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Villanova Basketball Recruiting: 2017 Big Board

After landing their first verbal, here are the players Villanova will be targeting.

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

With the news that Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree has committed to Villanova, the Wildcats are off to a strong start in the talented 2017 class. Jay Wright has his frontcourt anchor and can now turn his focus to the backcourt where the 'Cats are chasing some of the best talent in the country.

A recent string of offers has me intrigued. How likely is it to land Kevin Knox or Brian Bowen jumping into the game this late? Could they be trying to apply pressure to guys like Jermaine Samuels or Hameir Wright to jump on board? Or are they casting a wider net because they might feel they're fading with guys like Jordan Tucker and D.J. Harvey? Or is it that the National Championship means they can talk to better recruits and they're seriously trying to land those guys? Interesting to think about.

Here's the current scholarship outlook, courtesy of MikeJ.

VU Hoops Roster Outlook

Backcourt

Villanova is in strong position with several players, and it almost makes you think it could turn into a first-come first-serve situation. Judging by the offers, a ball-handling guard (Lykes, Green, Duval, Walker) is a priority, as is a wing with size (Samuels, Knox, Wright, Bowen, Randolph, Tucker, Smith, Harvey). It's an impressive group, and if Villanova can land one from each position they'll have one of their best classes in recent memory.

Target | Hometown (HS & AAU) Height/Weight

Recruiting Profile

(247Composite)

Also Considering Trending
Lonnie Walker

Reading, Pa.

(Reading & Team Final)

6'4", 180 lbs.

Crystal Ball

5-star

#24 Nationally

#5 SG

#2 Pennsylvania

UCLA

Oregon

UConn

Syracuse

Miami

Sideways_arrow_medium

Expect a ton of schools to try and get in the mix for Walker who has started off AAU on fire. He's said he will take visits before making any decisions. Still feel Villanova is positioned well here.

Chris Lykes

Washington, D.C.

(Gonzaga & Team Takeover)

5'8", 150 lbs.

Crystal Ball

3-star

#128 Nationally

#28 PG

#1 D.C.

Georgetown

VCU

Miami (FL)

Notre Dame

Virginia

Sideways_arrow_medium

Lykes cut his list to 5, but is still picking up high-major offers so that could change. A recent visit and run on 'Nova picks in his Crystal Ball may be a good sign.

Hameir Wright

Albany, N.Y.

(Albany Academy & Albany City Rocks

6'7", 180 lbs.

Crystal Ball

4-star

#68 Nationally

#14 SF

#3 New York

Maryland

Syracuse

UConn

Cincinnati

West Virginia

Sideways_arrow_medium

'Nova has been on him for a while, he's visited, and his comments on the EYBL would seem to indicate he may even be a 'Nova lean. He's been one of the most impressive players early on though, and several big schools are bound to jump in the mix soon.

Jermaine Samuels

Weston, Mass.

(The Rivers School & Expressions Elite)

6'6", 190 lbs.

Crystal Ball

4-star

#44 Nationally

#8 SF

#2 Massachusetts

UConn

Providence

Boston College

Sideways_arrow_medium

Villanova has remained in strong pursuit of Samuels even when he was injured, which has made a big impact on him. Getting a visit is still key.

Trevon Duval

Wilmington, Del.

(Advanced Prep International & WE-R-1)

6'3", 175 lbs.

Crystal Ball

5-star

#5 Nationally

#1 PG

#1 Delaware

Maryland

Louisville

Kansas

Baylor

Oklahoma

Arizona

Duval has stated he's going to sign very late, so a long way to go in this one. But right now it would appear that Villanova and Maryland are at the top of the fray.

Quade Green

Philadelphia, Pa.

(Neumann-Goretti & PSA Cardinals)

5'11", 160 lbs.

Crystal Ball

4-star

#39 Nationally

#8 PG

#3 Pennsylvania

Syracuse

Michigan State

Maryland

Providence

Duke

Up_arrow_medium

Green's been on the rise and is starting to draw interest from the blue bloods. Cosby-Roundtree's commitment may help, but it'll be an uphill battle to keep him home.

