Happy Wednesday Nova Nation! Allow me to life the curtain and give you a backstage peek at the Arizin. Usually after putting my kid to bed, I boot up the laptop and search around for anything that strikes me about Villanova Basketball or other related topics. After looking at the actual news, I’ll take a quick look at Twitter to see if anything is breaking or if there’s a fun video. Well last night I found a gold mine of tweets, videos, and everything else one could want to find on Twitter. It was delightful. So for your reading and viewing pleasure, here’s a quick rundown of some of the best Twitter had to offer regarding Villanova Basketball:
New Jersey Numbers
We start with the announcement of the Villanova Jersey numbers for each of the new players:
New Wildcats / New Numbers #NovaMBB #GoNova pic.twitter.com/eQIXxsQ7FA
— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) June 25, 2019
In case you’re trying to put a figure on who else you’ve seen wear these numbers, here’s a quick rundown of some of the recent players to wear these numbers. Fun fact, outside of Eric Dixon’s #43, all five other jersey numbers were on one or both of Villanova’s recent NCAA Championship teams.
- Bryan Antoine, #1: Jalen Brunson, Scottie Reynolds, Kyle Lowry
- Chris Arcidiacono, #4: Eric Paschall, Darrun Hilliard
- Justin Moore, #5: Phil Booth, Tony Chennault
- Caleb Daniels, #14: Omari Spellman, Darryl Reynolds (Fresh & Soph), Allan Ray
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, #24: Joe Cremo, Tom Leibig, Corey Stokes
- Eric Dixon, #43: First player under Jay Wright to wear #43
For extra fun, check out the great back and forth between Ryan Arcidiacono and Darrun Hilliard over Chris Arcidiacono’s new #4 jersey.
Happy Birthday Collin!
Yesterday was the big Two-Oh for junior captain and leader of the Wildcats, Collin Gillespie. Here’s the usual video of the team’s celebrating it at practice:
Happy Birthday to one of our fierce leaders - hope you enjoyed the day @Colling1021 !! pic.twitter.com/erc20BxToJ
— Jay Wright (@VUCoachJWright) June 25, 2019
And since it’s summer, let’s WAAAYYYY over analyze this thing:
- Love the chemistry between Saddiq Bey and Gillespie, with Bey being the first one in to nearly tackle Gillespie. Bey and Gillespie were roommates last year, and it’s great to see that kind of connection between what could be the top two scorers on next year’s team.
- Good to see Bryan Antoine on the court, even if his right arm is in a sling. If he can’t get in time on the court while rehabbing, he’s at least still putting in the work with the team.
- Speaking of the freshman class, Eric Dixon back on campus after trying out for USA Basketball. While it’s disappointing that he didn’t make the squad, it does mean more time working with the team, learning how to play Villanova basketball, and growing closer with the team.
- Not saying there’s a bad reason for not being there, but Justin Moore is the lone unaccounted for member of the team with Jeremiah Robinson-Earl over in Greece with Team USA.
Get Excited For JRE
This is an old clip, but always great to see a future Villanova star playing great defense:
This is the first Jeremiah Robinson-Earl clip I've posted, but I can guarantee you it won't be the last. pic.twitter.com/7SbWPkaAhL
— Jake Rosen (@JakeInThePaint) June 26, 2019
I have yet to see him play in person, but the live games I’ve seen on TV (HS Championship, HS All-Star games) lead me to believe that Jeremiah Robinson-Earl might not only be the rookie of the year for the Wildcats, but the team’s MVP. Expect big things from the big man!
Jay Wright Can’t Stop Coaching
As one of our links below details, Jay Wright was at the Phillies game yesterday to speak with the players and enjoy a game. Of course he took the opportunity to snap a pic with one of the all-time Philly greats:
Great to be at the ballpark and hang with the champ @JimmyRollins11 !!! pic.twitter.com/Y6NDC4sui4
— Jay Wright (@VUCoachJWright) June 26, 2019
Always great to see coach out and enjoying the summer break!
