Villanova Basketball 2019-20 Player Preview: Chris Arcidiacono

VUHoops continues our coverage of Villanova Basketball’s 100th Season by previewing the entire Wildcat roster. Be sure to check out all of our coverage including Ten Top 10’s, event coverage, and schedule previews. Check back over the coming weeks as we begin the celebration of 100 years of Villanova Basketball!

Chris Arcidiacono

Hometown: Langhorne, Pa.
High School: Neshaminy/Perkiomen School
Height: 6-5
Weight: 197

Player Preview:

With a last name like that, there’s no need for an introduction to the Arcidiacono family. As Jay Wright had previously put it, “they’re like Villanova royalty.”

Chris Arcidiacono has followed the footsteps of his older brother, becoming a Villanova Wildcat. He won’t be donning the No. 15, or Ryan’s NBA No. 51, forging his own identity with the No. 4—most recently worn by Eric Paschall and Darrun Hilliard.

Arcidiacono was a late addition to the incoming freshman class, somewhat a surprise given the timing of the announcement in the recruiting cycle.

He comes to Villanova after a prep year at the Perkiomen School (Pa.), where he averaged 20 points per game, 6.4 rebounds per game, and 4.7 assists per game. He also shot a team-high 41.9 percent from long range.

Before that, he racked up over 1,400 points during his time at Neshaminy (Pa.) and had a District One record-breaking 51-point performance against Lower Merion in a dramatic playoff victory.

He opted to take the prep year in hopes to boost his stock and before committing to Villanova, he also had offers from Delaware, La Salle, Toledo, Rider, Quinnipiac, Presbyterian, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, and Eastern Kentucky.

Arcidiacono was ranked a three-star prospect according to 247 Sports, with some Villanova fans curious to see what he can contribute on the court.

Best Case Scenario: Arcidiacono is able to smoothly adjust from the high school to Division I college game and cracks the rotation. Arcidiacono provides some valuable point guard minutes off the bench. It’s not entirely certain, yet, who can provide those secondary playmaker spots, but he’s able to relieve some of that pressure and contribute.

Worst Case Scenario: It’s going to be hard to picture an Arcidiacono glued to the bench, but when you have a crowded rotation and many other talented freshmen coming in, he may have to wait his turn.

The Wisdom of the Crowds

We are pleased to bring back our Wisdom of Crowds experiment for the 2019-20 season. In this series, we ask that you consider the points covered in our player preview to supplement your own personal insights and instincts to predict the points per game each scholarship player on the roster we score in the upcoming season.