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Recently, reports have been surfacing that things have cooled down between Villanova and 2015 target Chris Silva. The 2015 big man from Roselle Catholic in New Jersey had recently included the Wildcats among his list of top-5 schools, but when it came time to schedule visits, he only scheduled four -- with the Wildcats as the odd-man-out.
F Chris Silva and #Villanova have cooled, per @jerrymeyer247. Disappointing news for 'Cats. A lot riding on Brunson visit this weekend.
— Chris Lane (@chrisjjlane) September 4, 2014
It had previously been reported that Villanova was one of the front-runners for Silva, and it isn't necessarily clear who has taken a step back from the other in this recruitment. Silva is also considering URI, Seton Hall, Kansas State and South Carolina.
Villanova's Class of 2015 recruiting efforts appear to be targeted squarely on point guard Jalen Brunson now. The guard is visiting campus this weekend, and the coaching staff has turned all of their attention toward making the weekend a success.
Four experts from 247Sports.com flipped their predictions for Silva yesterday, all four of them now project that the New Jersey prep star will commit to Seton Hall. The changover shifts Villanova from the pack-leader to 38%, behind the Pirates.
Silva set a September 19th deadline on his commitment decision, which is a looming deadline. The Wildcats aren't located very far from his home, so depending on how the four scheduled visits go, it may still be possible that they will get back into the mix with the 2015 big.
The Wildcats have three scholarships open in the 2015 class, so regardless of what happens with Brunson, they won't necessarily be closing down the recruiting pipeline this month. Currently, the 2015 class includes shooting-guard Donte DiVincenzo and 6-8 South Jersey forward Tim Delaney.
Delaney may allay some fears of what-will-become-of-the-Wildcats after Daniel Ochefu graduates, but others may remain unsure of the Wildcats' depth on the front-line. That factor is why many were watching Silva's recruitment so closely.