I spent this past week re-tweaking the big board for the new format we applied in the 2013 version, and I also cleaned up some of the names here as well. We had a lot of guys on here that were because of the Doug Martin hire - but as you know he's no longer around.
Keep in mind that 2014 is still a good ways off - but things are starting to feel the same. We're doing well with the guards, but we're struggling to get involved with elite big men early on.
Join me after The Jump for this week's Big Board.
Villanova has 2 seniors on the roster this season in Mouphtaou Yarou and Maurice Sutton, and have 12 scholarship roster players (Dylan Ennis will be taking a redshirt year). 'Nova will be targeting anywhere from 1 to 3 prospects for the 2013 recruiting class.
Kris Jenkins became Villanova's 1st verbal commitment on August 26th.
New updates will appear in BOLD.
Point Guards
With Tony Chennault graduating, Ty Johnson, Dylan Ennis and Ryan Arcidiacono will be manning the ball-handling duties. Jay Wright may or may not look to replace Chennault in this cycle. It's unlikely we take a true PG in this class, but here are some guys worth keeping an eye on.
Target | Hometown (HS) | Height/Weight | Recruiting Profiles | Also Considering | Trending |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shep Garner |
Philadelphia, PA (Roman Catholic) |
6'2", 170 lbs. |
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Garner is worth tracking considering he's a local product, but Villanova has yet to offer. Garner visited Penn State unofficially this past weekend. |
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Shelton Mitchell |
Waxhaw, NC (Cuthbertson) |
6'3", 165 lbs. |
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'Nova has apparently reached out to Mitchell looking to get involved in his recruitment, but this would be a surprise to pluck a NC native away from the hometown schools. |
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Taquan Givens |
The Bronx, NY (Maccormick Secure Center) |
5'11", 165 lbs. |
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With 'Nova's depth at the guard positions, Givens look like a backup plan unless he blows up in the coming year. |
Shooting Guards
Jay Wright is after just Ron Patterson as a true backcourt player at this point for 2013, and with James Bell set to graduate before this class arrives on campus, Wright will definitely look to take either a true shooting guard, or a combo guard.
Target | Hometown (HS) | Height/Weight | Recruiting Profiles | Also Considering | Trending |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phil Booth |
Baltimore, MD (Mount St. Joseph) |
6'3", 170 lbs. |
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Booth remains a high priority for the 'Nova staff in 2014, and no indication yet that Booth's feelings have changed regarding 'Nova. They seem like a good match. |
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Ja'Quan Newton |
Philadelphia, PA (Neumann-Goretti) |
6'3", 180 lbs. |
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Netwon's ability to play both on and off the ball is a great fit for 'Nova. Kris Jenkins spoke of his intent to get Newton to Villanova after his commitment |
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Khadeen Carrington |
Brooklyn, NY (Bishop Loughlin) |
6'3", 180 lbs. |
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Carrington is a great player in his own right, but might be lower in the pecking order than both Booth and Newton for the guard spots. |
Small Forwards
James Bell will be graduating, but with the recent addition of Mislav Brzoja from Croatia, Darrun Hilliard still on the roster, JayVaughn Pinkston's capability to play the 3, a commitment from Kris Jenkins in 2013 and are looking good with Josh Hart. This is a luxury area in 2014 as things stand.
Target |
Hometown (HS) | Height/Weight | Rankings | Also Considering | Trending |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dwayne Morgan |
Baltimore, MD (St. Frances) |
6'5", 190 lbs. |
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Villanova inquired about Morgan when Raphael Chillious joined. Stay tuned. |
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Marial Shayok |
Ottawa, CAN (Blair Academy) |
6'6", 200 lbs. |
|
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Shayok's recruitment is just getting going, but he has had an impressive summer circuit. Villanova will go to see him play on Friday. |
Forwards
The frontcourt needs depend heavily on what happens in 2013: we'll either be needing another body or absolutely desperate for another body.
Target | Hometown (HS) | Height/Weight | Recruiting Profiles | Also Considering | Trending |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ben Bentil |
Middletown, DE (St. Andrew's) |
6'8", 225 lbs. |
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'Nova has offered and is right there with Bentil, but it's way too early to tell. His stock will only go up at this point. |
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Chris McCullough |
The Bronx, NY (Brewster Academy) |
6'8", 225 lbs. |
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McCullough is on a stacked team at Brewster. Chillious was just up there to visit Ron Patterson and was likely checking in on McCullough as well. |
Centers
Again, despite what happens with the 2013 class, adding a talented big man up front is a must for 2014, and so far it looks like there is a lot of talent.
Target | Hometown (HS) | Height/Weight | Recruiting Profiles | Also Considering | Trending |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dakari Johnson |
New York, NY (Montverde Academy) |
6'10", 265 lbs. |
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The top big man on the board for Villanova, Jay Wright has a couple of ins here. Johnson goes to the same high school as James Bell did, which is now coached by Kevin Boyle (formerly of St. Patrick's in NJ). Johnson is ranked 7th nationally by Rivals. |
We're still a long ways off from 2014 prospects realistically starting to make verbal commitments, but who should the staff be focusing on? Anybody we're not tracking?
Make sure to stay tuned to our dedicated section for 2014 Villanova basketball recruiting where we'll be filing all our big boards along with any other posts that deal with recruiting in the 2013 cycle.
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