Villanova Basketball 2018 Season Recap: Donte DiVincenzo

Donte DiVincenzo’s Stats

The Breakdown

There is not much to be said that has not already been said about Villanova’s red-headed super-sub. While most will remember his 31-point outburst in the National Championship game, Donte was a strong contributor off the bench for the Wildcats all season long. Seeing 29.0 minutes per game this season, the Big Ragu averaged 13.4 points per game while notably shooting 40% from three.

Every Villanova fan is aware of what Donte DiVincenzo can do. He is an elite athlete with enough quickness and bounce to posterize any defender. He has a great shot with a quick release and, as we are aware, can single-handedly keep the Wildcats in a game when he gets hot. However, with every steal-and-dunk, come two or three cheat-and-misses. With every nifty pass, comes a maddening inbounds turnover. While Donte ended the season on the highest of notes, there were moments where we were wondering whether he would finally iron out the kinks that have been present in his game since he arrived on campus.

Overall, the 2017-2018 season essentially showcased the highs and (relative) lows of Donte DiVincenzo. He has the skill set, the athleticism, and the moxy to undoubtedly play in the NBA. However, the decision making and defensive awareness still appear to be lagging behind. While many on this board have accepted these “warts” as going hand in hand with the type of player Donte is: aggressive, risky, and, very often, on a highlight reel, others have argued that there are areas of his game that will need to be improved before he can be a consistent contributor in the NBA.

The reality is that, while we pinpoint questionable passes and defensive gambles, NBA scouts will likely

Looking Ahead

DiVincenzo has declared for the NBA Draft and will be taking part in the Combine and related workouts. While he has not hired an agent, the speculation appears to be that DiVincenzo will remain the draft, undoubtedly seeking to capitalize on his post-National Championship bump.

While much is up in the air right now, including whether Omari Spellman returns as well, should Donte return, he would join a starting five that would include, at the very least Eric Paschall, Phil Booth, and Jahvon Quinerly. DiVincenzo, with his strong outside shot and ability to get to the basket, would be an incredibly dangerous weapon for a Wildcats offense that will be looking to replace the production of Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges.

It seems safe to say that, should Donte return, he is in line for a big season. The National Championship performance puts him in line to be one of the faces of college basketball next year and, while we complain about some of the lingering issues, Donte has steadily improved on the offense end year after year.

Should Donte DiVincenzo and Omari Spellman both return (the stuff of dreams), I will be booking my flight to the Mini-Apple.

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