Welcome back....9 K's over 6 scoreless
3 years of arbitration 16-18

When do the Mets try to sign him?

This post was edited on 4/9 3:06 PM by rb nova

Via Villanova's athletic department, the Wildcats and Jayhawks will play a two-game series starting next year. Nova will travel to Kansas on Dec. 15, 2018, while the Jayhawks will visit the Wells Fargo Center on December 21, 2019.

Full story coming.

A look at the state of the Big East as conference play opens.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/assessing-the-big-east-heading-into-conference-play

Rivals' Corey Evans has an update on 2019 guard Bryan Antoine. Duke seems to be gaining ground, and an offer from Kentucky carried the weight you would expect it to for any kid hoping to play college basketball and eventually in the NBA. But his comment on Nova was intriguing, as it highlighted something those other schools can't offer: proximity to home.

“I am only about an hour and 45 minutes away so it is close to home and family; I have some family in Philadelphia, too. I wouldn’t mind having my parents at most of my games just like it is at high school.”

We're a long way from a decision, and the battle along the way is sure to be fierce, but Nova has to feel good about its current position.

Full article here:
https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/bluebloods-battling-for-five-star-bryan-antoine

A look at Friday night's win over Hofstra.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/cats-handle-hofstra

Rivals' Corey Evans has some news and notes from the Chic-Fil-A Classic, including a chat with Jairus Hamilton.

In summary, Hamilton appears to be comfortable with the three teams who have pursued him the hardest, Boston College, Mississippi State, and Maryland. However, Hamilton also sounds like he will remain patient, and the thought is that Villanova may be able to get a visit from him before he makes a decision.

Full article here:
https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/chick-fil-a-classic-evans-thursday-takeaways

A look at tonight's matchup with Hofstra.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/game-preview-hofstra

19 NBA Scouts were at the Villanova /Temple game last week.

Brunson will have enough credits in January to graduate. If he continues to play as he did at Temple, he could go in the first round. He is being compared to Derek Fisher of NBA fame.

Bridges and Spellman are on every NBA teams' draft board. It is remembered that 2 years ago Spellman outplayed several HS players at the Nike Camp who are now in the NBA.

68th ranked 2018 guard Bryce Wills has committed to Stanford, choosing the Cardinal over Nova, UConn, and Wake Forest.

This is a major blow to Jay Wright's effort to secure a third member of the class of 2018.

Expect the Cats to put on the full-court press for Louisville decommit and 39th ranked Courtney Ramey. It is possible more resources could also be committed to Jairus Hamilton, but with Nova looking to secure a guard, Ramey is the priority.

It may also be time to consider the possibility that the 2018 class remains a two player haul, which in my opinion isn't that terrible of a scenario.

An update from Rivals' Eric Bossi from the City of Palms, Nova staff has been on hand for several of Jahvon Quinerly's games. They've been joined by staff from Rutgers. Quinerly declined to comment on the state of his recruitment, and the looming questions resulting from the FBI investigation greatly complicate things, but Nova appears to at least be doing its due diligence and keeping an eye on Quinerly.

Full article here:
https://basketballrecruiting.rivals...oint-guard-jahvon-quinerly-mum-on-recruitment

Pat Lawless broke the news on twitter after Wills' Iona Prep team defeated Christ the King on Friday night, with Nova and Stanford in attendance.

Wills will take in Sunday's game with LaSalle.

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The 6-4 guard is ranked 68th in the Rivals 150. He is down to a final list of Nova, Stanford, Wake Forest, and UConn, although the consensus is that his recruitment is becoming a Nova-Stanford battle. He has already visited Stanford.

The athletic department has released an update on the status of injured guard Collin Gillespie. Further evaluation has revealed a fractured bone in his hand, and there is currently no timetable for his return.

Obviously not the news Villanova or its fans want to hear. Gillespie was providing steady play in his freshman campaign. When the injury was first announced, it sounded innocent enough, but then when he was seen with a cast and sling on the bench during the LaSalle game, concern grew. Those concerns are now confirmed. The most concerning part is the "no timetable for return." You have to think that his season is in jeopardy and that a redshirt is in play.

Jay Wright said, "We're really disappointed for Collin. He was playing great for us. We miss him on this team. We're still struggling to replace him. But I know with his positive attitude and work ethic he'll get back on the court as soon as he can."

We will provide further updates on Gillespie as they become available. But for the time being, the Wildcats will be without Gillespie for the foreseeable future.

After missing out on Jahvon Quinerly and Elijah Weaver, Jay Wright has made it clear he is not prepared to simply move on to the class of 2019. So here we take advantage of the lull in the schedule to get up to date on the remaining 2018 options and where Villanova stands with each.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/assessing-the-2018-recruiting-landscape-1

Rivals' Corey Evans caught up with 2019 guard Isaiah Wong. Nova is currently battling Miami, Temple, St. Joe's, and Pitt in Wong's recruitment, although more schools are expected to get in the mix.

Wong had this to say about Villanova:

“The offer is one that I really like. There are always good players around Villanova and they always play great together which is what I really like.

“I have been there a lot. They have a good campus, everybody around there is nice and it is close by.”

Full article here:

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/isaiah-wong-sets-miami-visit-discusses-recruitment

A complete, dominating performance from Villanova.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/nova-claims-fifth-straight-big-5-title-with-rout-of-temple

A look at tonight's Big Five clash with Temple.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/game-preview-temple-6

Ken Pom #1 also. Remarkable string of continuing success by the Cats.

The latest AP Poll has been released, and the Villanova Wildcats have overtaken the number 1 spot, leaping over Michigan State.

https://collegebasketball.ap.org/poll/2018/6

A look at Sunday's win over the Explorers.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/cats-escape-lasalle-77-68

….to Washington (7-2), as 23 point favorites. Lost by 9 points.

Nova should move to #3 on Monday.

A look at Sunday afternoon's Big Five matchup with LaSalle.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/game-preview-lasalle

We caught up with 2019 guard Koby Issac to discuss his change in high schools, his move to point guard, and the state of his recruitment.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/one-on-one-with-2019-guard-koby-isaac

Took Towns to school tonight and dominated him on both ends of the floor. I think Towns is terrific but Okafor is the most dominant offensive post player to come out of college in 20 years. At 19, his post moves are just ridiculously good. In addition he blocked two of Towns shots and got him in foul trouble early and was a beast on the boards. The Wolves had to resort to the double team in the second half.

I have not and will not answer the stupid posts about how bad he is and what he can't do and even some saying it was a mistake to pick him. If you have half a brain and know the game a little, you realize how special this kid is.

Who was that good looking guy sitting two seats to his left? What type of watch was he sporting?

A look at Mikal Bridges transformation during his time at Villanova and his introduction to the country on Tuesday night.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/mikal-bridges-introduces-himself-to-the-country