Paschall wills Cats to victory
BOSTON — Father Rob cut the final strand of net, then whipped it around his head. Jalen Brunson smiled like he was heading to his first Final Four. Mikal Bridges and Phil Booth jumped around like players who’d never won a national championship.
It was just like Eric Paschall remembered — and everything he hoped it would be.
Forced to sit out the team’s national championship run two years ago as an incoming transfer, the former Fordham star propelled Villanova back to the Final Four on Sunday, scoring 12 points, with a career-high 14 rebounds, during the 71-59 win over Texas Tech.
Wearing a backwards hat, with a piece of net poking through, Paschall recalled the feeling after the Wildcats’ previous Elite Eight win.
“I was just wishing to be a part of it with them,” Paschall said. “I’m a part of it. I’m very blessed. I’m blessed to be here. “Doing this is special.” In an uncharacteristically putrid offensive performance by the nation’s highest-scoring team, Paschall set a physical tone on both ends of the floor, helping the Wildcats secure a season-high 20 offensive rebounds — amassing a plus-18 edge on the glass — while shooting a game-high 10 free throws, making eight.
“It just shows we can fight through anything,” Paschall said. “It means a lot to us, just to know that we could tough a game out like that.”
The Dobbs Ferry native, who scored 14 points in the Sweet 16 win over West Virginia, was equally impactful defensively, adding a block and a steal, while playing a gamehigh 37 minutes.
“His work ethic has changed, his demeanor,” teammate Jalen Brunson said. “He has all the physical tools that he can do it. And his mentality is just having that killer instinct.
“He’s playing for his teammates and coaches every time he goes on the floor. So he’s definitely gotten a lot better just because of how his mentality has changed and how his work ethic has definitely improved.”
The former Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year was the force Jay Wright envisioned when the forward left The Bronx after his freshman season, unleashed on the stage Paschall finally got to step on.
“Eric was a beast,” Wright said.