Jalen Brunson VS 100 Children
Last but certainly not least is my favorite clip from yesterday. Jalen Brunson is currently holding one of his Skills Academy sessions at Villanova, and from the looks of it he challenged the entire camp to a game:
I hope @jalenbrunson1 is a Maverick for life pic.twitter.com/ZngsqmsMAd
— All Things Mavs (@All_Things_Mavs) June 25, 2019
Ok, so they’re young and probably aren’t 100 of them, but shout out to Mike Jensen (@jensenoffcampus) for pointing out the most impressive part of this video, “MVP level stuff, not knocking anybody over.” I will never get enough Jalen Brunson in my life!
I’m sure Twitter will go right back to being horrifying and terrible, but I’m glad we were all able to enjoy some great tweets from yesterday. Now back to the links.
In other “news”, Kyle Lowry is just the best, Josh Hart predicted as the next NBA 6th Man, and breakdancing at the Olympics. Enjoy!
Villanova Basketball
UCLA Basketball: Five teams the Bruins should schedule in the future | Go Joe Bruin
Villanova should tell UCLA they have to pay double to schedule the Cats.
Phillies Notes: More Bamboo, Stranger Things, and Jay Wright | Crossing Broad
Kapler told reporters that Villanova head basketball coach Jay Wright addressed the Phillies earlier this afternoon.
A breakdown of Team U.S.A.'s U19 World Cup roster | iowastatedaily.com
Suiting up in the red, white and blue for Team USA in the 2019 U19 FIBA World Cup in Greece is an uber-talented collection of young players from the high
Recruiting
Kentucky Basketball Recruiting: UK moving into the lead for Jalen Green | A Sea Of Blue
Green is ranked No. 2 overall in the 2020 class.
NBA Wildcats
Kyle Lowry on the Raptors' amazing NBA championship journey | SI.com
He didn’t see eye-to-eye with his boss after a franchise-altering trade, but Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry kept his cool, cleared the air and four months later helped lead Toronto to its first NBA title.
One thing Warriors' Eric Paschall wants to work on most before season | Yahoo! Sports
Eric Paschall shot 34.8 percent from beyond the arc (70-for-201) during his senior season at Villanova.
Very Early 2019-2020 NBA Award Predictions | White Wolf
Very Early 2019-2020 NBA Award Predictions fantasy news and analytics. They've got Josh Hart winning the 6th man of the year award.
NBA Rankings 2019: Top 5 Best Young Cores in the League | Campus Sports
Three of the five feature former Wildcats.
Raptors news: Kyle Lowry told Jay Wright Toronto would win the NBA Finals after Game 2 | Clutch Points
Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry told Villanova head coach Jay Wright the Raptors would win the NBA Finals after Game 2.
Chicago Bulls: Ryan Arcidiacono offered, Wayne Selden hitting free agency | Pippen Ain't Easy
Free agency starts on June 30, and the Chicago Bulls are already making roster moves with Ryan Arcidiacono and Wayne Selden.
Big 5
Billy Lange’s coaching staff at St. Joseph’s comes together in the end | The Inquirer
If Lange’s Hawks are going to succeed, he knows — everyone knows — it starts at home.
College Basketball
College basketball rankings: Andy Katz's Power 36 following the NBA draft | NCAA.com
Andy Katz breaks down the top 36 projected teams for the 2019-2020 men's basketball season.
Jumping from high school sports to college: How to transition | Poughkeepsie Journal
Maddy Siegrist, who dominated at Our Lady of Lourdes, missed her first season on the Villanova women’s basketball team with a broken ankle.
2024 Olympics
Breakdancing takes step closer to Olympic debut in Paris | KLEW
Breakdancing moved a step closer to the 2024 Olympics on Tuesday, and now organizers can look to book a street venue in Paris. Called breaking in Olympic circles, its medal debut was last October at the Buenos Aires Youth Summer Games. The street dance competitions will have 16 athletes in each of the men's and women's medal events in Paris.