Foye likely to be traded to Wizards

[Let's Go Nova is on summer break, but we will continue to update for important breaking news.]

According to an ESPN report, former Wildcat Randy Foye will be traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Washington Wizards in a deal that includes the 5th pick in Thursday's draft.

Says ESPN:

The Washington Wizards are close to a deal that would send the No. 5 pick in Thursday's draft, Oleksiy Pecherov, Etan Thomas and Darius Songaila to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Randy Foye and Mike Miller, a league source told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher on Tuesday. [...] The trade hasn't been consummated yet because of a clerical point that Etan Thomas needs to handle, a source told Katz.

According to the ESPN Magazine report, the trade will probably become official tomorrow, one day before the draft.

The trade would bring Foye, a Newark, N.J. native, back to the East Coast. Foye was drafted by Minnesota after his senior season at Villanova in 2005.

Reynolds withdraws from NBA draft

[Let's Go Nova is on summer break, but we will continue to update for important breaking news.]


Scottie Reynolds has withdrawn his name from the NBA draft and will return to Villanova for his senior season, according to a press release from campus today.

Last season, Reynolds led Villanova to its first Final Four since 1985, and then decided to test the draft waters in April. After working out for about half-a-dozen NBA teams, Reynolds decided to withdraw from the pro draft.

"The best decision for me is to return to Villanova for my senior year," said Reynolds. "I'd like to thank everyone who put their time into helping me get better during these NBA workouts. I especially want to thank my teammates and coaches here for all of their support. I felt like I learned a great deal from this process."

Villanova head coach Jay Wright praised Reynolds and his decision-making process.

"Scottie took a very mature and intelligent approach to this process," said Wright. "He prepared himself thoroughly for each workout and absorbed everything he could from them. This was a tremendous learning experience for him and now he is focused on becoming a great senior leader in our program. He has great respect for the tradition here and I know he'll embrace this role."

Villanova basketball, of course, will resume this fall.

Reynolds declares for NBA draft

Scottie Reynolds will enter his name to this year's NBA draft, according to a press release from Villanova University.

Reynolds, a junior guard and arguably the Wildcats' most valuable player, does not plan to hire an agent, and thus his departure from the team is not yet certain.

Reynolds will be able to attend draft workouts and gauge where he might be selected if he decides to remain in the NBA draft, which will be held in New York on June 25.

"Scottie and I have decided that it would be smart for him to experience NBA workouts at this time," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright.

Wright also said that Reynolds will complete all his spring semester classes to ensure NCAA compliance if Reynolds decides to return to Villanova for his senior year.

If Reynolds remains in the draft, Villanova will lose four starters from its 2009 Final Four team: Reynolds, Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson, and Shane Clark.

According to NBADraft.net, Dante Cunningham is expected to be selected in the early second round of the draft, which usually means a player will be fighting for a spot on the team roster.

NBADraft.nets's mock draft has not been updated after Reynolds's announcement, but it seems likely that Reynolds, if he is drafted, would fall somewhere after Cunningham.

Villanova returns point guard Corey Fisher and shooting guards Reggie Redding and Corey Stokes for next season. In the frontcourt, forward Antonio will be back. Joining the Wildcats will be four freshmen: point guard Maalik Wayns, shooting guard Dom Cheek, small forward Isaiah Armwood, and power forward Mouph Yarou. Duke transfer Taylor King, another small forward, also joins the team after sitting out one year, as does redshirt freshman forward Maurice Sutton.

Personally, I expect Reynolds to be back for his senior season. I do not see him going anywhere near the first-round and its guaranteed salaries.

Whether or not Reynolds returns will have a major impact on the Wildcats' pre-season and early-year rankings; though a Reynolds departure would ease some of the logjam in the backcourt for the younger players.

Lowry traded to Rockets

Point guard Kyle Lowry, who was a major star at Villanova during the 2005 and 2006 tournament runs, has been traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Houston Rockets, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.

At Houston, Lowry will get to play with superstars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, at least once McGrady recovers from knee surgery. Playing for the Rockets might also allow Lowry to make his first trip to the NBA playoffs.

Lowry will join his former assistant coach Brett Gunning in Houston, who left the Villanova for the Rockets last summer. Gunning is Houston's director of player development.

The Rockets' modern methods of player evaluation and statistics-derived strategy were showcased in an excellent cover story by Michael Lewis in the New York Times Magazine last Sunday.

The Grizzlies receive a first-round pick from playoff-bound Orlando in the three-way deal. Orlando gets point guard Rafer Alston from Houston to fill in for the Magic's own injured all-star point guard, Jameer Nelson from St. Joseph's.

