Team-first Paschall helps Villanova feast on Texas Tech
BOSTON » As Jalen Brunson paraded around the court holding up the East Region championship trophy after Villanova’s 71-59 victory over Texas Tech Sunday at TD Garden, forward Eric Paschall walked a few feet behind Brunson yelling “Food, food.”
Guard Phil Booth quickly chimed in, and pretty soon nearly all the Wildcats were saying that one word as they celebrated their second trip to the Final Four in three seasons.
“That’s kind of a play on ‘Everybody Eats,’ which has become our mantra,” Booth said.
A lot of teams have used that saying. Loosely translated, it means everyone contributes. No one on the Villanova team remembers when the phrase became one of the many ways to describe the 2018 Wildcats. However, there is no question as to who first used it in regard to Villanova.
“Uh, that would be me,” junior forward Eric Paschall said modestly.
It’s only fitting from Paschall, the ultimate team player since transferring from Fordham after winning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year honors in 2015. He has the skill to be a star, but has bought into Villanova’s team-first mentality.
This weekend, though, was his time to shine. The 6-9, 255-pounder scored 12 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds (six offensive) in 37 minutes Sunday to earn a spot on the all-region team along with Brunson, the Most Outstanding Player of the Region, and Mikal Bridges.
Most of Paschall’s offensive production came at the free throw line, which was crucial for the Wildcats on a day when the 3-pointers weren’t falling (4-for-24). Paschall was 8-for-10 from the stripe, and Villanova was 29-for-35 as a team.
“You just go out and do whatever has to be done to win,” Paschall said.
That performance came on the heels of a 14-point effort in Friday’s 90-78 victory over West Virginia in the regional semifinals.
“A lot of the credit has to coach to Coach Ash (Ashley Howard) and Coach Kyle (Neptune) for pushing me to limits I didn’t know I could achieve,” Paschall said. “They kept on me and it’s all paying off.”
Howard and Neptune were quick to give the kudos to Paschall.
“We can’t take all the credit for that,” Howard said. “He was a great player when he came here. The big thing was he was willing to buy into our philosophy. And the thing most people don’t realize is that he is an unbelievable defender, one of the most underrated defensive players in the country.”
“Eric is everything you want in a player,” Neptune added. “He’s a high-level athlete and an even higher character kid.”
And on the biggest stage of the year, to date, that character shined through.
“I’m so happy for him,” Howard said. “He’s worked so hard and put in the time to become the player that he is. He’s deserves all the accolades he can get.”