Jay Wright

VILLANOVA ended a 1-4 European trip yeterday with an 87-54 loss to the Georgia senior national team at Almere, the Netherlands. Junior Dominic Cheek scored 14 points and juniors Mouphtaou Yarou and Maalik Wayns each scored nine for the Wildcats. Freshman Achraf Yacoubou scored eight points off the bench and JayVaughn Pinkston had seven points and six rebounds. "This Georgia team was the best team we faced on this trip," coach Jay Wright said. "They have great shooters and are well-coached.

Jay Wright didn't want his first Big East Conference tournament as head coach of the Villanova Wildcats to be a short one. Brooks Sales didn't want his final Big East tournament to be a one-night stand. The Cats appeared to be on the ropes against Syracuse last night. Then Gary Buchanan shot them back from a 13-point first-half deficit, and Ricky Wright and Derrick Snowden played solid basketball in the second half. So they got to play at least one more game, keeping their slim NCAA tournament hopes alive with a 78-64 victory at Madison Square Garden.

V ILLANOVA hired a new assistant basketball coach this week. Now Wildcats' coach Jay Wright might have to hire a replacement for him. Sources familiar with the situation have confirmed an ESPN.com report that Doug Martin might have given incorrect information in his biography that was submitted to the university and posted online on the school's athletic department website. It seems as if Martin said he played basketball at Wisconsin-Green Bay from 1991-95. The problem, as it turns out, is that school apparently has no record of him even being there.

Isaiah Armwood, who would have begun his junior year at Villanova next week, has decided to leave the men's basketball program. He plans to transfer to another university to complete his remaining eligibility. "I love Villanova - the school and the team - but I want to find a program that fits my style of play better," said Armwood, a native of Baltimore who attended Montrose Christian School. Armwood played 60 games for the Wildcats since enrolling in 2009 and earned eight starting assignments, including seven during the 2010-11 season.

Villanova senior guard Corey Fisher underwent an MRI exam Wednesday that revealed tendinitis in his right knee, coach Jay Wright said. Wright said Fisher's status was day-to-day leading up to the Wildcats' regular-season finale Saturday at No. 4 Pittsburgh. Fisher, who is averaging a team-high 15.7 points in 30 games, had been in a slump since scoring a career-high 34 points in a Feb. 19 overtime victory over DePaul. He scored eight and two points in the Wildcats' next two games, and broke an 0-for-21 drought on three-point attempts with a pair of threes in the second half of Monday night's 93-72 loss to Notre Dame.

THERE'S A CHANCE that Markus Kennedy might not transfer from the Villanova basketball team after all. The 6-9 forward had announced his intentions to leave the program 2 weeks ago. Sources have confirmed that Kennedy, who averaged 3.0 points and 4.4 rebounds as a freshman last season, has expressed an interest in staying. Those sources also said that he has spoken to coach Jay Wright, who could not be reached for comment. Sources close to the situation have said they think Wright might consider taking Kennedy back, but that's as far as they'll speculate.

Former Villanova standout Doug West is returning to the Wildcat coaching staff after a one-season absence, the Daily News has learned. Sources have confirmed that West, who became the fifth-leading scorer (2,037 points) in program history from 1985-89, will be back. He'd spent 3 years on Jay Wright's staff before leaving to pursue a business opportunity outside of basketball. But he was present at a number of home games last season. Last month, Wright welcomed back another former assistant, Billy Lange, who was Navy's head coach the last seven seasons.

Villanova basketball coach Jay Wright has reorganized his staff, moves that involve a lot of role-switching. Jason Donnelly, who has been with the Wildcats the longest (2005) and most recently served as an assistant, is now the special assistant to the head coach, more of an administrative post. Former Wildcat Baker Dunleavy, who's entering his third season, is now an assistant. He had been director of operations and assistant strength coach. Arleshia Davidson, who had performed administrative duties since 2009, becomes the director of basketball operations.

Doug Martin, the associate head coach at Paul VI High School (Va.) joined the Villanova men's basketball staff as an assistant coach, the team announced on Monday. Martin replaced Doug West, who left to pursue other opportunities, according to the team. West was a Wildcats assistant from 2007-10 and 2011-12. Also, John Shackleton was named the strength coach for men's and women's basketball. He replaced Lon Record, who left for the University of Illinois. In a statement regarding West's departure, Wildcats head coach Jay Wright said in a statement, "Doug's contributions to this program as both a player and coach are enormous.

There is a chance that Markus Kennedy might not transfer from the Villanova basketball team after all. The 6-foot-9-inch forward announced his intention to leave the program two weeks ago. Sources have confirmed that Kennedy, who averaged 3.0 points and 4.4 rebounds as a freshman last season, has expressed an interest in staying. Those sources also said that he has spoken to coach Jay Wright, who could not be reached for comment. Sources close to the situation have said they think Wright might consider taking Kennedy back, but that's as far as they'll speculate.