Villanova Wing Zion Stanford Embracing Physicality, Playmaking

Villanova wing Zion Stanford hails from the city of Philadelphia, where he graduated from West Catholic High School before spending a pair of seasons at Temple. Stanford earned a pair of All-State selections in high school, helping him to a three-star ranking as a recruit, but picked the Owls over offers from power conference programs like Boston College in part because it would allow his family to watch him play.

Two years later, when he broke out as Temple’s second-leading scorer, Stanford said that same motivation spurred him to transfer to Villanova as offers came in through the portal.

“It’s definitely a blessing to be able to play in front of my family and friends, stuff like that. They give me motivation every day when I see my family in the crowd and stuff. It just gives me extra motor to be able to perform in front of them, make them proud, and I’m just happy that I got to transfer to a school like this,” Stanford said. “Because leaving Temple, I didn’t know how I would do if I was travelling far, so I was grateful to be able to come to school like this that’s not too far from home and just being able to go to a higher level, still improve by staying at home.”

“Biggest Surprise”

Although he’s dealing with an ankle injury that could keep him out until December, Stanford should become a major part of the Wildcats’ plans this season, no matter whether he comes off the bench or makes his way into the starting five. Villanova head coach Kevin Willard has emphasized the importance of versatility in the lineups he rolls out this season, with midsize athletes like Stanford, who stands 6-foot-6 and can conceivably play point guard or defend the larger players on the court.

“Everywhere. Name a position. Z’s gonna play,” Willard said of Stanford at the Wildcats’ media day. “Z’s been great: Z’s one of those guys that came in that had probably started off real slow in the summer. Then probably had the best summer of anybody all year. And has changed his body, changed his attitude, worked hard on the shot. He’s been my biggest surprise.”

While it’s Willard placing the massive emphasis on versatility, Stanford said that aspect of his game dates back to the Owls, where he put up 13.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.7 steals per game. As a true freshman, Stanford said he didn’t have the leash to try new things on the court, but as he built up a rapport with Temple’s coaching staff, he began to branch out. 

“I feel like I developed it while at Temple. Starting off, I probably didn’t have that much freedom or versatility. But as the years went on, at Temple, I got a little bit more comfortable, so it became my game transferring into Villanova,” Stanford said. “So yeah, early Coach Willard did try to promote me to play all positions, just strictly off my versatility.”

Rounding Out His Game

Even with that emphasis on versatility, Stanford said that he focuses most on his physicality. Tipping the scale at 205 pounds, Stanford possesses a strong base that will help him match up against taller players as he guards a variety of positions. However, he wants to round out his ability as a playmaker as he graduates from the American to the Big East.

““Being physical and just creating plays. I feel like that’s the most important part of my being,” Stanford said. “When I get the ball, being able to create plays for myself and for my teammates. I feel like that’s a big boost in my game that I feel gives me an advantage on different guards in this league.”

Playing against Villanova in Big 5 play during each of the past two seasons, Stanford got a front row viewing of the physicality the Wildcats played with. That helped seal the deal once he entered the transfer portal.

“At Temple, we knew that Villanova is a big game for us. We did a lot of planning on them: Big East school, so they’re a little bit higher level than us, their fans come out and support them,” Stanford said. “On the other side, just looking in, playing and seeing how physical they were. Seeing that, it’s just a good place to be, just from a development standpoint.”