Villanova Basketball Recruiting: 2018 Big Board

The July Live Period is just around the corner, which means that college coaches can once again hit the road and evaluate prospects in live game-action. The Villanova Wildcats staff has been working with the current team on campus, and hosting some unofficial visits. As we get into the latter half of July, expect some official visits to pop up on the radar as well.

Right now, Phil Booth is the lone senior set to graduate before this class arrives, but even he will have a 5th year of eligibility if he’s granted a medical redshirt as expected. That means that if there is no attrition, just two scholarships remain open.

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

A big however though as it would seem the ‘Cats staff is currently operating with the presumption that Jalen Brunson is about to play his last season on the Main Line. That’s made landing a point guard a massive priority. Mikal Bridges and Omari Spellman are both on the NBA’s radar, and Eric Paschall and Phil Booth will be graduating academically (but possess one year of elibility remaining).

There’s a lot up in the air.

(Editor’s Note: Forgive our non-sexy format. As we continue to build out our new editor, embedding HTML right now is not a good option. Hopefully we’ll be back to our usual format in the future.)

Backcourt

With Brandon Slater committed, Villanova has another lengthy wing that should excel immediately at the little things that earn playing time under Jay Wright. Pairing a shooter with Slater seems important, as does landing at least one prospect who can feature as a point guard.

Brandon Slater (Fairfax, Va.) - 4-star SG - #42 Nationally

Slater committed to Villanova on May 24th.

Jahvon Quinerly (Jersey City, N.J.) - 5-star PG - #14 Nationally

He was an elite prospect before the spring sessions, but Quinerly has done nothing but improve his stock and eliminate some of the concerns about his size and frame. He played so well at the NBPA Top 100 Camp that 247 bumped him up to the #9 prospect overall and the top point guard in their new rankings. He’s currently scheduled for his first official visit to Arizona this coming weekend, but Villanova is thought to be in the driver’s seat with Virginia running second. Expect Villanova to get a visit before Quinerly makes his decision.

Elijah Weaver (Oldsmar, Fla.) - 4-star PG - #32 Nationally

There’s been some mixed reviews on Weaver this spring, but his ranking has held steady. The biggest knock on him right now is his ability to shoot from the perimeter. Would the ‘Cats take both Quinerly and Weaver? There’s been a run of sorts in the Crystal Ball for both prospects to Villanova recently and Weaver has said he and Quinerly talk about playing together at Villanova. Weaver currently doesn’t have any official visits scheduled, but expect those to get underway shortly.

Dane Goodwin (Columbus, Ohio) - 4-star SG - #82 Nationally

Goodwin just decommited from Ohio State today after having been committed to Thad Matta for several years. News broke that he’s already taken official visits to both Notre Dame and Villanova this week, so this appears to be a serious option that the Wildcats staff is trying to jump on. Goodwin rivals Swider as one of the best shooters in the country.

Cole Swider (Barrington, R.I.) - 4-star SF - #86 Nationally

Swider might be the best shooter in the country, as evidenced by his 11-16 effort from downtown at the NBPA camp. He sees himself as a stretch 4 in college ,and at 6’8” he has great size and an expanding floor game that’s he’s showed off all spring. Swider is down to a final 4 of Villanova, Xavier, Duke and Syracuse. He’s scheduled to visit Syracuse, Duke and Xavier consecutively in the coming days. He hasn’t set a date for Villanova just yet, but the ‘Cats look to have the final visit before a decision. Swider seems eager get the process over with - could he be the next commitment?

A.J. Reeves (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) - 4-star SG - #70 Nationally

Reeves is down to a final four with Villanova, Virginia, Louisville and Providence vying for his signature. Reeves recently stated he’d be setting official visits to his finalists in the near future, and looks like he’s trending towards an early Fall decision. With Slater on board and the ‘Cats targeting a point guard, Reeves could make a lot of sense to pair with those two in the backcourt. He’s an excellent shooter with a refined offensive skill package.

Cameron Reddish (Norristown, Pa.) - 5-star SF - #4 Nationally

Reddish seems to have moved back his timeline a bit, previously suggesting that he may announce before or at the Peach Jam. But he hasn’t taken any visits this spring due to a full schedule (AAU, USA Basketball, various camps). He may opt to wait it out with the other elite prospects.

David Duke (Providence, R.I.) - 4-star CG - #63 Nationally

Villanova offered David Duke in early May, and the combo guard (who likely projects as a point guard in the future) has enjoyed a monster spring which has seen him shoot up the recruiting rankings. He’d be a great option in the backcourt. He claims to be cutting down his list after the Live Period, but seems further behind in his recruitment at this stage. His hometown school, Providence, is thought to be the leader.

Prentiss Hubb (Washington, D.C.) - 4-star SG - #45 Nationally

Hubb committed to Notre Dame on May 18th.

Cormac Ryan (Milton, Mass.) - 4-star SG - #54 Nationally

Ryan committed to Stanford on June 4th.

Devon Dotson (Charlotte, N.C.) - 4-star PG - #28 Nationally

Dotson has narrowed his list to a final eight, and Villanova did not make the cut. This appeared to be a mutual lukewarm recruitment prior to the cut.

Hameir Wright (Albany, N.Y.) - 4-star SF - #51 Nationally

Wright has had a pretty quiet spring with the PSA Cardinals, and Villanova and he haven’t been mentioned in nearly a year. This one feels over.

Nate Laszewski (Northfield, Mass.) - 3-star SF - #171 Nationally

Not much contact between Villanova and Laszewski since the initial offer. This one feels over.

Frontcourt

Jalen Smith is the only true frontcourt offer right now, and he’d be a great fit as Jay Wright incorporates more postionless basketball into his philosophy. If Smith heads elsewhere, the staff may wait until the spring to see if they have a need( i.e. will Omari Spellman stick around?).

Jalen Smith (Baltimore, Md.) - 4-star PF - #26 Nationally

Smith is scheduled for his first official visit to Maryland this weekend, which many thought might be the end to a recruitment that has seen the Terps viewed as the leader for a while. Smith refuted that at the NBPA camp however, saying he’ll be visiting Villanova, Virginia and Syracuse after the Peach Jam. A date has yet to be announced, but Smith looks set to give everybody one final look before a decision.