Leading the way once again will be sharpshooting senior forward Paul Arizin.  Arizin may have the best mid-range jump shot in the country and because he is a corner specialist has taken up the three point ball quite well.  He is a handful to stop and is the go to guy for the Wildcat offense as he has been for the last three years in Philly.  Not highly recruited out of high school former coach Jack Kraft quickly discovered this walk-on could shoot and he made him the go to guy for the Wildcats.  He has excelled at this.  And now with the changing tide of the game with the three-point line this has been another boost to the game of Pitchin Paul.   He has stepped up to the challenge and may be the best corner shooter in the country.  A legend in the city of Brotherly love, he may have been the only sports figure this city has never booed.  They love his work ethic and his productivity.  He always takes the big shot and more times than not delivers for the Wildcats. Arizin does have some deficiencies however as he is small for a forward and not quick enough for some of the super athletes in the Big East that play the wings.  Still, Pitchin Paul more than makes up for this with his ability to shoot and score and though he is no Flyer he is as much a part of the Philly lexicon as Hall or Oates.  Sadly his showdown game with the other senior legend from Philly Tom Gola was not on the schedule this year as the Explorers had to move things around when they joined the Owls in the A-10.  Too bad those two have played some epic games but the fans here will have to wait until they meet in the pros.  Unless of course they end up on the same team as Warrior fans can only dream of!  Or if these two programs meet in the Big Dance!  LOL!

Junior forward Howard Porter is a solid compliment to Arizin.  An inside player who has an array of moves down low but is even better when he steps out to 17 feet with his silky smooth jumper.  He is also a solid rebounder who gets more than his share of boards and can mix it up underneath with anyone.  Porter may be the most complete offensive player on the team but Porter has one blaring weakness.  He is a little small to play power forward against the beasts of the East.  He holds his own though and has continued to be a great contributor to this team. When he is rolling this team is pretty hard to beat but he does have his funks as well (the story of the Wildcats).  ‘Geezer’ as he is now known by his teammates does not get up and down the court very well and looks like an old man taking his time to get into position but once he gets the ball he has the game and he always delivers when he is on the court.  This is one of the best forward combos on the East Coast. 

 Senior Jim Washington will be manning the other post position but he is not that big either going 6’7 200.  Jumpin Jimmy (as opposed to Pitchin Paul-yes they do not have much imagination in Philly) is a terrific board guy but does not score much.  The hometown kid is a fan favorite as they love to watch him do his thing in the key.  The problem with Jimmy is not his toughness but banging with the likes of Ewing and Bouie is kind of tough when you are giving up four or five inches in height.  Sophomore center Ed Pinckney is a little undersized himself but this highly recruited stud from the Bronx is the future of this program.  E-Z Ed goes 6’9 and a slim 195 but is agile and athletic inside the key.  A natural center in style and skill set Pinckney looks like he might have some issues with the bigger post guys in this league but he has shown he can handle himself.  A solid shot blocker and rebounder, Pinckney is very athletic on the offensive end with put backs and some very quick moves.  He has not been asked to score much but he can maneuver inside and has a nice touch up to about 15 feet.  He can play the high post as well and sets great screens for the Wildcat shooters to get open.  Sophomore John Pinone gave the Cats’ some muscle off the bench and a nice shooting touch as well.    Pinone has the size (6’8 230) and was heavily recruited from Hartford and definitely has moves down low.  In his first year he was the enforcer the team needs in the paint.  He will flat knock you down and is great on the boards.  They needed that kind of player on this team and the fans love his physical toughness.  Massimino is counting on more production offensively from Pinone this year but unless something happens to Porter he will be coming off the bench for at least one more year in Philly.  Senior to be Tom Hoover was the ‘bruiser’ inside but did not like getting passed up on the totem pole and left to join the EBL.  Fellow senior Jim Mooney who once was a stud here was deemed ineligible midway thru last year and then joined the pros perhaps setting the stage for Hoover’s relocation/betrayal.  There are a few guys waiting in the wings such as junior Hank Siemiontkowski (yeah I don’t how to pronounce it either) and sophomore Harold Pressley (who dazzled on JV last year and is in reality more of a combo forward) who give Massimino options but will not get many minutes with those four in front of them.  This was not the most noteworthy frontline on the East Coast but they can play and like all Nova players relish the fact they can slip under the radar and do what they do best.  Outwork everyone in October and outplay everyone in March! 

