Often referred to as the kid from North Philly, Kyle Lowry sure knows where his roots lie.
In an exclusive for The Players’ Tribune, the Toronto Raptors all-star reflected on life growing up in Philadelphia, and how his perspective of Villanova changed over time.
According to Lowry, ‘Nova was northwest of West Philadelphia and so was never considered one of “their” schools. It was all about St. Joseph’s University for him growing up, and the fact that Kerry Kittles was the biggest name to come out of Villanova to that point didn’t help either.
It all changed for him when Jay Wright took over as head coach in 2001, though. Meticulously dressed but more than willing to get his hands dirty and fight for every inch that made his team better, Wright challenged Lowry in ways he never expected.
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After selling the point guard on why ‘Nova would be the perfect home for him to make his name, Lowry said he didn’t expect what came next. He went from thinking he could set the tone from Day 1, be the man on his team and lead it as he saw fit, to wondering if he would even get playing time.
He wound up starting only three times in his first year, but the moment they connected came in a Sweet 16 matchup against North Carolina when Wright decided he was going to start four guards, including Lowry.
Lowry wasn’t sure about the strategy, but believed in his coach. This sure sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
The Raptors have changed their identity this season by playing much more of a free-flowing offence, and it starts with Lowry buying in. He’s playing five less minutes per game this season, playing more off the ball, and is taking the fewest shots he’s taken since serving as a backup to Jose Calderon.
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The results speak for themselves, as the Raptors are on course for their first-ever 60-win season, the top seed in the conference, and are considered a legitimate threat to end LeBron James’s dominance of the East playoffs.
Perhaps most crucially to the Raptors’ playoff chances, Lowry is the healthiest he’s ever been this late in the season.
Lowry watched his college team win the ultimate prize in 2016 and they’re in line to repeat this year, but he’ll now be hoping he can collect the NBA’s biggest trophy for the Raptors.
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