The Cats have received another commitment in the 2020 class as Ty Trinh from Calvert Hall High School in Baltimore has announced his commitment to Villanova.

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It's been a good few days for the program as Trinh joins Ricky Ortega as recent 2020 commits.

After receiving the commitment of Coatesville quarterback Ricky Ortega, the Wildcats have extended an offer to Ortega's teammate Dapree Bryant.

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Bryant is rated as a 2-star prospect by Rivals. He's developed a solid rapport with Ortega at Coatesville and it will be interesting to see if the duo looks to continue as teammates at the college level.

Bryant had recently released a top 7 that included Toledo, Monmouth, Youngstown, New Mexico, Western Michigan, Holy Cross, and Delaware. Based on the commitment of Ortega to Nova and the new offer to Bryant, you'd have to think the Cats join that list.

After dropping a top 7 earlier this month, Coatesville's dual-threat QB Ricky Ortega has committed to Villanova.

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Ortega has already compiled over 7,000 yards and 100 touchdowns passing, adding another 2,000+ yards and 35 TDs on the ground. He projects to bring a dynamic component to the Nova offense when he arrives on campus.

It's worth noting that Nova has also extended an offer to 2020 WR Dapree Bryant, Ortega's teammate at Coatesville.

The USA Basketball U19 team played an exhibition game against Greece on Wednesday ahead of the start of the U19 World Cup on Saturday, and future Wildcat Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was one of the standouts from a 72-58 win.

Cade Cunningham, one of the top members of the 2020 class, led the US in scoring with 16 points. But Robinson-Earl was right behind him, notching a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The USA Basketball website shared the following quote from JRE: “I think we did really well. It was a learning experience for us, we had two scrimmages in Colorado that we saw how great offensively we are, but we need to be solid on defense. We did really well on the defensive end today, it was more of just finishing the game, and finishing quarters and halftime. I feel like we’re looking really good, and the trip is making us bond together.

It's nice to hear Robinson-Earl talking about defense and finishing, things that should certainly help him fit in at Villanova.

It was a great showing for Robinson-Earl as he looks to earn a second gold medal. It should be fun to keep an eye on his performance at the U19 World Cup as we anxiously await getting to see him in a Villanova uniform this fall.

41st ranked 2020 forward Jabri Abdur-Rahim recently spoke with Rivals' Eric Bossi about is burgeoning recruitment. After a stellar junior season at Blair Academy, Abdur-Rahim has continued his impressive play on the AAU circuit this spring.

As a result, his recruitment has been taking off, with schools like Virginia, Michigan, Texas, Cal, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, and Kansas getting heavily involved in addition to Villanova. Abdur-Rahim discussed four of those programs (Virginia, Cal, Michigan, Villanova) with Bossi.

Regarding Nova, this is what he had to say. "They've been on me since day one and their message is kind of like me being a Mikal Bridges or Josh Hart kind of guy. A guy who can come in and play defense, guard multiple positions and they said they can help me reach my ultimate goal."

Abdur-Rahim will take an official visit to Virginia next weekend, and Bossi gets the sense that the Cavaliers and Villanova are the programs leading the pack right now.

You can read the full article here.
https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/top-50-scorer-jabri-abdur-rahim-talks-recruiting

The USA Basketball U-19 roster has been set, and incoming Villanova freshman Jeremiah Robinson-Earl has made the cut.

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Robinson-Earl will be playing with some fellow collegiate freshmen as well as a handful of elite high school talent.

The U-19 team will compete in the FIBA U-19 World Cup in Greece from June 29-July 7. In group play, the US is scheduled to take on New Zealand on June 29, Lithuania on June 30, and Senegal on July 2.

Robinson-Earl will be looking to earn his second gold medal.

In the midst of a busy weekend in which four players from the class of 2021 received offers from Villanova, the program also reached out to two more prospects from the class who could be next in line for offers from the Cats.

One of those prospects is 6-8 forward Trey Patterson. Patterson plays at Rutgers Prep in Franklin Township, NJ and is currently ranked No. 40 in the class by Rivals. Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, UCLA, Maryland, and Georgetown are just a few of the schools involved in Patterson's recruitment.

