Villanova’s Paint Presence Draws Praise from Jon Rothstein

College basketball analyst Jon Rothstein traveled to the Main Line to take in a Villanova Men’s Basketball practice on Friday, Oct. 9, going on to give his immediate reaction in a video posted to Twitter (X).

“For the first time in about a half-decade, Villanova is again ready to challenge for a Big East regular season title. Year 2 under Kevin Willard should feature a bigger, stronger attack with tremendous positional size across the Wildcats’ starting lineup,” Rothstein said. “Keep an eye on the 3-4-5 troika with Devin Royal from Ohio State, Kwame Evans from Oregon and also international big man Luigi Suigo as Willard aims to lead the Wildcats to the top of the Big East and challenge both UConn and St. John’s for supremacy atop the conference.”

Room to Grow

Rothstein gives a fair assessment in his reaction posts: they aren’t cliched offseason stories where each athlete is in the best shape of their lives and ready for a breakout season. Last year, for instance, he critiqued Villanova’s lack of size and rebounding after taking in a July practice. For all his praise of Royal, Evans and Suigo, Rothstein didn’t get a chance to see a fully healthy Evans: the 6-foot-10 forward is still working his way back to 100 percent after an offseason foot injury.

Royal indeed looked the part in the Wildcats’ preseason win over Rutgers, putting up a 20-point, 10 rebound double-double while serving as the primary ball-handler for extended periods, while Suigo showed flashes of his talent as he acclimated to the increased speed of the American game. In a reverse of last season, point guard will likely turn up as the biggest question mark for Villanova.

For all his praise of the Wildcats’ forward depth, Rothstein dropped them a spot to No. 28 in his daily offseason rankings… likely as much because of another team’s strength as because of their own performance against Rutgers.