Just some quick bullet points/takeaways from Wednesday's media day. We'll have some more comprehensive coverage with quotes from players and coach Neptune throughout the rest of the week, but wanted to just note some highlights/give a sense of the day in the meantime.
-Eric Dixon summed up the coaching change succinctly..."Same message, different voice." We heard similar sentiments throughout the day from multiple players. Surely there will be some differences that emerge, but culturally and in terms of the core tenets, it's business as usual.
-One of those possible changes is that coach Neptune said the team will likely look to run a little bit more. This was one of the biggest questions I personally had after processing the shock of the change, and it sounds like the team will indeed look to play with a bit more pace at times and look to take advantage of opportunities to run. Certainly something we'll be keeping an eye on early in the season.
-Jordan Longino is 100% and has been fully participating in basketball activities for a month now. He's ready to go and to build on the rhythm he started to develop late last season before his injury.
-Eric Dixon looks great physically.
-Mark Armstrong is fully buying in. Our interview with Mark was peppered with phrases like "Villanova basketball," "playing hard," and "attitude."
-Neither Caleb Daniels or Cam Whitmore were available to the media. There was no explanation for Daniels' absence while we were told that Whitmore had to go back with the trainer. It will be interesting to see if either participates in Thursday's Blue/White scrimmage.
-Overall the mood and atmosphere were great. The guys sounded excited, focused and confident.
-Eric Dixon summed up the coaching change succinctly..."Same message, different voice." We heard similar sentiments throughout the day from multiple players. Surely there will be some differences that emerge, but culturally and in terms of the core tenets, it's business as usual.
-One of those possible changes is that coach Neptune said the team will likely look to run a little bit more. This was one of the biggest questions I personally had after processing the shock of the change, and it sounds like the team will indeed look to play with a bit more pace at times and look to take advantage of opportunities to run. Certainly something we'll be keeping an eye on early in the season.
-Jordan Longino is 100% and has been fully participating in basketball activities for a month now. He's ready to go and to build on the rhythm he started to develop late last season before his injury.
-Eric Dixon looks great physically.
-Mark Armstrong is fully buying in. Our interview with Mark was peppered with phrases like "Villanova basketball," "playing hard," and "attitude."
-Neither Caleb Daniels or Cam Whitmore were available to the media. There was no explanation for Daniels' absence while we were told that Whitmore had to go back with the trainer. It will be interesting to see if either participates in Thursday's Blue/White scrimmage.
-Overall the mood and atmosphere were great. The guys sounded excited, focused and confident.