Villanova Basketball’s Kyle Lowry on what it feels like to be a Champion

Happy Tuesday Nova Nation! We’ll have plenty more on Villanova’s Top 10 ranking in the AP Poll later today, but first I wanted to talk about Kyle Lowry’s piece in the Player’s Tribune.

Lowry’s is a story that most Villanova fans are familiar with. How he came up in a tough environment but with strong role models was able to succeed on and off the court and make it to the NBA. But the theme in the article I want to talk about is something that this year’s Villanova team can certainly learn from: Trust.

Lowry explains how growing up he couldn’t afford to trust anyone, and that left him somewhat isolated in new situations like Villanova or the NBA. He had to really learn not just who to trust, but how to trust them. While those issues around trust may not apply to every player on Villanova’s team today, the concept of trust will be very important to this team.

With so many new players, Wildcats new and old are being asked to put a lot of trust in their teammates and coaches in not a lot of time. Experiences like the exhibition with USC or the secret scrimmage this weekend at UNC provide players and coaches with oppotunities to earn trust or prove themselves trustworthy. It really is the key to playing together as a team and future success in the Big East and the NCAA Tournament.

There’s a lot Nova’s young players can learn from Lowry, but I hope that the importance of trust is something that really strikes a chord with this group. If it does, the ceiling is pretty high for the Wildcats this year.

In other “news”, Villanova ranks #10 in the Preseason AP Poll Top 25, breaking down this season in the Big East, and you can now own sneakers designed by Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Donte DiVincenzo. Enjoy!

Villanova Basketball

Villanova is No. 10 in the AP preseason college basketball rankings | The Inquirer
The Wildcats finished 26-10 last season and won both the Big East regular-season and tournament championships. They enter the new season with a young team.

College basketball rankings: Michigan State, Kansas lead Andy Katz's preseason Power 36 | NCAA.com
Michigan State and Kansas are the two best teams in the country in Andy Katz's final Preseason Power 36 men's college basketball rankings before the 2019-20 season. He drops the Wildcats to #19 after their loss to USC.

College basketball rankings: Michigan State makes school history, debuts at No. 1 in preseason AP Top 25 | CBSSports.com
The first edition of the AP poll has Michigan State ahead of Kentucky, Kansas and Duke

Wildcats at No. 10 in Preseason AP Poll | Villanova University Athletics
Villanova is one of three BIG EAST teams ranked by the AP voters.

Villanova Basketball Recruiting

Elite sophomore Jalen Duren focused on what he can control | Yahoo! Sports
Class of 2022's No. 2 ranked player Jalen Duren is focused on the things that he can control.

Big East

Big East Season Preview: Power Rankings, Preseason Awards and the year of the gunner | NBC Sports
Is Villanova the class of the league once more?

How well do you know Xavier’s Paul Scruggs? | The Athletic
Quiz yourself on your knowledge of the Musketeers' junior guard.

UConn’s Dan Hurley and the Big East preview podcast | NBC Sports
Everything you need to know about the Big East in one place.

Big East Season Preview: Power Rankings, Preseason Awards and the year of the gunner | Yahoo! Sports
Is Villanova the class of the league once more?

NBA Wildcats

Not an Underdog Story | The Players' Tribune
Do I think we’re getting enough respect as the defending champs? Hell no. But also, do I care? Nah, not really. Don’t matter. We still the champs. - by Kyle Lowry

Mikal Bridges hopes physical gains lead to big jump in second NBA season | The Athletic
After a strong rookie season, he gained about 10 pounds of muscle and improved his shooting and ballhandling during the summer.

Nike By You Kyrie 5 Freak 1 PG 3 KD 12 NBA Release Info | SneakerNews.com
Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, and Donte DiVincenzo all designed opening night sneakers that you can buy at Nike.com .

Villanova Football

FCS Top 25 | STATS
Villanova remains #5 in the country through their bye week.

Villanova Athletics

Basketball greats highlight District 11’s second Hall of Fame class | The Morning Call
On the girls basketball side, Central Catholic forward Jackie Adamshick entered the hall after a prep career that saw her win two state titles (2001-2002) and two Morning Call Player of the Year honors, igniting the Vikettes’ four-year dynasty. She scored 1,848 points in high school and another 1,372 at Villanova University where she excelled academically as well.

Shamsudeen is Philly Soccer Six Player of the Week | Villanova University Athletics
Shamsudeen is Philly Soccer Six Player of the Week

Softball Releases 2020 Schedule | Villanova University Athletics
VILLANOVA, Pa. - After a successful 2019 campaign that saw the Wildcats advance to the championship round of the BIG EAST Conference Tournament, Villanova navigated

Wildcats Finish Play at the ITA Atlantic Regional | Villanova University Athletics
Villanova finished play after four days at the ITA Atlantic Regionals.Five Wildcats traveled to play the match in Charlottesville, Va. This tournament completed

Women’s Soccer Named to United Soccer Coaches 2018-19 Team Academic Award List | Villanova University Athletics
Kansas City, Mo.- United Soccer Coaches announced the Team Academic Award winners at the collegiate levels to recognize exemplary performance in the classroom during

College Basketball

Newcomer impact rankings -- College basketball's best new faces | ESPN
Freshmen and transfers will make or break the chances of several prominent teams in 2019-20. Here are the most important new faces.

Kansas-Missouri hoops series to resume next season in KC | NBC Sports
Oh baby!