Scheuer: Villanova's Porter tops strong candidates as best Wildcat ever

The names of Jack Scheuer’s selections hang in the rafters at the Pavilion. (Aaron Bracy/Philahoops)

Here we go with the top five Villanova players over the past 50 years, and this is the toughest one yet to pick only five, but rules are rules:

1) Howard Porter. After all these years, he’s still the best. A bona fide All-American (three times), the 6-foot-8 forward averaged 22.8 points and 14.8 rebounds for his three seasons. He was the main man on Villanova’s run to the NCAA championship game in 1971, and MVP of the Final Four.

2) Kerry Kittles. A first-team All-American, he is the school’s all-time scoring leader and holds 14 other team records. As a 6-5 swingman, he averaged 18.4 points in his four years.

3) Ed Pinckney. Considered by many the school’s greatest center, at 6-9 he averaged 14.4 in his four years and led the team in rebounds each season. He was also the MVP of the 1985 NCAA champions.

4) Wali Jones. A 6-2 guard, Jones was a great passer and also averaged 16.8 points in his three years. He twice was the Big 5′s Outstanding Player, and his number 24 jersey has been retired.

5) Billy Melchionni. He still holds the school’s single-season scoring record of 26.7 points, set in 1965-66. A 6-1 guard, he averaged 19.2 points in his three years, and his number 25 jersey also has been retired.

It is more than just difficult to leave off players like John Pinone, Tom Ingelsby, Keith Herron, Chris Ford and Randy Foye. But, once again, who would be taken off?

Next week: Drexel.

Last week: Temple

Dec. 18: Saint Joseph’s

Dec. 11: Penn.

Dec. 4: La Salle

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-Wishes for 2013: Time for a belated 2013 wish list compiled strictly for basketball people:
Andrew Bynum: New bowling shoes
Jerome Allen: Some good luck.
John Calipari: Extra tutors.
Halil Kanacevi: A pair of mittens.
Kwame Brown: A field goal.
John Giannini: A seat belt.
Tom Crean: A pedometer.
Ryan Arcidiacono: An interpreter.
Nick Young: Bengay for his right arm.
Mike Krzyzewski: His own personal referee.

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-Trivia Time: Who holds the La Salle record for most points in a game? Answer at the end of the column.

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-Bouncing Around: The Sixers’ handling of Maalik Wayns seems a little strange. It was somewhat surprising that he made the team, but after getting a few minutes, and even starting one game, he disappeared. Then he was released. You would think they would at least send him to the Development League rather than just give up on him. … Good things happen to good people: Old friend Willie Green is part of the Clippers success story. … Meantime, Matt Barnes, another ex-Sixer but not known to be a good guy, leads the NBA in technical fouls with eight. … Those Kentucky freshmen got all the preseason pub, but other first-year players, like UNLV’s Anthony Bennett and Marcus Smart at Oklahoma State, are attracting a lot of attention from the pro scouts. Smart is a 6-4 point guard who leads his team in rebounds. … Temple’s impressive performance at Kansas gives another boost to the A-10, which is now looking like one of the better conferences in the country. That’s if you can figure out just who is playing in the various conferences.

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-Answer to Trivia: Kareem Townes poured in 52 points in a 1995 game against Loyola of Illinois.

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-Jack Scheuer is a Big 5 Hall of Fame college basketball writer. His “Off the Boards” column appears on Tuesdays.

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Jack Scheuer

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Jack Scheuer is in his 41st season covering Philadelphia college basketball. A member of the Big 5 Hall of Fame, Scheuer was born and raised in Philadelphia. He began his sportswriting career for the Evening Bulletin before a long stint covering the Phillies, Sixers and City 6 for the Associated Press. Scheuer’s “Off The Boards” column appears on Wednesdays during the season.