Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Reynolds Back to Nova

Villanova junior guard Scottie Reynolds will withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and return to the Wildcats for his senior season, the school announced in a statement Tuesday morning.

"The best decision for me is to return to Villanova for my senior year," Reynolds said. "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. I'm blessed to be in the situation I am in. I'm happy to be back at Villanova."

Reynolds averaged 15.2 points per game last season, along with 2.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals per contest. He had nine games of over 20 points, including a 40-point performance against Seton Hall in January. The highlight of this past season for Reynolds was undoubtedly his weaving lay-up with less than one second left to defeat Pittsburgh in the Elite Eight. Despite that, he did struggle in the NCAA Tournament, averaging just 13.4 points on 35 percent shooting from the field and 24 percent shooting from three-point range.

With Reynolds back, Villanova will be right back in the hunt for a Big East championship and a repeat Final Four appearance. Jay Wright lost Dante Cunningham, Shane Clark and Dwayne Anderson from last season's frontcourt, but the perimeter should be outstanding. Reynold and fellow returnees Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes and Reggie Redding will combine with freshmen Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek in a deep and talented guard group. Up front, Antonio Pena is the lone key returnee, but Duke transfer Taylor King and freshmen Mouphtaou Yarou and Isaiah Armwood will make an immediate impact. This team will be tough to beat once again.

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