For some schools, a rare trip to the Final Four would be enough.
Not for Villanova.
The Wildcats — a top 10 team in most national polls — are hungry for more success after advancing all the way to Detroit before being ousted by national power North Carolina.
Gone are Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson and Shane Clark. But this team has reloaded with freshmen Maalik Wayns (Roman Catholic) and Dominic Cheek (St. Anthony, N.J.). Both players were McDonald’s All-Americans and they’ll join the core group of Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes.
“On the outside, the expectations are a little bit different,” said Reynolds. “But our mindset was always the same. You go out and play Villanova basketball for 40 minutes.”
Jay Wright will never let his team get cocky. That’s not his style. You can bet the coach will begin reminding his team of that beginning with Friday’s opener (7 p.m.) against Fairleigh Dickinson.
“Everything that happened last season is in the past,” said Wright. “We’ve got to start proving ourselves all over again.”
