VU Hoops

It is a pretty wild time to be a Villanova basketball fan right now. Jalen Brunson just carried the Nova New York Knicks to an NBA Championship, coming away with the Finals MVP trophy after dropping 45 points(!) in Game 5. On top of that, head coach Kevin Willard just landed a massive commitment from 7-foot-3 Italian center Luigi Suigo. The program is all over the map in the best way, and Brunson’s title run is already changing how the basketball world views the next generation of players.

In an interview with Italian journalist lacopo De Santis of Pianeta Basket, Luigi Suigo broke down why he decided to withdraw from the NBA Draft, as well as his choice in playing for Villanova in 2026-27. On his NBA Draft process: “We started this season at Mega Basket in Serbia thinking we could be very well prepared for this draft. Unfortunately, two or three days before the Combine, I pulled a sprained ankle in practice. I lost some form.

The “Italian Wemby” saga has finally come to an end. After weeks of hype, anxiety and anticipation, the 19-year-old center from Tradate, Varese, Italy has finally made it official: he’s a Villanova Wildcat for the 2026-27 season. Suigo flirted with the NBA Draft process, hoping to get a top-20 guarantee from a team. But after receiving feedback, he has decided to play in college next season with the hopes of improving his stock.

While Nova Nation waits impatiently for a potential commitment announcement tomorrow, PortalUpdates is reporting that Kevin Willard has added a forward to the roster in 6’8” senior Abdou Samb. The Upper Marlboro, MD native only appeared in seven games a year ago for Towson, starting one. In those games, Samb averaged 7.7 minutes played, scoring 0.9 points and grabbing 0.7 rebounds.

Italian big man Luigi Suigo has kept his intentions very private to this point but a decision will have to come soon. We have reached the eve of June 13. This is the deadline set by the NBA for players to withdraw their names from the 2026 NBA Draft. If Suigo withdraws prior to the deadline, he will be eligible to attend college and re-enter the draft in upcoming years.

Where: Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) When: Wednesday, June 10 at 8:30 PM EST Betting Line: NY -2.5 (subject to change), O/U 216.5 (subject to change) via FanDuel

The New York Knicks have become an extremely close team with the presence of the Villanova trio in the starting lineup. The relationship began during the days at Villanova but it apparently did not start out positively for Josh Hart. During a media availability ahead of the 2026 NBA Finals last week, Hart joked about his first impressions of Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges when they entered Villanova. “I hated Jalen,” Hart said.

Where: Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) When: Monday, June 8 at 8:30 PM EST Betting Line: NY -1.5 (subject to change), O/U 216.5 (subject to change) via FanDuel

It’s not all that surprising that a former Villanova player hasn’t won NBA Finals MVP. Main Line legends have plenty of championship hardware — from Herman “Red” Klotz in 1948 to the historic 1956 run with Paul “Pitchin’ Paul” Arizin and Larry Hennessy, and the 1967 squad featuring Wali Jones and Bill Melchionni. More recently, Chris Ford (1981), John Celestand (2000), Kyle Lowry (2019), and Donte DiVincenzo (2021) have all come away with championship rings.

Where: Frost Bank Center (San Antonio, TX) When: Friday, June 5 at 8:30 PM EST Betting Line: SA -6.5 (subject to change), O/U 214.5 (subject to change) via FanDuel