According to Stein, Houston will also receive Brian Cook from Orlando and possibly more players to round out the trade.

Wright calls into WFAN

The drive-time host Mike Francesa interviewed Villanova coach Jay Wright today on WFAN, New York's leading sports talk radio station.

Jay came off very well in the 20-minute interview, and Francesa praised the team profusely.

Wright covered several topics, including the team's recent hot stretch, the grueling Big East season, the upcoming NCAA tournament, his desire to win the Big East tournament, and the Wildcats' team make-up as competitors.

Wright called his 2009-2010 recruiting class one of the best in the country, though he said he could only talk about three of them -- Yarou, Wayns, and Armwood.

Wright also said he believed Connecticut was the best team in the country, but the interview occurred before it was announced that the Huskies had lost Jerome Dyson to knee surgery.

Later in the interview, Francesa and Wright spent a lot of time talking about the NBA and the Philadelphia 76ers. Wright attended last night's Memphis-Philadelphia game to see Villanova alum Kyle Lowry.

Francesa predicted that Wright would definitely be an NBA coach in the future.

You can listen to the full interview online.

Gunning leaves 'Nova for NBA

Villanova assistant coach Brett Gunning will leave the team to take a job with the Houston Rockets of the NBA, according to a press release issued by Villanova University today.

Gunning, who was named associate head coach in 2005, arrived with head coach Jay Wright to Villanova in 2001. Gunning had also served under Wright at Hofstra, and was an undergraduate at Villanova from 1990 to 1992 while Wright assisted head coach Rollie Massimino.

Gunning will join the Rockets as director of player development.

"It's always been a dream of mine to coach in the NBA and this was an exciting opportunity that I couldn't pass up," said Gunning. "It wasn't an easy decision to leave Villanova, but I will always be grateful for the time spent here and the many great people I got to know."

Wright cited Gunning as a key component of the program's recent success. Gunning helped recruit and develop former Villanova stars Kyle Lowry, Allan Ray, and Randy Foye.

"Brett has been an integral part of our Villanova basketball family over the last seven years and an important part of our success," said Wright.

"He is one of the game's bright young coaches and made a great impact on our program. We will miss him, but it's always exciting when a member of our staff has the chance to pursue their dream, and this opportunity in Houston allows Brett to do that. He'll always be a Wildcat to us, though."

Tyreke appears with Starks in commercial

Here's a great find by the bloggers over at I Bleed Blue and White -- the Villanova recruit Tyreke Evans in a short promotional film/commercial for Zipway athletic pants.



The commercial, which also appears on the official Zipway site, depicts Evans working out on an outdoor basketball court, while the former NBA star John Starks jogs through a city. Shots of an unrelated soccer player are also shown.

Starks, formerly of the New York Knicks, co-founded the Zipway brand earlier this year. The company promises its pants feature a revolutionary technology allowing them to come off in "0.03 seconds."

I am no expert in media-appearance rules for high-school athletes, but a little quick research leads me to believe no violations are committed as long as the high-school athlete is not paid for the appearance.

Evans looks good in the Zipway commercial, but it would be even nicer to see him in a Villanova uniform.

Lowry nets game-winner and triple-double for Grizzlies

Kyle Lowry, one of the best guards to ever play for Villanova University, is back in action with the Memphis Grizzlies in preseason NBA play.

Lowry scored 21 points, including the game-winning tip-in, to beat the Houston Rockets 109-107 in double-overtime. He added 12 assists, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals in a dominating performance, notching Memphis's first triple-double of the pre-season.

After showing sparks of brilliant play that had him in the early 2006 rookie-of-the-year conversation, Lowry missed 72 games last season with a broken left wrist.

Update: Video of the amazing finish is available at NBA.com, where Lowry was awarded the play of the day.

Pinckney leaves for NBA

Villanova assistant coach Ed Pinckney will leave the team to join the coaching staff of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, Villanova University announced on Friday.

Pinckney will accept an asisstant coaching position under Timberwolves' head coach Randy Wittman, and will be reunited with guard Randy Foye, who starred for Villanova from 2002 to 2006.

Pinckney earned his spot on the Villanova bench in May 2003, and served as an assistant coach for the Wildcats for four seasons. According to Villanova, Pinckney "was involved in all aspects of coaching, including on-court teaching, recruiting and scouting."

Many fans, however, will miss particularly Pinckney's recruiting prowess.

Villanova head coach Jay Wright said that he was proud of Pinckney for earning the NBA opportunity:

Eddie has made a great impact as a player and alumnus but his four years as a coach were just as meaningful. Eddie became a great recruiter and mentor to our young men. We will miss having him around us every day but we also know that Eddie will remain a great representative of Villanova basketball.

