Villanova Basketball Recruiting: 2019 Big Board

With Jahvon Quinerly’s commitment to Villanova, it looks like things are just about wrapped up for 2018 barring any surprises. You’ll notice below that Villanova currently has 14 scholarships committed for next season, so at least one departure is necessary. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges are both likely off to the NBA Draft, so no issues there really.

If that comes to pass, that leaves 3 scholarships open for the 2019 class - and possibly more if Donte DiVincenzo and/or Omari Spellman increase their draft stock next year.

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

vuhoops.com

Below are the names worth tracking at this point, as they either hold an offer or have confirmed interest from Villanova. We will likely see more offers this summer once the AAU circuit starts back up.

Offers

Bryan Antoine (Eatontown, N.J.) - 5-star CG - #7 Nationally

The first half of Ranney School’s dyanmic duo, Antoine is an scoring guard who already has offers from Villanova and pretty much every other top program in the country. There’s some buzz that Villanova has put itself into a good position with Antoine as we head into AAU season — but throw him in the “I’ll believe it when I see it” category of past one-and-done Top-10 prospects.

Justin Moore (Hyattsville, Md.) - 4-star SG - #102 Nationally

The DeMatha (Md.) and Team Takeover guard tore his ACL last spring and is finally back to playing competitive basketball. Moore had some great things to say about Villanova in a recent interview and it sounds like the ‘Cats staff is really prioritizing him. There was some buzz that he might commit this spring, but the above article has since changed and it looks lik ehe’s going to wait a while.

Isaiah Wong (Trenton, N.J.) - 4-star CG - #104 Nationally

Wong is a smooth guard that plays for WE-R-1 (UAA) and transferred from Notre Dame Prep (N.J.) to Bonner-Prendie in the PCL this year where he was just named MVP of the league, as a junior. He’s already spoken highly of the ‘Nova program and looks like a good option. He’s a little thin, and would really benefit from Coach Shack’s S&C program.

Eric Dixon (Abington, Pa.) - 4-star PF - #112 Nationally

Already a member of USA Basketball, Dixon is a bull at 6’6” and 250 pounds -- though his positional fit at the next level remains up for debate. He’s reportedly a good shooter with some range and has a redefined game on the blocks. Virginia appears to be the biggest competition for him - no reason to doubt Jay Wright and Tony Bennett given the sucess they have had developing talent.

John Bol Ajak (Paoli, Pa.) - 3-star PF - #158 Nationally

Bol Ajak was offered by Villanova and lives right down the road. A really athletic prospect that plays in the Team Final program and impressed enough to land some quality offers last summer. Depending on how things shake out in a suddenly crowded frontcourt, he could be a good project to take on.

Cole Anthony (New York, N.Y.) - 5-star PG - #5 Nationally

Villanova has offered Anthony and is reportedly involved - not that you’d know that because Anthony doesn’t talk to the media at all about his recruitment. Expect it to stay that way until he starts taking visits. Playing time is likely a big factor in his recruitment, so it may be wait-and-see here for Villanova.

Jalen Lecque (The Bronx, N.Y.) - 5-star CG - #12 Nationally

Lecque rivals Scottie Lewis as one of the most electric athletes in the class. Villanova has offered Lecque, and he’s visited campus unofficially. Since enrolling at The Christ School (N.C.), there hasn’t been as much chatter surrounding he and ‘Nova. There was some buzz Lecque may reclassify up to 2018 earlier this Winter, but that appears to have died down.

Scottie Lewis (Eatontown, N.J.) - 5-star SF - #6 Nationally

Lewis is a high-flying wing that has scouts gushing about his athleticism every time he takes the court. He has offers from everybody as well, and schools are trying to sell he and Antoine on playing together as a package deal. Lewis reportedly favors Florida early on, with Kentucky making a big push since offering.

Aidan Igiehon (Woodmere, N.Y.) - 4-star C - #38 Nationally

The Ireland native has been tracked by the ‘Nova staff for over a year. At 6’10” he’s got ideal size and a great frame to add weight. He’s a gifted athlete that has already drawn coaches from all over the East coast.

Armando Bacot (Richmond, Va.) - 5-star PF - #20 Nationally

Bacot was one of the earlier offers for Villanova in the class, and they’re on his list of 10 schools. That’s nice and all, but I wouldn’t bet this is a match as his recruitment continues to progress.

Prospects To Watch

Anthony Harris (Fairfax, Va.) - 4-star CG - #68 Nationally

Teammate of Brandon Slater at Paul VI and a speedy guard in the Team Takeover program. Could be one to watch out for as a spring offer.

Isaiah Stewart (Rochester, N.Y.) - 5-star C - #25 Nationally

The ‘Cats have watched/reached out to Stewart, who is a big blue-blood target. Can’t see much happening here, but you never know!

Seth Lundy (Philadelphia, Pa.) - 4-star SF - #120 Nationally

The Roman Catholic star is a good positional fit on the wing for ‘Nova - but the roster is already stacked with similar players. An offer this Spring wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

Donta Scott (Philadelphia, Pa.) - 3-star SF - #154 Nationally

One of the most hyped prospects in Philadelphia seems to have stunted a little bit in his development - high-end athlete worth monitoring, though I suspect that like Lundy he may be a victim of Villanova’s needs.

Khalif Battle (Metuchen, N.J.) - 4-star SG - #122 Nationally

Younger brother of Syracuse guard Tyus Battle, he recently visited to watch the ‘Cats blow out Xavier. High-level scorer that plays for Team Final.

Paul Mulcahy (Gladstone, N.J.) - 3-star SF - #166 Nationally

Villanova was seen watching him last Summer and he’s picked up some Big East offers (Marquette and Xavier) to an already impressive list this Winter.

Naheem McLeod (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) - 4-star C - #140 Nationally

McLeod is already 7-feet tall and right next door to ‘Nova -- worth keeping an eye on, but I don’t know if he’s the right fit for what Villanova is looking for in the frontcourt.