An Unknown Outside the Main Line

By Jared Trexler

The Phanatic Magazine

Indirectly, Mike Davis started it all.

Davis' tumultutous, sometimes bizarre tenure in Hoops Heaven, Indiana came to an abrupt end following an NCAA Tournament loss to Gonzaga last March. Six seasons of memories, including a national championship loss to Maryland, were left behind outside the barn door of every prodigal Bloomington son.

Some cherished, others tarnished -- but memories nonetheless. Davis was fired and turned up at UAB, and in turn, Kelvin Sampson was chosen to lead a pressure-cooking program out of shallow water.

With Sampson's hiring brought a vacant opening at Oklahoma late in the recruiting process. Former Duke star and Virginia Commonwealth head coach Jeff Chapel took over, but the vibrant newcomer could not keep Sampson's promising incoming recruiting class together.

Scottie Reynolds, who signed a letter of intent to play for Sampson's Sooners, asked for his legal release from scholarship per the NCAA by-laws.

The rest is Main Line history.

Reynolds was persuaded to completely alter his collegiate thinking, quickly turning from corn to concrete -- the spacious landscape of Norman to the bright lights of Philadelphia -- the denim, blue-collar Sampson to the three-piece, smooth-talking Jay Wright.

Those changes were handled as fluidly as his pull-up jump shot. New surroundings aside, Wright knew the type of player he was landing.

"Scottie is an exciting addition to our program. He gives us the kind of point guard that is vital to our success. Villanova guards have been a big part of our success and he is in the mold of Randy (Foye), Allan (Ray) and Kyle (Lowry) in his ability to create his own shot, create shots for others, and score," Wright said on the school's athletic web site. "We are going to need him to help us immediately."

The learning curve from Virginia high school hoops to Big East biscuits was gradual, an evolution that truly began just before Thanksgiving with one point and no made field goals in a win over Iowa and didn't conclude until 40 points and 12 field goals just over three weeks later at Connecticut.

Reynolds grew up on the court during his freshman campaign partly because he already was so mature off it.

"The kid has a great head on his shoulders," ESPN's Jay Bilas said during a pregame show in the hours before the Cats battle with Kevin Durant and Texas at the Wachovia Center on January 20th.

Reynolds then went out and proved his court smarts with a shooting form to match, resulting in 26 points to Durant's 12 on 4-of-15 shooting. More importantly to the team-first Reynolds, the Wildcats picked up a large 76-69 victory without the services of Curtis Sumpter.

Now, because of Reynolds' growth and the senior leadership of Mike Nardi and Sumpter, the Wildcats have overcome the losses of Foye, Ray and Lowry in advancing to the NCAA Tournament.

There it is Wildcats vs. Wildcats -- ninth-seeded Villanova and eighth-seeded Kentucky -- facing off in Chicago on Friday night.

"We really have great respect for Kentucky and its tradition," said Wright. "I have worked with Coach Smith with USA Basketball and we know how hard his team plays and that it is great at the defensive end of the floor. This will be a challenge for our young guys but we're very excited about it."

Emphasis on young guys because on the floor this is Reynolds' team now. While Nardi and Sumpter still command the most respect in the locker room, Tubby Smith's entire game plan will focus on stopping Reynolds' dribble penetration, his stop-on-a-dime mid-range game and his focus and determination when attacking the rim.

Villanova fans have come to appreciate Reynolds' contributions during this surprisingly successful season. Come Friday, the nation will agree in unison.

"He's been a warrior. He's been fantastic," senior Chris Saveri said. "And to think, we weren't even going to have him."

If not for Mike Davis, the man who started this year's Main Line Mission to March.

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You can reach Jared Trexler at jtrexler@phanaticmag.com