Is a hot dog a sandwich? What about a taco?
Matt L – Starting off with a hard hitter! I don’t think either is a sandwich, no. I don’t have a defined meaning for the word, but I don’t consider hot dogs, burgers, tacos, gyros, etc. sandwiches.
Greg – A hot dog is a hot dog, a taco is a taco. They are not considered sandwiches. This has to become common knowledge!
Is there really any point to recruiting high school kids if they aren’t one of the top 20 or so players?
Matt L – They don’t need to be top 20. Lewis and Oumiddoch for instance weren’t top 20 and did/will get a lot of playing time. But on a team like Villanova aspires to be, anyone outside of the top 50 is unlikely to get consistent playing time. And given the money investments now, it probably makes more sense to let them go elsewhere than spend a year developing them for another team.
Greg – Top 20 feels like too strict of a cutoff point. There is definitely value recruiting the top-ranked players but it seems to have become secondary, unless you are a school like Duke who is consistently getting the top one or two players. Long gone are the days of Jay Wright when he would find talent down in the Top 100 that would stay for 3-4 years and develop. Right now, Kevin Willard seems to be looking to recruit a few players in each class while using the financial assets available to load up in the transfer portal.
Would yall consider us a blue blood? Does it even matter anymore?
Matt L -I personally don’t think there is such a thing anymore. When schools like Kansas and UNC struggle to bring in the same recruits that they used to, things have clearly changed. Players don’t need that anymore, they just need money and opportunity. Duke brings in who they bring in now largely based on its financial resources. And no I don’t think it matters. Football schools are winning basketball titles now, and vice versa.
Greg – I never considered Villanova a blue blood — and that is not a knock on the program or the achievements. For some reason, in my own mind, when I hear “Blue Blood,” my mind goes to Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and UCLA. Maybe mix in North Carolina as well. This is strictly based on history. So, while it does not really matter if Villanova is a blue blood, there was no team that had a greater run over a decade than Villanova did beginning in 2013.
Is it realistic to expect Willard to return the program to the powerhouse status that Jay built? (By that I mean regularly expecting to win or at least contend for Big East championships every year, as well as being a high tournament seed and/or legitimate Final Four contender in most years). If so, how many years do you think he gets to build the program back to that level?
Matt L – In terms of the definition that you provided, I think it’s mostly fair. The only part that gives me hesitation is the Final Four contender part. I think this upcoming season is massive for all expectations going forward, but mainly for that. A run to the Sweet 16 is a minimum if we hope to build to and maintain that going forward. I do think that it should be realistic to be competing for Big East titles and be a high seed in the tournament. Assuming Willard can close the deal on Suigo, that will be my personal expectation this upcoming season. And theoretically he should be able to build upon that going forward.
Greg – Back to the level of Jay Wright? That might be unrealistic, although we hope it’s possible. It is not crazy to think that Willard can have Villanova competing for Big East titles each year. This team was a three seed in the conference this year and the overall talent on the roster was not at its highest level. Willard has shown an ability early on that he can recruit and rebuild. This year, I expect Villanova to be one of the top teams in the Big East once again, compete in the Big East Tournament, and get a higher seed in the NCAA.
How do you think Willard will approach high school recruiting for the Class of 2027 and beyond?
Matt L – It appears that he’s in on some big fish. On 247, Villanova is connected to 12 of the top 51 recruits for 2027. They are listed as cool for all of them, but given the current recruiting landscape there aren’t a ton of kids committing this far out. Willard has stated that there’s no reason to recruit a freshman who isn’t going to play. Similar to the question about the top-20 recruits, I think Willard will prioritize getting guys who are good enough to play right away and (ideally) keep them for their sophomore year.
Greg – It’s hard to do in today’s game, but Willard should be looking for guys who will at least be here for two years. Now, that caveat with that is that they must be ready to play, example Adam Oumiddoch. Villanova might not land the Top 10 players but Willard seems to be recruiting some big names and might prioritize adding one or two each year while rebuilding in the transfer portal.
Do you think year-over-year retention of the roster is still a goal or is it impossible in the current system?
Matt L – I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but as was evident over the past month, it’s probably unrealistic. Keeping 3-4 rotation players should be considered a massive win in this environment. Outside of Michigan, all of the Final Four teams retained that many players. The goal should be half the rotation retained, and half the rotation being freshmen and/or transfers.
Greg – It won’t be impossible but there will naturally be guys leaving each year. At the same time, the amount of players that left this season was extreme. That will not happen year after year, unless they are players with one year of eligibility remaining. This was also a different circumstance where the players on the team were getting recruited over and saw that happening. Let’s get back on track, it definitely remains a goal. I’m sure Willard would love to have Oumiddoch for a couple years. Or to keep Matt Hodge around or having Elijah Crawford for his final two years.