Pinckney led Villanova to the NCAA championship in 1985 before spending 12 seasons in the NBA.

According to Villanova University, a search for the next assistant on Jay Wright's bench is already underway.

Man charged in Porter murder

Second-degree murder charges were filed today against a 29-year-old St. Paul man in the Howard Porter case, according to an AP article available on ESPN.

Rashad Arthur Raleigh was arrested and released in early June before he was charged with the murder of Porter today. He has been in police custody since mid-August on unrelated charges.

The details of the complaint are not pretty for the memory of the former Villanova great. From the AP:

Former Villanova star and Ramsey County probation officer Howard Porter was trying to trade money and crack cocaine for sex with a prostitute when he was beaten to death, according to murder charges filed Tuesday against a St. Paul man.

The AP also reported the criminal complaint filed today described the manner in which Porter was murdered:

According to the criminal complaint filed in Ramsey County District Court, Porter accompanied a prostitute he had picked up on the street to her apartment for a "date." The woman, Tonya Evette Johnson, told police four masked men rushed in to her apartment, threw her to the floor and demanded drugs and money.

Johnson told police the four men beat Porter "real bad, God real bad" and that "there was blood everywhere," the complaint quoted her as saying. Police said they found blood spattered throughout the house.

Porter died May 26 in a Minnesota hospital after being found unconscious and unidentified in a Minneapolis alley.

Widely considered one of the greatest players to ever wear a Villanova uniform, Porter struggled with drug addiction after a seven-year NBA career.

Porter was living in Ramsey County, Minnesota and working as a probation officer at the time of his death at age 58.


You can read Let'sGoNova's previous Howard Porter coverage here.

Woman released in Porter case

An article posted today on CBS's WCCO Web site reports that Tonya Washington, the 33-year-old St. Paul woman arrested Sunday in the Howard Porter murder investigation was released and will not be charged at this time.

St. Paul police said that there is insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against Washington. Though there was speculation that Washington and Porter had known each other, no official details have been given.

Authorities also released a man arrested Sunday night in connection with the case who was widely believed to be the current or former boyfriend of Washington. No charges have been filed against that individual.

Though police assured the media that they still had several leads on the case to consider, the release of Washington likely signals that the Howard Porter murder mystery is back to square one, at least for now.

Woman arrested in Porter murder

According to a story published today in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, a 33-year-old woman was arrested Sunday night in St. Paul in connection with the murder of former Villanova basketball star Howard Porter.

KSPT, ABC television's Twin-Cities affiliate, reports on its Web site that the woman is named Tonya Washington and was arrested at 9:30 p.m. Sunday,

Police would not comment on the details regarding the arrest, but did say they have referred the case to the Ramsey County (Minnesota) attorney general's office.

There are $25,000 in rewards for information on Porter's death, according to the Star Tribune, and police are still seeking other suspects and evaluating further evidence in the case.

Porter honored amidst murder mystery

ESPN runs two pieces on the memorial service for Howard Porter. The first piece is a standard AP report on Porter's funeral service in St. Paul, Minn.

According to that article, more than 500 mourners attended the Minnesota funeral on Saturday. Those in attendance included relatives, friends, and former teammates, all of whom praised Porter's life on and off the basketball court.

The second article is from freelance sportswriter Jay Weiner, who gives us more details on the mysterious murder case at the forefront of Porter's tragedy.

According to Weinar, there are scores of unanswered questions about what happened to Porter:

Did Porter voluntarily walk out the house's front door that Friday night and head somewhere to meet somebody or to check on a client on probation?
Or was he forced out?
Did he exit out a side door, toward the garage, to get into a rented Cadillac? Why was the car rented from Enterprise in the days just before his murder?
[...]
Was Porter forced to this narrow street one block from busy Interstate I-94, which connects the Twin Cities to Chicago? Was he beaten here, then transported the 20 minutes by car, past the skyscrapers of downtown Minneapolis, to be dumped in that alley?
Or did the crime occur in Minneapolis, the car abandoned in St. Paul later?

Whether or not we ever get any answers to these questions is anyone's guess.

One thing that is for sure is Porter's great impact on Villanova basketball and on society in general. Two more funerals are planned, one each in Villanova and Florida, to honor Porter.

Porter dies from attack injuries

The former Villanova basketball star Howard Porter died yesterday from injuries suffered in a mysterious attack last week in Minneapolis.

Porter, 58, was found severely beaten in an alleyway last weekend and was admitted into a hospital as an unidentified assault victim before police were able to verify his identity.

Porter had been working as a probation officer in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Police are investigating as to whether the attack was related to one of Porter's cases. No one has yet been arrested and police have not identified any suspects.

