November 11, 2029
Here are your 2029/30
Villanova Wildcats!
Code:
#2 VILLANOVA General
Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
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Corey Hicks 3 SF Sr 6-3 206 Yes 92 OK Riverside, NJ
Blake Norton 4 PG So 6-1 174 Yes 31 OK Palmyra, NJ
Lowell Welter 5 PF So 6-8 217 Yes 43 OK Cochranton, PA
Justice Stafford 10 PG Fr 5-9 162 Yes 92 OK Midlothian, VA
Ronald Verdugo 11 SG So 6-4 207 No 91 OK Groton, CT
Asher Wise 13 SF Fr 6-6 208 Yes 77 OK Berwyn, PA
Peter Segal 15 SG Fr 6-3 176 Yes 78 OK Fort Lee, NJ
Mark Jones 20 PF Sr 6-8 209 No 36 OK Valdosta, GA
Darius Pettway 23 SF Fr 6-8 221 No 29 OK Copenhagen, NY
Tony Ezell 31 PF So 6-7 209 Yes 58 OK Somerville, NJ
Clemens Schwaiger 33 C So 6-11 320 Yes 44 OK Apolda, Germany
Kris DeMello 40 PF Fr 6-9 232 Yes 58 OK Grimsby, Canada
Joshua Parkin 42 C Sr 6-9 207 Yes 53 OK North East, MD
Avery Sullivan 53 C Jr 6-10 241 Yes 77 OK Englewood, NJ
Let's see how well they did in training camp.
Code:
#2 VILLANOVA Training Results
Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
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Corey Hicks 3 6 0 2 3 3 1 5 3 1 5 0 1 3 2 6
Blake Norton 3 2 3 5 9 7 1 1 2 2 6 2 1 2 0 17
Lowell Welter 9 2 1 3 3 2 9 12 7 2 2 7 0 2 1 0
Justice Stafford 2 6 6 6 10 10 2 2 2 6 6 2 4 2 3 12
Ronald Verdugo 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 2 4 4 1 1 4 1 13
Asher Wise 6 8 6 8 8 4 2 4 6 4 4 2 3 6 1 12
Peter Segal 4 4 4 8 4 6 2 2 6 10 4 2 3 4 0 20
Mark Jones 1 0 1 0 1 1 3 2 3 1 1 2 1 3 0 5
Darius Pettway 4 6 4 2 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 10 1 16
Tony Ezell 10 3 3 0 4 1 3 8 6 2 2 6 1 3 2 15
Clemens Schwaiger 6 1 2 0 1 2 7 7 9 1 1 4 0 0 0 4
Kris DeMello 8 2 2 2 4 2 8 8 6 2 2 10 2 10 2 20
Joshua Parkin 2 3 1 0 2 1 2 5 3 2 1 5 0 4 2 8
Avery Sullivan 4 7 4 2 3 3 7 14 2 6 2 7 0 5 2 8
It's often said that a basketball team takes on the personality of its most influential senior. If that's the case, this year's Villanova team will be patient, hard-working, and very easy to like.
That's a perfect description of shooting guard
Corey Hicks, who begins the season as an unquestioned member of the starting five for the first time this year. Like
Duncan Sims did last season, Corey will face the challenge of having opponents pay more attention to him in their game plans, but after spending time in camp refining his already-dangerous jump shot, he looks like he'll be up for it.
The team's biggest star will probably be junior center
Avery Sullivan. He's lived up to the hype that accompanied him as one of the top high school players in the nation. Avery demonstrated his ability to dominate games last season. This year, we'll need him to do it even more regularly. This is almost certainly his last season on the Main Line, and he is ready to make it a special one.
Joining Sully on the low block will be sophomore
Lowell Welter. He averaged 19 minutes per game and started seven times, and he flashed a bit of outside game along with the big man things he did. We think Lowell is ready for an enhanced load.
Classmate
Blake Norton will have the first opportunity to start at point guard. He understudied in the role last season, when he led the team in assists per 30 minutes. We won't need Blake to shoot much. If he takes care of the ball, distributes it, and does his part defensively, we'll be delighted with him.
The fifth starter will step immediately into the spotlight, a local hero who could have played his college ball anywhere and chose to stay home. You don't recruit the top high school player in the country to sit on the bench, but
Asher Wise earned his spot. He approached camp with humility and worked hard. Coach Sims considers Asher his second option offensively, behind Sullivan, but don't be surprised if the freshman's talent makes him a focal point before long.
Tony Ezell started 29 games as a freshman last season, and this year he'll play a starter's minutes as our sixth man. He might trade spots with Welter once we see how things play out. Either way, he'll make an impact with his inside scoring and post presence.
First year
Justice Stafford will be the first guard off the bench. He's also a five-star recruit, and his first-class ballhandling and passing abilities have impressed us so far. He's got more upside as a scorer than
Blake Norton, and the two point guards will both play a lot.
Young big men
Kris DeMello and
Clemens Schwaiger will compete with senior Joshua Parkin for playing time, and freshman
Peter Segal gives us even more depth in the backcourt.
How will this team handle the rigors of a Big East campaign? Sullivan and Hicks are known quantities, but their freshman and sophomore teammates will all be facing new challenges. The youngsters are unquestionably talented, and it's possible that some of them will play like champions right away. But last year at this time, we could turn to men like
Jacob Allen and
Duncan Sims, who had played over a hundred games of college basketball. We begin the season ranked #2, right behind Georgetown. If we're there at the end of the season, it will be because the young Wildcats grew up fast.