Dein erstes Forum » envisioned. Garnetts competitive spirit and relativ

(STATS) -- Andy Talley has been Villanovas coach for a very, very long time. And while hes prepared to finally walk away, he surely wouldnt mind another week in the position hes held since the Reagan administration.The ninth-ranked Wildcats made sure their coach would stick around a little longer with a win in their season finale and now face Northeast Conference champion Saint Francis on Saturday at Villanova Stadium in the first round of the FCS playoffs.Talley announced in January that his 32nd season at the helm of the Wildcats would be his last. He has become the winningest coach in school history since taking over the program in 1985, guiding Villanova to 12 playoff appearances, six conference titles and the 2009 national championship.Whether Talleys tenure would continue was in doubt before the Wildcats (8-3) secured a postseason spot with a 41-10 win at Delaware on Saturday. They finished tied with New Hampshire for second in the Colonial Athletic Association.Playing at home should provide a jolt of confidence for Villanova, which won its first four home games this season before a 20-7 loss to No. 5 James Madison on Nov. 12. Talley and the Wildcats are 8-2 on their own field in the playoffs, including 5-0 in openers.At some point in the Delaware game, I got emotional on the sideline, Talley said. That was the only time. I think Im over that. To be home is a comfort zone for us. If were fortunate enough to get past these guys, Ive been on the road against tough teams in the playoffs before. I know what were in for.A stout and physical defense has been the calling card for Villanova all season, ranking third in the FCS in average yards (265.1) and points (14.9) allowed per game. That unit is anchored by senior defensive lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon and junior safety Rob Rolle.Kpassagnon was named the CAAs Defensive Player of the Year after finishing 12th in the FCS with 19 tackles for loss and tied for 21st with 8 1/2 sacks. Rolle led the league with six interceptions and was First Team All-CAA.Quarterback Zach Bednarczyk tied a career high with four touchdown passes in the win over Delaware, one week after he threw four picks in the loss to JMU. The Wildcats, though, prefer to control opponents behind the rushing of Bednarczyk and running backs Aaron Forbes (745 yards), Javon White and Matt Gudzak.Saint Francis (7-4) is something of an unknown to Villanova, though the teams share two common opponents this season. The Red Flash lost to CAA teams Albany and Towson after leading both games at the half, while the Wildcats posted home wins over both.They played toe-to-toe with Towson, toe-to-toe with Albany. They played really well in (a loss at) Montana, Talley said. They wont be awed against Villanova. Theyre very, very battle-tested.Saint Francis tied Duquesne for the regular-season NEC title and earned the leagues automatic bid with a 14-10 win over the Dukes during the season. This is the first postseason appearance in program history for the Red Flash, who won six straight games before closing with a 31-24 loss at Wagner.Its very exciting, Saint Francis coach Chris Villarrial said. Its been great to see the progress weve made. A lot of work to do still. We have to enjoy the moment. Villanova is a very good football team. Were going to have our hands full. Were going to have to play an errorless game and go down and play our type of game.There is some special talent on Saint Francis, evident by its NEC-high eight players on the all-conference first team. Standout free safety/kickoff returner Lorenzo Jerome is the first player in conference history to earn First Team All-NEC four straight years. Hes a four-time first-team selection as a defensive back and three-time pick as a returner.Jerome, though, is playing with a partially torn MCL and his explosiveness could be limited.Also in the special category is sophomore wide receiver Kamron Lewis, who was named the NEC Offensive Player of the Year after leading the FCS in receiving yards (1,349) and ranking in the top 20 in touchdown catches (10) and receptions (69).Junior running back Marcus Bagley was also a First Team All-NEC honoree and acts as a nice counterpart to Lewis downfield ability. Bagley ranks 29th in the FCS and second in the NEC with 868 rushing yards while adding 12 catches for 109 yards.The winner plays at No. 8 seed South Dakota State (8-3) in the second round Dec. 3. Cheap Saucony Shoes . 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MINNEAPOLIS -- Less than a week before the Minnesota Timberwolves open training camp, they still have not heard if franchise icon Kevin Garnett wants to follow Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant into retirement.No matter what Garnett chooses to do, it is becoming clear that the franchise that drafted him in 1995, the one that he hoped to take over one day, is preparing for life without him.As the Timberwolves have waited for Garnett to make his plans known, they have started discussing several scenarios of moving forward without the 40-year-old alpha wolf, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press late Wednesday. Those scenarios include a buyout of the final year of Garnetts contract and/or his retirement after 21 seasons in the NBA. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no agreements have been reached.This is not how it was supposed to go when Garnett returned to the Timberwolves in a trade with Brooklyn in 2015. Flip Saunders had helped mend the fences that were broken after Garnetts first exit from Minnesota in 2007, and the coach and the legend talked about Garnetts desires to one day get into ownership with the Wolves.Saunders died after a brief battle with Hodgkins lymphoma just before last season and the organization had to shift gears. Owner Glen Taylor brought in new leadership in Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden, and a new vision was born out of sheer necessity.Saunders, who was both coach and president of the Wolves, signed Garnett to a two-year, $16.5 million contract last summer. His plan was to have Garnetts passion and work ethic serve as an example for one of the most promising young rosters in the league. KG could reach Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Gorgui Dieng on a different and more personal level that the coaches ever could.The plan worked, for the most part. Garnett bonded with the youngsters and was buoyed by their enthusiasm. And the pups soaked up his knowledge and gravitated to his charismatic personality, accentuated by a hilariously foul mouth and a penetrating stare that made them feel both respected and valued. The scene played over and over last season, practice coming to an end and Garnett pulling one or two of the youngsters aside to offer counsel on defending the pick-and-roll, communicating on the court or using their feet to play better ball.Towns was the rookie of the year annd was seen wearing a throwback KG jersey in several public appearances this summer.dddddddddddd Dieng benefited from a trick Garnett showed him that helped him cut down on the times he was called for traveling.But most of Garnetts best work with the team came in practices and on the team planes and buses, where he would hold court and impart wisdom. His balky knee held him to 38 games last season and only five after he made his emotional return to Minnesota in that trade deadline deal in 2015.When Saunders died, Garnett lost his biggest champion in the organization, and perhaps the salesman who could help him assemble a group to buy the Timberwolves from Taylor.League rules prevent Garnett and Taylor from discussing an ownership stake until KG retires. And with Saunders gone, Taylor was forced to look elsewhere for buyers. He negotiated with a group led by Memphis Grizzlies minority owner Steve Kaplan, but those talks stalled. So Taylor added two minority owners this summer to strengthen his financial position.It became clear that if Garnett wanted to buy in to the Timberwolves, he would have to take percentage so small that he would not have the influence and power that he initially envisioned. Garnetts competitive spirit and relative aversion to public appearances and interviews meant a role as a basketball ambassador similar to the one Grant Hill has taken on as a minority owner with Atlanta did not seem realistic.When Taylor decided to fire coach Sam Mitchell, a longtime Garnett confidante, and hire Thibodeau and Layden to set the franchise on a new course, it showed that KG did not have the power within the organization that he did as an MVP winner who led the Wolves to the Western Conference finals in 2004.Garnett is due $8 million this season. The Wolves also have Nikola Pekovic, a hulking center with chronic foot problems that have led the team to conclude he will be of little help on the court. Using two roster spots on big men who cant be counted on to play consistent minutes could be challenging for a team trying to end a 12-year playoff drought.The Timberwolves open training camp on Tuesday, and they still have not heard from Garnett despite repeated attempts to reach him.The silence may tell them all they need to know. ' ' '