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2014 PG/SG Phil Booth of Baltimore, MD has committed to play for Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats, he announced via his Twitter a few minutes ago. Per Adam Zagoria, Booth chose Villanova over the Georgetown Hoyas, Indiana, and Temple.
I am commited to be a student-athlete at the university of villanova #novanation
— Phil Booth 2⃣3⃣ (@BIGPhil_23) July 30, 2013
Booth, who has the ability to play both point guard and shooting guard (and has stated his desire to handle the ball in college), gives Jay Wright a player who offers a ton of versatility in the backcourt. He can both handle the ball and play the distributor, but his best asset is his shot, as he has excellent range out to the three-point line. He's a consensus 4-star, Top 100 prospect across all the major recruiting services, with 247sports ranking him as high as #77 nationally.
In mid-June, rumors circulated that Booth was close to committing to Villanova, but nothing materialized. A few weeks back, Booth had cut his list to a final five and it was widely considered that he was a strong lean to Villanova because of his close relationship with the coaching staff and his ties to the Philadelphia area.
Here's Booth on his decision, via Zagoria:
"I really like the coaching staff they have. Villanova has a great history of producing and developing guards," Booth told SNY.tv Tuesday. "I thought it was the best chance for me to succeed over the first year as a player."
"Jay Wright will use me as a point and off the ball, mostly both," Booth said.
Booth joins Team Final product Mikal Bridges as commitments to Villanova's 2014 recruiting class. Jay Wright still has at 2 scholarships at his disposal with another guard and frontcourt player likely. Ja'Quan Newton, Robert Johnson, and Martin Geben are reportedly the top targets.