Whitey Rigsby ’78

The man who helped lead his team in 1978 to the NCAA Elite Eight and racked up 393 assists during his career and whose picture hangs in the Villanova University Varsity Club Hall of Fame is back at Villanova. He is supporting not only the men’s basketball team but also the other 23 intercollegiate sports at ‘Nova. Rigsby is in his second year as Director of the Block V Club and oversees all fundraising activities to support athletics for the ‘Cats. He is also in his 22nd year as “The Voice of Wildcat Basketball” radio show. He hosts the Jay Wright Radio and TV shows and is co-host of the Wildcat Call-In show. Before starting his work for the Block V Club, he was involved for 20 years in sales with John F. Scanlan Inc.

Rory Sparrow ’80

A 1980 graduate of Villanova, Sparrow is ranked fifth all-time in assists as a Wildcat with 495. He ended his college basketball career with 1,183 points and moved on to play for the New Jersey Nets and later the New York Knicks. After playing 12 years in the NBA, Sparrow retired from professional basketball. He is founder of the Rory Sparrow Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization that works towards enhancing the quality of life for hundreds of high school-age kids in New York City and in his hometown of Paterson, N.J. Currently he is the player programs development manager for the NBA. In his position he runs rookie orientations and assists with job searches for former players.

Kerry Kittles ’96

Six years after his departure from Villanova, Kerry Kittles is still talked about on campus. Kittles is and always will be a legend in Villanova basketball. His number, 30, was retired by ‘Nova on Jan. 18, 1998, and it is obvious why. Kittles owns 15 Villanova all-time career records – yes, 15! He is the all-time leader in points scored (2,243) and steals (277.) Kittles is now a eucharistic minister in the Roman Catholic Church and was married this past August. As for his basketball career, Kittles moved on to the NBA after graduation where he plays for the New Jersey Nets. The 6-foot-5-inch guard boasts a career high 40 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals performance against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 13, 1997. He scored his 5,000th career point in a 2002 game against the Atlanta Hawks. Kittles became the Nets all-time leader in three-point field goals with 414 on Jan. 24, 2000, in a game against Portland.

Tim Thomas ’97

Tim Thomas made an impact on Villanova basketball since his first day on the court. Thomas was one of only seven players to be inserted in the starting lineup in the first game of his collegiate career.

He was also the first Villanova player to receive Big East Conference Rookie of the Year, and was an early entry candidate for the 1997 NBA draft. Currently, Thomas plays for the Milwaukee Bucks where he holds career highs of 39 points, 12 rebounds and 43 minutes played. Thus far this season, Thomas holds a record of 14 points and seven rebounds in a game.

Alvin Williams’97

Williams was drafted 48th overall by the Portland Trailblazers in the 1997 NBA draft after leaving Villanova ranked third all-time in assists with 553 total. Williams started all of the Wildcats’ 67 games during his final two seasons and scored 20 or more points nine times during this period.

Williams currently is playing for the Toronto Raptors, where he is ranked second in the NBA with a 3.95 assists-to-turnover ratio and fourth in steals-to-turnover ratio with 1.19. In the 2000-2001 season with the Raptors, he set career highs of 23 points, 10 field goals made, 10 rebounds and 14 assists in a game. That same season he was the only member of the Raptors to play in all of 82 regular season games. Williams holds 25 points in a game as his current season scoring record thus far.

Malik Allen ’00

One of only 22 Villanova players to amass more than 1,000 points and 500 rebounds, Malik Allen has moved on to bigger and better things. After graduating from Villanova in 2000, the 6-foot-10-inch Allen went on the play for the San Diego Wildfire in the ABA. For the Wildfire, he appeared in 32 games and was ranked in several statistical categories in the ABA during his time with the team. Allen held the second-highest ranking in the ABA in blocks with 74 and was fourth in rebounds with 255. Currently Allen is playing in the NBA for the Miami Heat, where so far he has career highs of 22 field goals made in a game and 11 total rebounds in a game.

Michael Bradley ’01

After foregoing his final season of eligibility at Villanova, Michael Bradley was selected 17th overall by the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the NBA draft. He now plays alongside fellow Villanova alum Alvin Williams. Bradley has racked up a season-high 10 points in a game so far this season. Bradley played for the University of Kentucky for two seasons before he transferred to Villanova. At Villanova, he sat out one season because of NCAA rules that went along with his transfer. But when he got into the action at ‘Nova, he went all out. He led the ‘Cats in scoring and rebounding and was ranked first in the nation in field goal percentage. Bradley was also 16th in the nation in rebounding and 20th in scoring. Additionally, Bradley was a unanimous selection to the 2001 All-Big East Conference First Team.

Rollie Massimino, Head Coach 1973-1992

The only coach ever to lead a Villanova team all the way to the finish – in 1985 he stunned the nation when he led the ‘Cats to the national championship game where they walked away as champions after a 66-64 upset of Georgetown. That same year, Massimino earned several National Coach of the Year awards. Massimino began his tenure with the ‘Cats on Nov. 13, 1973, and piloted the team until 1992 when he left to take on the head coaching position at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. After only two seasons with the Runnin’ Rebels, Massimino moved on to Cleveland State as head coach of the Vikings. He still coaches 0at Cleveland State today and recently signed a contract extension to keep him there through the 2004-2005 season.

Steve Lappas, Head Coach 1992-2001

Lappas first came to Villanova in 1984 as an assistant coach to Rollie Massimino. In 1988 he left ‘Nova for a head coaching position at Manhattan College. But he just couldn’t stay away. Returned in 1992 to serve as head coach for nine years. His final team featured Michael Bradley and went 18-12 overall. In the 1994-1995 season, the Wildcats won the school’s first ever Big East Conference Tournament Championship and returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time in four seasons. For his leadership, Lappas was presented with the Harry Litwack Award as Eastern Coach of the Year, earned Big Five Coach of the Year and was a finalist for AP and Naismith Coach of the Year Honors.

This former ‘Nova coach has now moved on to be head coach of the Massachusetts Minutemen. Lappas is the first active Big East head coach to move to an Atlantic 10 Conference institution.