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The Deadball Rebound Tour: Villanova Basketball '94-95 Season In Review By James H. DeLorenzo [Written after the end of my last season as Villanova SID as copy for the end-of-season banquet (and as a script source for a highlight film), I then sold an edited version of it to the Gloucester, NJ Catholic Star Herald in April, 1995, as a freelance article commissioned by their Sports Editor, Sam Bonavita, when I wasn't sure where my next job would be! Needless to say, in covering highlights, the season-ending first-round NCAA Tournament double-overtime loss to Old Dominion in Albany, NY didn't make the final cut. Amongst my family and friends, my label for my final season "tour" was the Deadball Rebound Tour. Someday I'll tell you what a Deadball Rebound is.] It was the season for new looks, both for the Wildcat logo and for the basketball team uniforms. It was a season for new achievements, with 25 wins and a Big East Conference Tournament Championship. It was a season for old traditions, with a return to the NCAA Tournament and outstanding performances by all the Wildcats. It was a season of promise and purpose for the Villanova University Wildcat Basketball Program, but most of all -- It was A Season of Pride! Steve Lappas and his Villanova Wildcats began this season of pride with a grand celebration on October 28, officially known as Wildcat Roar '94. Not only did this evening introduce the Villanova University community to the 1994-95 Wildcat squad, but it rekindled the memories of great Wildcat achievements from the past, with the reunion of Villanova's 1985 NCAA Championship squad, and the formal recognition of Steve Lappas and his squad for their 1994 National Invitation Tournament Championship. It was a night for the 'Cats to recall their glorious past, and look forward to an outstanding future. That future began at the Great Alaska Shootout over Thanksgiving weekend, highlighted by the 'Cats third-place finish with an outstanding 82-81 victory over perennial power Louisville. Upon their return from Alaska, the Wildcats won their home opener, a 80-59 win against Marist, then beat Seton Hall, 98-75. Highly ranked by most pre-season publications, the Wildcats had begun with a strong start, but faced their first true test of the season on December 8, in a nationally-televised clash with then-#1 ranked North Carolina. While the Tarheels beat the 'Cats that night, 75-66, they did so despite a game-high 22 points by junior All-American Kerry Kittles, and an outstanding performance by sophomore center Jason Lawson, who outscored his old high school rival, Rasheed Wallace, 15-4, and pulled down eight rebounds in 40 minutes of play. The 'Cats then lost a tough game to St. Joseph's, 60-57, before returning to their winning ways on December 22 with a 31-point win over Richmond, 101-70. It was their largest margin of victory in the season, and was the debut performance for sophomore forward Chuck Kornegay, who had 11 points and 12 rebounds. The 'Cats then beat Rider, 80-69, and Delaware, 90-54, to end the first half of the 1994-95 season. The new year began with a loss, 77-62 to then-#6 ranked Connecticut. The Wildcats had been picked to finish fourth in the Big East Conference during the pre-season, and were out to prove themselves better than their critics predicted. The 'Cats then beat Boston College, 89-66 on the road, then lost to then-#8 ranked Syracuse, 61-60. From January 14 on, however, there was no better team in the nation than the Villanova Wildcats. All the 'Cats accomplished during the next month was an 11-game win streak, including 10-straight in the traditionally-gruelling Big East Conference. The streak began on the road at Gainesville, Florida. It was there, during a nationally-televised contest with the University of Florida, that senior guard and co-captain Jonathan Haynes hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer to give Villanova a 72-70 upset of the then-#15 ranked Gators. Kerry Kittles and junior forward Eric Eberz each scored 21 points to lead the 'Cats to the hard-fought victory. Villanova then beat Pittsburgh, 71-69, and upset the then-#10 ranked Georgetown Hoyas in another nationally-televised thriller. This time it was at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, with the 'Cats collecting a 66-60 win thanks to a game-high 21 points from Jonathan Haynes. Kerry Kittles' 23 points was a major factor in Villanova's 92-62 win at Miami, followed by an 88-67 win against Providence in which Kittles scored 27 points. Based upon his scoring performances against Miami and Providence, Kerry Kittles was named the Big East Conference player of the week for the second time this season. One of the keys to Villanova's outstanding season, Kittles would go on to break the single-season and career-record for most times named Big East Conference Player of the Week. No other Big East player in the 15-year history of the league had ever been named Player of the Week more than five times in his career -- Kittles earned it five times this season, seven times in his career. He surpassed an outstanding field of five-time winners -- Terry Dehere, Malik Sealy, Eric Murdock, Sherman Douglas, Chris Mullin, and Patrick Ewing. Kittles and the Wildcats were just beginning to hit their stride by February 1, when they won their sixth-straight with a 78-62 nationally televised victory over St. John's at Madison Square Garden. Kittles scored 24 points, Eberz had 23. Then it was on to Pittsburgh for