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This month we're having an NCAA style tournament to determine Nova Nation's favorite Villanova Basketball player of all time. Be sure to check back each day as voting continues!
Wright Region | Massimino Region | Lappas Region | Severance/Kraft Region
After a day off (those parents out there understand that sometimes there's just not enough hours in the day) it's time to get back to the voting. We're halfway through Round 1 and there's going to be some pretty tough decisions for you all in Round 2! Kyle Lowry (88%), Darrun Hilliard (60%), Bob Schafer (71%), Bill Melchionni (88%), Alvin Williams (91%), John Celestand (57%), Ed Pinckney (97%), and Dwayne McClain (76%) all advanced. Let's find out who will join them as Round 2 kicks off next week.
Wright Region: 3) Randy Foye vs. 14) Will Sheridan
Randy Foye: A member of the '06 NCAA Elite Eight and Big East Regular Season Championship team, Foye is 6th in steals, 9th in scoring, 14th in assists, and 32nd in rebounding all-time.
Foye was a gifted scorer that could create his own shot in the lane, on the wing, or behind the arc. But what was even more impressive was his ability to defend the paint as essentially a 6'3" power forward in the four guard system. While he was an outstanding player throughout his career, he fully realized his potential during his senior season. Averaging 20.5 PPG that year, Foye was a consensus first team All-American, Big East Player of the Year, first team All-Big East, and the Big 5 Most Outstanding Player. He would later become the first player of the Jay Wright era to have his jersey retired. Foye was drafted 7th overall in the '07 NBA Draft, and is still playing in the NBA a decade later.
Will Sheridan: A member of the '06 NCAA Elite Eight and Big East Regular Season Championship team, Sheridan is 8th in blocks, 22nd in rebounds, and 33rd in steals.
Sheridan, also known as "Bump", stepped into a starting role as Jason Fraser started facing injury. He anchored the four guard system that the team adopted during the '05 and '06 seasons. Sheridan was a key contributor during the teams Elite Eight run in '06, leading the team in both rebounds and blocks. Following a brief professional career in Europe after college, Sheridan became a musician and writer, and has since returned to Villanova to perform for Villanova's Hoops Mania.
Wright Region: 6) Dante Cunningham vs. 11) JayVaughn Pinkston
Dante Cunningham: A member of the '06 Elite Eight, '09 Final Four, and '06 Big East Regular Season Championship teams, Cunningham is 10th in blocks, 13th in rebounds, 15th in steals, and 35th in scoring all-time.
Cunningham was a member of two of the most popular teams during the Jay Wright era ('06 and '09). In his senior season, he lead the team in scoring, rebounds and blocks en route to Villanova's first Final Four appearance since the 1985 Championship. That year he also won the Big East Most Improved Player award and he was drafted in the early second round of the '09 NBA Draft. He still plays in the NBA today.
JayVaughn Pinkston: A member of three NCAA teams ('13,'14,'15), two Big East Regular Season Championship teams ('14,'15), and the '14 Big East Tournament Championship team, Pinkston is 17th in blocks, 19th in rebounds, 21st in scoring, and 29th in steals all-time.
Pinkston is one of a handful of players credited with helping to build the culture and expectations at Villanova that lead to the 2016 National Championship. Despite having to sit out the '11 season due to a legal issue, Pinkston's leadership and character were an example to all of his teammates. On the court, he was a matchup nightmare who dominated in the paint. After leading the team in scoring his sophomore year and scoring his 1,000th point in his junior season, Pinkston sacrificed his offense to improve his defense. His efforts lead to a 33-3 (.917%) season, the best record in Villanova history. After college he was invited to join the Brooklyn Nets summer camp, but tore his ACL on the first day of practice and has been rehabbing at Villanova.
Severance/Kraft Region: 2) Howard Porter vs. 15) Hank Siemionkowski
Howard Porter: A member of the '71 NCAA Runner-Up team and the Villanova Hall of Fame, Porter is 1st in rebounds and 6th in scoring all-time.
Porter is easily in the conversation for greatest Villanova player of all time. He was the only player in school history to score over 2,000 points in just three seasons. During that time he was a three time All-American, three time All-Big 5, and the '69 Big 5 Most Outstanding Player. Despite losing the '71 NCAA Championship game to UCLA, he was still named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player. Later it would come out that Porter had signed with an agent during his senior season, forcing Villanova to vacate its NCAA appearance and his award. Porter would still have his jersey retired at Nova and go on to have a 7 year NBA career.
Hank Siemionkowski: A member of the '71 NCAA Runner-Up team and the Villanova Hall of Fame,Siemionkowski is 18th in rebounds and 45th in scoring all-time.
Siemionkowski was Villanova's big man during the '71 Championship game run. That year he was named to the Eastern Region All-Tournament team alongside teammate Howard Porter, and scored a pivotal 31 points in their Final Four game against Western Kentucky. He was named an All-American his senior season, and would later be inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame. After college, he went on to play in the NBA.
Severance/Kraft Region: 7) Hubie White vs. 10) Jim Washington
Hubie White: A member of the '62 Elite Eight team and the Villanova Hall of Fame, White is 17th in rebounds and 19th in scoring all-time.
Hubert "Hubie" White was the captain of the '62 team and averaged over 20 PPG for his career. He was twice named to the All-State team and thrice to the All-Big 5 team. In his senior season he was named an All-American and the Big 5's Most Outstanding Player. After college, White would go on to play in both the NBA and ABA. His jersey was retired at Villanova in 2001.
