(Photo by TonyTheTiger)
It’s roughly 1:50 PM on Sunday, March 25th, and Villanova’s Phil Booth is still on the court so that he can get extra three-point shots up.
It’s around half an hour before an Elite Eight game against Texas Tech, and Booth is in the middle of a shooting slump during an NCAA Tournament where his fellow starters are lighting it up from beyond the arc. Accompanying him on the court to rebound his shots are four of his teammates, teammates who average just over one minute per game for the season. Based on the individual ‘Nova minutes per-game statistics, it is likely that among these players are Tom Leibig, Peyton Heck, Matt Kennedy, and Danny Grace.
Sure, Villanova averaged 87.1 PPG during the regular season; sure, they have the AP College Basketball Player of the Year in Jalen Brunson; sure, they have a potential lottery pick in Mikal Bridges; and sure, they’ve shot three-pointers at a 42.3% clip in this tournament. But the ultimate reason behind their recent success has been their togetherness. Jay Wright has ingrained that trait into the Wildcats, and it has propelled the program to win 135 games over a four year stretch, the most in Division 1 history. Great players come and go and shooting can become inconsistent, but playing together has made this team one of the top programs in the country year in and year out.
When you watch Villanova play on Monday night for the National Championship (or at any point next season), watch what happens after a Villanova player turns the ball over, misses a shot, or commits a foul: The guys at the end of the bench (such as the ones listed previously in this article) all stand up and clap, encouraging their more talented teammates to continue playing hard. On this current team, where none of the primary rotation players are seniors, these enthusiastic bench players make the team complete by providing additional leadership that results in five composed Villanova players on the court at all times.
It takes talent, leadership, and a little bit of luck to win a national championship, and this Wildcat team has all of that. But when a team that has those qualities is together as one unit for the entire season, the program is almost indomitable. For example, in the Wildcats’ Final Four game against Kansas, Brunson tumbled out of bounds with Villanova comfortably ahead and fewer than 15 minutes remaining--every player on the court ran over to pick up Brunson. Playing together on the court and supporting together from the bench is the unique formula that Villanova has possessed in recent seasons, a combination that has resulted in the Wildcats’ unshakable poise en route to their National Championship appearance on Monday night. Whether they win or not against Michigan, we should all appreciate how successful this program and this team has been due to their ability to stick together through any adversity.
(Stats via ESPN)
Written by Austin Barach, Concord MA
Want to be featured on the Guest Blog? Message us at Third and Long on Facebook.
Comments