Hometown Heroes Summer Tournament: Round 1, Day 1

Join us throughout the month of July as we matchup some of the best Villanova players of All-Time. This year they’re representing their hometowns and high schools, so be sure to check in daily to vote for your favorite players and the team that represents your home town!

Our first day of voting is in the books, and while there were a few technical upsets I don’t think anyone’s surprised with the results. These were all pretty decisive wins, as all the teams won with 67% of the vote or more. North Jersey: Newark Region, Virginia, Eastern PA: West Chester Region, Baltimore & Northern Maryland, and Western Pennsylvania all advanced to the Round of 32 thanks to your votes! Speaking of the first round, we kick it off today with the Wright Region.

Wright Region

#1 West Philadelphia: West & West Catholic vs #9 North Jersey: Newark Region

It’s a quick turnaround for Randy Foye and the Newark team as they now try to take down the #1 seed in the whole tourney. The West & West Catholic team is basically an All-Star squad of the 50’s and 60’s, including several players that have been inducted into Villanova’s Hall of Fame. But in terms of “super stars”, only Randy Foye and Hubie White have their jersey’s retired.

#4 North Jersey: Edison to Elizabeth vs #5 North Philly Suburbs

Have the students become the masters? We’ll find out as current Villanova coach Mike Nardi’s North Jersey team takes on three of his current players in Collin Gillespie, Eric Dixon, and Chris Arcidiacono. Nardi’s team also features John Celestand and the brothers Lance and David Miller. Speaking of brothers though, the North Philly Suburbs is led by the undisputed king of the VU Hoops Summer Tournaments, Ryan Arcidiacono.

#3 Central Jersey West vs #6 Northwest Philly Suburbs

Central Jersey West could also be called Trenton, Pennsauken, and Malik Allen. The star of this team is Bill Melchioni, along with his brothers Bob and Tom. The Northwest Philly Suburbs IS the location of Villanova, which is why it has two coaches sons in R.C. Massimino and David Severance. That team is led by Norristown’s Joe Lord and Radnor’s Reggie Robinson.

#2 Massachusetts & Maine vs #7 North Jersey: Paterson Region

We’ve got some serious star power in this matchup. The M&M team features champions Dwayne McClaine and Jermaine Samuels, sharpshooter Mark Plansky, and All-American Michael Bradley. Paterson has its own pair of stars in 12-year NBA vet Rory Sparrow, and Villanova’s first one-and-done Tim Thomas.

Be sure to check back every weekday this month to see who advances and vote on the next round of matchups. Thanks for participating in the VU Hoops 2019 Summer Tournament!