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For us here at Phillyist, the images of one particular cold Tuesday night at the Palestra a few months ago are still seared on our memory. When the halftime buzzer sounded in the annual Holy War clash between Saint Joseph's and Villanova, the Hawks held a stunning 12-point lead over the then-No. 4-ranked Wildcats. The sellout crowd was in a state of shock -- the blue half almost silent, the red half delirious.
But when the second half began, one player of the ten on the court took the game over singlehandedly and decided it for his team. That player was Kyle Lowry. The sophomore Villanova point guard scored eleven points, stole the ball twice and dished out a pair of assists in the first eight minutes of the half, seizing the spotlight and willing his team to the Big 5 championship in its golden anniversary season.
It was neither the first time nor the last time that a sensational moment from Lowry won a game for Villanova, but it resonated more than most. And it added more energy to the rumors that were beginning to swirl that Lowry would test the waters of the NBA Draft at the end of the season. To us, at least, it seemed a little odd that Lowry could be ready to turn pro. Sure, he was utterly fearless, and would driive past all five opposing players and the mascot to get hte ball in the basket if need be. But he didn't have much of a shooting touch, and was foul-prone to say the least.
The buzz grew louder and louder, though, and in the last few weeks those mysterious "people" that always get quoted on such things started saying that Lowry could go in the first round. So he went to the usual predraft camps, and started to look around for agents. But he went a step further, arranging a private workout in Orlando that was rumored to have been set up by the agent he setted on, Andy Miller. And once word of that workout was reported, there seemed to be no turning back.
Because the agent arranged the workout, it was considered to be an "extra benefit," to use the Daily News' words, in the eyes of the NCAA. Villanova compliance director Gordon Finch told the Daily News that Lowry would have to apply for reinstatement of his NCAA eligibility, and there were definite questions as to whether he would get any of it back.
Instead of going through that process, and possibly missing at least half a season -- as Kentucky's Randolph Morris did this past year -- Lowry decided to pack his bags and turn pro. While fans of the other Big 5 schools might be happy with this news, given that Villanova will now be a much worse team next year, Phillyist cannot help but feel sad. For all the buzz about Lowry's NBA prospects, and all the whispers about how he wanted to turn pro and reap all the benefits that come with it, Lowry had so much potential at Villanova that will now never be realized.
Lowry was a special player, no doubt about it. Who knows how good he would be two years from now if he had stayed at Villanova, instead of spending two years at the end of a NBA bench or in the NBDL. Heck, he might even have figured out how to shoot the three under Jay Wright's tutelage.
Now, that question will go unanswered.
Photo taken by Flickr user Akash k.
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