The 2018 NBA Draft Combine is underway, with particular interest to Nova Nation as the eventual decisions of Donte DiVincenzo and Omari Spellman loom large over the the makeup of the Villanova roster for next year. We'll try to get more in-depth full articles posted over the next few days, but we'll also use this thread for quick-hitting updates.

ESPN's coverage is a bit fractured, jumping from live coverage of the scrimmages to talking heads to shots of different prospects doing individual tests, but we'll do the best we can to capture the Nova-relevant stuff.

Right off the bat, several minutes were dedicated to discussing Donte, with Jay Bilas listing him as his 29th best overall prospect. Donte was on the floor to start the first scrimmage for team white, while Omari Spellman has had to wait for some time on the court for team gray.

So far, in the bits of the scrimmage we have been able to see, Donte has clearly been focusing on showing that he will be a capable defender at the next level. He has been quiet on the offensive end early.

Again, the way ESPN has structured its coverage, it's hard to know how much we'll get to see of the Nova guys, but we will do our best to catch everything and update the happenings here as well as trying to glean enough information and observations to get some more in-depth content posted.

Reviewing the performances of Donte DiVincenzo and Omari Spellman on Thursday at the NBA Combine.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/thursday-s-nba-combine-review

We will continue to update the NBA Combine thread in the forum with any important information as well.

Another piece of the 2018-19 schedule has fallen into place, as it has been announced that Villanova will host Michigan in the Gavitt Tip-off Games. You may remember that the Wildcats defeated the Wolverines 79-62 to win their second national championship in three years back in April.

Villanova is 2-0 in the young history of this series pitting the Big East against the Big Ten, defeating Nebraska in 2015's inaugural games and Purdue in a classic in 2016.

While the rosters are likely to look a bit different than they did in April, a short turnaround from such a high-stakes game should make for a fun contest.

Details on the date and time have not been announced, but for now we know another 2018-19 opponent.

Every Tuesday, Rivals' Eric Bossi takes some questions from his Twitter followers and this week there was a good amount of Nova discussion. Bossi addresses Nova options should Omari Spellman decide to stay in the NBA draft and also discusses the recruitment of elite 2019 guard Cole Anthony, who he expects the Cats to be involved with.

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/twitter-tuesday-cole-anthony-villanova-2021-rankings

Benchwarmers is just a disaster over there. Have people never been disappointed before that they act like children? I get all the trolls but a lot of really good posters are embarrassing themselves over there.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

Who says no?

With the late additions of Joe Cremo (and Jahvon Quinerly) where does that rank Nova's 2018 recruiting class?

How far up the Top Ten ladder?

Five-star shooting guard Bryan Antoine, currently ranked No. 8 in the 2019 Rivals 150, has named a final five, and what a five it is. Villanova joins Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, and Florida as the remaining schools battling for Antoine's commitment. Antoine made the announcement via his twitter on Thursday evening.

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Talking to Pat Lawless for prepcircuit.com, Antoine had this to say about Villanova...

“Villanova is close to home with it being only a couple of hours away,” he said. “What they have done in the past three years has been remarkable and just what Jay Wright has been doing with their players. He’s not known for one and done type players, but he does a great job developing his players. I really liked our in-home visit and I’ve known them since eighth grade. I feel like the friendship we have is very tight and Coach Wright will just call me to talk about normal stuff. It doesn’t have to be about basketball, sometimes he will just check up on me.”

Villanova has been involved with Antoine for a long time and it's no surprise to see the Wildcats on the final list. It currently appears that a decision could come in the fall, and it is likely that each of the finalists will get an opportunity to host him for an official visit. For now Villanova remains squarely in play, and that is a good thing.

Continuing our look at 2018's new faces. Next up Cole Swider.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/getting-to-know-the-class-of-2018-cole-swider

Ironically the pick was by a Philly kid. From Imhotep Charter. JR threw for 4 TDs today. This kid is out of this world.

While I have season ticket, I don't usually get a parking pass. I'll have out of town relatives in for the game and Pike lot, apparently, won't be an option. Anyone with a pass that can't make the game, I'd be interested.

A nice get for the Cats.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/cats-land-albany-transfer-joe-cremo

What type of impact do you think he will have this season.

Taking a look at the three members of the 2018 recruiting class, starting with Jahvon Quinerly.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/getting-to-know-the-class-of-2018-jahvon-quinerly

…It's Official.

Per Rivals' Corey Evans, Villanova will host 2019 guard Justin Moore for an unofficial visit today.

