Villanova Basketball on the road to visit elite 2021 recruits

Happy Wednesday Nova Nation! Saturday’s Hoops Mania isn’t just for Villanova fans, it’s one of the biggest recruiting nights for the school of the year. But even with Saturday’s big event on the horizon, Jay Wright and his staff got in some face time with a few of the top recruits on their board.

Langston Love is a Top 20, 5-Star recruit in the Class of 2021. He hails from Texas, but is currently attending school in Florida at the Montverde Acadamy. He’s rated as the #2 shooting guard in the class, and at 6’4” has all of the tools Jay Wright loves in a guard. There hasn’t been as much buzz around his recruitment as other prospects in the class, but Villanova looks to be up against some of the big schools from the South and South West like Baylor, Oklahoma, Houston, and Arkansas to name a few.

Max Christie hails from outside Chicago, and is often rated the #1 shooting guard in the class. The Top 10 recruit from the 2021 class is being pursued heavily by Duke, along with local universities like Illinois and Northwestern. Duke seems to be the favorite so far, but we’ve seen Jay Wright beat out Coach K for recruits before.

It’s still (probably) going to be a while before we know anything definitive on these recruitments, but the narrative is pretty clear: Wright is focused on a strong 2021 class. As for 2020, there may be a recruit or two but don’t expect any big names. With no seniors on this team there is the possibility that everyone’s back next season, although the NBA will likely come calling for a select few Wildcats. Either way, we won’t know how things are leaning yet, while for 2021 it’s clear there will be at least three open spots on the roster and in the rotation.

In other “news”, Jalen Brunson is named to SI’s All-Decade 2nd Team, Val Ackerman is killing it for the Big East, and OL Brandon Hitner has finally landed with an NFL team. Enjoy!

Villanova Basketball

College basketball: NCAA all decade second team | SI.com
Our second team for SI's college basketball All-Decade package gets to a few of the heavy hitters of the last 10 years of the sport... and there's a Villanovan.

Big East

Dom Amore: How Big East boss Val Ackerman defies the odds, makes things happen — and brought UConn back home | Hartford Courant
Six years after taking over a league still searching for staff and office space, this fall of 2019 finds Val Ackerman, 59, at the top of her game.

NBA Wildcats

The Best NBA Free Agents At Each Position Still Available On The Open Market | Forbes
As training camp commences across the country, a look at the best free agents that remain unsigned.

Villanova Football

FCS members to push for 'GameDay' attention | Yahoo! Sports
On Wednesday, all 13 FCS conferences and their member schools are expected to do a strategic social media blast with the goal of getting the hashtag #FCSonGameDay trending. The blast, scheduled for 11 a.m. ET, will tag ESPN and some of the show's personalities. It will build on an original social

NFL Wildcats

Jets add OL Brandon Hitner to Practice Squad After Broncos Poach OT Calvin Anderson | JetNation.com (NY Jets Blog & Forum)
Jets had an open spot and added former Villanova offensive lineman Brandon Hitner.

Villanova Athletics

Lydia Sydnor selected as September Student Athlete of the Month | Villanova University Athletics
Field Hockey senior Lydia Sydnor has been selected as the September Student Athlete of the Month, presented by The Rothman Institute.

Allie Olsonoski Named to BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll | Villanova University Athletics
New York - Senior Allie Olsonoski was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for her efficient play at Creighton and Providence. This is the first time she has

College Basketball

2019-20 NBC Sports College Basketball Preseason All-America Teams | NBC Sports
Who did we leave off of the list?