The 2020-21 Villanova Wildcats are expected to be one of the best teams in the country, loaded up and ready to make a run at another national title. But even with the justified expectations, the roster is not without question marks and wild cards. Among the most obvious unknowns are whether Bryan Antoine will emerge after an injury-derailed freshman campaign, what will transfer Caleb Daniels bring to the table, and what can be expected of the physically transformed Eric Dixon after redshirting his freshman season. All those questions will be addressed later as we continue our player profile series, but there’s one other question looming: the curious case of Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree.
Cosby-Roundtree is the third member of Villanova’s senior class and final member of that group to be profiled here. We already looked at Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels. Cosby-Roundtree is the most difficult of the group to project, both because his stats don’t show a linear progression and also because what he brings to the table can’t be measured in numbers alone.
He played sparingly as a freshman, getting just 11.3 minutes per game. He contributed 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in his limited time. The advanced stats tell us that he had a mildly positive impact on the defensive end as well.
As a sophomore, Cosby-Roundtree saw a statistical uptick with an increased role. His minutes rose to 20.6 per game, and he responded with 5.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest. His impact grew on both ends of the court and he showed flashes of being a double-double threat. But he didn’t take that next step in his junior season.
Last season, his minutes plummeted to just 7.7 per game resulting in career-lows in points (1.5) and rebounds (2.2). But there are a couple of contextual notes that help explain the decline and that also paint a more positive picture heading into his senior season. First, we learned after the season that he wasn’t fully healthy as a junior. The issue has been addressed and he is expected to be 100% when the team returns to basketball activities. Second, some of the advanced numbers show that he did have some areas of improvement.
With his impact being limited by his playing time, things like win shares and box plus-minus were down. But his defensive rebound percentage and assist percentage were up and his defensive impact remained on par with his career average. In addition, he was efficient with the shots he did take, shooting 69% from the field.
In Villanova’s system, and with Villanova’s roster makeup, Cosby-Roundtree will never be leaned upon for scoring. His role will be to rebound and to have a positive impact on the defensive end. He did those things in the limited time he was on the floor in 2019-20.
So what does this mean for 2020-21? Jay Wright loves his seniors, so it’s reasonable to assume Cosby-Roundtree will see a significant uptick in minutes. A statistical season closer to what we saw from DCR as a sophomore seems likely. It would also be more than enough for Villanova to meet expectations. A slight boost in rebounding numbers would be welcome, and his defensive rebounding percentage from 2019-20 suggests that it is possible with increased minutes. Offensively, if he can get a few put-backs a game and serve as a hard roller in the pick and roll game that should be more than enough. Here, too, his improved assist percentage from last year is encouraging. He will be surrounded by high-level offensive threats and if he can simply keep the ball moving and find the right teammate the ‘Nova offense won’t miss a beat with him on the floor.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly in Cosby-Roundtree’s case, seniors need to lead and he seems ahead of the game in that department. Ahead of the 2019-20 season, in which Villanova had no scholarship seniors, we asked Wright how the then-junior trio of Gillespie, Samuels, and Cosby-Roundtree was handling the leadership responsibilities. Wright immediately singled out Cosby-Roundtree for embracing and thriving in that role. Those sentiments were repeated this spring as the team dealt with the unprecedented circumstances created by the coronavirus outbreak. Wright repeatedly mentioned DCR as the one facilitating conversation and communication among the team as they were separated from each other and ensuring accountability as players were left to their own devices in terms of workouts. It’s in his role as a leader that Cosby-Roundtree can have his greatest impact on the 2020-21 Wildcats.
It’s fair to expect somewhat of a statistical bounce-back from Cosby-Roundtree. He should continue to have an impact on the glass and will be key in helping keep the defense organized. We know that he will embrace his role and will provide strong leadership for a team that will be dealing with the distractions that come with high expectations as well as the uncertainties of this offseason and of a season that may look different than what we are used to. Great teams have players who make an impact that doesn’t show up in the box score, and in Cosby-Roundtree Villanova has just that.
