Welp...one of Villanova's key remaining targets is off the board, and to a fellow Big East team no less, as Richard Pitino has accepted the job at Xavier.
In my opinion, we're now looking at three scenarios. 1. Nova knows it has Kevin Willard. 2. There is a mystery candidate that will surprise (and hopefully please) everyone. 3. This process has turned into a failure of epic proportions.
I'm not going to lie, I am exhausted from trying to read between lines on the little bit of information that has come out and from trying to separate the noise and posturing from legitimate news. That being said, let's give it one one shot here. If you're optimistic, you take this Pitino news as a clear indication that scenario 1 from above is reality. You believe that Pitino would not have taken the Xavier job while the Nova job was still on the table, and so the fact that he did means he knows Villanova has its guy, seemingly Willard. Similarly, you figure Villanova wouldn't allow Pitino to get away if it wasn't supremely confident (absolutely certain) that it already had its guy. If your pessimistic, scenario 3 is becoming increasingly and concerningly likely.
If I was forced to give my prediction here, I would order the likelihood of each scenario in the order they were presented...Willard is most likely, followed by a mystery candidate, followed by an almost unfathomable mishandling of one of the most important decisions in program history. But even if my read on this is correct and/or you trend towards the optimistic outlook, the fact that we have gotten to this point and that scenario 3 feels like a legitimate possibility is pretty concerning.
This process has been a rollercoaster ride, and the ride isn't over yet. Buckle up.
In my opinion, we're now looking at three scenarios. 1. Nova knows it has Kevin Willard. 2. There is a mystery candidate that will surprise (and hopefully please) everyone. 3. This process has turned into a failure of epic proportions.
I'm not going to lie, I am exhausted from trying to read between lines on the little bit of information that has come out and from trying to separate the noise and posturing from legitimate news. That being said, let's give it one one shot here. If you're optimistic, you take this Pitino news as a clear indication that scenario 1 from above is reality. You believe that Pitino would not have taken the Xavier job while the Nova job was still on the table, and so the fact that he did means he knows Villanova has its guy, seemingly Willard. Similarly, you figure Villanova wouldn't allow Pitino to get away if it wasn't supremely confident (absolutely certain) that it already had its guy. If your pessimistic, scenario 3 is becoming increasingly and concerningly likely.
If I was forced to give my prediction here, I would order the likelihood of each scenario in the order they were presented...Willard is most likely, followed by a mystery candidate, followed by an almost unfathomable mishandling of one of the most important decisions in program history. But even if my read on this is correct and/or you trend towards the optimistic outlook, the fact that we have gotten to this point and that scenario 3 feels like a legitimate possibility is pretty concerning.
This process has been a rollercoaster ride, and the ride isn't over yet. Buckle up.