Thursday, May 5, 2011
Posted: 5:49 p.m.
By Reuben Frank
CSNPhilly.com
Highly touted Villanova basketball recruit JayVaughn Pinkston, who missed all of last season after being suspended by school officials for an off-court incident in November, will be reinstated for the start of summer classes on June 1, an athletic department spokesman said Thursday.
That would clear the way for Pinkston to be eligible to play for the Villanova basketball team when the season opens in November.
Pinkston was suspended in December after being charged with simple assault and harassment following an altercation at an off-campus apartment. The suspension ends Friday, the end of the Spring semester.
Coach Jay Wright spoke often of Pinkston during the season, as Villanova struggled in the front court while losing 11 of its last 16 games, including first-round exits in both the Big East and NCAA tournaments.
Wright was counting on Pinkston this past season to provide interior toughness to a team desperately lacking in a physical presence inside the paint. Without him, the Wildcats often struggled against big, strong, physical teams.
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The 6-foot-7, 260-pound Pinkston averaged 25 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots per game as a senior at Bishop Loughlin in Brooklyn during the 2009-10 season.
JayVaughn is an incredibly talented young man who has a unique passion for the game, Wright said in the Villanova media guide. He can play multiple positions and has been a leader at Bishop Loughlin for four years.
If hes reinstated, Pinkston will become part of a loaded freshman class that also includes recruits Achraf Yacoubou, Darrun Hilliard, Markus Kennedy and Tyrone Johnson. Three more -- Ryan Arcidiacono, Savon Goodman and Daniel Ochefu -- have already signed to become part of the Villanova Class of 2016.
Because his suspension was handed down by Villanova and not the NCAA, Pinkston will retain all four years of eligibility.
Charges in the November incident in Upper Merion Township are still pending. According to the Pottstown Mercury newspaper, court records show that Pinkston faces a May 25 trial in front of Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Thomas C. Branca.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com.