‘Nova puts tournament exit into context
The mood in the Villanova locker room after Saturday’s 6251 loss to Baylor in the South Regional semifinals was what you would expect.
There was sadness and tears. That’s the way it is for 67 of the 68 teams in the NCAA Tournament.
“At first, it was kind of like in shock,” senior forward Jermaine Samuels said. “We still feel like we have a lot of basketball left to play. But it is what it is. When it finally hit everybody was just thankful that we were part of this journey and that we were on it together — everybody, from the coaching staff to managers, the GAs, just grateful for each other. It’s been a hell of a year.”
It’s been a year like no other, a roller-coaster ride filled with highs and lows from the start. Wood graduate Collin Gillespie, Justin Moore, Dhamir CosbyRoundtree and Bryan Antoine all missed time in the preseason with injuries. Cosby-Roundtree eventually had surgery and missed the entire season.
Then there were the three COVID pauses and the loss of Gillespie for the season. Through it all, though, the Wildcats showed their resiliency, winning the Big
East regular-season title and getting to the Sweet 16 for the third time in their last five NCAA Tournament appearances.
“With everything that’s going on, people have lost their jobs, lost lives, it’s hard to complain or say how difficult this was,” coach Jay Wright said. “I think the best thing I can say is we had challenges, maybe not as much as people who are dealing with real-life situations. But our young players did a great job of dealing with every adversity that hit them. All of our quarantines, we had three of them, and our injuries, that’s what you learn. As an 18-to 22-year-old in college you learn how to deal with these things with some coaching and how to respond to those challenges.
“And I thought our guys did a great job. I’m really proud of it. And I looked
at all those challenges as blessings for us, that we could be fazed from them, learn from them, and I think it’s going to make us stronger going forward.”
The Wildcats will most likely have to replace Gillespie, Samuels and sophomore forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, although that is not completely certain. Gillespie and Samuels could opt to return, as the NCAA has granted winter athletes an extra year of eligibility in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Honestly, I’m probably not even going to think about it,” Samuels said. “I’m probably going to keep my mind off of basketball for a little bit, try to decompress everything and just take my time. And once the time comes I’ll see what my options are.”
Gillespie said the same thing after he suffered a season-ending MCL tear in his left knee against Creighton. “It’s always a possibility,” Gillespie said then.
Robinson-Earl is expected
to make the jump to the NBA. He tested the waters last year and decided to return for another season. The rules have changed and Robinson-Earl could do the same this year, but that’s not likely.
“I don’t think he’ll be a senior in college,” Wright said.
So what will the Wildcats look like in 2021-22?
Villanova should have two-thirds of its backcourt returning in sophomore Justin Moore and junior Caleb Daniels. Moore finished third on the team in scoring (12.9) and rebounding (4.1) and second in assists (4.0). Daniels tailed off at the end of the season, averaging 9.6 points per game.
Cole Swider and Brandon Slater also will be back and will be expected to take on bigger roles as seniors. Swider made great strides on the defensive end and Slater improved his offensive game.
The injury to Gillespie forced Villanova to reinvent itself and rely on Antoine
and Chris Arcidiacono. The little-used sophomores came through, gaining valuable experience in the final four games, as did 6-8 sophomore Eric Dixon, an Abington graduate.
The Wildcats also have the third-ranked recruiting class coming in, according to 247sports.com, and No. 9 by rivals.com.
Trey Patterson, a 6-8 wing player and the top recruit in the class, is already on campus. He joined the Wildcats in January and saw action in two games, so he has a leg up on the rest of the class that includes guards Jordan Longino (Germantown Academy) and Angelo Brizzi and forward Nnanna Njoku.
“I think we have a lot of room for improvement and we’ve got a lot of guys who can do it,” Wright said. “I like the guys we have coming back. So, you know, I feel really good about the team and the program and especially proud of this group how much they grew during this season.”