As work continues on the 2022 recruiting class, Villanova wasted no time getting established with the top prospect in the class of 2023, Camden's D.J. Wagner. Wagner is the son of former NBA player DaJuan Wagner. He is considered a point guard, but is more of a scoring guard than your traditional run the offense type of floor general.
On Friday at Philly High School Live, Wagner put forth a solid performance in front of Mike Nardi with 23 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Wagner is already renowned for a lightning-quick first-step, and when paired with an ability to hit from deep Wagner becomes an incredibly difficult player to guard who can punish defenses in a number of ways. He has also been lauded for his love of the game and his willingness to work.
Wagner mentioned the history of guard play at Villanova when asked about the program.
One other interesting note...Wagner spoke to Zags Blog about his love of college basketball. With the new G League path to the NBA and more prospects also considering overseas professional opportunities before becoming draft eligible, the prospect of skipping college basketball is a real concern with many of today's top recruits, and something that will likely disappoint Villanova fans with 2022 No. 1 player Jalen Duren. But Wagner seems to have an appreciation for the college game, and unlike with Duren and some other top names in 2022 and 2023, there's a feeling that Wagner could go the college route.
This will certainly be something to follow as Wagner's recruitment develops.
Remember, you can find other names of interest in the 2023 class in our running tab thread at the top of the forum.
On Friday at Philly High School Live, Wagner put forth a solid performance in front of Mike Nardi with 23 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Wagner is already renowned for a lightning-quick first-step, and when paired with an ability to hit from deep Wagner becomes an incredibly difficult player to guard who can punish defenses in a number of ways. He has also been lauded for his love of the game and his willingness to work.
Wagner mentioned the history of guard play at Villanova when asked about the program.
One other interesting note...Wagner spoke to Zags Blog about his love of college basketball. With the new G League path to the NBA and more prospects also considering overseas professional opportunities before becoming draft eligible, the prospect of skipping college basketball is a real concern with many of today's top recruits, and something that will likely disappoint Villanova fans with 2022 No. 1 player Jalen Duren. But Wagner seems to have an appreciation for the college game, and unlike with Duren and some other top names in 2022 and 2023, there's a feeling that Wagner could go the college route.
This will certainly be something to follow as Wagner's recruitment develops.
Remember, you can find other names of interest in the 2023 class in our running tab thread at the top of the forum.