Things are not trending in the right direction in Villanova’s quest for a starting center.
In the past 24 hours, Boston center Ben Defty and College of Charleston center Christian Reeves have committed to Arizona State and Kansas, respectively. This takes two reported targets for the Wildcats off of the board, a board which was already thin on options. There is also the reported update from insiders that Villanova is now “seemingly out” on Georgetown center Julius Halaifonua. So where does that leave the Wildcats’ pursuit?
At this stage, the only other name that has been connected to Villanova is 19-year-old Italian center Luigi Suigo. The 7’3” big man recently declared for the draft, and he will have until June 13 at 5 PM Eastern to withdraw. Waiting on Suigo would leave the Wildcats in a precarious situation, not only because the already-shrinking options would reduce further, but also because BYU has also been named in connection to Suigo on a number of occasions. The odds are that the Cougars could outbid Villanova for his services.
Outside of Suigo, there’s always the chance that there’s a name we’re not hearing. That was the case for both Elijah Crawford and Darryl Simmons II, but unfortunately the guard position has many more quality names to choose from.
The other option is the looming ruling on the “5 in 5” proposal. The Division 1 Board of Directors are set to meet on Monday, according to Jon Rothstein, to receive a report from the Division 1 Cabinet on the proposal.
There are a number of ways that this could play out, but the one that pertains to this immediate conversation would be the eligibility of Duke Brennan.
As a fan of the team, I sincerely hope that this isn’t the plan. Brennan was amazing this past year for the Wildcats, averaging a double-double and earning all-league honors. That said, there’s no guarantee when this ruling will officially become effective. And as a fan of the sport, it would be utter chaos if this ruling became effective immediately. In a sport that lacks a certain amount of order these days, they need to implement this no earlier than the 2027-28 season.
At the moment, it appears that Villanova is putting all of its eggs in a 7’3”, Italian-sized basket, or waiting for an additional year of eligibility for more center options to theoretically be available. Or perhaps it’s a bit of both. Either way, both of these options require more patience while other options continue to dwindle. I hope Kevin Willard and staff have enough surprise or two up their sleeves.
