BOSTON – There’s a lot that can be said about the way Villanova’s 78-76 win over Pittsburgh in the East Regional final ended. The player who was at the epicenter of it is not a surprise to his teammates or coaches.
Scottie Reynolds fell into Villanova’s lap three years ago. Born in Huntsville, Alabama but growing up in Illinois and northern Virginia, Reynolds was all set to go to Oklahoma out of high school after starring for Herndon High School and the Boo Williams travel team. But Kelvin Sampson then left for Indiana, and Reynolds got out of his national letter of intent and wound up on the Main Line. The Villanova faithful have never been so happy for that turn of events as they were on Saturday night.
Reynolds quickly made an impact, as he was the Big East Rookie of the Year as a freshman. He struggled during the off-season at the Pan Am Games, but came back for a strong sophomore season. This year, it was more of the same, although he had his share of clutch plays that added to the numbers he put up. But once the postseason came, it was a little different for a while.
After a 21-point effort in their first Big East Tournament game against Marquette, Reynolds fell into a slump. He scored just two points in a loss to Louisville, then had just eight against American as the Wildcats got a scare in the first round. He had 11 in the blowout win over UCLA, then had 16 against Duke but on 5-15 shooting. Entering Saturday night’s game, his postseason numbers looked nothing like those of his career: 11.6 points per game, 34 percent from the field, less than 22 percent from long range, eight assists and 13 turnovers.
The Wildcats’ best player the prior two seasons (arguments can be made for Dante Cunningham this year) was in a slump at a bad time. The team was still winning, but his struggles were noticeable. If you really want to be “right”, he shouldn’t have been the region’s Most Outstanding Player – he only got that because of one play. His numbers on Saturday weren’t all that impressive – 15 points, 4-11 shooting, one assist with four turnovers. But the numbers aren’t the story.
His last play is.
“That’s Scottie,” said sophomore guard Corey Fisher, who earlier made several key free throws. “Scottie makes plays like that every day in practice, it’s nothing new. That’s what he does.”
Indeed, there’s no one the Wildcats would rather have with the ball in his hands in that situation. He made key free throws to give them a win over arch-rival Saint Joseph’s in one game, had key free throws to seal the overtime win over Seton Hall, and also had two big baskets against DePaul that helped them hold off the Blue Demons.
So it wasn’t a surprise that they wanted him to have the ball in his hands, and that he delivered.
“He has won so many games for us. He’s done it so many times, and the kid’s just got a knack, he really does,” said head coach Jay Wright, who likened him to an opposite number that evening, Pittsburgh’s Levance Fields. “He never fears failure. There are some games where we lose and he looks really bad, but he’s not worried about it, it doesn’t affect him. He’ll come back the next game and he’ll make the same plays. That’s a great quality to have as an athlete.”
It certainly proved to be one on Saturday night. This time around, it came after he struggled and they won, and it didn’t affect him. It just set the stage for the big play.
“I think every kid who plays on the playground thinks about that,” Reynolds said of the winning shot. “It hasn’t sunk in yet. You always want that shot to win the championship, to advance to the Final Four, or some prestigious event to get to.”
There was a lot of talk after the game about the play itself. The Wildcats run it often in practice, and the result is a mixed bag depending on whether the first or second unit is on offense with it. A couple of players said it rarely works, but Reynolds knew one thing about it.
“It worked tonight. It only has to work once, and it worked today,” he said.
That it did. Just the same, the previously struggling Reynolds didn’t need another 40 points like he’s had a couple of times in his career – only two. The two that mattered the most for Villanova, from a likely source.
