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Happy Thursday, 'Nova Nation! I'm plenty excited about Jalen Brunson coming in next season, and that certainly wasn't an environment to showcase his skills, but we might need to temper the expectations. Brunson's offense is extremely polished and for that reason alone he's going to demand minutes next season. But there's a lot of work to be done defensively. And we know how Jay values defense.
Just one man's opinion though.
And now, the "news."
Villanova.com Memorial for Coach Jack Kraft Set for April 23 | Villanova.com
Villanova will celebrate the life of former coach Jack Kraft with a memorial Mass on Thursday, April 23 in the St. Thomas of Villanova Chapel at 5 p.m.
Looking back at Villanova's magical run to the 1985 NCAA title | CBSSports.com
Villanova's victory over Georgetown for the 1985 national title remains one of the most stunning upsets in NCAA tournament history.
For one night, the Villanova Wildcats were just 'purr-fect' | NY Daily News
The buzzer sounded. Villanova 66, Georgetown, 64. And Rupp Arena, and Lexington, turned a marvelous shade of blue. Villanova blue.
The Perfect Game: Villanova's 1985 victory over Georgetown lives on | SI.com
#LongForm: Villanova's NCAA Final victory over Georgetown shook the sport and transformed the lives of the Wildcats coaches and players
Jalen Brunson has potential to be the next in a long line of great basketball stars from Chicago | ESPN
The pressure is on Jalen Brunson to continue a long line of Chicago's next great basketball stars, and he appears to be up to the challenge.
It's all about effort for Dante Cunningham | The Advocate
Coach Monty Williams and Cunningham said he plays like that every possession, regardless of the score — coming up with a big rebound or a loose ball or running down an opponent for a block on the fast break. Wonder where he learned that?
Rawle Alkins lands St. John's scholarship offer | Big East Coast Bias
Probably something to keep an eye on.
Why high school coaches aren’t sad to see Steve Lavin go | New York Post
The dismissal of coach Steve Lavin by St. John’s on Friday was met with mostly shrugs from the New York City high school basketball coaching community. Very few relationships were developed between Lavin and the local coaches in his five seasons in Queens. Lavin preferring to recruit nationally — where he was successful, specifically in his first two years — than get involved with the locals.
Can Chris Mullin Thrive on Name and Local Ties? Peers Say Yes | NYTimes.com
St. John’s hired Mullin as its coach despite his lack of experience. Two former coaches said his background as a player and his New York roots would help in recruiting.
NBA Court Factors: How Assists Aren't As Unbiased As You Think | Deadpsin
There will never be any question over what it means to have scored 25 points, or recorded a number of rebounds, blocks, or steals. Sure, if we've learned anything in the age of analytics it's that raw stats can be misleading—they fail to account for pace or efficiency—but at least they are facts. Russell Westbrook's 111 offensive rating is amazing to me given the number of shots he's taking, but it's an abstraction. His league-leading 27.5 points per game? Those are absolute. If you can't always find truth in the box score, you can at least find a set of facts. Mostly, that is.
Geno Auriemma On Men’s College Basketball: "I Think The Game Is a Joke" | The Big Lead
Not mincing words.
Yes, Flying Parents To The Final Four Is Paying Players | Deadpin
Back in January, less than a week before the college football championship game, the NCAA announced that parents of players who made this year's College Football Playoff or Final Four were eligible to receive $3,000 in travel expenses. Now, a number of ADs are pushing to make the program permanent. We'd like to remind you that this is a fine gesture, and also that it reveals the many overlapping, alley-ooping layers of bullshit baked into the NCAA's arguments about why it would be improper to pay its players.
Radnor Police Reports: Tool bag containing syringes stolen from Villanova lab room | Main Line Media News
According to police, the syringes had been used on unknown chemicals and would be hazardous if used on anything living. Oh good!
Burger King Japan released a beef-flavored perfume | The Verge
Unfortunately, Flame-Grilled Fragrance is a real thing.
Street artist Kid Hazo turns PAFA paint sculpture into giant poop emoji | Philly.com
If you've ever passed by Claes Oldenburg's 51-foot "Paint Torch" installation at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, you've probably noticed that its massive orange paint dollop looks suspiciously like the poop emoji we all know and love.