What: Semifinals Round of Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament–Villanova (5-0) vs. No. 2 Kansas (5-0)
When: 9:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Imperial Arena, Paradise Island, Nassau, Bahamas
TV/Radio: NBC SportsNetwork / CBS Sports Radio 610-AM
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By MIKE ANGELINA
Philahoops Staff
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Jay Wright did not like what he saw from his rather veteran starting lineup in the first few minutes of Friday’s game against Delaware. Villanova had committed a couple of early turnovers and, for however brief those moments were, Marvin King-Davis was having his way with them.
The man who has seen 13 freshman classes come through so far in his 13 years on the Main Line sensed he needed to stop before they slip too far away, and turned to his bench. Entering the game were two players; the first being Tony Chennault, a player who Wright and players have often praised for his leadership and reliability. He is your quintessential college back-up senior point guard, he comes in and keeps the lineup stable and give starters a blow. Calling on him to help put out the fire was no surprise, but Wright also called on the absolute youngest player on the team, freshman Josh Hart.
The move demonstrated Wright’s true confidence in the 18-year-old, who at the time had all of 56 minutes of an NCAA career. Despite his lack of experience, Wright can count on him to help stop the bleeding and help get them back on their feet.
Less than ten minutes later, after Hart had enough time to pick up a few rebounds, an assist and a steal, Villanova had its largest lead of the game, 30-22. Hart returned to the bench, and the team promptly fell behind 31-30. And back in Hart went.
It may be somewhat surprising to see a freshman come off the bench and make such an immediate impact like that. Typically, freshmen are either good enough to start right, or they are just role players on the bench in their first season. That in-between role of being an electrifying and stabilizing player off the bench is just a rare niche for a player so young at the level.
Of course being in the role doesn’t surprise him because he put him there, but Josh Hart’s ability to respond with positive results in this role is also not much of a surprise to Wright. The head coach has been raving about the Silver Spring, Md. native for weeks now, since training camp.
“Josh Hart is really starting to come along,” Wright told Philahoops in October. “I think of all the freshmen, he’s picked things up the quickest.”
And this was after Hart missed 12 days of camp with a concussion. He only needed a few days to get his timing back. He has shown a tremendous feel for things happening on the court, being in the right spots on both ends most of the time, and has even shown flashes of being an electrifying scorer. In only 21 minutes off the bench on Nov. 13, he contributed 17 points, not to mention he grabbed 11 rebounds as well.
He maintains that he does not have any personal goals and he just wants to help the team wins. His only focus is developing and proving some type of consistency to his coach and teammates. He said he hopes he can keep this type of role for the whole season, even when injured guard Dylan Ennis returns.
“I definitely hope so,” Hart told Philahoops. “At this level, it’s really about consistency. As long as I go out, play my role, know what I’m doing, play hard, and do whatever I have to do to stay on the court, hopefully, that can continue.”
When he does play, which has been at a rate of 20 minutes per game thus far, he uses each game as a step. But Hart of course is not going through the steps alone, and is backed by his coaches and teammates, especially the team’s leaders. He credited Ryan Arcidiacono, James Bell and Chennault for making him feel comfortable and in a place to succeed.
“Every game is just like a step,” Hart told Philahoops. “And definitely when you have leaders like Ryan, Tony, James, that comfort level just increases and you know they’re always going to be behind you, make a great play or you have a turnover, and knowing that, it just makes it much more comfortable”.
What their leadership has done, according to the freshman, is help remove any hesitation. The leadership trio has allowed for him to act without thinking about what to do.
“When you have those three, who are always going to have your back, always go to war for you, always going to go to battle for you, it makes your job much easy, not really hesitant like, ‘Do I do this?’ or ‘Do I do that?’”, so when you have those groups of guys, it just makes everything easier and you’re not as hesitant.”
The leadership from his current teammates may be his biggest aid now, but his former teammates certainly played a part in shaping him into the player into which he already has developed. He was on a 22-9 team as a senior at Sidwell, and Wright thinks that winning atmosphere helped Hart take in that winning culture in a quantity more than just a toe dip into the waters of success. As Wright sees it, all three of his freshman in fact share this attribute, including Kris Jenkins and Darryl Reynolds.
“The kind of players our freshmen are [make good chemistry],” Wright said. “The freshmen all come from really successful, winning programs. The programs were built on winning, not individuals, so I think they fit in really well with that group.”
Knowing what to do, as well as how to win, sure is essential and has allowed Hart to already emerge into one of Wright’s top options. But it does not mean he is anywhere near learning and developing, not just physically, but mentally to the collegiate game.
One thing that college players may take for granted is the whole new court of players around him. Hart said he had to adjust to no longer playing with people who are much smaller and much less athletic than him. He is still one of the better athletes on the court, but the gap between he and his match up has narrowed, and he says the NCAA is much more physical—and he has not even come close to playing a Big East team.
“In high school, I was one of the biggest kids, and I could go up and get any rebound, not really be robbed of a basket. So now, coming in, people are just as athletic as me, if not more, so that’s something you have to perfect, as you look around the league. So that’s something I’m getting better at, and it’s one of the huge things.”
For now, he is hoping to continue making strides and getting better. Hart stays on top of his expectations from Wright and is content with the role. Perhaps that is part of the secret to success for a freshman in his (growing) shoes.
“I talk to coach Wright all the time and I know my role,” Hart told Philahoops. “I’m going to play it to the best of my ability.
And who knows—Hart’s role could continue to grow. Thus far Arcidiacono has been rather underwhelming on the court and an injury or other circumstance can come up. Having Hart on the court for more than 20 minutes would not be the end of the world. Still, he remains grounded in working within his current role off the bench, and being ready to go each game.
“If I happen to get more playing time, I’ll be more than happy with that,” Hart said. “But I know my role, and hopefully I can be good at that.”
Scouting Villanova: Four Wildcats reached double figures yesterday, the fourth consecutive game…Dylan Ennis scored 14 points in 23 minutes returning from a broken bone in his hand in what was his first game since March 20, 2012…Villanova’s 94 points yesterday were their highest regulation total since their opening game of the 2011-12 season against Monmouth…Last season, Villanova defeated three top-5 teams.
Scouting Kansas: Andrew Wiggins, the consensus number one pick in next summer’s NBA Draft, is averaging 16.8 points per game in his first five games played in his freshman season…The Jayhawks have taken care of the ball early this season, only turning the ball over 11 times per game, on average…Last time Villanova and Kansas squared off in the regular season was January 22, 2005. That day, Villanova defeated the then-No. 2 Jayhawks in a route at the Pavilion, 83-62…Their last overall meeting was in the Sweet 16 Round of the NCAA tournament. Kansas won that one to end the ‘Cats dancing dreams, 72-57.
Prediction: Wake Forrest woke Kansas up a bit, and they will be ready to overpower the Wildcats to advance to the championship game.
Soundoff: Is Wiggins indeed the best player in the country, as many have declared?
–Mike Angelina covers Villanova for Philahoops. Share your thoughts with Mike at [email protected], @MikeAngelina on Twitter and/or in the comments section below.
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