Nova is going to lose it's recruiting power

[dogpause]

Nova was the name brand in the NBE until now, but I have a feeling that's going to change and Nova will not be able to out recruit UConn. Nova's style is simply boring, regardless the results.
It's a style that doesn't showcase its players and doesn't make them attractive to the NBA. If I was a recruit, I'd choose UConn's style of play.

 

[husky429]

After this season, we should have our pick of the lot for transfers and 2024 recruits. Our freshman are outplaying tjeir rankings and our transfers are playing extremely well.

I think a couple lotto picks will elevate our recruiting even more.

That being said, I want every Big East foe to win all their recruiting battles (except head to head with us). A strong conference will always be better for our team.

 

[willie99]

Nova was the name brand in the NBE until now, but I have a feeling that's going to change and Nova will not be able to out recruit UConn. Nova's style is simply boring, regardless the results.
It's a style that doesn't showcase its players and doesn't make them attractive to the NBA. If I was a recruit, I'd choose UConn's style of play.

In our totally unbiased opinion, I concur

I've been saying the same thing about Cuse's high school zone for decades

 

[Huskyforlife]

Nova is a huge brand and the most successful team of the last decade. Their death will be determined by the quality of their staff.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Nova was in an extremely vulnerable position prior to this year
The sudden unexpected retirement of your HOF coach will do that to you.
Frankly, they impressed me in the way they fought back every time we tried to put them away .
We were playing on our floor to a sell out crowd .
Based on last night our game in Philly or even NY isn’t going to be a walk in the park.

 

[BuffaloHusky]

I thought that Nova looked like Nova for the most part and fully expect them to be in the final four of the conference as well as at the Garden. As for kids not wanting to go there because of style of play... Neptune only has to point to all the NBA guys that he and Wright recruited and they should be fine.

 

[dogpause]

I agree about wanting the BE to strong, top to bottom. But the Cuse zone defense, and Nova's "Put the crowd to sleep" offense will only take a team so far. The whole may be better that the sum of their parts, but it will keep them from getting better parts.

 

[ToolzieFan]

I agree about wanting the BE to strong, top to bottom. But the Cuse zone defense, and Nova's "Put the crowd to sleep" offense will only take a team so far. The whole may be better that the sum of their parts, but it will keep them from getting better parts.

Let’s not forget this team was in the Final Four last year, with many of the same players, playing the same style. They shot better from 3 and defended better last year. Their style can win, though. Their biggest issue - in games and recruiting - is going to be replacing a Hall of Fame coach.

And I don’t want them to be better than us or close to as good as us, but I want them to be good enough that I care as much about beating them as I do right now. The conference can’t afford them going the way of Georgetown.

 

[superjohn]

I agree about wanting the BE to strong, top to bottom. But the Cuse zone defense, and Nova's "Put the crowd to sleep" offense will only take a team so far. The whole may be better that the sum of their parts, but it will keep them from getting better parts.

Will only take a team so far...

Like going to the final 4 last year and winning 2 national championships in 3 (one of them being the most dominant tournament team in memory) years while sending a bunch of kids to the NBA?

I have no clue if Neptune will be awful/great/somewhere in between. He's doing things the way Jay Wright did things but replacing one of the best to ever do it is obviously no easy task.

 

[80shusky]

I don't agree with this necessarily. If Neptune has a good staff and is a good recruiter himself they will be fine. Once he gets his own players and plays the style he wants (not assuming this isn't what he wants) he can be judged.

 

[Kitaman]

The Nova team I watched was almost able to beat us on our floor. I saw nothing to suggest writing an obituary about them needs to be considered.

In fact we ourselves have just been resurrected from the dead and we're now talking smack about the living. Hell I can still see our grave its so fresh.

I'm just glad UConn is alive and kickin arse again.

 

[Blue Idiaco]

Neptune is not Wright. Whitmore looks miserable every game and I really don't see them getting any big time recruits for a long time. The freshmen they have besides Whitmore look OK, but last year's class offers them nothing. Their 2023 class is a zero. They'll lose Whitmore, Daniels, Slater and Moore most likely. They are looking at an NIT berth this year and will be worse next year unless they go against their history and get aggressive in the portal, but Nova's model is keep kids five years.

