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Big East Basketball: Analyzing early 2019 recruiting classes

By Lukas Harkins

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 27: A Villanova Wildcats basketball goes through the net during warmups prior to the game against the Seton Hall Pirates at the Wells Fargo Center on January 27, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 27: A Villanova Wildcats basketball goes through the net during warmups prior to the game against the Seton Hall Pirates at the Wells Fargo Center on January 27, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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CINCINNATI, OHIO – FEBRUARY 24: Coach Wright of Villanova gives instructions. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO – FEBRUARY 24: Coach Wright of Villanova gives instructions. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

1. Villanova Wildcats

National Ranking: No. 2

Villanova is one of the top college basketball programs in the entire country. That much has been made relatively clear over the past few seasons as the program has cut down the final nets as national champions in two of the last three seasons. And while it seems as though the Wildcats will fall short of winning the Big East title this season, they have still posted a solid season and the future looks extremely bright. In fact, head coach Jay Wright currently owns one of the best 2019 recruiting classes in the nation. Ranked at No. 2, this class features four top-75 prospects.

Most notably, 6-foot-4 shooting guard Bryan Antoine headlines this group as the No. 14 player in the class. To summarize Antoine’s game…he can basically do it all. He is extremely athletic, can score both at the rim and from distance, and has the potential to be an elite defender as well. The only downside that I see with Antoine’s future under Coach Wright is that he won’t be there long. You can expect to see Antoine suiting up in the NBA two years from now. During the UAA circuit this past summer, the budding superstar averaged 15.4 points (.434/.386/.796) and 4.5 rebounds per game while on Team Rio.

But he’s not even the only potential NBA prospect in this recruiting class. Just following Antoine in the recruiting rankings is Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, another Villanova commit, at No. 15 in the country. A 6-foot-8 power forward from IMG Academy in Florida, Robinson-Earl will be another immediate impact player for the ‘Cats. He is a strong athlete with a college-ready frame and a relatively polished offensive game. He passes the ball well and can be a strong defender too.

Additionally, Coach Wright and Co. also landed Justin Moore (No. 49) and Eric Dixon (No. 63) in this class. Moore is a 6-foot-4 shooting guard who plays with great pace on the offensive end. He can often lure defenders into mistakes as a ball handler and does a nice job as an off-ball cutter as well. He is a natural-born scorer who will get it done with or without the ball.

Dixon, on the other hand, is a small-ball forward at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds. He can play any frontcourt position due to his athleticism and size. He can bully smaller defenders in the paint and is quick enough to get to the basket against big men as well. He might be the toughest player to gameplan for in this Villanova class and that is saying something.

In the end, it is obvious that this recruiting class has the potential to do some special things in their time with Villanova. This is arguably the most talented group of newcomers that Coach Wright has ever had and that is a very, very, very scary thought. The rest of the Big East will have a hard time handling this group.

Top programs of the 21st century. dark. Next

On the whole, it certainly seems as though the entire Big East is bringing in plenty of fresh talent from the 2019 recruiting class. With several scholarships still open across the league, it is awesome that half of the league has already snagged a top-100 recruit from the class. You will want to take note of several names from this piece as the stars of the future in the conference.

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