May 6, 2008

The Nova Notebook, by Villanova director of media relations Mike Sheridan, appears weekly during the fall and into the basketball season and monthly from May through August. In this entry we move into the off-season with a visit with guard Scottie Reynolds.

As he entered the men's basketball offices inside the Davis Center on a recent Monday afternoon, Scottie Reynolds was in a circumstance many of his fellow Villanova students could envy. Minutes removed from his last final exam of the spring, the native of Herndon, Va., could now set his backpack of books aside for a few weeks and ponder some down time after a hectic 2007-08.

How frenetic was it for the native of Herndon, Va.? Consider his 12 month trek through basketball and academics. In July he participated in the Trials for the United States Pan American basketball team, ultimately earning a place among the roster of 12 top level collegians which journeyed to Brazil for the games. After a short break, he returned to campus for the start of the fall semester and practice for Villanova's Labor Day visit to Ottawa, Canada. That led directly into fall pre-season workouts, the official start of practice in October, 35 regular season games, and, ultimately, a season that ended at Detroit's Ford Field on March 28 with a loss to eventual NCAA champion Kansas. He then returned to campus in time for the final push to exams that ended this week.

It's a grind that might tempt some to head for the nearest beach. But Reynolds remains an exceptionally focused athlete, one determined to make the most of his time at Villanova. He'll catch up with his family at home in Virginia prior to the start of summer session here in June but his teammates and Wildcat basketball will never be far from his thoughts.

"As far as we're concerned," he says, "it's already next year."

The 12 months that led Reynolds to this point were, as outlined above, eventful. After the excitement of gaining a place among the nation's best collegians last summer, there were the hard lessons doled out by veteran squads that defeated Team USA in the first two outings at the Pan American Games. Once the regular season began at Villanova, Reynolds was confronted with defenses geared to stifle him, something that had not been a concern in his scintillating debut campaign of 2006-07 when Curtis Sumpter, Mike Nardi and Will Sheridan helped deflect attention from him.

Through the pain of a five game losing streak in late January and other BIG EAST travails came valuable lessons.

"No matter what adversity comes to you, you can overcome just about anything if you keep working, keep fighting," he says. "There was a lot of adversity that came our way. We had the chance to throw in the towel but we kept pushing each other in practice, kept listening to the coaches, and tried to be the best team we could be at the end of the season."

In one sense, Reynolds' perspective on the ebb and flow of the BIG EAST campaign was unique. Before coming to Villanova, he had been in similar spots, trying to will an unheralded unit to achievement.

"I wasn't on a powerhouse team in high school," Reynolds says. "We always had to work hard for what we got. It brought me back to what Mike (Nardi) had said to me -our group (at Villanova) had never been through any hard times in college. Those guys before us kind of paved the way for us. Those of us who had been here a couple of years realized this year nothing is given to you. You have to earn everything."

That was a message that Reynolds, in tandem with juniors Dwayne Anderson, Dante Cunningham, Shane Clark and Frank Tchuisi, tried to consistently deliver to their less tested mates. Being in a position of leadership on a squad without seniors was a new phenomenon for all, but one each took seriously.

"Throughout the season I tried to do anything possible to help my team win," says Reynolds. "I was playing on the ball and off the ball. There were a lot of times we were switching (positions). At the end of the season, Coach just put the ball in my hands and I had the mindset that I was going to run the show for the team. My teammates backed me up with that and we had a great run at the end."

The additional minutes Reynolds spent at point guard were one element in the late surge that saw Villanova earn an NCAA Tournament invitation and then down Clemson and Siena en route to its third appearance in the Sweet 16 in the last four years. Another was an evolving maturity about those issues the group could control and those it could not.

"We put aside all our problems and the excuses we could make for ourselves," he says. "We told each other if we got through this, we could make some kind of history. We didn't know exactly what kind of history but what mattered is that we finished up strong.

"When something comes easy to you, you kind of expect things. When adversity hits you, it forces you to really focus on how hard you have to work to earn what you want. Then when you put it all out there, you can feel good about it. Whether we had made the NCAA Tournament or not, we knew that we put it all out there."

Now that the spring semester has ended for him, Reynolds is preparing mind and body for 2008-09.

"My mindset this year is all about Villanova Basketball," he states.

Had Reynolds been so inclined, the months of May and June could have been used to gear up for a crack at the National Basketball Association draft. Yet Reynolds, after consulting with Wright and his family, declined to place his name into the pool of potential candidates.

"I believe I could play this year somewhere (professionally)," he states, "but I felt that I've got some more work to do here. We have a great team coming back next year with four seniors I have really grown to admire. It's also another chance for me to get closer to my degree."

In two seasons, Reynolds has already amassed 1,042 points and twice been named to the All-BIG EAST squads. Now he is looking forward to a different kind of campaign, one filled with expectations unlike this group has seen in its time at Villanova.

"When you go to a Sweet 16 everyone is watching you," he states. "Everybody will know Villanova and every team we play will want to come after us. We have to grow from last year's experience and not take anything for granted. Everyone on our team knows what we are doing now and now it's about refining our habits. In every workout we have, we want to create game movements and skills."

Reynolds vows to do his part. There will be daily workouts and private shooting sessions whether he is in Herndon or on campus at Villanova. He knows well the long hours of summer help make March memories possible.

"One of the things I want to work on is my decision-making on the court," he notes. "I thought I made some progress with that but there is still more I can learn. When you are a point guard, your best game can be one where you score 10 points and get everyone else involved."

The knapsack may be set aside for a few weeks. But the evolution of a Villanova guard continues daily.