The University of Louisville Basketball blog, Cards Hoops, has just finished their pre-season ranking of the Top 75 Big East Players. Here is where the Wildcats fell.
#70 Cassiem Drummond- Drummond is a solid interior player with great potential. He missed 14 games last year due to a stress fracture in his right ankle. He then broke his ankle in the second round of the NCAA tourney and was forced to have surgery. His injury issues have drawn comparisons to former Wildcat Curtis Sumpter.
#63 Antonio Peña- Pena redshirted his first year at Villanova while undergoing surgery on his knee. Last year he showed that he is able to finish down low and clean up the boards. Pena can face up and hit jumpers or he can play underneath the basket and post up. He’s a banger who will continue to eat up boards and put away easy baskets for the Wildcats.
#60 Shane Clark- Clark is a talented forward who can either put it on the floor or knock down a jumper. He has range that extends to the 3-pt line. He is also athletic enough to defend well and crash the boards. Last year, Clark’s contributions seemed to diminish as the season progressed. The Wildcats will need for him to be sharp all year if they hope to move into the top shelf of the Big East.
#57 Corey Stokes- Stokes got off to a slow start last year, but turned it on in February and March when he found his shooting stroke. He might have the purest shooting stroke in the Big East, and Wildcats fans are expecting big things from this kid this year. Stokes is an athletic wing and also an adequate defender and rebounder. He still needs to show that he can create his own shot; if he does, he is a legitamite NBA prospect.
#50 Corey Fisher- Fisher is a combo guard who can both score and create for others. His speed and quickness make him difficult to stay in front of, however his size makes him a defensive liability on the other end. His production dropped off at the end of the year and he even lost his starting job. Despite his struggles, he was named to the Big East All-Rookie Team. Expect Fisher to bounce back for a strong sophomore season.
#49 Dwayne Anderson- Dwayne Anderson has come a long way during his Villanova career. Struggling to find playing time in his first two years, he was advised to transfer to play elsewhere. However Anderson only used that as motivation, and his hard work paid off last year when he won a starting spot in Nova’s frontcourt. Anderson is a hardnosed, athletic swingman who can play a multitude of positions. He has a decent jumper that extends to the 3-pt line, but is known for his defense, rebounding, and leadership skills. He returns as a senior and locker room leader of this talented Villanova squad.
#40 Dante Cunningham- The always dependable Dante Cunningham is an extremely athletic big who has the quickness to take bigger opponents off the dribble. While he was reliable, Cunningham wasn’t the dominant force that Jay Wright hoped he would be last year. Expect Cunningham to lead an extremely experienced Villanova frontcourt that should complement their dangerous backcourt nicely.
#8 Scottie Reynolds- An All-Big East Second Team selection, Reynolds stepped up as the leader of Jay Wright’s Villanova squad as a sophomore. He is a natural scorer with deep 3-pt range, averaging nearly 16 points a game last year. He can play either guard positions and showed that he can incorporate others into the flow of the offense. He still needs to take better care of the ball, but Reynolds will be one of the premier players to watch this year.