Villanova's Reynolds facing big decision

If there is one thing Scottie Reynolds believes from working out for NBA teams the last few weeks, it's that he can play at the next level.

The question for Villanova's star guard is: Does he want to take a run at it in the coming months or wait until he has finished his time with the Wildcats?

The 6-foot-2 Reynolds, who has to decide by June 15 if he will stay in the NBA draft or return to Villanova for his senior season, has worked out for the Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

He also has sessions with the 76ers, New Jersey Nets, and New York Knicks scheduled.

With the workouts, the feedback, and consultations with Villanova head coach Jay Wright and assistant coach Doug West, a former NBA player, Reynolds has an idea of what it will take to stick with a pro team. Now he has to process all the information and decide.

"I really actually like the feedback I've been getting," Reynolds, 21, said last week after a workout at the Davis Center. "It's been real good. Whether I pursue this or not, it's going to help me.

"I have talked to Coach. I think I'm getting a comfort level of what needs to be done. Now it's not a matter of 'Can you play there?' 'We know you can play there.' It's going to be a decision of 'Do you want to do it this year or do you want to do it next year?' We'll see where that leads."

Reynolds said he was prepared for what he had encountered in the workouts - drills, skill work, and one-on-one and two-on-two games with and against the other invitees. He chuckled recalling when one team wanted to test his vertical jump against that of other guards.

"I'm not the greatest leaper," he said, adding that other players were getting up to and over 11 feet.

"I just touched the rim, which is 10," Reynolds said. "These guys are jumping out of the building and I can tell they're like, 'You are just silly being out here.' But then I went on to the workout and I felt like I was the best one out there.

"The game is about basketball players and being able to play the game of basketball. I may not be able to jump out of the gym, do this and that, but I'm going to give you some pretty good skills and some pretty good basketball plays."

Reynolds was a key figure last season in the Wildcats' run to their first NCAA Final Four since 1985, finishing second on the team in scoring with a 15.2-point average. He hit the winning basket against Pittsburgh, on a short jumper in the lane, with less than one second to play to give Villanova the championship of the East Region.

In the eyes of some scouts, Reynolds' height has more or less confined him to a role at point guard, which raises the question of whether he is quick enough to guard others who play that position.

He said the workouts had "opened me up to the real world."

"Being here at Villanova is not all reality," he said. "When you take off that jersey for the last time, it's just you and what you think and what you believe. There are going to be good things and bad things said about you. But one thing can stay consistent - how you think about yourself."

Reynolds said he would decide what to do by next week. He was getting a lot of advice strongly in favor of his staying at Villanova.

"It's not just here; it's been everywhere," he said. "I think everybody would like to see me back. They're like: 'You've got one year. You're going to have everything. You're going to have your degree. You're going to be playing on a great team.'

"But either way, everybody at home, everybody I talk to, they support me 100 percent. That's the most important thing. They know I'm not going to make an ill-advised decision. They know I'm going to make the right decision that's best for myself."

Whatever the decision, Reynolds feels the workouts have made him a better player.

"I know the things I have to get better at and I've gotten a lot better at them," he said.