It was just three years but the era following Jay Wright’s retirement felt like an eternity. Now, Villanova is on its way back up under Kevin Willard and fans should be excited about this version of the Wildcats. VU Hoops is also excited to welcome new contributor Greg Patuto to the team to cover a new-look Nova squad that has its eyes on the NCAA Tournament.
Despite being new to the site, I am not new to SB Nation. As a writer based in New Jersey, I previously worked as the Managing Editor for On The Banks. Now, I will get the chance to cover the team that I have rooted for since I was nine years old.
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Let’s go back to the beginning. In 2004, Kyle Lowry made me fall in love with Villanova at a young age. As I started to watch the games with my father, it became a regular routine thanks to the fascination with the four-guard lineup displayed by Wright, combining Lowry with Randy Foye and Allan Ray. Coincidentally, my wife and her brothers grew up down the street from Mike Nardi and his family.
Later that year, my first big memory came to be — and one that still bothers me to this day — when Ray was called for a travel in the final 10 seconds against North Carolina in the Sweet 16. It took four years to avenge that loss when Scottie Reynolds went coast-to-coast to send Nova to the Final Four. Why did Pitt press? We have to ask Jamie Dixon that but it worked out in our favor.
Fast forward through some incredible teams and disappointing finishes and into 2016 when Kris Jenkins ended what might have been the best National Championship game ever with an iconic shot. For me, that game was watched on the edge of my seat in my college living room with a great friend of mine to this day who happens to be a North Carolina fan. The celebration did not end until 7am.
And of course, the second title in three years from one of the top-three college basketball teams we have seen in the last 25 years. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges, and of course Donte DiVincenzo, made up for a disappointing loss to Wisconsin the year before with a dominant run through the tournament to a second title in three years (which could have been a three-peat if Villanova gets past an under-seeded Badger team).
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We all enjoyed a dominant run that spanned over a decade. Wright gave fans one final run in 2020 before the shocking news of his retirement. While the last three years were wasted with poor leadership, Villanova got the next hire right by bringing in Willard to right the ship. And in year one, the Wildcats look to be in position to return to the big dance.
Along with Matt Lukoskie, I am excited to be apart of this great community at a time where Villanova Basketball is on its way back up in the Big East. Questions, comments, concerns, suggestions — all welcome as we continue this journey and work to make this site as good as it has ever been.
