Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Run to Houston all in the family for Wright
Bloodlines run deep for Wildcats heading into game with Oklahoma
Ryan Arcidiacono and Jay Wright are so close, and so alike, that the rest of the Wildcats jokingly refer to Arcidiacono as Wright’s “son.”
With Arcidiacono scheduled to graduate in May, who is going to assume that role in the future?
“Jalen’s next in line for that,” junior forward Kris Jenkins said.
Wright got a kick out of that comment after the sixthranked Wildcats (33-5) went through their open workout in preparation for tomorrow’s semifinal showdown with seventh-rated Oklahoma (29-7) Saturday at NRG Stadium.
“He could be,” Wright said. “I don’t choose that they’re my son, those guys (the players) say it. They say it, but I think what they see is that those guys just do what we demand and without us asking it. That’s what they see so you become named ‘my son’ because of that.”
There ismore to it than that, though. Brunson earned the title of son-in-waiting because Brunson and Arcidiacono are the same players just in different skins.
“They really are,” Wright said. It’s not by accident. “Everybody knows that Rick Brunson (Jalen’s dad) is a real driving father, well Joe Arch (Ryan’s pop) is the same guy,” Wright said. “Joe Arch was a
great football player, but he really was a great basketball player at Father Judge. He really has driven Ryan. And their mothers, Sandra Brunson and Patti, are the same people.
“They love their husbands. They know their husbands are nuts and they keep the balance. You’ve got two perfect kids who are great students, great competitors, extremely skilled and have great basketball IQs. They really are the same person.”
And it is that similarity that enabled Arcidiacono and Brunson to form a unique bond long before they stepped on the floor as teammates. Brunson stayed with Arcidiacono during his official visit to Villanova, enough though the school had a hotel room set up for him.
The relationship grew from there, especially when Brunson arrived on campus as one of Wright’s most highly recruited players in years.
“He came in willing to work and willing to get better,” Arcidiacono said. “There was nothing special about him coming in as a McDonald’s All-American. He wasn’t like, ‘I’m all this. I’m all that. I need to come in and make plays for everyone.’ That’s what he did. He didn’t try to just affect the game on scoring when he first came in. He didn’t come in with an attitude.
“And you can see his development throughout the year, the way he defended, dove for loose balls and took charges. I tried to do that as soon as I came in because that’s the way I played, but he’s really developed that quickly of how to become a Villanova basketball player.”
Much of that is because of his relationship with Arcidiacono.
“When I went on my visit, I felt like I was part of the team,” Brunson said. “I already felt like I was good friends with Ryan. I think it’s because we have the same goals. We want what’s before for the team, nomatter what. When I committed, I think I had a good relationshipwith Ryan. I knew he was somewhat likeme in the way he worked. He’s not about himself. He’s all about the team. That’s something I admire in an older guy. He doesn’t want what’s best for him. He wants what’s best for the team.”
Arcidiacono sensed the same team-first approach in Brunson and was so impressed that he was willing to play off the ball as a senior and let Brunson run the show. Not many point guards, especially senior point guards, would surrender that role to a freshman.
“We had a conversation after we had to do an interview at the Wells Fargo Center,” Arcidiacono said. “(Wright) asked me what did I think about going to the two. I said that I’ll go to the two because I have confidence in my system and I have confidence in you and I trust everything about this program and we haven’t looked back since. It’s not like he’s the only one handling the ball. We know Phil (Booth) can come in and handle the ball. Once Jalen comes out of the game I handle the ball. I think it’s worked out well for us.”
It sure has. Together, Arcidiacono and Brunson are averaging a combined 21.1 points and 6.9 assists per game for the season. In four NCAA Tournament games the duo area averaging 24.5 points, 5.5 assists and just 2.25 turnovers per game.
Villanova is in the Final Four for the first time since 2009 and the fifth time in program history.
“They’re why we’re here,” Wright said. “It’s Arch’s leadership, but to have a guy in the backcourt with him that’s just like him, just a younger version, is incredible. Even Arch’s love for Villanova growing up, Jalen has it for Big 5 basketball. Jalen has followed Philadelphia basketball his whole life so there’s something special there, too.”