2017 Villanova Basketball Preview: Eric Paschall

Eric Paschall

Hometown: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
High School: Dobbs Ferry (N.Y.)/St. Thomas More (Conn.)
Height: 6-9
Weight: 255 lbs

*Redshirted 2015-16 season

Player Preview:

Since coming to Villanova, Eric Paschall has bulked up immensely. He came into Fordham a few years ago standing 6-6, 205 pounds, but now he’s entering this year at a grown 6-foot-9 and 255 pounds. After sitting out during the national championship run due to NCAA transfer rules, he finally got his first taste of action last season. With limited frontcourt depth, he played a number of different roles for the Wildcats—from ‘3’ to ‘5’.

He is a highflyer, one that excels above the rim. Paschall’s athleticism allows Jay Wright to use him in a variety of ways, and it helped when filling in different positions on the floor. As the year went on, he grew more acclimated to playing in the Wildcats system, evolving from a frequent foul troubled liability to one that could hang tough with defending the bigger men on him. This growth, especially on defense, was validated in the final shot of the Big East Tournament semifinals, when he prevented Angel Delgado from sinking the equalizer.

Not known for his defensive abilities coming out of high school, he has said that the Wildcats’ emphasis on defense has made him change his ways and put a renewed focus on that end of the floor. On the other end of the court, he’s one that always looks to finish strong with a dunk. His three-pointer on the other hand, seems to only be fading away from his high school years.

Overall, he demonstrated to be a reliable weapon off the bench as the season unfolded, one that could be used for a big chunk of minutes and in important stretches. This year, he will look to build off of that moving forward, whether it is a starting role or first off the bench.

Best Case Scenario: Paschall continues to grow as a complete player, one that is steadily improving on both ends of the court. He becomes a better defender that doesn’t foul much. With Omari Spellman and some of the other bigs around, he’s not handcuffed to playing severe minutes at the ‘5’ and can play his style of game offensively. Most importantly, Paschall rediscovers his three-point shot and that hard work in working to improve it over the summer pays dividends.

Worst Case Scenario: Regression. He is unable to work smoothly in sets where he’s no longer the biggest man on the court and can’t capitalize in having another skilled big man to work off of. His perimeter game gets worse and opponents won’t even have to worry about the threat of him pulling up. On defense, he gets into foul trouble frequently and doesn’t exhibit quality minutes on the floor, especially since he’s bound for an increase in minutes.

Wisdom of the Crowd

We are pleased to bring back our Wisdom of Crowds experiment for the 2017-2018 season. In this series, we ask that you consider the points covered in our player preview to supplement your own personal insights and instincts to predict the points per game each scholarship player on the roster we score in the upcoming season.