he does, it will open all sorts of opportunities for him.
Delaney
He was not in the building and it would seem to be safe to assume that he is recovering from hip surgery.
Afterward there was an autograph session for all the kids in attendance and during that time we had a chance to talk with assistant coaches Nardi and Halcovage.
James Bryson was in the Pavilion watching practice.
Jason Donnelly was not in the Pavilion and it felt weird not having him around.
Cosby Roundtree and Cameron Reddish were both at practice.
See you all Nov. 8!
