Villanova got great news Monday night when both Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels announced they would be taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility provided by the NCAA and returning to Villanova for the 2021-22 season. The pair met with reporters Tuesday afternoon.

Gillespie’s situation was complicated by his late-season knee injury, but those circumstances may have ended up making his decision easier. When asked if the decision was a difficult one, Gillespie responded, “Not really.”

“I knew what I want my future to look like,” Gillespie continued. “And to give myself the best opportunity to play at the next level I didn’t want to go into it being hurt. So I sat down with coach Wright, the coaching staff, I talked with them a lot, I talked with my family a lot, prayed about it. I know that God has a plan for myself and for Jermaine and this is just a part of the plan, it’s a part of our journey.”

The injury also helped Gillespie come to a decision quickly, one that was aided by the comfort level he has at Villanova. “The day after my surgery,” Gillespie said when asked about when he knew what his decision would be. “The day after my surgery was brutal because I was in so much pain and I also didn’t know anything about the NBA Draft process and when the NBA Draft would be, when the workouts would be.”

“This is home for me,” Gillespie continued. “I’ve never left the city of Philadelphia really, so this is where I’m comfortable. Going into my rehab and physical therapy, doing it with the people at Villanova here I was most comfortable with. I thought about it right away, even right after the injury I thought about it. I would say right after my surgery and just talking to my parents and coach Wright I knew that it was probably what’s best for me.”

Ultimately, after the injury Gillespie felt that returning for another year at ‘Nova was the best thing for his future and to help him reach his goals. “I think I was ready if I wasn’t injured to make that leap to the next level,” Gillespie said. “Getting injured it puts everything into perspective and although I feel I was ready for it, obviously I want myself to have the best opportunity and chance to play at the next level and me coming back and getting healthy was really important. Just having another year at school to mature and grow as a person and a player was also really important.”

Although Jay Wright acknowledged that Samuels had played the entire season with a severely sprained finger, injuries didn’t factor into the decision for him and he could have gone through the pre-draft process with his finger as is. For Samuels, it was other factors that led him to his decision to return.

“Just being surrounded by people who love you that you love back who are genuinely there for your best interests,” Samuels said. “This place is really special to me. Having another opportunity to get better, become a better Villanova basketball player, become even more of a staple in the Villanova program.”

Samuels did take a look at his professional possibilities, but ultimately an opportunity to have another year at ‘Nova was too much to pass up. “I definitely thought about it,” Samuels said of his professional potential. “I definitely had conversations with coach and also my family and other people within the basketball world and I felt like you only get one chance in your life to be around people who genuinely love you, playing for something that really matters that’s bigger than yourself. And I know I have the rest of my life to hopefully play at a professional level, but you only get one chance to bask in the college atmosphere and be around people that really mean a lot.”

While it may not have directly influenced their decisions, both Gillespie and Samuels were aware of the potential of next year’s Villanova team. More than any direct hopes of a national championship, just the ability to be a part of the program next year was on their minds.

“Obviously having guys that are experienced in the program was something that was intriguing,” Gillespie said. “But it’s not something we talk about going into a season. We never talk about winning championships, it’s always about becoming the best Villanova basketball team we could by the end of the season. I think these guys did an amazing job of finishing out the stretch of the year after I went down. I’m excited to see where we can get with this group in terms of playing Villanova basketball because we’ve been together a few years now so that’s the really exciting part to me.”

And the end of the day, both players are simply excited for the opportunity they have.

“I’m really excited,” Samuels said. “Just to do it all over again. We got almost the same group, we’re missing Jeremiah and Cole and we’re also adding some freshmen in so it’s gonna be fun to go through those experiences all over again. And again, just to put on that Villanova jersey, just the culture, having people around you who love you, those little things you can’t take for granted.”

Gillespie shared a similar sentiment.

“I’m excited for it,” Gillespie said. “You can’t beat playing another year of college basketball, you can’t beat having another year at Villanova, getting to learn and grow as a player and as a person for another year. So I’m really excited for it, I’m in a great place mentally and I think I’ll be in a great place physically.”

Nova Nation is certainly on board with that.