Sooner no longer

One-time OU recruit Reynolds stars for Sweet 16-bound 'Nova

Villanova's Scottie Reynolds (1) beats Siena's Alex Franklin (42) and Tay Fisher (4) to the basket. Reynolds scored 25 points in Villanova's second-round victory over Siena on Sunday in Tampa, Fla.

Villanova's Scottie Reynolds (1) beats Siena's Alex Franklin (42) and Tay Fisher (4) to the basket. Reynolds scored 25 points in Villanova's second-round victory over Siena on Sunday in Tampa, Fla.

Scottie Reynolds never envisioned himself anywhere else but the University of Oklahoma.

He liked the coaches, especially head coach Kelvin Sampson. He liked the passionate Sooners fans. He liked the chance to play in the ultra-competitive Big 12.

“I was excited about the whole situation,” Reynolds said. “I didn’t have a backup plan. I didn’t think I needed one.”

A domino effect then took place altering the college career path for the highly touted guard out of Herndon High in Virginia. In an amazing sequence of events, Reynolds wound up at Villanova, which will face top-seeded Kansas (33-3) in the Midwest Region semifinals Friday night in Detroit. The Wildcats (22-12) were one of the last teams to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and proceeded to knock off fifth-seeded Clemson, 75-69, as well as 13th-seeded Siena, 84-72, in Tampa, Fla.

Leading the way as usual was Reynolds, their standout sophomore guard.

Reynolds originally committed to Oklahoma, but asked to opt out of his scholarship after Sampson left for Indiana.

Suddenly, Reynolds found himself searching for an opening. He scoured his options from coast to coast and became intrigued when Kyle Lowry left Villanova and entered the NBA Draft after his sophomore season.

Reynolds called Villanova coach Jay Wright and asked if he was interested. Keep in mind that Villanova didn’t even recruit Reynolds.

“I was thrilled,” Wright said. “When you get a chance like that, you take it. I was happy to have a gift basket come to me.”

How did Reynolds decide on Villanova?

“I knew they had a guard-oriented offense, and I knew I could fit right in,” Reynolds said. “They had great guards like Lowry, Randy Foye, Allan Ray and Mike Nardi. There would be openings when those guys graduated. When Kyle went to the NBA, it opened up for me. I made the right choice for me, and it has worked out well. It’s kind of funny how things work out because I always thought I would be in Oklahoma. It just didn’t work out. I’m very, very happy here.”

Villanova is happy to have him.

Reynolds scored 21 points against the Tigers and followed that up with a 25-point performance against Siena. Coming up big in big games is nothing new for the diminutive yet explosive guard.

As a freshman, he poured in 40 points at Connecticut. He played a steady all-around game when the Wildcats traveled to Norman, Okla., to face the Sooners last season. In that particular game, a 67-51 Villanova victory, he was booed every time he touched the basketball.

“It was in that game that I saw his poise, confidence and leadership,” Villanova junior forward Dante Cunningham said. “I was like, ‘this kid is focused.’ He’s our leader and can score from anywhere on the court.”

Villanova needed Reynolds’ leadership more than ever this season.

On Feb. 4, the Wildcats were trounced by rival Saint Joseph’s, 77-55, at the Palestra. The devastating loss, their fifth in a row, dropped them to 13-8 and put them on the verge of missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years.

After that defeat, Reynolds really began to assert his leadership. Despite not being a very vocal person, he knew he had to motivate his team, a group that include no seniors.

“I remember Mike Nardi used to get in our faces in a positive way to get us pumped up,” Reynolds said. “I really didn’t understand it because I’m not that way. I’m kind of a quiet guy in general. I knew we needed something. We had plenty of talent. We just needed some confidence. I think once guys started to relax after we got a couple of big wins, we were going to be OK.”

The Wildcats rallied to win seven of their final 11 games, including huge victories over Connecticut and West Virginia. After beating Syracuse in the first round of the Big East Tournament, they were ousted by Georgetown in the quarterfinals.

They had to nervously wait until Selection Sunday to hear their name called.

Now, Villanova is getting ready to play in its third Sweet 16 in four years.

This might not be happening if Reynolds had chosen to leave school after his freshman year. He pondered leaving for a little while before ultimately deciding to return.

“I thought about it, but I felt like this was the best place for me this year,” Reynolds said. “I feel comfortable here. It was weird how I ended up here at Villanova. The timing was wrong in Oklahoma, and it was right at that certain time to come to Villanova. I think it all worked out for me, though it was a roundabout kind of way.”