Villanova Basketball’s Class of 2019 is officially signed

Happy Friday Nova Nation! Surrounded by his family, including his older brother and former Nova great Ryan, Chris Arcidiacono signed his letter of intent to play for Villanova Basketball.

This is officially the highest rated class of Jay Wright’s career, per 247 sports rankings that go back to 2005. The addition of Arcidiacono pushes the Class of 2019 up to a 68.74 rating, the highest Villanova has received on the site. Prior to that, the class was still second to the 2009 class that rated at 68.51, but ultimately didn’t live up to expectations.

On an individual basis, 5-star commits Bryan Antoine and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl rank 2nd and 3rd among Villanova recruits since 2005, only behind Mouphtaou Yarou. That’s higher than two more Villanova greats in Omari Spellman and Jalen Brunson, who rank 4th and 5th respectively.

As for the rest of the class, 4-star commit Justin Moore ranks 16th on the list between Daniel Ochefu and James Bell. Another 4-star commit, Eric Dixon, ranks one spot higher than his future coach Mike Nardi at 23rd. And at 46th, 3-star commit Chris Arcidiacono comes in one spot ahead of another member of last year’s coaching staff, Darryl Reynolds.

Who’s last on that list? That would be current Director of Basketball Operations, Final Four starter, and the guy super man diving for balls before Ryan Arcidiacono was even on campus, Dwayne Anderson. Rankings may be important in getting on campus, but they don’t mean ANYTHING once you’re there.

In other “news”, Eric Dixon will be in action on Monday, St. John’s coaching search may be coming to an underwhelming end, and Jay Wright is part of the Eagles 2019 schedule release video. Enjoy!

Villanova Basketball

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Class of 2019

Chris Arcidiacono signs letter of intent to play basketball at Villanova | The Inquirer
The younger brother of former Wildcats star Ryan Arcidiacono was a second-team all-state player during his senior season at Neshaminy High School and played this past season for the Perkiomen School.

Allen Iverson Roundball Classic and its star-studded rosters return to Souderton on April 26 | The Inquirer
The Classic is a game featuring high school stars from around the country that is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Doors are to open at 5. Eric Dixon will play in Monday's Play By Play Invitational.

Recruiting

Kentucky to visit 5-star shooting guard | Cats Pause
Kentucky and Villanova are both expected to visit Studio City (Calif.) Harvard Westlake 5-star 2020 shooting guard Johnny Juzang this week, according to Evan Daniels of 247Sports.

Big East

St. John’s expected to hire Mike Anderson | CollegeBasketballTalk
Red Storm's mocked search coming to a close

NBA Wildcats

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Taking a look at how Josh Hart performed throughout the 2018-19 season.

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Dallas Mavericks: Development of Jalen Brunson worth celebrating | Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Dallas Mavericks are not in the playoffs, don’t look like they will have a lottery pick, but the development of second round pick Jalen Brunson is worthy of celebrating.

NFL Wildcats

Best-Kept Secrets of the 2019 NFL Draft | Bleacher Report
Think you know everything there is to know about this year's NFL draft prospects? Think again. This rundown of best-kept draft secrets features prospects you have never heard of and some familiar names you'll want to get to know a little better...

Denver Broncos news: Team signs Trey Johnson and Jake Brendel | Broncos Wire
The Broncos have signed cornerback Trey Johnson and offensive lineman Jake Brendel.

Broncos add a pair of tryout players | ProFootballTalk
Since they have a new coach, the Broncos were able to start their offseason program, and have a minicamp earlier as well. And from that minicamp, they found some new Broncos.

Villanova Adjacent

Watch a Bunch of Celebs Announce the Philadelphia Eagles Schedule | Philly Mag
Football season isn't until September, but you can whet your appetite with this video featuring Brian Dawkins, The Roots, and Jimmy Rollins. Jay Wright has the high honor of announcing the Dallas home game.

Reading United Add Five From Philadelphia Soccer 6 | Reading Magazine
Reading United will add a bit of Philly flavor for the 2019 season, bringing five players with Philadelphia collegiate ties to our 2019 roster.

College Basketball

College basketball coaching moves: Grading 2015's biggest hires four years later | CBSSports.com
After a full recruiting cycle, we assess and hand out appropriate grades for the biggest college hoops hirings of 2015