Busting Brackets
Fansided

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

By Lukas Harkins

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)
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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 8
Next
SAN ANTONIO, TX – MARCH 31: Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats reacts. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX – MARCH 31: Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats reacts. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Potential Reserves

G Collin Gillespie: On a roster that featured a ton of future NBA talent, Gillespie flew under-the-radar as a solid reserve guard last season. For the year, he played 14.4 highly efficient minutes per game as a freshman, posting 4.3 ppg on shooting splits of .636/.394/.800 (2P%/3P%/FT%), albeit on low volume. Even though it is likely that Gillespie will come off of the bench again this season, he should see an increased role overall and could play upwards of 20 minutes per game.

F Cole Swider: One of the best shooters in the 2018 recruiting class, Swider should be a lock to find consistent minutes in the rotation. At 6-foot-7, he can play positions 3-through-5, if necessary, and can really stretch out defenses. In addition, the top-50 recruit brings plenty of athleticism and defensive switch-ability to go with his all-around scoring.

F Brandon Slater: Another member of Villanova’s incoming recruiting class, Slater is what you could call a “stat sheet stuffer.” Although he might not have one particular skill that jumps out, he is extremely well-rounded and can impact a game in many different ways. He is a 6-foot-6 forward that projects as an excellent defender and a solid all-around offensive weapon.

F Jermaine Samuels: As a freshman last season, Samuels competed in 26 contests (6.1 minutes per game) for Villanova, missing time midway through the year due to a broken hand. He struggled to get accustomed to the college game a year ago but, with a full offseason under his belt, could emerge as a strong contender for frontcourt minutes.

F Dylan Painter: Painter, at 6-foot-10, represents one of the few big men on this roster. However, his path to minutes might be difficult considering he played just 5.8 minutes per game (in 22 contests) as a freshman in 2016-17 before redshirting this past season due to the presence of Omari Spellman. Regardless, though, he has a big body and could be extremely useful in matchups against teams with tall frontcourts.

F Saddiq Bey: Even though Bey is a top-150 recruit, he is the lowest-rated player joining the team this season and could struggle to find minutes in the crowded frontcourt. He has great size at 6-foot-7 and can play multiple positions as a versatile three-level scorer. Bey is also very solid as a ball handler in the pick-and-roll, making him a potentially dangerous weapon.

(*Note*: Based on the abundance of wings/forwards on this roster, there will not be enough minutes for every player to receive quality minutes. Because of this, it seems likely that someone will elect to redshirt. In my opinion, Bey is the most likely candidate but Slater or Samuels could also be possibilities.)