Oct. 26, 2007

VILLANOVA, Pa. - The `Nova Nation crowd and special guests came alive with a roar during player introductions and the Blue-White scrimmage at the annual Hoops Mania event held on Friday evening at the Pavilion to officially kickoff the basketball season. Following the intra-squad scrimmage the cheers from both players and fans were even louder as rapper Mims took the floor for a special performance. Additional guest appearances were made by Philadelphia sports stars Brian Westbrook and Jimmy Rollins, plus an ESPN crew that included analysts Bill Raftery and Tom Brennan.

Players from the women's and men's basketball teams were introduced one-by-one to a standing ovation from a crowd that packed every available inch of the Pavilion. Several contests and giveaways started the night off before the Blue-White scrimmage.

Once the players were on the floor, it was the White team led by the guard tandem of sophomore Reggie Redding and freshman Corey Fisher that paced the squad to a 28-19 victory in a four-quarter game. Both players connected twice from three-point range and finished with 10 points, while junior Dwayne Anderson grabbed 11 rebounds.

The Blue team fell into a big hole early but nearly climbed back into the game thanks to sharp-shooting and seven points from junior forward Shane Clark. Redshirt freshman forward Antonio Pena pulled down two rebounds and freshmen guards Corey Stokes and Malcolm Grant each made a three-pointer, as did sophomore guard and returning BIG EAST Rookie of the Year Scottie Reynolds.

Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies was the honorary head coach of the Blue team and the Eagles' Brian Westbrook coached the White team. Former Wildcat stars also came back to join in the festivities, including recent graduates Marcus Austin and Curtis Sumpter along with Dwayne McClain and Connally Brown from the national championship 1985 team.

The lights were dimmed following the scrimmage for the surprise performance by Mims, who performed his hits "Like This" and "This is Why I'm Hot" to dances from the school's cheerleaders and dance team.

With the annual star-studded event complete, the attention for each team will turn to preparation for the upcoming regular season.

The men's basketball team plays an exhibition game against Bloomsburg on November 6 at the Wachovia Center and then opens the season on Friday, November 9 at the Pavilion against Stony Brook.

The women's basketball team opens the season on November 9 at local rival La Salle. Villanova plays the first six games on the road before hosting Fairfield in the home opener on November 28.