 

[I Bleed Blue]

Brizzi Enters Name Into Transfer Portal - Villanova University

Virginia native departs Villanova

villanova.com

Just lost freshmen Angelo Brizzi to the portal. Probably not happy being stuck behind Baby Arch. That sucks

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Neptune is not Wright. Whitmore looks miserable every game and I really don't see them getting any big time recruits for a long time. The freshmen they have besides Whitmore look OK, but last year's class offers them nothing. Their 2023 class is a zero. They'll lose Whitmore, Daniels, Slater and Moore most likely. They are looking at an NIT berth this year and will be worse next year unless they go against their history and get aggressive in the portal, but Nova's model is keep kids five years.

Good lord. A couple weeks of success and this place gets even crazier.

 

[BlueMAB]

Everyone thought UConn would become irrelevant after Calhoun, then after the conference realignment, then after Ollie was canned after winning a championship.....

Their success will come down to their staff. Hire the right people, and they'll be fine.

 

[TerryBoyz]

Let’s be objective about this people. Villanova is a great academic institution, has a great basketball tradition and strong brand. The biggest risk of their b-ball program is a conference realignment and their lack of a premier football program leaves them on the outside looking in. Sounds kinda familiar…

 

[giddyup]

I don't agree with this necessarily. If Neptune has a good staff and is a good recruiter himself they will be fine. Once he gets his own players and plays the style he wants (not assuming this isn't what he wants) he can be judged.

Neptune will follow the trajectory of most guys that follow HOF coaches - they get the benefit of a team and program well constructed that slowly starts falling apart because the successor is not the same as the old boss.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I don't like Neptune as a coach, but maybe I am being too tough on him. He just looks scared. I thought he did a pretty good job with the X's and O's against us though, so maybe he gets it together. That said, Lappas was a good X's and O's coach that always seemed like he was caking his pants in close games, and he ran Villanova into the ground.

 

[Scoe]

Talking about a programs demise is just a losers mentality. Ya we wanna be better then them it should be about us wanting to be better if our focus is another programs demise then you can never be successful it’s loser talk.

 

[McLovin]

Nova was the name brand in the NBE until now, but I have a feeling that's going to change and Nova will not be able to out recruit UConn. Nova's style is simply boring, regardless the results.
It's a style that doesn't showcase its players and doesn't make them attractive to the NBA. If I was a recruit, I'd choose UConn's style of play.

With the modern day NBA offenses, I think Nova’s offense is a fantastic showcase for wings and bigs.

Not saying UConns isn’t, but they play modern 5-out and play it well.

 

[BlueMAB]

With the modern day NBA offenses, I think Nova’s offense is a fantastic showcase for wings and bigs.

Not saying UConns isn’t, but they play modern 5-out and play it well.

I don't understand how anyone could watch them play 5 out and then say they don't showcase their players.

 

[MDHuskFan]

Nova was the name brand in the NBE until now, but I have a feeling that's going to change and Nova will not be able to out recruit UConn. Nova's style is simply boring, regardless the results.
It's a style that doesn't showcase its players and doesn't make them attractive to the NBA. If I was a recruit, I'd choose UConn's style of play.

As much as I want to believe this. They have put a decent amount of guys into the league in the past 8 or so years

 

[REB1094]

Villanova is 5-1 in their last 6, including a win against a solid Oklahoma team, and the 1 loss is an 8 point loss on the road against the #2 ranked team. Their best player has been injured all year and still might come back later

They have a 5 star freshman that will be an NBA lottery pick 6 months from now

Yeah, they're down this year. But they've been significantly better since Whitmore came back and will finish the year a lot better than .500

Right now UConn is the team in the conference, so I'd feel confident that we have first grab at local prospects if they want to stay local. But I don't think Villanova will suddenly become a bottom feeder team for years.

 

[August_West]

Good lord. A couple weeks of success and this place gets even crazier.

It's endearing in annoying kinda way.

 

[BGesus4]

I was actually impressed by how much they looked like the same old nova team without Gillespie. (I mean that as a compliment.)

I guess the real test will be once slater, Dixon and Daniels are gone, but they were the same team that you could get up on but were too disciplined running their stuff to let you pull away.