WRAL Sports Fan

North Carolina

Villanova's Wright says Reynolds is his Hansbrough

By Ryan Craig

Mar 30, 2009

The two players are built very differently, at least on the outside, but Villanova head coach Jay Wright believes like North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough and his point guard, Scottie Reynolds, are a lot alike.

Sure, Hansbrough may stand 6 feet 9 and weigh 260 pounds, while Reynolds measures in at 6-2, 195, but according to Wright, both players deserve to be called "special."

"Any coaches that have success are all doing a lot of the same things," Wright said during his teleconference Monday afternoon. Sometimes though, you just get blessed with having special players. What Tyler Hansbrough is to UNC and their program, Scottie has been for us."

Reynolds, of course, was the player that drove almost the entire length of the floor to score the winning layup in the Wildcats' Elite Eight victory over Pittsburgh Saturday night.

It takes a certain kind of player to want the ball in season-on-the-line situation, and Wright seen enough of his junior point guard to know he's just that kind of athlete.

"He never fears failure," Wright said of Reynolds. "He doesn't worry about looking bad, and sometimes it's going to look bad. But most time he's making plays that people are saying 'wow'...he's got a great inner confidence."

While it's unlikely that Psycho-T and Reynolds will ever match up one-on-one in Saturday's Final Four tilt, it is all but certain the two will have a major impact on the outcome.

You know one thing - neither player will be afraid when it's his turn to make a play.