Villanova Target Luigi Suigo Attends Draft Combine; Sits Out Of Drills

Villanova Men’s Basketball recruiting target Luigi Suigo attended the NBA Draft Combine at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena on Tuesday, May 12, giving both college and professional suitors a better idea of what he brings to the table.

The 19-year-old Italian national has until Wednesday, May 27 to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft. Earlier reports indicated that if he isn’t expected to go within the top 20 picks, he’ll opt to begin his stateside career in college instead… and Villanova appears to have the inside edge should that contingency come to pass.

Suigo checked in at 7-foot-2.75 and 289 pounds at the combine; he also measured a 7-foot-5.5 wingspan and a 9-foot-6 standing reach. That makes him the second-tallest player in the draft and gives him the third-longest wingspan. His weight bodes well for the transition to Division I basketball, as he already has the physical traits that many lanky prospects need to work toward.

Suigo didn’t appear on the leaderboard for physical tests like the three-quarter court sprint, the pro lane drill, the no-step vertical or the three-point and free throw expositions. Of the 73 players invited to the draft combine, as many as 71 participated in most of the skills competitions; because he’s an unproven talent compared to the athletes that tested, that could cause Suigo to slide down draft boards and into Villanova’s lap.

Playing in the Serbian pros last season, Suigo averaged 18.1 minutes, 8.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. He attempted one-third of his shots from three-point range, providing a limited degree of floor-stretching ability and converting 26.7 percent of the time.