Ben Bentil has been a fascinating piece of the Villanova Wildcats recruiting pipeline. For a school that regularly struggles to attract elite big men, Bentil was viewed as a salvation by the masses. At 6'8" and 225 lbs. he looked like the ideal candidate to put an end to the frontcourt recruiting woes in recent years.
So it is with great displeasure that I take a mea culpa. I disagreed with Alex Kline's analysis that Villanova was out for Ben Bentil, but per Adam Zagoria, Bentil is saying Villanova is currently not involved.
As far as schools, the 6-foot-8 forward from Middletown (Del.) St. Andrew’s is being recruited by Georgetown, Providence, Miami, St. Joe’s, Temple, N.C. State, Maryland and Rutgers.
In early June, Kline surmised that the commitment of Mikal Bridges likely meant the Wildcats were out of the running for Bentil, and as of now he looks dead on. The latest highlights of Bridges show a long, athletic player with the ability to play both inside and outside (and keep in mind he's only 16 years old, and is likely still growing). In Zagoria's article, he notes that Bentil has the ability to play both the 3 and the 4 as well. That lends credence to Kline's assertion.
Jay Wright still needs to find a big man in the class of 2014, but right now it looks like Bentil isn't the solution.