March 6, 2007

NEW YORK CITY - At its annual banquet in New York City on Tuesday evening, the BIG EAST Conference honored Villanova freshman guard Scottie Reynolds (Herndon, Va.) as its Rookie of the Year. Reynolds, who was named a second team all-conference selection a day earlier, has been a fixture in the starting lineup and one of the key contributors to a Wildcat team that has 21 wins on the season.

In his first season of collegiate ball, Reynolds has showcased why he was voted a McDonald's High School All-American coming out of Herndon High School. He was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week three times during the regular season and to the league's weekly honor roll one other time. Reynolds also counted Dick Vitale Diaper Dandy of the Week, Philadelphia Big Five Player of the Week and Sporting News Player of the Week accolades among his honors during the season.

In BIG EAST games, Reynolds ranked second in the entire conference with a scoring average of 18.4 points per game. He scored at least 20 points seven times in conference games, including each of the last four regular season contests, when Reynolds averaged 28.0 points per game as the Wildcats went 3-1 down the stretch. His 40-point performance in a win at Connecticut on February 28 were the most points scored by any freshman in the nation this season, and set a new mark for points by a visiting player at Gampel Pavilion.

For the season, Reynolds ranked second on Villanova with 14.1 points per game. He led the team in assists, handing out 4.2 helpers per game, while starting 29 contests and averaging 28.9 minutes per game. Reynolds shot .399 from the field, .389 from three-point range and .847 from the foul line in the regular season. His ability to take the ball down court and drive to the basket became Reynolds' calling card. He attempted 144 free throws, getting to the line at least 10 times on four different occasions.

After demonstrating consistent play through the early part of the season, Reynolds stepped onto the national scene early in the conference season. He scored 27 points in a win over Notre Dame at the Pavilion on January 17, and three days later scored 26 points at the Wachovia Center as the Wildcats knocked off Texas.

Reynolds is the second Villanova player to earn BIG EAST Rookie of the Year honors, joining Tim Thomas, who won the award in 1997. The Wildcats have won three major conference awards in the last two seasons. In 2005-06, Randy Foye was named Player of the Year and head coach Jay Wright earned Coach of the Year honors.

The annual conference banquet was held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan on the eve of the conference championship. Villanova, the No. 9 seed in the tournament, plays No. 8 seed DePaul at Noon on Wednesday in the opening game of the tournament.