 "Photo: Lindsay Adler")
Last spring, at the McDonald's All-American game in San Diego, Scottie Reynolds was about to get the shock of his basketball life.
The Herndon (Va.) guard had been set to play basketball for Oklahoma since his junior year. On media day in San Diego, he found out Sooners coach Kelvin Sampson left for Indiana. Herndon coach Gary Hall was there with Reynolds in California.
"I equate it to your first girlfriend," Hall said. "Scottie was hurt, and he was confused, and he was thinking, 'Where do I go now?'"
Hall said although Sampson had never been dishonest, Reynolds was a player who needed a strong relationship with his coach. The challenge was finding a coach Reynolds could trust in the waning weeks of his senior year.
"I wasn't going to let him feel bad for himself," Hall said. "Listen, you're in San Diego, California, you're one of the top point guards in the country. Every college in America is going to recruit you now. Give me a break, how bad can life be?"
Life is pretty good now for Reynolds, a breakout freshman for Villanova. Syracuse will have to contend with Reynolds on Saturday when it closes the regular season at 2 p.m. in Philadelphia.
Containing Reynolds could be difficult for SU. The freshman scored 40 points Wednesday night at Connecticut - more than half of the Wildcats' points. He was held to 14 points on 4-of-15 shooting when the Orange and Wildcats played Jan. 13, but Reynolds is firmly established as the front-runner for Big East Rookie of the Year.
Reynolds was averaging 12.6 points and 4.1 assists for Villanova heading into its matchup at Connecticut on Wednesday night.
Hall said he's never seen a player quite like him.
"He's the greatest player I've ever coached in high school," Hall said. "I coached (Orlando Magic star) Grant Hill in high school, too."
With plenty of talent, Reynolds had no trouble finding suitors last April when he became what Hall called a "free agent" after Oklahoma released him from his commitment.
Villanova was never high on Reynolds' list. Hall called Nova head coach Jay Wright last spring after remembering a game the Wildcats had played against the Sooners.
"Oklahoma had a terrific team," Hall said. "They were big, powerful, strong inside, and Villanova's playing four guards. Villanova just destroyed them. I remember sitting there with Scottie and thinking, 'Wow, what a great system for you. That's how you need to play.'"
Wright was "ecstatic" about the chance to get Reynolds, Hall said. Standing in the way was whether or not the Wildcats would have a scholarship for the point guard after most commitments had signed.
It was the same problem Reynolds faced when looking at Syracuse. Herndon athletic director Mike Mahoney, a Syracuse graduate, tried contacting the Orange early in Reynolds' high school career. Hall said SU never could take a serious look at his young star because the point guard position was already filled with Eric Devendorf and Josh Wright.
However, when Villanova sophomore Kyle Lowry jumped to the NBA, a spot opened up for Reynolds and he signed with the Wildcats. Hall said Reynolds was able to trust Wright despite the short recruiting time.
Things worked out for Reynolds, but Hall said Reynolds' shock in April was another hard lesson in the business of college basketball. Hall doesn't blame Sampson for heading to Indiana, but he said without the coach, recruiting becomes meaningless.
"It's nice to think you're committing to the university, but really who's the face of that?" Hall said. "That's the head coach. (Scottie) committed more to coach Sampson then to Oklahoma. Whether that's right or wrong, the head coach is a big part of that decision."
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