Injured Gillespie said his future remains uncertain

Injured senior guard Collin Gillespie confirmed after Villanova’s 54-52 loss to Providence Saturday that he will have surgery “in the coming days.”

Gillespie tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in Wednesday’s 72-60 victory over Creighton and will miss the rest of the season.

As far as his future, that is up in the air at the moment, Gillespie said. Last October, the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to winter sports athletes due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m considering it but I haven’t really thought about it or made any decisions on it. I’m kind of just taking it one day at a time,” Gillespie said. “I’m going to get this surgery and start to rehab and see how I feel afterward. Later on, down the line, depending on how I feel, I’ll sit down with my coaches and end up making that decision.”

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For most of the season, all Chris Arcidiacono and Bryan Antoine did was watch.

Arcidiacono saw action in eight games going into the final day of the regular season, mostly in mopup duty. Antoine was still finding his way after coming back from a second injury to his right (shooting) shoulder. He had played in just five games.

Yet the little-used sophomore guards nearly bailed the 10thranked Wildcats out against the Friars.

Arcidiacono and Antoine were called on to play extended minutes after sophomore Justin Moore, who took over the point guard duties from Gillespie, sprained his left ankle with 5:37 to play in the first half. Moore left the game and did not return. He sat on the bench in the second half with a boot on his left leg.

Villanova coach Jay Wright said the injury was “pretty severe” and that Moore would have an MRI either Saturday night or Sunday to determine the extent of the injury.

With Gillespie and Moore out, that left the Wildcats with just one guard, Caleb Daniels, and he spent much of the game in foul trouble. That forced Wright to turn to Arcidiacono and Antoine and they delivered as the Wildcats rallied from a

20-point, first-half deficit and had a chance to win the game at the buzzer only to see Jeremiah Robinson-Earl’s

3-point attempt come up short. . Arcidiacono, the younger brother of Villanova great Ryan Arcidiacono, played a career-high

25 minutes. He did not score, but had four rebounds and two assists, and settled down an offense that was dysfunctional in the first half.

“I thought Chris Arch did an incredible job,” Wright said. “He was really good. He got us under control and brought energy to us defensively. I thought he was outstanding and I thought when Justin went out that was the difference.”

Antoine also set a career-best with 22 minutes. He scored three points, had two rebounds, one assist and one steal, and helped hold Providence guard A.J. Reeves to two points. Reeves entered the game averaging 10.1 points.

“Those guys gave us a great spark,” senior forward Jermaine Samuels said of Arcidiacono and Antoine. “Those guys have been hungry for two years now. They’ve been getting better and they stepped up. They did a pretty good job.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone returned to the dugout Saturday, three days after surgery to have a pacemaker inserted.

“It felt good just to be at the ballfield again, competing with the guys,” he said after managing New York’s 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Boone, who turns 48 in a few days, left the club Wednesday to get the pacemaker at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa. He returned to camp Saturday after clearing COVID-19 protocols and said he feels great — especially so when he watched ace Gerrit Cole cruise through a simulated game at the team’s spring training facility in Tampa.

“Good to come watch Gerrit Cole pitch,” Boone said with a grin. “That’s a good way to get back into it.”

Boone — who says his only restriction is he can’t raise his left hand over his head for about a month — then joined the team in nearby Bradenton for a rain-delayed exhibition game against the Pirates.

Alvarez, Giants reach deal SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. »

Left-handed reliever Jose Alvarez signed a $1.15 million,

one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants on Saturday.

The 31-year-old will look to build off momentum he had with the Phillies last season when he posted a 1.42 ERA over eight outings.