Rival's Corey Evans shared seven takeaways following Wednesday's McDonald's All-American game, and one of them is that Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Bryan Antoine will deliver a national title to Villanova.
I've been on the record that I believe the Wildcats would win another championship in the next five years, and Evans now echoes that sentiment, only he believes it will happen by 2022, led by this year's incoming class.
Obviously, a lot can change over time, especially when dealing with five-star, top 15 prospects. Players of that caliber have NBA expectations, and it's impossible to know how long a stay JRE or Antoine will have on the Main Line. Combined with other variables like transfers, injuries, player development, and the makeup of the competition, along with the unpredictable nature of the NCAA tournament, such predictions are hard to make with any kind of certainty.
Still, it's easy to see the potential. Robinson-Earl and Antoine project as elite, immediate-impact contributors. Eric Dixon and Justin Moore appear primed for long, fruitful Villanova careers that mimic the trajectory of some other recent Villanova greats (Paschall, Booth). The growth of Saddiq Bey and Jermaine Samuels provided a dose of optimism to the disappointing end of the season. Collin Gillespie's toughness and shot-making ability and the hope for more progression from Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree add to that optimism. The shooting ability of Cole Swider and athleticism of Brandon Slater remain tantalizing, while Jahvon Quinerly remains a wildcard as we await definitive word on his future.
But the pieces in place, combined with future recruiting classes that should remain highly-touted, help to create a sense of optimism around the program, and people are taking notice.
You can read Evans' article here:
https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/evans-seven-takeaways-from-mcd-all-american-game
I've been on the record that I believe the Wildcats would win another championship in the next five years, and Evans now echoes that sentiment, only he believes it will happen by 2022, led by this year's incoming class.
Obviously, a lot can change over time, especially when dealing with five-star, top 15 prospects. Players of that caliber have NBA expectations, and it's impossible to know how long a stay JRE or Antoine will have on the Main Line. Combined with other variables like transfers, injuries, player development, and the makeup of the competition, along with the unpredictable nature of the NCAA tournament, such predictions are hard to make with any kind of certainty.
Still, it's easy to see the potential. Robinson-Earl and Antoine project as elite, immediate-impact contributors. Eric Dixon and Justin Moore appear primed for long, fruitful Villanova careers that mimic the trajectory of some other recent Villanova greats (Paschall, Booth). The growth of Saddiq Bey and Jermaine Samuels provided a dose of optimism to the disappointing end of the season. Collin Gillespie's toughness and shot-making ability and the hope for more progression from Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree add to that optimism. The shooting ability of Cole Swider and athleticism of Brandon Slater remain tantalizing, while Jahvon Quinerly remains a wildcard as we await definitive word on his future.
But the pieces in place, combined with future recruiting classes that should remain highly-touted, help to create a sense of optimism around the program, and people are taking notice.
You can read Evans' article here:
https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/evans-seven-takeaways-from-mcd-all-american-game
