Reggie Redding suspended for fall semester

About a month ago, Reggie Redding, a senior guard on the Villanova Wildcats, was caught with a small amount of weed in his car.

Today, the university handed down his punishment. Redding will be allowed to attend class, but won't be eligible to play in games until the first semester ends on Dec. 18th.

On the surface, this doesn't look terrible for the Wildcats. Big East play doesn't start until January, and without Redding in the line-up, Nova's freshman guards will be thrown into the fire and gain some much-needed experience.

But Nova is going to be in the mix for a #1 seed, and Redding will be missing a number of key non-conference games. Redding will be out of uniform in the Wildcats five games against Philly schools (Temple, St. Joe's, La Salle, Penn, and Drexel) and for the Puerto Rico tip-off tournament, where Nova gets George Mason in the opening round and could end up facing teams like Dayton, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, and Kansas State.

Redding is a key role player. Not only does he provide leadership, but he is a versatile wing - able to score, shoot, defend, and create shots for his teammates. His absence will hurt.