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The other is John Camden, who plays right down the road at Archbishop Carroll. The 6-7 forward is ranked No. 69 in the class. Despite being ranked lower than the other prospects Nova has gotten involved with early in the 2021 class, Camden is drawing plenty of interest. Xavier, Miami, Penn State, Temple, UConn, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, Stanford, and Marquette have all reached out so far.

It wouldn't be surprising to see offers come for this duo soon.

It was a busy weekend for the Nova staff as they took advantage of the first opportunity to reach out to players in the class of 2021.

2021 guard Devin Askew was one of four players to pick up a Nova offer over the weekend. Askew is currently ranked No. 18 in the class by Rivals, and he is the closest to a true lead guard of the four players offered. Listed at 6-3, he has very good size already and will garner a ton of interest. Arizona, Oregon, Texas, Texas Tech, and Louisville are just some of the programs already involved.

Askew is from Santa Ana, CA, obviously way out of Villanova's traditional recruiting grounds, so it will be interesting to see what kind of traction the Cats can gain and if they can become a serious player in his recruitment.

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The US will send a team comprised entirely of Big East players to represent it in the Pan Am Games in Peru from July 31-August 4. Villanova's Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels will be on the team, which will be coached by Providence's Ed Cooley.

The US team is slated to play the Virgin Islands on July 31, Venezuela on August 1, and Puerto Rico on August 2 before the medal rounds on August 3-4.

Joining Gillespie and Samuels will be five players from Providence (Nate Watson, A.J. Reeves, David Duke, Luwane Pipkins, and Alpha Diallo), two from Seton Hall (Myles Powell and Myles Cale), two from Creighton (Ty-Shon Alexander and Geoffrey Groselle), as well as Mustapha Heron from St. John's, Tyler Wideman from Butler, and Greg Malinowski from Georgetown.

It should be a great experience for Gillespie and Samuels, and one that helps further their development as they prepare to step into larger roles with Villanova next season.

As we spend our summer awaiting news from the recruiting trail and anticipate seeing the Wildcats on the court again, today we have some encouraging on-court news.

Per ESPN's Fran Fraschilla, a trio of incoming Nova freshmen stood out at USA Basketball's U-19 Camp.

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The incoming class will be expected to make a contribution next season, and they will need to if the Cats are to have the kind of season they hope to have. It's good to get reports of them excelling throughout the spring and summer.

Robinson-Earl also caught the attention of Rivals' Corey Evans. While the 2019 recruiting class comes with a lot of excitement as a whole, it's Robinson-Earl that leads the way and will generate the most excitement heading into the season.

For now we continue to wait, but all indications are that the class should be able to live up to the hype.

A busy day on the recruiting trail continues, this time with some indirect Nova news. Both Arizona and UCLA have offered 2020 wing Jabri Abdur-Rahim, who picked up a Nova offer at the end of April.

Arizona and UCLA join powerhouses like Villanova, Michigan, Kansas, and Virginia as potential suitors for Abdur-Rahim. He hails from North Jersey, an area the Cats have had plenty of success recruiting from, which is perhaps a small factor going in Nova's favor.

One thing that is clear based on the flurry of activity we've seen today is that Villanova is asserting itself with the elite prospects in the country and recruiting battles with some of the biggest names in the sport will become increasingly frequent.

After offering 2021 five-star prospect Max Christie, the Cats continued work on the 2021 class on Saturday afternoon when they offered another elite 2021 guard prospect in A.J. Griffin.

Griffin is currently ranked No. 10 in his class. He is listed at 6'5" and attends Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, NY.

Griffin is seeing his recruitment take off, as he has received offers from Duke, UCLA, and Kansas in addition to Villanova this weekend.

Jay Wright is clearly going after the elite in the 2021 class as two five-star recruits picked up Nova offers on Saturday. It also appears the Wildcats would very much like to add a shooting guard in 2021.

While we would expect more news on the 2020 class this spring and summer, Nova is clearly putting in early work on 2021, and it's great to see them getting a jump on some of the elite prospects in this class.

