Big East Basketball: Ponds, Paschall and Powell top exciting players in 2018-19

3. Eric Paschall, Villanova

I was heavily debating which Villanova super senior should be on this list. I recently wrote an article about Phil Booth, and how he’s the leader of this Villanova team. However, Eric Paschall and Phil Booth differ greatly. Booth represents “The Villanova way.” Where bounce passes, ball control, and running the offense efficiently rules. It’s a great, fundamental style of basketball that’s unique to the college game, but it’s extremely vanilla. Paschall is the high-flying, risk taker on the Villanova squad who is probably the best complimentary star in the Big East.

Paschall is averaging 17.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 45.8% from the field and 36.8% from beyond the arch. While those numbers are good but not flashy, Paschall’s style of play seems to be on a different level. He’s a very good shooter off the dribble, and he attacks the rim with reckless abandon, but somehow always seems to be in control of himself and the ball. Here’s a highlight tape of Paschall’s 25 points against St. John’s last week.

On a team that’s known for strict fundamentals, Eric Paschall combines that with an insane first jump and a beautiful three-point jump shot. He brings the house down at every home game with a big dunk or block and also can score and defend with extreme versatility. He might not be the third best player in the Big East, but he’s definitely one of the best entertaining to watch.