Villanova Basketball: Projecting the 2018-19 rotation for the Wildcats

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 25: Eric Paschall #4 and Phil Booth #5 of the Villanova Wildcats celebrate during the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at TD Garden on March 25, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

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BOSTON, MA – MARCH 25: Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree #21 of the Villanova Wildcats reacts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree – Forward

Sophomore | 6-foot-9 | 3.1 ppg/2.4 rpg/0.4 bpg

Even though Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree only averaged 11.3 minutes per game last season, do not let that fool you. He had an excellent freshman campaign and was a major part of Villanova’s success overall. A consistent member of the rotation all season long, DCR played in all 40 games for the team and understood how to function within the team dynamic. He is not the kind of player that needs to the ball in his hands to succeed and he can be a superb two-way big man.

For the year, he averaged 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while exhibiting the third-highest block rate among ‘Nova’s rotation players (behind Bridges and Spellman). However, the most impressive part of DCR’s offensive season was his shot selection. It can be easy for a freshman to rush bad shots or attempt to do too much from time to time. However, that was never the case with Cosby-Roundtree, who shot 77.9% from the field on the season (68 FGA).

Arguably the most important takeaway from his freshman campaign, though, was his growth as a player. It is always a positive to see a young player like DCR develop over the course of his college career and he is off to a great start. He adjusted to the speed and physicality of the college game quickly and made subtle adjustments to his positioning and mindset throughout the year. In summary, Cosby-Roundtree was extremely efficient as a high-energy big last season and that will hopefully continue into Year 2.

Now a sophomore, the expectation is that DCR will hold down a starting spot. With other talented offensive players on the roster, he will not need to be a go-to scorer but his rebounding, finishing, and defensive skills will be important once again. He will be the tallest player in the starting lineup at 6-foot-9 and this means that he will need to play bigger than his size from time to time.