Phil Booth will return to Villanova for 5th year

As if the National Championship parade wasn’t enough, Villanova Wildcats fans had extra reason to cheer on Thursday morning when Jay Wright announced that guard Phil Booth would return next season.

While it wasn’t official until today, most had surmised that Booth may in fact return. Due to his redshirt season last year, he has one more year of eligibility remaining. The potential to leave made sense too. Booth will earn his degree this Spring and has had an injury-plagued career with the ‘Cats. Getting paid to play basketball while his body allowed him to do so was a possibility.

Getting Booth back is a coup for next year’s team. The captain is extremely well-liked and respected by his teammates, and is an integral part of the core rotation. His presence will steady the young backcourt of Collin Gillespie and Jahvon Quinerly as they take on big roles next season.

If Booth can remain healthy and on the court, he should be one of the stars of the team next season.