2017 Villanova Basketball Season Recap: Tim Delaney

It’s been a series of stops and starts for Tim Delaney during his Villanova career. After redshirting his freshman year due to a torn labrum in his left hip, the 6-foot-8 big man was supposed to help with Villanova’s front court depth in his first full season, especially after incoming freshman Omari Spellman was ruled ineligible by the NCAA.

However, 2017-18 was another injury-riddled season for Delaney, who in February again underwent surgery on his left hip for a torn labrum. It was Delaney’s third hip surgery in 18 months. Before his season ended, Delaney appeared almost exclusively in mop-up duty in seven games. He scored only in the team’s first game, a 3-pointer against Lafayette, and had two rebounds all season.

Did Tim Delaney meet or exceed expectations in 2017?

Of all the returning Wildcats, the least was expected of Painter. The two prior surgeries and little room in the rotation had any production from Delaney being viewed as a bonus for Villanova. Prior to the season, our Wisdom of the Crowd poll had most people picking Delaney to score between 1.1-2.5 points per game.

Even with low expectations, the way Delaney’s season played out has to overall be viewed as disappointing. The reoccurring hip injury robbed him of another season of development, and two years into his career, it’s still unclear what he brings to the court due to the very limited sample size.

What’s next for Delaney is anybody’s guess. Until we hear otherwise, we have to assume he’s rehabbing and has his eye on contributing more in 2017-18. However, with the way the roster is constructed at the moment, it’s pretty unlikely Delaney has any significant impact until at least 2018-19 even if he is healthy all season. If he continues to battle significant injuries, then Delaney’s basketball career might be in jeopardy.