VILLANOVA, Pa. — Sometime back before the World Series, Villanova coach Jay Wright and I made a bet.
He had the Phillies.
I had the Yankees.
Loser takes winner out for a cheesesteak.
I think we all know what happened next.
Behind Hideki Matsui, C.C. Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, the Yankees won their 27th world championship, returning to their rightful place atop the baseball hierarchy.
Jimmy Rollins and the Phillies? They went home, unable to defend their title.
Time went by and Jay and I were never able to go out together for the cheesesteak.
So Tuesday night I’m at the Seton Hall-Villanova game at The Pavillion, having just gotten a plate full of pasta and salad from the media dining room, when a nice young man approaches with a paper bag.
“Are you Adam Zagoria?” he inquired.
“Why, yes,” I replied.
“Coach Wright wanted you to have this cheesesteak,” he says, handing me the bag.
Just in time.
Instead of eating the media food (which I’m sure was great, nudge, nudge, wink, wink), I dove into a tasty cheesesteak from Chubby’s — which really hit the spot.
This is why the mothers of recruits across the Northeast love Jay WRight.
The man coaches the No. 2 team in the nation, he’s about to play a game and he arranges to send me a cheesesteak?
Well played, Coach. Well played.
Then the game came, and it was a thriller.
Scottie Reynolds, who’s making a hard charge for Big East Player of the Year honors, scored his 2,000th career point, becoming just the 8th Nova player ever to do so, as the Wildcats came from behind to win, 81-71.
You can read my column about it here, with comments from former Villanova great Ed Pinckney, who sat courtside.
And since we’re on the subject of food, not to confuse a classic Philly cheesesteak with McDonald’s, but Villanova is loaded with Mickey D’s All-Americans.
The current team has five McDonald’s All-Americans: Reynolds (2006), Taylor King (07), Corey Stokes (07), Dominic Cheek (09) and Maalik Wayns (09).
And I broke the news this week that Brooklyn Bishop Loughlin senior forward JayVaughn Pinkston was also named to this year’s McDonald’s Game, meaning there will be five next year as well, assuming Scottie is the only one who leaves.
So that was my night, that and getting lost in Jersey City for a brief spell in the snow on the way back.
But the cheesesteak more than made up for it. Thanks, Jay. You’re a man of your word.
Go Yankees.
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In tangentially related news, St. Patrick coach Kevin Boyle was at the game watching former St. Pat’s star Corey Fisher.
Boyle has said he’d be interested in coaching college in New Jersey “if” something opens up.
His son, St. Pat’s guard Kevin Boyle Jr., is saying on Facebook, according to boxofmess.com, that his dad is “probably gonna bounce from St. Pats either this year or next year.”
***
And finally, speaking of Mickey D’s All-Americans, Mike Rosario dropped a career-high 33 points on St. John’s Tuesday as Rutgers won its second straight with an 84-72 victory at the RAC.
Rutgers had been 0-8 in the Big East, and is now 2-8.
Senior center Hamady N’Diaye, who recently received an invite to the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational in April, posted 19 points and a school-record 9 blocks.
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