Villanova continued to work the recruiting trail, this time making a move in the 2021 class with an offer to Max Christie.

Christie is a five-star recruit who is currently ranked No. 13 in his class. He is listed at 6'5" and is from Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Christie is highly-regarded as a shooter.

It's obviously very early in Christie's recruitment and there will almost certainly be a large number of schools involved. But it never hurts to get in early, and Christie becomes a player to watch moving forward.

Action at the NBPA Top 100 Camp got underway on Wednesday, and Rivals' Corey Evans was there to take it all in. On Thursday, he shared his thoughts from day 1 and there was a pair of Nova-related observations.

The most important Villanova takeaway was the play of Jabri Abdur-Rahim, who recently picked up a Nova offer. Evans pegged Abdur-Rahim as the most polished player he saw on day 1. Abdur-Rahim had an impressive spring on the EYBL circuit and apparently continued that strong play Wednesday. Evans noted, in particular, Abdur-Rahim's ability to score from all three levels, as well as an advanced feel and pace, a skillset that Evans believes will help Abdur-Rahim transfer seamlessly to the college game. Evans pegged Villanova, Michigan, and Virginia as programs standing out for Abdur-Rahim right now, and it appears he his quickly developing into one of the Wildcats prime targets for 2020.

The other takeaway was Andre Curbelo, who Evans saw as the best playmaker on Wednesday. When the news of Jahvon Quinerly's transfer broke, Curbelo was a name we highlighted as a potential prospect that Nova could get involved with. While there's been nothing official between Curbelo and Nova just yet, the 2020 point guard has seen his stock begin to rise, jumping 11 spots in the latest update of the Rivals 150. Evans believes Curbelo is one of the most college-ready guards in high school and notes his speed and motor as his most known attributes. Curbelo displayed an expanding ability as a playmaker at day 1 of NBPA Camp, demonstrating an ability to change gears and operate in high ball screens. It's easy to see Curbelo fitting in nicely on the Main Line, and I think he's a name to continue to keep an eye on. It's possible that the late 2019 additions of Chris Arcidiacono and Caleb Daniels may have changed the 2020 recruiting philosophy for Nova, but the Cats remain loaded on the wings and have a strong foundation in the frontcourt. That, plus the clear fit between Curbelo and Nova and the fact that Curbelo hails from the northeast corridor, make him someone to follow.

Here's a link to Evans' full article.
https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/nbpa-top-100-superlatives-from-wednesday-s-action

The Coatesville product relased a top 7 today on Twitter that included Villanova, along with William & Mary, Monmouth, Elon, Wofford, Colgate, and Holy Cross.

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The list should be taken with a grain of salt, as Ortega included "I am still open to other options" at the end of his note, but the Cats find themselves in good position with Ortega for the time being.

The 2020 product is worth keeping an eye on.

…has transferred to Alabama. It came down to Alabama and Pitt.
He is applying for a waiver which will enable him to play immediately.
He will have 3 years of eligibility remaining.

Incoming freshman Bryan Antoine underwent surgery on his right shoulder on Friday, per the university.

The procedure was performed by Villanova team surgeon Dr. William Emper, and Antoine will be rehabbing while attending summer classes, which began this week.

“This is a tough start for Bryan,” stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. “But he’s a very mature young man and he’ll work very hard to get himself back as soon as possible.”

An announcement of a timetable for recovery hasn't been released, but we are working on finding it and will update as necessary.

Tulane transfer Caleb Daniels announced his commitment to Villanova Tuesday night via his Twitter page. Story coming.

damn.

Days after receiving a Nova offer, 11th ranked 2020 guard Jaden Springer has narrowed the focus of his recruitment to 11 teams, including Villanova.

Joining the Cats in Springer's top 11 are North Carolina, Florida, Wake Forest, Auburn, Maryland, Texas, Memphis, Tennessee, N.C. State, and Kansas.

As we've mentioned, Springer's former teammate at IMG Academy, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, is a member of Villanova's 2019 recruiting class, a relationship that could be a bonus for the Cats.

North Carolina and Tennessee are considered among the early favorites, but it's too early to count anyone out at this point and I have to think Nova is in good position to make the next cut. For now, Springer remains a name to keep a close eye on over the summer and into the fall.

