PHILADELPHIA -- The play that changed the way Jay Wright looked at Scottie Reynolds came in early December, during the second half of a highly charged Big 5 game at the Palestra.

In the meantime, the program appointed assistant coach Mike Nardi as the interim head coach. Related: Bruce Pearl Turns Heads With Wild Message After Auburn-Ole Miss.

“He’s a guy that puts in the work,” said then-Villanova interim head coach Mike Nardi after Dixon became the school’s all-time leading scorer.