Aug. 1, 2007

Each July, director of media relations Mike Sheridan sits down with members of the Villanova men's basketball coaching staff to catch up with them on their travels about the nation scouting prospects at a litany of sanctioned summer events. Our second installment brings closure to the kinetic month as we visit with assistant coaches Ed Pinckney and Patrick Chambers.

At the end of a busy month filled with thousands of air miles, a handful of rental cars and dozens of air conditioned gyms that culminated in the basketball program's annual "Summer Jam", Ed Pinckney is certain of something.

"I am finished as a basketball player," he says with a laugh. "I'm done playing. I am just not a very good basketball player at this point in my life."

Twenty two years removed from his signature Villanova moment as the Most Outstanding Player of the 1985 Final Four and a decade after retiring from a long National Basketball Association career, Pinckney was on the Pavilion court on Monday night. He participated in both the Legends and Pros game in addition to helping host the event in the absence of head coach Jay Wright, en route back from Rio de Janiero and his stint as head coach of the United States entry in the Pan American Games.

At age 44, Pinckney figures he will leave the alumni action to the younger set in the future.

"The second game was as competitive as any I can remember since we started doing this," he says of the sixth annual event. "It's just a treat for me to watch guys from different eras going at one another. To see Malik Allen go up against Curtis Sumpter, was something I really enjoyed. Those are guys I have watched grow up and it's fun to see them out there going at one another.

"We have a whole new era of pros at Villanova now. They have been a part of this program and really appreciate what it's about."

Pinckney's on-court efforts were only a small part of his contribution to the day. In many cases, he, in conjunction with former teammate - and current director of athletic development - Steve Pinone, was making the telephone calls in the days leading up to the event, making sure the basketball alums were aware of the date.

"The turnout of the basketball alumni was tremendous," noted Chambers. "I think knowing that we didn't have Jay this year the alums really came out in force. It was great to see so many stars from different eras back. It seemed like the fans really appreciated that, which helped make for a terrific day."

Among those in attendance were former coach Rollie Massimino, Kerry Kittles, Doug West, Randy Foye, Allen, Sumpter, Jason Lawson, Jon Haynes, Michael Bradley, Larry Herron, Mike Nardi, Will Sheridan, and a host of others.

"To see that kind of support for the program from the alums is something our entire staff appreciates," says Chambers.

In the cases of Pinckney and Chambers, "Summer Jam" represented the culmination of a month that, as noted in an earlier installment, often defies description.

As is usually the case, Chambers was packed and ready to hit the road when the period opened in early July. Instead of boarding a plane, though, he started out, quite literally, in his backyard - the Reebok event was hosted for the first time in 2007 by Philadelphia University, the school where Chambers once was a standout point guard for coach Herb Magee.

"It definitely gave me chills to be back there in that setting," he says. "The school has done a great job with its facilities and to be there on that beautiful campus was a nice treat for me."

From there, Chambers made a host of other short trips, including to an event at Rider University during the first "live" period of the month. Over the second part of the month, Chambers spent less time away from campus so that he could focus on the current Wildcats, all of whom were at Villanova taking summer classes.

"In the absence of Jay and JD (manager of basketball operations Jason Donnelly), we felt it was important to have a member of our staff on campus here with our guys," Chambers explains. "We have a young group and we wanted them to know a coach would be here throughout that period."

By NCAA rule, there is no coaching in the summer. Yet Chambers spent more time off the floor with this group than he might ordinarily have and was struck by a bond he already sees developing.

"I saw great chemistry," he says of the 2007-08 `Cats. "The guys really support one another and that's a foundation you always like to see. And they have done a good job academically."

Pinckney, meanwhile, was following the usual route through July. He joined associate head coach Brett Gunning in Las Vegas at the start of the second "live" period. The event boasts more than 800 teams from as far away as Puerto Rico and Europe. It's an eclectic brew that Pinckney did not see when he was a coveted high school prospect in 1979 and '80. "Back then, the Five Star camp was the standard and you also had the Boston Shootout as a big event," he says. "But there weren't traveling teams like you see today. A lot of times the first time you saw a big name player from another part of the country was at the McDonald's All-American game. "One of the things I really like about Las Vegas is that you get an opportunity to see a lot of guys from the West Coast we don't usually get to watch. We watch a lot of East Coast basketball because there are so many great players in this part of the country. But Vegas shows you there is talent everywhere. It can introduce you to players you may have only read or heard about."

After 27 years of being around the basketball stage - and having played at a level few he now views may ever approach - it could be tempting for someone of Pinckney's stature to view it all with a jaded eye. But the man known as "EZ" among the basketball staff can barely mask his enthusiasm for the process of watching and evaluating the next crop of players.

"As a player, you always wanted to test yourself against the best players," he says. "You looked forward to that chance. As coaches, we want to see those great matchups too. In Las Vegas, there are a lot of them."

After several days in Vegas, Pinckney moved on to Orlando for a sanctioned showcase event there. After watching the action intently for the rest of the week, he finally headed back to the Philadelphia area. Not long after he returned, it was time to welcome back former teammates and other friends made since he first arrived at Villanova in 1981.

"It's just so good to see everyone and catch up with them and their families," he says.

And, yes, he is looking forward to having that opportunity again in 2008. He will happily chat, sign autographs, catch up with friends and mingle. He'll watch and cheer as the alumni games are contested. It's just that he is now convinced that the days of lacing up the sneakers to chase Villanova's newest generation of pros are over.

"I am done," he repeats to emphasize the point.

Call it the final word of a hectic Villanova month.