JayVaughn Pinkston Looking To Take Villanova by Storm Next Year

Villanova's basketball team was expected to go deep into the NCAA Tournament this year, but was sent home earlier than expected. Seniors like Scottie Reynolds will be leaving the team and probably moving onto the NBA next year, but the Wildcats have at least one great prospect to look forward to for next year.

JayVaughn Pinkston of New York is a dominant player that will surely shake up and make some noise for the Wildcats in the Big East. He has been compared to a mixture of Charles Barkley and DeJuan Blair. For a big guy, he moves very well and can make long shots. He rebounds with coverage all around him, and motors through the opposing defense to score or grab the ball.

Pinkston is also very clutch. In a game against West Half Hollow Hills High School in late 2009, he made a game tying three-pointer to send the game into overtime at the buzzer. That was the game of the year for most people, as it was JayVaughn Pinkston vs. Tobias Harris.

Harris is a Tennessee committed prospect ranked No. 5 in the Nation overall. Half Hollow Hills West went on to win the game, but many believed that Pinkston was all over Harris. Harris won the war, but Pinkston was victorious in the battle between the two power forwards. 

He finished the game with 34 points and 16 rebounds, and went on to call himself the best player in New York City. Surely there has been a debate as to who was the better of the two overall, but in most eyes both are just great players all around. It is hard to compare. 

The debate carried onto the McDonald's All American Game, as the two big men got into a small scuffle in practice according to some reports. 

Pinkston was offered scholarships to St. John's, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Villanova. He decided not to go to Tennessee after Harris committed to the Volunteers. UConn was a school of interest, but he never received an offer and lost interest. 

Villanova was his choice, and the Wildcats are welcoming him with open arms. He will definitely take them on a nice run in the 2010-2011 tournament. Who knows, Tobias Harris vs. JayVaughn Pinkston could happen again in the NCAA Tournament with higher stakes on the line. Pinkston is definitely ready for any challenge ahead of him.