Here's your weekly update on the two incoming Villanova basketball players for next season. An injury for Omari Spellman may threaten to keep him sidelined in the immediate future, while Dylan Painter's strong play doesn't seem to be enough to get Hershey on a winning streak.
Plus, some updates on who the Wildcats' coaching staff was watching this past week.
Omari Spellman
Another perfect week for Spellman and the St. Thomas More Chancellors, who ran their record to 8-0 o the season. Spellman averaged 9.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg this week, but it should be noted that he left his last game just 6 minutes in due to injury. His Instagram account would suggest it's teeth-related, so nothing too serious. He's averaging 16.4 ppg and 6.9 rpg so far this season.
Noteworthy - Spellman was left off the Nike Hoop Summit roster released on Monday. Just more motivation for Omari before he gets to the Main Line.
Next Up: St. Thomas More will travel to Holyoke Community College to play in the Hall of Fame Basketbull Showcase against Dawson College (CAN). They'll then head to holiday break before resuming play in early January.
Dylan Painter
Another up and down week for Hershey, as they were able to go on the road and grind out a 38-34 win over Mechanicsburg, but they fell short at home against Red Land. Painter was impressive in both games, recording 16 and 19 points, respectively. On the season he's averaging 18 ppg.
Next Up: Home vs. Susquehanna Twp (12/15) and at Cedar Cliff (12/18).
Bonus! The Villanova coaches weren't just preparing for La Salle this past week. Villanova was spotted watching triple-double machine Mohamed Bamba and is starting to show interest in his teammate Brandon Randolph, and coaches were also in the gym for Trevon Duval (and presumably D.J. Harvey) ($) on Saturday.
Jay Wright also watched Lonnie Walker on Friday night as he dropped 21 points.
Villanova had representation at the Scholar Roundball Classic where NMH was in action (read them here) as well as Cushing Academy, which features Wabissa Bede and Jarrod Simmons. They also checked in on Jermaine Samuelsin his first game back from injury.