Jim Washington: A member of the '63 and '65 NIT Final Four teams, the '64 NCAA Sweet Sixteen team, and the Villanova Hall of Fame, Washington is 2nd in rebounds and 52nd in scoring all-time.
Washington was a three year starter at Villanova, and lead his teams in both scoring and rebounding each season. He's one of only four Wildcats to record 1,000+ points and 1,000+ rebounds in their career. He was a three time All-Big 5 selection, and in his senior season he was named the Big 5 Most Outstanding Player. He would go on to be inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame and enjoy a 10 year NBA career.
Lappas Region: 1) Kerry Kittles vs. 16) Brian Lynch
Kerry Kittles: A member of the '94 NIT Championship team, the '95 Big East Tournament Championship team, and the Villanova Hall of Fame, Kittles is 1st in scoring, 1st in steals, 15th in assists, and 23rd in rebounds all-time.
The all-time leader in scoring and steals, Kittles is widely regarded as the best player of the Lappas era, and possibly the best Wildcat ever. Kittles was a two time All-American, '95 Big East Player of the Year, three time first team All-Big East, and two time Big 5 Most Outstanding Player. He's a member of the Big 5 Hall of Fame and had his jersey retired at Villanova. After college, Kittles went on to play in the NBA for nine years.
Brian Lynch: A member of two NCAA teams, Lynch is 25th in steals and 29th in assists all-time.
Lynch became a consistent starter his Junior season, and proved to be an excellent offensive weapon inside and outside the arc. He improved as a defender, and was very quick with his hands on both ends of the court. After college he played in Europe where he met and married tennis star Kim Clijsters. Lynch stepped away from basketball to raise his family, but recently returned to coaching with Limburg United and was named the Coach of the Year in 2015.
Lappas Region: 8) Michael Bradley vs. 9) Jonathan Haynes
Michael Bradley: A member of the '01 NIT team, Bradley played just one season with the Wildcats during which he lead the team in scoring, rebounds, and blocks.
Bradley transferred from Kentucky after his sophomore season, looking for an opportunity to expand his game beyond just playing in the paint. He found that at Villanova where he averaged over 20 points and 9 rebounds per game in his lone season with the Wildcats. Despite having another year of eligibility, Bradley decided to enter the NBA draft where he was selected 17th overall. In addition to his NBA career he would also play in Europe, become an agent, and later coach at both the high school and collegiate levels.
Jonathan Haynes: A member of the '94 NIT Championship and '95 Big East Tournament Championship teams, Haynes is 10th in steals and 12th in assists all-time.
Haynes is one of the few players to ever transfer from one Big 5 school to another, leaving Temple after just one exhibition game saying he didn't fit coach John Chaney's system of play. Haynes was a two year co-captain on the '94 and '95 teams, starting at point guard for both. A philadelphia native, Haynes was known for hard aggressive defense and smart, quick decision making on offense. After college, he would go on to play in Europe.
Massimino Region: 4) Harold Pressley vs. 13) Tom Greis
Harold Pressley: A member of the '85 NCAA Championship team and the Villanova Hall of Fame, Pressley is 2nd in steals, 5th in rebounds, 7th in blocks, 22nd in scoring, and 23rd in assists all-time.
Pressley is one of only three Wildcats to be ranked in all five all-time statistical categories. A two time All-Big East member, Pressley was a key member of the '85 championship team. His senior season he lead the team in scoring and rebounding, and was named the '86 Big 5 Most Outstanding Player. After a career in the NBA, he was named to the Big 5 Hall of Fame.
Tom Greis: A member of the '88 NCAA Elite Eight team and the Villanova Hall of Fame, Greis is 2nd in blocks, 21st in rebounds, and 27th in scoring all-time.
At 7'3" Greis was an elite presence in the post for the Massimino teams of the late 80's. He helped lead the team to the '88 Elite Eight and that year was named to the third team All-Big East. He would help take the team back to the NCAA's in '90, and was named to that year's All-Big East Tournament team. He was inducted into the Villanova Hall of Fame in 2014.
Massimino Region: 5) Doug West vs. 12) Kenny Wilson
Doug West: A member of the '88 NCAA Elite Eight team and the Villanova Hall of Fame, West is 5th in scoring, 23rd in steals, 23rd in blocks, 28th in assists, and 31st in rebounds all-time.
West was a prolific scorer and terrific all-around player for Massimino's post-championship Wildcats. A do it all shooting guard/small forward, West is one of only three Wildcats to be ranked in all five all-time statistical categories. He's also one of only eight Villanova players to score over 2,000 points in their career. He was a member of the '86 Big East All-Freshman team and twice named to All-Big East teams. He would later be inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame. After college West would play in the NBA for 12 years before becoming an assistant under his former coach, Jay Wright.
Kenny Wilson: A member of the '88 NCAA Elite Eight team and the Villanova Hall of Fame, Wilson is 1st in assists, 19th in steals, and 34th in scoring.
Wilson was a four year starter under Massimino, and still holds the record for most career assists in school history. He was a true point guard with excellent vision and instincts. After the '88 Elite Eight run, Wilson was named to the All-Southeast Regional Team. Possibly more impressive, he was later named to Brian Ewart's All-Time Villanova team, a coveted honor.