How Will Villanova Wing Jake Fiegen Adjust to a New System? | Meet the Wildcats

This is one in a series of stories reviewing film for each player on Villanova Men’s Basketball’s 2026-27 roster. 

Jake Fiegen transferred to Villanova after three successful seasons at Cornell, where he built a name for himself as one of the best three-point shooters in the Ivy League. Fiegen took 133 of 269 shots (49.4 percent) from deep last season and cashed in on 41.4 percent of them, averaging more than 17 points per game on an offense that never took its foot off the gas. 

His role should shift with the Wildcats — head coach Kevin Willard places a bigger emphasis on defense than those Cornell teams ever did — and he’ll likely slot to sixth man. As intriguing a player as Fiegen was with Big Red, however, his fit on the Main Line might end up even better. Having versatile shooting forwards like Kwame Evans Jr. and Devin Royal will create more space for Fiegen to do his thing, opening up looks on the perimeter. 

7-foot-3 center Luigi Suigo also likes to showcase his ability from beyond the arc, so Fiegen could fly under the radar and punish teams off the bench. As might be expected for a shooter, Fiegen ran hot and cold in the preseason, nailing five of 11 triples against Rutgers before going a combined 3-for-15 in the final two contests.

Tenacious and Versatile

Fiegen is no slouch from close range, either, making an overwhelming 67.6 percent (92-of-136) of shots from two. That’ll taper off between the Ivy League and the Big East, but it’s a testament to his versatility and drive. His defensive skills are intriguing but come with question marks: Fiegen played with a forward’s responsibilities in Cornell’s small-ball lineup despite standing just 6-foot-4, showing his willingness to go toe-to-toe with much larger players under the rim. 

Willard, who likes to call Tyler Perkins the hardest worker he’s ever seen in practice, said in an offseason interview that Fiegen prepares with a similar intensity… so even if his defense isn’t there just yet, it could certainly develop over the course of the season. The NCAA’s new five-in-five model of eligibility will also give Fiegen another year of eligibility at Villanova should he and his coaches like his fit at season’s end.