Work on the 2020 class continues as Nova has offered 2020 guard Jaden Springer. Springer announced the offer via his Twitter.

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Springer is currently ranked #11 in the 2020 Rivals 150. He's listed at 6-4, 184 pounds and plays at IMG Academy, where incoming freshman Jeremiah Robinson-Earl just finished his senior season.

An elite athlete who can score from all three levels, there will plenty of competition for his services as big names like North Carolina, Kansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisville, and Florida are in the mix, among others.

Here's some video of Springer in action with his IMG teammates.

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Rivals' national analyst Corey Evans tackled a question relating to Villanova in this week's Twitter Tuesday, looking at the PG situation with priority target Jeremy Roach off the board.

Evans seemed quite bullish on Chris Arcidiacono while noting that Collin Gillespie will be around for another two years. He also sees incoming freshman Justin Moore having the capability to handle some of the ballhandling duties, suggesting that perhaps the Cats won't push to land a lead guard in the 2020 class.

If Nova does still want to add a PG in 2020, Evans agrees with our assessment that Lynn Greer III and Andre Curbelo could be in line for an increased look from Wright and staff.

You can read the full article here:
https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/wednesday-leftovers-memphis-bryce-thompson-nova-more

Fresh off an offer from Villanova, Rivals' Eric Bossi caught up with Jabri Abdur-Rahim over the weekend to get an update on his recruitment.

Abdur-Rahim has been thriving in the early part of the AAU circuit, averaging over 25 points and eight rebounds. He credited his stellar play to a more consistent 3-point shot, an improved left hand, and a better defensive game.

He indicated a high level of comfort with Villanova and the staff, fostered by proximity to home and continuous contact from Nova's staff. He also noted that several of Villanova's incoming class have been doing their part in selling Nova.

"There's probably a comfort level because they are so close to home. I know a lot of the guys on the team and recruits. Guys like Bryan Antoine, Eric Dixon, and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl have all been in contact with me telling me how great the place is. A lot of the coaching staff came to see me through the fall, almost every week. So I'm pretty comfortable with their staff."

Abdur-Rahim also shared thoughts on Georgia, Kansas, UConn, and Michigan. Georgia was once considered a favorite as Abdur-Rahim's uncle was on staff there, but he has since left to take the job at Kennesaw State. Similarly, he seemed particularly interested in Michigan, but with Monday's news that Wolverine coach John Beilein has left to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers, one would think there will be some reassessment of the situation from Jabri.

With his stock rising and more programs getting involved with Georgia no longer appearing like a lock, Abdur-Rahim said he wants to see where things stand at the end of the summer and then look to schedule some visits. Based on his comments in the article, it feels like Nova is in a decent spot and should be able to get him on campus for a visit in the fall.

To be released in approximately 20 minutes. Jurors are back in the courtroom.

Not the news we were hoping for, as Nova's primary 2020 target is off the board to the Blue Devils. While this is certainly disappointing and puts some added pressure on Jay Wright and Co. to find a PG in the 2020 class, the good news is that it happened early and Wright has plenty of time to react and adjust.

The remaining "elite" PG's are from outside Villanova's usual recruiting grounds: Jalen Suggs (Minnesota), Sharife Cooper (Georgia), and Daishen Nix (Nevada). Dalen Terry (Arizona), Caleb Love (Missouri), Ethan Morton (Butler, PA), Jayden Stone (Kansas), Devon Smith (Georgia), and Noah Farrakahn (Florida) round out the available PG's in the next tier.

Lynn Greer III represents a local option, while Andre Curbelo is a rising prospect out of Glen Head, NY.

Wright has used the rising profile of the program to reach beyond the traditional recruiting grounds, so it's not out of the question that he gets involved with some of the top 60-ish level recruits mentioned above, and I would expect the Cats to up the attention paid to Greer and to at least take a look at Curbelo.

This is just some quick/preliminary info I pulled up as the question of "what's next" was posed in another thread. I will dig into things a bit deeper tomorrow and get an article up working to identify the more likely options and maybe expand the list some.