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Happy Wednesday Nova Nation! This past week was a big one for college basketball recruiting, as coaching staffs had their first small window to go and visit players off-campus. One of Villanova’s trips included 2020 Small Forward Johnny Juzang out in California. Assistant Coach George Halcovage made the trip out to give Villanova’s pitch on how Juzang would fit into Villanova’s culture on and off the court.
Villanova in to see Johnny Juzang pic.twitter.com/Tn6N5CqvAe
— Compton Magic (@Compton_Magic) April 23, 2019
Of course Villanova wasn’t the only school to visit Juzang, in fact they weren’t the only Wildcats. John Calipari and his staff from Kentucky were also out in to see the small forward, and it appears their pitch wasn’t just about how he would fit in at Kentucky, but when. In the article below, it sounds like Juzang is now considering reclassifying to become a 2019 recruit.
Yesssssir... Congratulations @JohnnyJuzang!! pic.twitter.com/8eDGKTJkeA
— Coach Moore (@CoachMoore82) April 19, 2019
Johnny Juzang is a 5-star recruit, so obviously he’s a player the Wildcats would love to bring in. But as far as roster construction goes, the wing position is already pretty well represented. Even if consider Jermaine Samuels to be a forward instead of a wing player, Juzang would still be competing with the entire 2018 class of Saddiq Bey, Cole Swider, and Brandon Slater. And if Juzang did reclass to 2019, that would mean the Wildcats are bringing in six scholarship freshmen next season, the largest class Jay Wright has ever had.
Kentucky on the other hand has a need at the wing, and the opportunity for Juzang to fill that need next season. Considering that Kentucky is already the leader per 247’s crystal ball, Juzang’s twitter post yesterday isn’t promising for Villanova fans.
Big announcement tomorrow @ 4:30pm PST !
— Johnny Juzang (@JohnnyJuzang) April 23, 2019
This may not necesarily be an announcement of where Juzang plans to play, but it will likely at least be a declaration of whether or not he reclasses to 2019. If that happens, I’d put Villanova’s chances of landing the recruit at next to none. But if he stays in 2020 and maybe announces that he’s going to visit campus, then yes, I’m saying there’s a chance. Stay tuned tonight at 7:30 PM EST for more.
In other “news”, Eric Dixon continues to look great in his final high school game, Kyle Lowry’s Raptors have advanced to the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs, and Tim Thomas has the best stories. Enjoy!
Class of 2019
Eric Dixon impresses in last game before heading to Villanova | Zagsblog
Eric Dixon remembers what it was like to work his way into the rotation as a freshman at Abington (Pa.).
Where Cole Anthony, Other Top Basketball Recruits Are Playing | The Big Lead
Cole Anthony, a five-star guard out of Virginia, announced on Get Up this morning that he will be taking his talents to UNC for the upcoming college basketball season. With his commitment, it means nine of the top 10 players are decided for next season. Here’s how it shakes out.
Recruiting
5-Star SF Johnny Juzang "Considering" Reclassification To 2019 | The SPUN
A five star recruit from the 2020 class is considering a reclassification to 2019. Here's the latest on Johnny Juzang.
Villanova Basketball Adjacent
Denzel Washington Snuck Villanova Star out of Class, Taught a Lesson | Heavy.com
McDonald's All Amercian, Villanova standout, Tim Thomas tells Scoop B Radio that Denzel Washington snuck him out of class.
NBA Wildcats
Jalen Brunson took advantage of opportunity his rookie season with the Dallas Mavericks | Mavs Moneyball
The Mavericks rookie continued to grow in his first season, showing he could be a valuable piece in Dallas
2018-19 Season Rewind: Mikal Bridges | Phoenix Suns
An inside look at Mikal Bridges rookie season.
Wednesday Quickie Quiz & Single Digits: Kyle Lowry, Joel Embiid, Chet Walker, Zack Wheeler, Ron Darling | Bettors Insider
Toronto’s Kyle Lowry (Villanova) has scored 12,355 regular season points, the third-highest NBA career total for a former Big 5 player. Who are the top two?
Coaching Carousel
Maryland-Eastern Shore hires NBA G-League assistant as hoops coach | HBCU Gameday
Maryland-Eastern Shore has finally decided on a men's basketball coach after having an interim in place for over a year.
Phoenix Suns: 5 candidates to replace Igor Kokoskov as head coach | Hoops Habit
After abruptly and brashly firing Igor Kokoskov, the Phoenix Suns need a new head coach once again. Here are five potential candidates that make sense. FINALLY, someone takes the correct approach to talking about Wright as a coaching candidate... which is to dismiss it.
College Basketball
Marquette transfers Joey and Sam Hauser reportedly plan to visit Michigan State | mlive.com
The Hauser brothers were both key players for Marquette last season
Duke’s recruiting class is No. 1 again, but Coach K lacks a super team | SBNation.com
A look at what’s next for Duke after putting the finishing touches on another No. 1 recruiting class.
UNC Recruiting: Five-star guard Cole Anthony commits to UNC | Tar Heel Blog
After months of speculation, the Heels just landed their top target for 2019.
College Basketball 2019-2020 Preseason Top 25 | CollegeBasketballTalk
The only top 25 you need to read.