Last week we took advantage of the downtime in the basketball world to reflect on the last decade of Villanova basketball. Today, we’ll continue with that theme and highlight the best Villanova players of the decade.
Originally, the plan was to do five “starters” and 12 “bench players.” We ended up with 14 players who we felt absolutely needed to be included, so we’ll take a bit of liberty here and expand the roster to that number. As this is a subjective exercise, there will likely be some disagreement, so feel free to hop on the message board and share your thoughts or your own players of the decade. Regardless, we’re just looking to have some fun here and celebrate the incredible run the ‘Cats have been on, so let’s jump right in. (Ed. Note: This was originally going to be a full list of the players of the decade, but it started getting long, so we broke it up into two separate articles.)
Starters
G Jalen Brunson
14.4 points, 3.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds
It’s hard to start anywhere else than with Jalen Brunson. He left Villanova as the most decorated Wildcat in program history, accumulating so many awards and accolades that it’s almost difficult to list them all. But we’ll try anyway. For the 2017-18 season, Brunson was named Player of the Year by the AP, NABC, USBWA, and The Sporting News. He was First Team All-Big East and was a consensus All-American while bringing home the Naismith Award, the Wooden Award, and the Bob Cousy Award. In 2015-16, he earned All-Big East Freshman honors and was both NCAA All-Region and All-Tournament in 2018.
By the time his Villanova career was over, he added two All-Big East First Team honors and two All-Big East Tournament First Team selections to the accolades above. He was a two-time NCAA champion and has taken his talents to the NBA where he just finished a solid rookie season.
Brunson left the Main Line ranked 14th in program history in scoring and 13th in assists.
Jalen was a no-brainer for this list, and despite the long and impressive history of Villanova basketball, it would be extremely difficult to keep him off an All-Time Villanova list.
G Ryan Arcidiacono
11.1 points, 3.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals
Affectionately and forever known as “Arch,” there are few players that embody “Villanova basketball” more than Arcidiacono. Playing with toughness, intelligence, and unselfishness and demonstrating a commitment to get better, he was awarded a captaincy as a freshman and proved to be one of the key catalysts for what would become a golden era for the program.
His freshman season culminated with a selection to the All-Big East Freshman team, and he would rise to be named the Big East Player of the Year in 2015. In 2015-16, he was Second Team All-Conference before orchestrating the national title run that earned him NCAA All-Tournament and All-Regional honors to go with the Tournament Most Outstanding Player Award.
Taking the characteristics that made him great at Villanova, along with the lessons he learned there, Arch grinded his way to an NBA contract and has settled into a comfortable role with the Chicago Bulls.
He ranks 22nd all-time at Villanova in points and fourth in assists. From hitting clutch shots and making smart plays to his embrace, and perpetuation of, the culture at Villanova, Arch became integral not only to the success of his teams but also of those that came after him.
G Phil Booth
10.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists
Playing an integral role on both NCAA championship teams, “Boof” never really claimed the headlines at Villanova. Still, he deserves his spot among the starters on the All-Decade team.
Booth had a breakout performance in the 2016 national championship game against North Carolina, scoring 20 points, only to have it overshadowed by Kris Jenkins’ shot for the ages. While Jenkins provided one of, if not the most, iconic moments in the history of college basketball, Villanova doesn’t win that game without the performance of Phil Booth. He was rewarded with an All-Tournament selection.
He was again integral on the 2017-18 championship team, averaging 10 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while playing his role perfectly on a team that featured five future NBA players.
In 2018-19, he finally got his chance to be “the man” at Villanova and he responded admirably. He averaged 18.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, leading the Wildcats to Big East regular season and tournament titles in what was supposed to be a down year for the program after losing four players to the NBA. Instead, the team continued the run of excellence, led by Booth. His 2018-19 efforts earned him All-Big East First Team honors as well as a spot on the All-Big East Tournament First Team en route to being named Tournament MVP.
He ranks 31st in Villanova history in scoring and 19th in assists.
F Josh Hart
13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Like Brunson, Hart is another slam dunk selection for this list, and Hart’s accolades at Villanova almost match those of Brunson.
He earned All-Big East Freshman honors in 2013-14, and that was just the start. He would go on to accumulate two All-Big East First Team selections, three All-Big East Tournament First Team selections, two Big East Tournament MVP’s, a Big East 6th Man of the Year Award, and a Big East Defensive Player of the Year Award. He was a consensus All-American in 2016-17 and was NCAA All-Tournament and All-Region in 2016. Finally, he took home the 2017 Julius Erving Award.
Perhaps the best way to illustrate Hart’s impact on Villanova basketball is with a look at an advanced stat and a comparison. Hart earned 22.9 win shares at ‘Nova. The next highest earner of win shares was Brunson, with 17.3. Hart helped Villanova win basketball games in a pretty incredible way.
In Villanova history he ranks 10th in points, 29th in assists, 14th in rebounds, and 17th in steals.
He was selected in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft and continues to carve out a role in the league.
F Mikal Bridges
11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.9 blocks
There was some debate surrounding this spot, but ultimately it went to Bridges. His growth at Villanova served as a blueprint for the Villanova way and was a joy to watch. His ability to affect the game in a multitude of ways and to fill the stat sheet was impressive. All of that, combined with his contributions to two national championships, was enough to get him this spot.
Bridges arrived at Villanova as a tantalizing prospect dripping with athleticism and left as a complete basketball player and the #10 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. His journey during that time was as remarkable as it was entertaining.
He landed on the Main Line as the 95th ranked player in his class. He redshirted, convinced that the extra year would be best for both him and the program. Accepting the redshirt proved to be an incredibly good decision.
As a redshirt freshman on the 2015-16 championship team, he averaged 6.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 1.1 steals while playing just over 20 minutes a game and was tasked mostly with making an impact on the defensive end. He filled the role well, and for my money, the image of Bridges cradling the ball on the floor in the waning seconds of the Elite Eight win over Kansas is one of the best from this era of ‘Nova basketball. The potential was plain to see, and the only question was whether or not he would be able to harness it and reach his ceiling.
Fast forward to 2017-18 and Mikal Bridges has teamed up with Jalen Brunson (and Phil Booth, Eric Paschall, Omari Spellman, and Donte DiVincenzo) to make Villanova one of the scariest teams in the country. Bridges averaged 17.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks. After shooting 29.9 percent from 3 as a freshman, he connected on 43.5 percent of his looks from deep in 17-18, becoming one of the best 3-and-D prospects in college basketball. He had become a complete basketball player and then some.
He left the Main Line with an All-Big East First Team selection, an All-Big East Tournament First Team selection, a 2018 NCAA All-Tournament selection, a Big East Defensive Player of the Year Award, a Big East Tournament MVP Award, and the 2018 Julius Erving Award.
Bridges ranks 41st in points, 50th in rebounds, 15th in steals, and is tied for 11th in blocks in Villanova history.
