Villanova Film Room: Jake Fiegen a Pure Scorer, Hard Worker

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

Three-point shooting is what will come up first about graduate transfer Jake Fiegen, who took 133 of 269 shots (49.4 percent) from beyond the arc last season and averaged more than 17 points per game. He made 41.4 percent of them, the No. 65 mark in all of college basketball, and isn’t a slouch down low either. Highlights from Cornell’s loss to Michigan State last season display a righty dribbler using his body to defend the ball from 6-foot-11 Carson Cooper, opting for a step-back midrange jumper to give himself space against a much larger athlete.

Another play had him cutting into the paint on a give-and-go before finishing at the rim. On the season, Fiegen converted an overwhelming 67.6 percent of his shots from two (92-of-136). Even though he’s deft, Fiegen tends to move to his right as a dribbler, and with 2.1 assists per game last season he’s not going to show a point guard’s upside.

Defensive Responsibilities

Indeed, Fiegen played with a forward’s defensive responsibilities during his time in Cornell’s dedicated small-ball lineup: all five of their top players in terms of minutes played were listed at guard. Film of Fiegen’s performance against the Spartans showed him mixing it up down low, trying to box out much larger players. That tenacity isn’t a fluke. Head coach Kevin Willard called Tyler Perkins the hardest practice worker he’s ever coached, but said in an offseason podcast appearance that Fiegen challenges Perkins for that mantle.

Cornell played fast last season, tied for the 19th-fastest tempo in Division I according to KenPom. Fiegen fit right into that system, darting down the court to get back on defense after every made shot or rebound… including one play where he came out of a full sprint to nail a catch-and-shoot three. Defense is a question mark given the way the Big Red played, but at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds — and with the reputation of an excellent worker — Fiegen has the raw materials to provide up an excellent three-and-D option off the bench at Villanova.