There has been a flurry of activity between Villanova and Moore over the past three weeks, as the Cats have twice been to Maryland to see him, and now will host him on campus.

Moore saw a nice bump in his ranking in the most recent update of the Rivals 150, jumping from No. 75 to No. 57. All signs point to a prioritization of Moore by Nova, so it will be interesting to see what develops from today's visit.

ESPN's Jeff Goodman reports that Albany grad transfer Joe Cremo will visit Villanova on Wednesday. As a grad transfer, Cremo will be eligible to play next season, and this could be an indication that Nova is looking for protection should Donte DiVincenzo elect to remain in the NBA draft.

Cremo averaged 17.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season while shooting 45.8% from three.

He is also scheduled to visit Kansas over the weekend, and has taken visits to Texas and Creighton. Something to keep an eye on as we await a decision from DiVincenzo.

Rivals' Corey Evans with a wrap-up of the April live period, with a look at some of Villanova's work in Indianapolis.

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/five-programs-riding-momentum-after-the-live-periods

Critically injured in a small plane crash.

Quick update following the second weekend of the travel circuits with a handful of players who were attracting the most attention from Jay Wright and the Nova staff.

Bryan Antoine, No. 8 in 2019 Rivals 150
Josh Green, No. 19 in 2019 Rivals 150
Nico Mannion, No. 26 in 2020 Rivals 150

The Cats have been interested in Antoine for some time, and he had the attention of Wright and several staff members.

Green recently picked up a Nova offer, and put on a show in front of Wright as he poured in 37 points.

Mannion also recently picked up an offer from Nova. He is intriguing in that he is way out of Villanova's normal recruiting grounds (Phoenix, AZ), so it will be interesting to see how involved/how many resources Nova puts into Mannion's recruitment, and to see how much of a foothold they can get. He also hinted at the possibility of reclassifying into the 2019 class, so that is something else to keep an eye on.

A look at the names to know this summer as the Cats look to keep building on the recent success.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/an-updated-look-at-the-2019-recruiting-landscape

According to Lesean McCoy. He got rid of all the black players this off season. I guess replacing them with more black players doesn't count.

A bit early, but Penn Relays (4/26 – 4/28) are essentially eight weeks away. Hopefully Villanova will be able to shine. I think the women will do well. The men? But what is somewhat disconcerting is the number of major college programs that will no longer be competing. There was already competition from the Drake Relays. Last year, the SEC schools formed their own SEC Relays. This year, Oregon is not coming (going to the Desert Heat Classic and their own OSU High Performance) and Stanford is splitting teams between SEC Relays and Penn Relays. However ACC is coming, which is good. My experience (some may have other experiences and remembrances): if a school (college or high school) felt they had something, they came to Penn Relays to prove it. Think Arizona State years ago or even John Muir HS (Pasadena, Ca. & Obea Morre). Jamaican schools still come and win just about everything. No problem. They run fast. It is what it is and it is fun. But why so many colleges choosing not to come? Colleges athletics is polluted with $ so maybe it has finally found its way into track …?

Nova has been busy following the first weekend of the spring travel circuit, handing out three offers on Monday.

First it was 2019 5-star forward Isaiah Stewart.

Now, 2019 guard Josh Green has joined Stewart with an offer. Green, a native of Australia who attends IMG Academy in Florida, is currently ranked No. 19 in the Rivals 150. Some of his other offers include UCLA, Arizona, Kansas and Virginia.

In addition, 2020 guard Nico Mannion has received a Nova offer. Mannion plays for Pinnacle High School in Phoenix. He is currently ranked No. 26 in the 2020 Rivals 150. He is also an AAU teammate of Green, with West Coast Elite on the Under Armour circuit. Mannion has hinted at the possibility of reclassifying into the 2019 class, so that is something to watch as well.

We will have an up to date look at all the important names in the class of 2019 soon, and will also start a thread to keep up with all the changes. But for now the Cats remain busy as they look to build off the 2018 national title and talented 2018 recruiting class heading to campus in the fall.

Jay Wright and staff continue work on the class of 2019, offering newly-minted five-star forward Isaiah Stewart, per Rivals' Corey Evans.

Stewart took a significant leap in the the recently updated Rivals 150, jumping 22 spots from No. 32 to No. 10, while adding that fifth star.

A 6-8 power forward out of La Lumiere School in Indiana, there was no shortage of interest in Stewart, with many of the nations top programs already involved, and his recruitment is poised to get more competitive with his rising stock.

Stewart could look to clear the picture a bit in the near-future, as he recently told Rivals that a narrowed list could be coming soon.