Villanova University issued a statement calling Porter "one of the finest players to ever wear a Wildcat uniform." Villanova retired Porter's jersey in 1997 in the Pavilion.

"The entire Villanova family is saddened by the news of Howard's death," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright.

Wright praised Porter's contributions to Villanova basketball on and off the court:

Howard provided so many Villanovans with thrills on the basketball court playing for Coach Kraft. Since his playing days ended, he has been an outstanding role model for our current players and coaching staff. Howard was a kind, gentle, and humble man who loved his family and Villanova. We will all miss him.

According to Villanova University, funeral arrangements are pending.

Ex-'Nova star Porter fights for life

Howard Porter, one of the all-time great Villanova Wildcats, was found seriously injured Sunday in a Minnesota hospital after apparently suffering from an abduction and brutal assault.

Porter, 58, was reported missing earlier this weekend, but it was not until photos were released by police that he was located Sunday, already in a St.-Paul-area hospital, unconscious and previously unidentified.

According to a source cited by Dana Pennett O'Neil today in the Philadelphia Daily News, Porter "has severe brain damage and might not survive."

Porter had been working in Minnesota as a Ramsey County probation officer. There is no word yet on whether the attack is related to one of his probation cases.

According to a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer, police have no reason to believe Porter suffered a drug relapse. Porter had struggled with cocaine use in the seventies and eighties.

Porter led his 1971 Villanova Wildcats team to a Final-Four appearance and was voted the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player. He played professional basketball in the NBA until 1978.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune runs a comprehensive timeline of Porter's life.

It's official: Reynolds returns

Villanova University issued a press release today confirming that star freshman guard Scottie Reynolds will indeed return for his sophomore year.

Though this announcement was widely expected this week, the official word from the university should finally put to rest the last of speculation and worry on the Main Line.

Coach Jay Wright praised Reynolds in his official statement:

Scottie is a very mature and intelligent young man. He has high aspirations for his career as a basketball player as well as a deep regard for his academic career. He considered both of these factors and came to a decision that we're all proud of.

Reynolds will join a talented incoming class of three true freshmen and two red-shirt rookies next season as the Wildcats look to make another run at the NCAA Tournament.

PDN: Reynolds will stay

Scottie Reynolds, Villanova's star freshman point guard, will return to the Main Line for his sophomore season, according to an article today in the Philadelphia Daily News.

Reynolds averaged 14.8 points and 4.0 assists per game in a stellar freshman campaign that earned him Big East Rookie of the Year honors.

Reynolds also gained national attention after being named national player of the week two times this season by ESPN analyst Andy Katz.

The Associated Press reported yesterday that Scottie had not yet considered making the jump to the pros, but that was before today's meeting with Jay Wright.

According to the PDN article:

The freshman and his coach, Jay Wright, met today but the meeting only reaffirmed Reynolds' gut feeling, namely that he should return for his sophomore season.

The article also says that Villanova will formally announce Reynolds's decision to stay tomorrow.

Reynolds: Right now, I'm coming back

Villanova fans received some excellent news this morning in the form of a Sporting News article about star freshman guard Scottie Reynolds.

In the article, Reynolds is quoted saying he has not even considered making the early jump to the NBA yet. Scottie also says he never talked about the NBA with his family or with Villanova coach Jay Wright.

Says Scottie:

Right now, I'm coming back. I'm not even thinking about it. Of course there are the questions, but right now I'm not thinking about it. I'm ready to take on a new challenge for next year.

While Reynolds could choose to go pro at any time, this statement really lowers the odds that Scottie will forgo his remaining college eligibility this spring.

The article also reveals that Villanova senior Curtis Sumpter will undergo medical testing to determine how reliable his knees are before the NBA Draft, and that senior Mike Nardi has applied for dual citizenship in Italy to play professionally there next year.

GM: Cheeks will coach Sixers next season

Villanova fans can breathe a sigh of relief tonight, as Philadelphia 76ers president Billy King gave his current coach Maurice Cheeks a vote of confidence for next season.

This should put to bed the persistent rumor that Villanova coach Jay Wright would be lured to the NBA next year to revive the struggling Philadelphia franchise.

The rumor had been exacerbated by a string of appearances at Villanova games by Larry Brown, a 76ers executive. Apparently the Villanova, Pa-resident Brown really was just there to watch basketball, and not woo the up-and-coming Wright.

A-Ray called back up to NBA

The Boston Celtics have recalled guard Allan Ray back from the Austin Toros, their NBDL affiliate, according to a Celtics press release.

Ray averaged 14.5 points in the two games he played with the Toros. A-Ray had averaged 4.9 points per game in 33 NBA games for the Celtics this season.