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Jay Wright Updates Bryan Antoine Situation

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After Villanova's win over Georgetown on Saturday, Jay Wright was asked about Bryan Antoine, who has come along slowly since returning from shoulder surgery and has been unable to carve out consistent minutes.

Wright said that Antoine is coming along well and that "he doesn't have a long way to go." Wright noted that Antoine's slow progress, at least in terms of gameday, has as much to do with the way the rest of the team is performing as it does with Antoine's play. "We gotta get everyone else consistent so we can put a young guy in there, he's gonna make mistakes, but we got starters making a lot of mistakes right now so we just gotta get the rest of the guys better and more consistent so we can put a young guy in there in tight games."

It's encouraging to hear that Wright is pleased with what he's seeing from Antoine in practice and seems to be looking for opportunities to get him involved. It doesn't appear like the Big East is going to provide a lot of blowout opportunities, so if Antoine is going to get minutes it's likely going to have to come in important situations. We'll certainly be keeping an eye on it as the season progresses.
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Jay Wright Named AP Coach of the Decade

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Wright garnered some much-deserved recognition Friday when he was named the AP Coach of the Decade.

Wright received 16 of 24 votes from a panel of AP poll voters, with Duke's Coach K the next closest with five votes. Mark Few, John Calipari, and Tony Bennett received one vote each.

It's hard to argue with the voting, as Wright brought Villanova two national titles in the decade. He also compiled five Big East regular-season titles and four Big East Tournament titles.

"Jay Wright's resume speaks for itself with two national titles in the 2010s," Dick Vitale told the AP. "He has developed a consistent winner and has enjoyed success on and off the court. He has a special winners mentality."

While, as Vitale notes, Wright's accomplishments speak for themselves, the award was about more than just the winning, as his impact on the game itself has to be considered as well.

"In my generation, coach Jay Wright's changed basketball. He's the one that kind of invented small ball, where your four man can shoot 3s," said Texas Tech coach Chris Beard at last year's Final Four. "They always have four guys on the floor that shoot. He's transformed basketball. They way they play, we're all kind of doing the same thing."

It is truly remarkable what Wright has accomplished at Villanova, and it's been a true joy for fans of the program. Congrats to Coach Wright on a much-deserved honor.
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Corey Evans Opines on Bryan Antoine's Future

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We have a little bit of Nova-related content on this Christmas Day as Rivals' Corey Evans fielded a question about Bryan Antoine's future at Villanova in his weekly mailbag.

Evans was asked if he thought Antoine would head to the NBA Draft this summer despite his slow integration into the rotation following shoulder surgery.

Evans doesn't think it will happen and believes it is in Antoine's best interest to return to Villanova for his sophomore season, where he could put together some real tape at the college level and show scouts what he can do when fully healthy and up to speed.

I tend to agree with Evans. Most mock drafts and big boards that are currently out show a wide range on Antoine's current status, with the peak being an early second-round pick and some boards leaving him off altogether. With Antoine's talent, logic would tell you that playing a full college season would almost certainly make him a first-round pick, and with that comes the security of a guaranteed contract instead of the uncertainty and uphill battle that comes with being selected in the second round. And as Evans notes, a team that may take a flier on Antoine in the second round this year may not be fully invested in his future as it didn't make a substantial investment in him. Conversely, a second season at Villanova would allow Antoine's long-term interests to be more in-line with the current interest of the program, and Jay Wright has demonstrated an ability to get his players ready for the NBA.

We'll have to see how the situation develops, but Evans makes a lot of sense here and it's hard to disagree with his assessment. Having Antoine for a second season would be a big boost to Villanova's prospects in 2020-21, so we'll certainly be keeping a close eye on things.

You can read the full article here:

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/wednesday-s-leftovers-kansas-villanova-uconn-more
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Nova Hosting 2022 G Chance Westry for Unofficial Saturday

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Saturday's big game with No. 1 Kansas could have some off-court implications as well, as Villanova is reportedly hosting 2022 point guard Chance Westry for an unofficial visit. The visit was first reported by Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.

Westry is a 6-5 guard out of Trinity in Harrisburg. He is currently ranked No. 27 in his class by Rivals.

Michigan, Florida, Georgetown, Penn State, Providence, and Virginia Tech are among the other schools involved.

A win over the top-ranked team in the country in an electric atmosphere couldn't hurt the Cats chances of landing Westry.
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Nova Target Trevor Keels Breaks Out at NHS Hoops Festival, Discusses Recruitment

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One of the few names that has really stood out on the Villanova 2021 recruiting board, Trevor Keels had a breakout moment at the National High School Hoops Festival last weekend, averaging 30 points across two games.

Keels took some time to speak with Rivals' Corey Evans, discussing his recruitment and shedding some light on his timeline. Keels has already taken visits to Ohio State and Virginia. Villanova appears in line to get a visit, but the recent involvement from Duke could complicate things for the others hoping to land the wing.

Here's what he had to say about Villanova:

"I know Slate (Brandon Slater) and Justin Moore, battling them in practice and playing them in games. Whenever I went up there, I actually played five-on-five. It went pretty well. I had a lot of confidence shooting the ball next to those guys."

It's interesting that he notes his familiarity with Slater and Moore, as that relationship and the fact that Keels plays for Paul Vi and Team Takeover, programs Nova has had success with, might be the 'Cats biggest advantage in his recruitment.

As far as the competition, Keels seems to like what he saw on his official visits to Ohio State and Virginia, and the hometown factor sounds like it's viewed as a positive for Maryland. The recent Duke offer has had the usual effect on Keels, and Miami seems to be the other strong contender. It looks like Duke, Maryland, Miami, and Villanova will be competing for his final three official visits.

Getting one of those visits will be key, as Keels said he wants to take all five and you would assume the odd man out will fall out of contention. This is something to keep an eye on in the spring, when Keels plans on rounding out his visits.

In addition to the purely basketball aspect, Keels said he will be looking at academics, a place where he can fit in, and that his parents will have an influence as well as he looks for a place that they like.

As Evans notes, the current timeline would seem to indicate a late fall decision.

Keels is currently ranked No. 32 in the 2021 Rivals 150.

You can read Evans' full write-up, including comments on the other contenders, at the link below.

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals...it-of-trevor-keels-after-breakout-performance
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