The backcourt has a lot more questions.   Massimino has a solid group of veterans who have done well in the past but he realized last year that he will need to upgrade athletically to be able to keep up with the Jones’ in the Big East.  At point guard Seniors Wali Jones and Senior Bill Melchionni will split time once again.  Jones and Melchionni are a good one two punch supporting each other and bringing great leadership but different styles to Philly.  Both are hometown kids but bring different styles though completely Philly to the game.  Jones knows how to get the ball to the right guy and can guard others.  He can score and will but is not a long range bomber.  Melchionni is a gifted passer and is really fearless getting to the hoop and either scoring or dishing but is nowhere near as good defensively.  His ability to get the ball to his teammates in the right spot to score in uncanny and Massimino feels he is better suited coming off the bench as he is a bit more offensive minded.  Wali ‘No World’ has got a great all-around game and is the type of point guard coaches want to have running their team.  He may not get ten assists a game but he knows how to get his teammates involved and most importantly he leads by example.  He is a solid defender who uses his size and quickness well.  He does everything well but nothing great except for lead a team.  He is a Man’s Man.  Juniors Tom Ingelsby and Rory Sparrow are two more of the same ilk.  Ingelsby hails from Springfield PA and is more of scoring point guard which fits right in around these parts.  He goes 6’3 and can play.  Sparrow is the true poing guard type and has spent the last two years running the JV but that time is over but will have a hard time getting time with three in front of him.  Sparrow is Mr. consistent and a great person but does not bring much as far as scoring the ball but gives Massimino crazy depth at the point.  Massimino has recruited a large group of point guards and it should be interesting to see who gets the job next year after Batman and Robin are gone.  The talent level of these kids are next level and these kids are much more score first type players as the game has evolved in that direction.  Next year should be quite a battle to see who replaces Jones at the point as those are mighty big shoes to fill. 

The shooting guard position is the biggest question mark for the Cats as Massimino tries to find a running partner for Arizin.  Arizin is not the most athletic dude and will be playing the small forward spot so this team needs somebody who can guard wings.  And run.  For now he has a quarter of seniors who will split time and battle for minutes.  Larry Hennessey and Bob Schafer had been the mainstays for the first three years of their career.  Hennessey is more of a forward though and last year primarily backed up Pitchin Paul.  Schafer is a scorer but does not bring much defensively and took a backup role as well.  The incumbent is Hubie White who brings the kind of athleticism this program needs at this level.  White has an incredible skill set as he can handle the ball and run the court and man can he finish.  He had a play last year that defined his game as he took down a rebound, dribbled the length of the court, dribbled behind the back and then between the legs to beat two defenders and then slammed the ball.  He was starting soon after.  White will start but as athletic as he is he only goes about six two (he is listed at 6’4 for some reason) and is not a great defensive player.  He also needs to improve his perimeter shooting but he has the skills to be at good at both.  Johnny Jones might be the best option here.  Jones is a game changer as he was the first recruit for the Cats from outside the East Coast.  Raised in the deep-south Jones came from Pompano Beach Florida where he once scored 85 in a game.  His coming to Nova basically started the national recruiting and is a direct correlation to bringing in Porter who followed the next year from Sarasota.  Once Jones got to Nova he quickly became a leader for change on the campus as he helped start the Black Student League.  He has had some clashes with the administration over this but that is not the reason he has not played as much as he would like.  Jones has battled injuries throughout his career but when he has played he has been one of the best players on the court.  A terrific scorer and athlete the 6’4 Jones is a solid complement to Arizin offensively though he does need to get better with his perimeter defense.  Jones loves to go inside and can finish and will get his fair share of minutes if he stays healthy.  And if Massimino does not go with one of his younger options!  After all Rollie did not recruit these seniors, Jack Kraft did!  Another Kraft carryover is junior Chris Ford.  Ford can play any of the three perimeter positions and is a gamer.  Ford can pass and really shoot (the mad bomber anyone) and at 6’5 has the size to get the job done on the wings.  He is a much better defender than he looks with his porn stache but this hot dog is perfect for the role of the sixth man as he was last year.  Massimino will not be content with just Ford though as he knows he has an incredible player (and group) to replace next season.  Fellow junior Keith Herron has been waiting in line for two years and can flat shoot the ball.  His defense (and attitude) has to improve but he has a real shot of playing as he did lead the JV in scoring the last two years.  He already has one promising up and comer as sophomore to be Doug West jumps into this pool looking for minutes.  West is 6’6 200 from up the road in Altoona and impressed on the JV as a two-way player.  Supposedly Massimino and his new sidekick in crime (some say the guy hired to replace him if he can’t get over this team to at least an elite eight) Jay Wright. has more of the same coming up the turnpike.  Wright moved over from Hofstra to coach the JV and help the roly poly one recruit which he is superb at. 

The Cats have become a machine in Philly with Massimino being able to reload with new studs on a yearly basis.  The Cats are not preseason favorites in the Big East as they took a bit of a beating last year in this tough as nails league.  They came around at the end per usual.  But you kind of knew they would.  As we have seen before the best teams from the Nova are always the ones we expect to not be quite up to snuff.  They love the underdog role and this year they will have just the way they want it. One thing is for sure they will be in the mix in the Big East perhaps not for a title but will be there at the end when it counts.  Nova will continue to have great games against their brethren from Philly in the Big 5 contests which always prepares them on down the road.  And as a rite of spring the Cats will somehow find a way to get to the Big Dance once the sun starts shining.  No matter if they are not the Kings of the city because they know as long as they are playing it is always Sunny in Philadelphia.