Colleges

Ray sharp with shots and jibes

Villanova's star, back from an eye poke, knows how to keep things light.

By BRIAN LANDMAN
Published March 23, 2006

PHILADELPHIA - Villanova sharpshooting guard Allan Ray isn't shy about taking his shots.

Both on the court, where his touch has earned him a spot as one of the four finalists for the Naismith Trophy, and in the locker room, where his wit has earned him a reputation as a standup comedian.

"Allan's always making jokes," senior guard Randy Foye said.

And no one is safe.

"He's the hunter and we're the hunted," senior center Chris Charles said. "We always have to stay on our toes, and we have to be prepared for something Allan's going to do."

Ray is fond of finding a picture of an animal or cartoon character that he thinks looks like a teammate, doctoring it to include that player's jersey number and e-mailing it to the rest of the group. For Charles, pictures of Curious George made the rounds to the delight of teammates.

Charles fired back, good-naturedly so, by sending an e-mail of his own with a picture of the big-eyed robot from the 1986 movie Short Circuit, saying how much that looked like Ray.

"Everyone comes and jokes on me," Ray said with a shy smile. "I can't just sit there and take it, so I have to defend myself."

But like his shots on the court, the ones off it, regardless of who really starts it, are vital to Villanova's considerable success. The No. 1-seeded Wildcats (27-4) have advanced to the Sweet 16 and meet No. 4 Boston College (28-7) on Friday in Minneapolis. The winner meets Florida or Georgetown on Sunday for a berth in the Final Four.

"Sometimes, things are so serious with basketball," Charles said, "you need somebody to be a little lighthearted at times. That's a good characteristic he brings to the table. It brings us closer together when guys can poke fun at each other."

Ray does know how to set a tone.

The 21-year-old from the Bronx, N.Y., might seem quiet and meek to the outside world, but his physical and mental toughness are inspirational to those on the inside. At no time has that been more evident than the past couple of weeks.

Ray took an inadvertent poke to his right eye during the Big East tournament game against Pittsburgh on March 9, leaving his future for the NCAA Tournament, let alone the NBA, as cloudy as his vision.

"It was scary," said Ray, who averages 19 points, just behind Foye, and has a school single-season record 104 3-pointers. "It was devastating just lying there on the floor and not being able to see. And just the pain."

It took several hours at a hospital before he could see lights.

"When he was going through everything, he said (later) he was just thinking about us in that game and that he couldn't be there with us for the rest of the game," Charles said.

Pitt won 68-54.

"That kind of set me back," Charles continued of his teammate's reaction. "If that had happened to me, I would have been scared and I wouldn't be thinking about a game. That shows how much heart he has and how tough he is."

Ray's vision came back four days later, and he endured countless questions about his eye and whether he would need or choose to wear protective goggles.

"It's been an interesting week watching him," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "I was hoping he would continue to be the tough kid who's full of character I knew. But if any incident could shake him, it would be this one."

It didn't.

He showed an uncommon resolve in the final practices leading up to last weekend's NCAA Tournament opener against Monmouth by diving after loose balls and going after rebounds as if he had never been hurt.

"It's been pretty crazy with all the media attention, and I don't want to focus everything on me," Ray said. "My eye's fine. There's nothing wrong with it. If there's any more questions about it, that's it. I just want everything to be focused back on Villanova basketball."

He then went out in real competition and kept the focus on himself.

In a good way.

"He was probably telling us something, like he's okay, and the doctors were saying he's okay, but deep down inside, he had to be wondering, "Am I really okay? Can I go out there and perform like I have in the past?' " Foye said. "You have to be tough-minded to do what he did."

Ray led the Wildcats in scoring in hard-fought NCAA wins against Monmouth and Arizona; he had 19 points (on 5-of-12 shooting from 3-point range) against the No. 16-seeded Hawks and 25 (4 of 8 3-pointers) and four assists against Arizona.

"He's not afraid to take any shot," said Connecticut star forward Rudy Gay, a former teammate on the U.S. under-21 national team who's also a finalist for the Naismith. "He'll take it and make it. Off the court, he's a goofball, but on the court, he's tough; really tough."

That's no joke.

And no opponent is safe.

[Last modified March 23, 2006, 02:15:42]