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Reynolds, Villanova host Stony Brook in season opener

Nov 9, 2007 - 3:28 PM Stony Brook (0-0) at No. 25 Villanova (0-0) 7:00 pm EST

VILLANOVA, Pennsylvania (Ticker) -- Scottie Reynolds spurned the riches of the NBA after a spectacular freshman season, and Jay Wright could not be happier.

Reynolds and 25th-ranked Villanova open the season on Friday against Stony Brook.

Reynolds burst onto the scene last season, averaging 14.8 points, and enters his sophomore campaign as one of the front runners for Big East Conference Player of the Year.

The 6-2 guard was surrounded by seniors last season, but still made his presence felt. The Virginia native exploded for 40 points on Connecticut and also had a 29-point performance in a win over DePaul.

However, even with Reynolds and former seniors Mike Nardi, Curtis Sumpter and Will Sheridan, the Wildcats still lost to Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Now, Coach Wright is counting his lucky stars that Reynolds did not leave as well along with those other three players.

Villanova, which is void of senior leadership, has a lot of question marks.

While Villanova is void of senior leadership, junior forwards Dante Cunningham and Shane Clark will be around to anchor the frontcourt. Cunningham was solid last season, averaging 8.8 points and 5.8 rebounds, while Clark added 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds.

As for Stony Brook, it is coming off a 9-20 season and returns four starters. Among the returning players are the team's top two scorers, Ricky Lucas and Mitchell Beauford.

Lucas averaged 15.5 points and Mitchell added 12.2 for the Seawolves, who lost 78-35 to the Wildcats in the opener of the 2005-06 season.