Villanova player under investigation for assault

Villanova basketball player JayVaughn Pinkston is under investigation for an assault that occurred early Sunday morning in a residential area of Upper Merion Township, police said yesterday.

Pinkston, a freshman forward from Brooklyn who was named New York state's player of the year last season, has not been charged in the assault, though police "are looking into his involvement within this incident," Upper Merion Sgt. Jeffery Maurer said.

Police responded to Bryn Mawr Hospital about 3:30 a.m. Sunday for a report of an assault that had occurred at a house on Keebler Road near Langdale Court in the township, Maurer said.

He would not release the age or condition of the victim, except to say that he has already been released from the hospital. Maurer also declined to confirm that the victim was a Villanova student.

Several basketball blogs and posters on those blogs suggest that the assault might have occurred at a fraternity party, but Maurer would not confirm if there was a party, if other students were involved or if weapons were brandished during the assault.

He said Villanova is cooperating with the investigation.

"All I can say right now is there was an incident, amongst students, and JayVaughn was involved," Wildcats coach Jay Wright said. "We're in the process of gathering the facts. The university is doing its due diligence, investigating the students involved. That's where we are. He practiced today. We're just trying to get all the information together.

"When you're coaching college kids . . . You certainly never want anything like this to happen, especially when it involves other students. But we have to use it as a lesson. It's a hard lesson, for all of us. That's the process we're going through. It is a distraction. That's part of what you learn from this. Everything you do matters, on the court and off . . . This was a mistake. He's going to learn from it.

"Usually, it takes until your junior or senior season to figure that out [that everything you do matters, because you're a Villanova basketball player] . . . You never want to learn this way. All we can do now is sit back and go through the university process, and see if charges are pressed." *

- Stephanie Farr and Mike Kern