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Originally from Philadelphia, Tony Chennault came to Villanova late in his career via Wake Forest after tragedy struck his family. Jay Wright gave him the chance to come back home, and Chennault has rewarded his coach and his teammates with hard work and perseverance.
Here's how Tony Chennault's final year unfolded:
What was expected
In the offseason, Chennault announced his intention to transfer to find more playing time. After conversations with JayVaughn Pinkston and Jay Wright, Chennault opted to stay and try to find team glory with Villanova - which he was an integral part of.
As we wrote in Wisdom of Crowds:
Best Case Scenario: Villanova sees the return of the Chennault who played 936 minutes at Wake Forest in 2011-12 and averaged 9 points and 2.8 assists as a sophomore. That Chennault would provide a boost to the Villanova offense and likely earn a bigger role than the reserve status that he held last season.
Worst Case Scenario: With Arcidiacono ensconced as the starting PG, Chennault sees similar minutes as a senior and never really gets into a groove. His statistics stay about the same and he serves the role of elder statesman more than hardwood star.
What's interesting about Tony is that he really did fall into our worst case scenario. His minutes and production were all down from a year ago. However, I believe we as fans missed the mark on the Tony's contributions. He provided a steady, balanced backup to the starting backcourt all year and played within himself. He didn't hurt the team, and in several games, played to the true talent that he had but never got the chance to fully show.
He was a true team player, and I find it hard to fault his act of unselfishness this season.
Vote from Wisdom of Crowds
In Wisdom of Crowds, we asked readers to vote on their prediction for how many points per game Chennault would average this season. 25% (47 voters) led the charge with a 4.2 ppg prediction, while 17% (33 votes) were less optimistic with a 3.4 ppg prediction.
14% of the community were just a decimal off with their 2.6 ppg prognostication, as Chennault finished the year averaging 2.7 ppg.
Season Actuals
| MIN | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | RPG | APG | BPG | SPG | PF | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14.3 | 28 | 72 | 38.9% | 0 | 3 | 0% | 37 | 49 | 75.5% | 1.4 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 2.7 |
Best Game
The early season victory over Towson, which many pundits at the time were calling a potential upset, was the shining moment for Tony. His 6 point, 5 assist, 7 rebound, 2 steal effort showed the stat-stuffing capabilities of the senior guard.
Worst Game
A season-low 4 minutes were logged in the Big East Tournament loss to Seton Hall, though Chennault wasn't used much because Villanova fell so far behind and Wright rolled with the players who offered him the highest offensive output.
Final Grade
B+ - Chennault stayed at Villanova to win, and win he did. Multiple championships were collected in his senior season, and he was as unselfish as they come, putting his ego aside and playing less minutes for the good of the team. He leaves the Main Line having represented the program well. I'd love to see him become involved in the program down the road.