Paschall learning to be a bit more vocal
RADNOR >> Despite his imposing physical presence, Villanova’s Eric Paschall isn’t the boisterous vocal type, even if the 6-foot-8, 255-pound redshirt senior forward often cuts a yell after he hits a 3-pointer or throws down a monster dunk.
And he’s been known to scream quite loudly when one of his teammates makes an outstanding play. Paschall isn’t emotionless. He shows quite a bit of passion on the court. But when it comes to his leadership style, Paschall prefers to let his actions to the talking for him.
That worked well the last two years when the Wildcats had the likes of Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Phil Booth sitting in the captain’s chair. Paschall didn’t have to be a vocal leader. He could quietly go about the job of being the best player he could be and lead by example.
But now that he is a captain, along with Booth, Paschall’s role has changed and he’s learning to step out of his comfort zone and be a little more vocal. As Villanova coach Jay Wright likes to say, it’s a work in progress.
“It’s hard,” Paschall said. “Phil’s more of the vocal type so I try to follow him in that aspect. I try to be vocal when I can, not be as quiet. It’s a lesson I’m trying to teach the younger guys. Talking is important. Talking has a lot to do with the game now.”
Guard Jahvon Quinerly has gotten the message. The highly touted freshman rooms with Paschall and has learned to speak up.
“Whenever I have a question about basketball or if I didn’t quite understand something Coach (Jay) Wright said, I’ll go to Eric and he’ll give me the right information,” Quinerly said.
Becoming a more vocal leader is one of the many changes Paschall has undergone in his four years on the Main Line. He transferred to Villanova from Fordham after being named the 2015 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year.
He came to Villanova with a reputation as a scorer who left a little bit to be desired on the defensive end. It did not take Paschall long to realize that wasn’t going to cut it at Villanova, where the Wildcats put a premium on defense. It wouldn’t be the only change he would make.
“I had to change my work ethic a lot,” Paschall said. “I had to change my body and had to change the person I am. I had to be willing to be coached to be part of this program. I knew that to play for Coach I had to play defense and I wanted to play so I took on that challenge of getting better defensively to be able to be on the floor.”
Paschall put in the work and went from starting eight games and averaging 21.7 minutes, 7.2 points and 3.8 rebounds as a redshirt sophomore to a starter as a junior. He averaged 29.8 minutes, 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds as the Wildcats went 36-4 to win their second national title in three years.
Although he has the look of a classic power forward, Paschall is not just a low-post banger. He has the shooting touch of a wing, which is what he played at Fordham. Paschall is a career 32.5 percent shooter from 3-point range and a 47.9 percent marksman overall.
Yet that isn’t where he had his biggest impact, Wright said.
“It was really interesting, in the Big East tournament Eric started to step up as our defensive leader,” Wright said. “His voice was strong.”
“It was hard, but you that’s what you have to do to play here,” Paschall said. “It was a big adjustment for me. I take pride in my defense now. I’m excited to be called a great defender.”
The rest of the country has noticed. Paschall’s name is on several preseason All-America teams. Tuesday he was named to the 20-man watch list for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award, which is given annually by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Paschall also is projected to go anywhere from the middle of the first round to early in the second round on several way-too-early NBA mock drafts. Yet he isn’t concerned with that or that the Wildcats are ranked ninth in the Associated Press preseason top 25 and will most likely be tabbed as the team to beat, again, when the Big East releases its preseason coach’s poll Thursday.
That’s not the Villanova way and that suits Paschall just fine.
“We just go out and play as hard as we can every day,” Paschall said. “We don’t worry about any of that other stuff. We just do whatever we have to do to get better each day.”
And that includes working on become a better vocal leader.