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Villanova to Participate in 2020 Empire Classic

J
In what's turned out to be a bit of a busy day, we also got some 2020-21 schedule news on Wednesday.

The school announced that Villanova will be participating in the 2020 Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden along with Michigan, Baylor, and N.C. State.

The event, which benefits the Wounded Warrior Project, will take place on November 19-20. In addition to the championship round games, each of the schools will host a pair of regional round games as part of the event.

This will be Villanova's third time participating in the event (2002, 2012).

Tickets will go on sale the week of March 9. The complete field and schedule will be released at a later date.
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Corey Evans Assesses State of Nova's 2021 Recruiting Picture

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As part of his "Wednesday Leftovers" column, Rivals' Corey Evans fielded a question about Nova's 2021 recruiting picture, and his assessment was an encouraging one.

Evans feels that Nova is currently in the lead for Trevor Keels, who is having a fantastic junior season for Paul VI. He is currently ranked No. 32 in his class by Rivals. Evans notes that Duke's recent involvement may complicate things, but that Keels is a prospect for Nova fans to keep an eye on.

Evans also discusses Germantown Academy's Jordan Longino, who he believes will end up on the Main Line. Longino is ranked No. 73 in his class.

In addition, Evans feels that at least one of Trey Patterson (No. 25 in class) and Nnanna Njoku (No. 120, likely to rise) will end up on the Main Line as well.

Finally, he mentions that the Cats remain heavily involved with Langston Love and Max Christie. He also thinks it's possible Nova would get involved with Archbishop Wood standout Rashool Diggins and that his is a situation worth monitoring.

In my opinion, a 2021 class of Keels, Patterson, and Longino would be a home run with a possible addition of Love, Christie (who I'm high on), Njoku, Diggins, or some other prospect as icing on the cake.

At the very least, the upcoming spring, summer, and fall should be much more interesting than last year turned out to be, although I think Wright made the right move in stepping back from the 2020 class after missing on a few early targets. The early shift to 2021 seems to be paying off, and if things break right in terms of minimal or no early departures this spring, Nova will be in a fantastic spot.

You can read the full article here:

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals...ho-will-have-more-success-howard-or-hardaway-
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Nnanna Njoku Updates Recruitment

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Njoku spoke with Rivals' Corey Evans at the Hoophall Classic, giving an update on his recruitment and identifying five schools standing out to him, including Villanova.

Here's what he said about the Wildcats: “It (the offer) means a lot. Villanova is a powerhouse program that has won a couple of national championships. It is great up there and I have been up there for an unofficial visit a couple of times and have been to a couple of practices. It is a great school with a great atmosphere and I love it up there.”

The other schools mentioned were Wichita State, Pitt, Marquette, and Miami.

Njoku will take his first official visit this weekend, to Wichita State. His current coach's nephew is an assistant at Wichita, so there's a bit of a connection there and the Shockers were one of the first teams to show interest in the big man. I get the feeling that the Shockers and Villanova are the early leaders here.

The big man said he's been working on losing weight to get faster and improve his vertical. He's also been working on being able to step out, face up, and knock down jumpers.

It sounds like he wants to use all of his visits, and Villanova will likely get one. It also sounds like a decision won't be coming for a while, probably late summer or early fall.

Overall, the recent flurry in 2021 updates has been positive for Nova. Barring any unforeseen changes, the 2020 class will consist of players already in the program in transfer Caleb Daniels and redshirt Eric Dixon, so the 2021 class will be an important one for the Cats. At the moment, it looks like they are in a good position with some of their top priorities (more on that to come in a new thread shortly).

You can read Evans' full article here:

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals...es-5-schools-with-first-official-visit-on-tap
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Nova Target Trevor Keels Shines at Hoophall Classic

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We were able to get a look at 2021 target Langston Love when his Montverde team took on McEachern on Monday, and he didn't disappoint. But he wasn't the only Nova target in action in Springfield, nor was he the only one to impress.

Paul VI guard Trevor Keels also had an impressive game against Bronny James and Sierra Canyon. Keels finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, and two assists and his team got the win.

It was certainly a good event for prospects being tracked by Villanova, and we'll be keeping an eye on this pair as we head into spring and summer.
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Look at Langston Love in Game Against McEachern

J
Villanova 2021 target, who recently discussed his recruitment with Rivals' Corey Evans (see a few threads down), joined his Montverde teammates to take on McEachern (GA) at the Hoophall Classic on Monday. The game was televised on ESPNU, and we were able to give it a watch this afternoon.

Here's what we saw from Love.

He scored 19 points on 7/15 shooting and 3/6 from three.

Love showed impressive defensive awareness, recognizing situations and making the correct switches, rotations, and stunts. He also did a good job communicating with his teammates defensively.

Offensively, he showed a workable jump shot as evidenced by the solid shooting percentages. But where he really stood out was his ability to slash and get to the rim. He was getting by defenders with relative ease and displayed a comfort operating in traffic.

He also competed on the glass, pulling down five rebounds, four of which were offensive. Even when he didn't come down with the board, he often got his hand on the ball to tip it and keep it alive to give his teammates a chance to get it.

All-in-all it was a pretty impressive showing from Love, especially when considering the elite teammates ahead of him on the team's pecking order. It was easy to see why Villanova is interested in Love, and his recruitment will be one to keep an eye on going forward.
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2021 G Langston Love Updates Recruitment

J
2021 G Langston Love out of Montverde Academy in Florida spoke with Rival's Corey Evans to give an update on his recruitment including most involved schools, potential visits, and any thought of reclassification. He indicated that Nova was among the schools that have remained in consistent contact.

Love received a Villanova offer last July. At the time, he was ranked No. 41 in his class and has since seen a rise to No. 27.

Love had this to say about Villanova: "How prestigious the school is. The players that I have seen go through there with Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson, they have a great coach, too."

He has already visited Stanford, and said he hopes to get to Texas and Texas A&M soon. He listed Baylor, Arkansas, and Villanova as the other schools he'd like to visit.

There has been talk of reclassification into the 2020 class, but it sounds as though Love hasn't given it much thought just yet and a decision on that wouldn't be made until late spring or summer. While things can change, and we don't have a great insight into what Love is prioritizing, it would be hard to see a reclassification as something that would be beneficial to Villanova just considering the roster construction.

Just based on his comments in the article, it sounds like Arkansas, Baylor, and Texas might be leading the pack right now, but Villanova is certainly hanging around and seems to have Love's attention.

On Villanova's side, it certainly sounds like Love is a prospect they are prioritizing in what will be an important class for the Wildcats.

You can read Evans' full article at the link below:

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/hoophall-classic-langston-love-hoping-to-take-visits
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Jay Wright Updates Bryan Antoine Situation

J
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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