Kevin Knox

Tampa, Fla.

(Tampa Catholic & E1T1)

6'8", 195 lbs.

Crystal Ball

5-star

#6 Nationally

#2 SF

#1 Florida

Duke

North Carolina

Kentucky

Florida State

Up_arrow_medium

Villanova recently offered but their their scheduled in-home didn't happen. Wright was front and center for him this weekend, so they're still interested.

Brandon Randolph

Yonkers, N.Y.

(Westtown & PSA Cardinals)

6'6", 185 lbs.

Crystal Ball

4-star

#57Nationally

#12 SG

#4 New York

Louisville

Arizona

Kansas

Up_arrow_medium

After months of tracking him at Westtown, Villanova finally extended an offer to Randolph. His recruitment has blown up, and he seems set on not cutting down his list until after AAU is over.

Brian Bowen

Saginaw, Mich.

(La Lumiere & Meanstreets)

6'7", 185 lbs.

Crystal Ball

5-star

#20 Nationally

#6 SF

#2 Michigan

Michigan State

Kentucky

UCLA

Michigan

Kansas

Maryland

Texas

Up_arrow_medium

Like Knox, Villanova is jumping in late with Bowen but he named 'Nova as one of eight schools coming after him the hardest. Sparty seems to be out in front.

Justin Smith

Lincolnshire, Ill.

(Adlai Stevenson & Mac Irvin Fire)

6'7", 185 lbs.

Crystal Ball

3-star

#124 Nationally

#29 SF

#5 Illinois

Illinois

Indiana

Wisconsin

Northwestern

Up_arrow_medium

Jalen Brunson's high school teammate is a high-flying athlete who is looking like a potential late-riser in the rankings.

Jordan Tucker

White Plains, N.Y.

(Archbishop Stepniac & NY RENS)

6'7", 200 lbs.

Crystal Ball

4-star

#31 Nationally

#7 SF

#2 New York

Syracuse

Maryland

Kentucky

Arizona

St. John's

Michigan

down_arrow_medium

Tucker is still listing Villanova as being involved, but he's starting to schedule visits and Villanova isn't on the list (yet).

D.J. Harvey

Hyattsville, Md.

(DeMatha & Team Takeover)

6'6", 185 lbs.

Crystal Ball

5-star

#17 Nationally

#3 SG

#1 Maryland

Duke

Arizona

Louisville

Georgetown

Maryland

North Carolina

Sideways_arrow_medium

Harvey just said Villanova is a "virtual lock" to make his next round of cuts. I'm personally skeptical of how viable 'Nova is here.

Kellan Grady

West Roxbury, Mass.

(Northfield Mt. Herman & NE Playaz)

6'4", 175 lbs.

Crystal Ball

3-star

#164 Nationally

#36 PG

#5 Massachusetts

N/A

Up_arrow_medium

Villanova never offered, and Grady committed to Davidson in early April.

Frontcourt

With Cosby-Roundtree on board, it would be a surprise to see Villanova pursue any other true frontcourt players other than Mohamed Bamba at this stage. With his recruitment looking like it may last a while Wright can focus solely on him.

Target
Hometown (HS)
Height/Weight

Recruiting Profile

(247Composite)

Also Considering Trending
Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree

Philadelphia, Pa.

(Neumann-Goretti & Team Final)

6'8", 215 lbs.

Crystal Ball

3-star

#132 Nationally

#28 PF

#5 Pennsylvania

N/A

Sideways_arrow_medium

Cosby-Roundtree committed to Villanova on April 22 and should be a big help trying to recruit teammates Quade Green & Lonnie Walker.

Mohamed Bamba

New York, N.Y.

(Westtown & PSA Cardinals)

6'11", 205 lbs.

Crystal Ball

5-star

#2 Nationally

#2 PF

#1 New York

Duke

Kentucky

Maryland

North Carolina

Sideways_arrow_medium

Bamba won't cut his list down until August, but Villanova is in solid position. Duke seems to be the team to beat at this stage.

Anybody you think we should be tracking? Let us know and we'll add them to the board.

Star-divide

Make sure to stay tuned to our dedicated section for 2017 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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