It was a very successful year for Coach Kevin Willard and Villanova Basketball, with 24 wins (15 in Big East play) and an NCAA Tournament berth. Among the positive contributors to the roster was former Grand Canyon big man Duke Brennan, who averaged 12.4 ppg and 10.3 rpg.Â
Brennan is gone, and the Wildcats haven’t had an easy time rebuilding their frontcourt. They did land two key players in Devin Royal (13.7 ppg and 5.7 rpg at Ohio State) and Kwame Evans, who produced 13.3 ppg and 7.4 rpg at Oregon. But those are traditional forwards, along with returning forward Matthew Hodge.Â
For most of the offseason, Villanova’s options at the five-spot included redshirt freshman Nico Onyekwere and Abdou Samb, a 6’8 forward who played 29 games for Towson in the last two years. However, the Big East team found its starting center in mid-June.
NEWS: Luigi Suigo has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and committed to Villanova, Sigma Sports and Excel Sports tell DraftExpress.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 13, 2026
The 7'4, 289-pound 19-year-old will be a physical outlier in the Big East who can pass, space the floor, protect the rim, and finish effectively. pic.twitter.com/S9HeU5kreq
Luigi Suigo is a 7’3 center from Italy who recently played for Mega Superbet in the Adriatic League. A former target of several Big Ten schools, Suigo was a high-rising player who had been in the NBA Draft process for the last month. The skilled big man has been projected to be a first-round pick, and in a draft that seemingly lacks bigs overall, Suigo could’ve easily stayed in.
The deadline for college basketball players to return was a couple of weeks ago, but as an international player, Suigo and others had until June 13th to decide whether to stay in the NBA Draft. Reportedly, BYU was another team in the mix to land him.
Now, Villanova has a center that can compete with the rest of the Big East. With leading scorer Tyler Perkins back, joined by multiple double-digit scoring guard transfers, they’re going to have one of the more potent rosters in the conference.Â
Suigo, who can space the floor with a three-point shot, only makes the offense that much better. Evans and Royal both can rebound, while the guards can all shoot the ball. Last year’s roster under Coach Willard overachieved given its talent. With Suigo on board, the 2026-27 group looks poised to be a top-25 team and a contender in the Big East.
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