an overtime 79-76 victory. It was at Pittsburgh that Kittles turned in one of the most remarkable performances in Villanova's season. With 3:50 remaining in regulation, Kittles had scored a mere nine points. He finished the night with 26, including 10 of Villanova's 16 overtime points. Onward and upward went the Wildcats, with another win over Miami, 73-63, thanks to 25 points from Kittles, 21 from Lawson, and a career-high 11 points from sophomore forward Zeffy Penn. That win over the Hurricanes was also memorable for Wildcat head coach Steve Lappas, as it was his 100th college career coaching victory. An 81-67 win over Seton Hall was paced by Kittles with 23 points, Eberz with 19, Lawson with 15 and Kornegay with 11. The Wildcats' winning ways continued with an emotional 89-87 overtime victory at The Spectrum over then-#11 ranked Syracuse. Kittles and Lawson each scored 20 points, while Eberz added 17, and Kornegay scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. And then came the game of the year. On the road at then-#1 ranked Connecticut, on national television. With a win streak on the line, the Wildcats came through like champions, beating the Huskies 96-73 in an upset. Kittles scored 37 points, the highest point total an opposing player had scored against Connecticut in 15 years of Big East competition. After a 77-52 loss at Georgetown, the Wildcats rebounded with a 78-74 win over Pennsylvania, and a 74-70 win over St. John's. On February 28, the Wildcats helped Steve Lappas collect his 50th victory as Villanova's head coach with a 92-68 win over Boston College. In addition, the 'Cats boosted their home record at the duPont Pavilion, the on-campus home of Wildcat Basketball, to 10-1 this season, while collecting their 22nd victory of the season. It gave Villanova their 14th win in the Big East, two games better than their previous record for league victories, and their most-ever total wins (22) prior to the Big East Tournament. Oh, yes, and Kerry Kittles collected a career high 44 points in the game as well. It was the highest single-game scoring total by a Wildcat in 25 years, and second-highest in the 15-year history of the Big East. After a 71-70 loss at Providence, it was on to the Big East Conference Tournament, in New York's Madison Square Garden. The World's Most Famous Arena has been home to this event since 1983, but the Wildcats, who finished the regular season with a second-place finish in the league and a #2 seed in the tournament, had not been seeded that highly in the tournament since the 1984 championship. Prior to the start of the tournament, Kerry Kittles was named the Big East Conference Player of the Year. He is the first Wildcat Basketball player to ever win that coveted award. He also won the league scoring title, and was named to the league's First Team for the second consecutive season. Also recognized for outstanding league seasons were Eric Eberz and Jason Lawson, who earned All-Big East Second Team honors. Those awards were just the tip of the iceberg for the Wildcats in New York. In their first-round game, the 'Cats beat Boston College, 68-64, then advanced to the tournament championship game for the first time since 1988 with a 90-75 victory over Providence. Their opponent in the finals -- #1 seed Connecticut. The Wildcats capped off a remarkable season of achievement and advancement by accomplishing the one feat a Villanova team had never done before. They beat Connecticut, 94-78 to win their first-ever Big East Conference Tournament Championship. Kerry Kittles once again led his teammates, with 27 points, and was named the tournament Most Valuable Player. Kittles was also named to the All-Tournament team, along with Jason Lawson. For the first time in the 74 seasons of Wildcat Basketball, these 'Cats knew they were guaranteed an NCAA Tournament berth. The Wildcats finished the season with 25 victories, only the fifth team in Villanova history to reach that magic number for wins. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991, and were ranked #9 in the final Associated Press Top 25 Poll, their highest-ever final ranking. The season was personally rewarding for all the Wildcats, especially head coach Steve Lappas. He finished his third season as head coach as a finalist for the Naismith and the Associated Press Coach of the Year Awards, posted his second-consecutive season of 20-wins or better, and was named the recipient of the Harry Litwack Award as Eastern basketball coach of the year by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association and the Philadelphia Big Five. Kerry Kittles was named to the John Wooden All-America Team, and won the Robert Geasey Trophy as Player of the Year in the Philadelphia Big Five. In addition, he earned second-team All-American honors from both the United States Basketball Writers of America and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, as well as honors from numerous post-season publications and organizations. He scored 706 points this season, the fifth-best single season performance ever by a Villanova Wildcat, and has scored 1,630 points, currently 10th all-time in the Wildcat record books. He finished the season averaging 21.4 points per game, the first Wildcat Basketball player since 1973 to finish over 20 points per game. Records and firsts, honors and awards, victories and championships, all were part of the colorful tapestry that the 1994-95 Villanova Wildcats wove during their season of pride.
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