One of the most pressing questions for Villanova this offseason is the future of the seniors. With the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility, Collin Gillespie, Jermaine Samuels and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree all have the option of returning for another season at Villanova. On Monday, Jay Wright provided some insight on the process.
"Collin and Jermaine, we are starting those conversations now," Wright said. "There’s a lot of variables here. What’s the NBA gonna do. When is the combine gonna be, are they gonna have a combine? So this thing’s gonna get dragged out, we have started the discussions and we’re trying to put a plan together." Wright hadn't yet heard that the NBA had announced that the combine would be in late June with the draft taking place July 29, but that gives us an idea of what the timeline could be like here.
Much like last year with Saddiq Bey and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Wright will likely help the seniors gather information as they head into the draft combine. But in terms of a decision, there is a very real possibility we don't get decisions from Gillespie or Samuels until after the combine.
As for Cosby-Roundtree, there was a reason his name wasn't included in the quote. That's because his decision is based on a different set of factors. "Dhamir, his issue returning is going to be based on his health so we’re not going to be able to make that determination for a long time," Wright said. "His injuries could be such that he can’t play next year, I don’t know when we’re gonna be able to determine that. Definitely not before the summer." The keys there, other than the obvious one that health will likely be the determining factor for what DCR is doing next year, are "a long time" and "not before summer." Wright doesn't expect to know DCR's status for quite a while, which obviously means the rest of us will be waiting too.
So, we learned that Gillespie and Samuels' decisions will likely mirror the NBA's timeline, unless one or both of them hear something convincing one way or the other prior to the combine. As for Cosby-Roundtree, we learned that his health will be the determining factor and that it will be months before we know.
This complicates things for Wright and his staff in terms of planning, but he likely has enough insight to make an educated guess as to how things will play out. The good news is that the 2021 recruiting class is largely set, so there isn't much to worry about from that perspective.
As for us, we wait.
"Collin and Jermaine, we are starting those conversations now," Wright said. "There’s a lot of variables here. What’s the NBA gonna do. When is the combine gonna be, are they gonna have a combine? So this thing’s gonna get dragged out, we have started the discussions and we’re trying to put a plan together." Wright hadn't yet heard that the NBA had announced that the combine would be in late June with the draft taking place July 29, but that gives us an idea of what the timeline could be like here.
Much like last year with Saddiq Bey and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Wright will likely help the seniors gather information as they head into the draft combine. But in terms of a decision, there is a very real possibility we don't get decisions from Gillespie or Samuels until after the combine.
As for Cosby-Roundtree, there was a reason his name wasn't included in the quote. That's because his decision is based on a different set of factors. "Dhamir, his issue returning is going to be based on his health so we’re not going to be able to make that determination for a long time," Wright said. "His injuries could be such that he can’t play next year, I don’t know when we’re gonna be able to determine that. Definitely not before the summer." The keys there, other than the obvious one that health will likely be the determining factor for what DCR is doing next year, are "a long time" and "not before summer." Wright doesn't expect to know DCR's status for quite a while, which obviously means the rest of us will be waiting too.
So, we learned that Gillespie and Samuels' decisions will likely mirror the NBA's timeline, unless one or both of them hear something convincing one way or the other prior to the combine. As for Cosby-Roundtree, we learned that his health will be the determining factor and that it will be months before we know.
This complicates things for Wright and his staff in terms of planning, but he likely has enough insight to make an educated guess as to how things will play out. The good news is that the 2021 recruiting class is largely set, so there isn't much to worry about from that perspective.
As for us, we wait.