Brunson returning to Villanova for junior season
In an age where college basketball players seemingly can’t wait to get to the NBA, Villanova’s Jalen Brunson is doing the opposite.
The 6-2 point guard from Lincolnshire, Ill. announced Thursday that he will return to the Main Line for his junior season. Brunson made his decision after he and his parents, Rick and Sandra, met with Villanova coach Jay Wright earlier in the week. Brunson’s father was a standout at Temple. He played nine seasons in the NBA with eight teams and is an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Jalen is an outstanding student who loves being at Villanova and wants to complete his degree by the end of his junior year,” Wright said in a statement. “This was a simple decision made by Jalen’s family. Jalen wants to graduate, be a leader on this year’s team, and compete for a championship.”
Brunson was a unanimous first-team All-Big East selection as a sophomore. He also earned All Big 5 honors, was the Big 5 Scholar Athlete of the Year and was a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the top point guard in the nation. He averaged 14.7 points and 4.1 assists and shot an astonishing 54.1 percent from the field to lead the Wildcats to a 32-4 overall record and the Big East regular-season and tournament titles.
Brunson’s return is good news for the Wildcats, who lose All-American Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins and Darryl Reynolds to graduation. With Brunson back the Wildcats will put a formidable lineup on the court which includes guards Phil Booth and Donte Di Vincenzo, swingmen Mikal Bridges and Eric Paschall and forward Dylan Painter. Booth missed all but three games with a knee injury. Di Vincenzo earned a spot on the All-Big East freshman team and was the Big 5 Rookie of the Year. Bridges was co-Defensive Player of the Year in the Big East.
Highly touted recruit Omari Spellman will be eligible after sitting out the season as an academic redshirt. The incoming freshmen class includes guards Jermaine Samuels and Collin Gillespie and forward Dhamir Cosby Roundtree, all of whom played in the Jordan Brand Regional game last week at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.