Villanova Basketball: Luigi Suigo Needs Time, Figuring Out Point Guard

Villanova Men’s Basketball bounced back for a 95-66 home win over Holy Cross on Friday, Nov. 6 after suffering a season-opening loss to Notre Dame. Freshman center Luigi Suigo posted a 16 point, 15 rebound double-double and senior forward Devin Royal put up 22 points, helping to power the Wildcats (1-1) after struggling against the Irish.

Suigo, who stands 7-foot-3 and drew consideration for a first round pick in the NBA Draft this offseason, came to the Main Line with sky-high expectations. Willard used Suigo’s improved performance between the first two games of the season as an example of the need for patience. 

“I’ve been telling everybody for a couple weeks that everyone’s just gotta be patient and let Luigi kinda figure [things] out, let everybody kinda get together and gel a little bit,” Willard said. “He’s done some really good things in our first four games on the court, and the more he gets comfortable with the speed, the more everyone gets comfortable with what he can do, he’s gonna continue to play better.”

Suigo, for his part, said that he’s trying to slim down from his listed weight of 289 pounds in order to better compete with the speed of American basketball.

“Like coach said, I’m getting more comfortable, I’m getting leaner, losing weight. Because for this type of basketball, the speed, I’m too heavy right now,” Suigo said. “It’s just mental stuff. I would say it’s not that difficult if you have the right mindset… right now I’ve got my meal plan, I’m working with the coach, so I’m trying to do my best to be more professional and get leaner.”

Getting Up to Speed

Villanova played without senior forward Kwame Evans Jr., ruled out due to left hip soreness; Evans missed the preseason with a lower body injury and didn’t look like himself against Notre Dame. Willard said he had no comment on when Evans will return to the lineup — another factor that could help Suigo realize his full potential.

After committing 20 turnovers against the Irish, the Wildcats posted 26 assists to just five turnovers against Holy Cross. Point guard Elijah Crawford, who started at the position after senior Buddy Simmons II got the nod to begin the season, amassed eight assists to just one turnovers; coming off the bench, Simmons put up six dishes and no turnovers.

Willard said he’ll go game by game in deciding who starts at point guard. 

“I thought Eli and Buddy did a good job with controlling the pace and getting us in the offense,” Willard said. “Against Notre Dame we were a little bit rushed at times, a little disorganized, which led to turnovers. I thought the guys did a really good job of just sharing the basketball and making simple plays.”

Senior guard Jake Fiegen made five of six three-point shots, each of them helping Villanova go on a scoring run. A natural scorer who made more than 40 percent of shots from beyond the arc last season, Fiegen said his biggest adjustment since joining the Wildcats has come on defense, where he played as a small-ball four with Cornell last season.

“It’s completely different. Honestly, coach says all the time playing defense has been the biggest adjustment for me,” Fiegen said. “Kind of impacts the whole game conditioning-wise, and just getting my legs under me. And I feel like I’m getting better with that every practice, every game.”