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Brookover: Villanova super sophomore Jalen Brunson like a fourth senior

It was selection Sunday on the Villanova campus and the Connelly Center was abuzz. No suspense here. Only celebration. The defending national champion Wildcats were about to be named the No. 1 seed in the 68-team NCAA tournament and they knew it.

It was selection Sunday on the Villanova campus and the Connelly Center was abuzz. No suspense here. Only celebration. The defending national champion Wildcats were about to be named the No. 1 seed in the 68-team NCAA tournament and they knew it.

This was another chance to celebrate the senior class, a trio that consists of stars Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins as well Philadelphia native Darryl Reynolds. Together, they have gone 128-16 and won four Big East regular-season titles, two conference tournaments, and last year's unforgettable national championship. Thursday they will embark on their final journey together when they open this year's win-or-go-home tournament in snow-covered Buffalo.

Jay Wright thanked the overflow crowd Sunday and gave his three seniors a chance to speak because the coach always believes they should be front and center in the Villanova program. After the hoopla was over, however, Wright easily admitted that he believes he has four seniors in this year's program even if one of them is listed as a sophomore.

"He thinks like a senior, he acts like a senior, and he plays like a senior," Wright said when asked about Jalen Brunson, the son of a onetime Temple star who has been pushed by his father, Rick, to be the perfect point guard. "I think that's had a great impact on our season."

If you were listing the reasons you think Villanova can become only the second team in this century to repeat as national champions, it would not take long to get to Brunson. Some, in fact, might even put him at the top of the list.

There's no denying that he had a sophomore surge rather than a slump after becoming the full-time floor leader following Ryan Arcidiacono's departure. In fact, Brunson's improvement from his freshman year to his sophomore season was more along the lines of a progression from a freshman to a senior season.

His points per game average went from 9.6 to 14.8. His field-goal percentage jumped from .452 to .541. His three-point percentage went from .383 to .396. His free-throw percentage went from .774 to .875, and his assists per game improved from 2.5 to 4.2.

With the game on the line, the ball is likely to at least start in Brunson's hands, and he has the ability to finish the possession in a variety of ways.

"He doesn't get rattled at big times in games," Hart said. "You saw it against Seton Hall [in the Big East tournament semifinal]. He made some huge shots down the stretch for us. That's J.B. He's someone you can give the ball to in late-game situations and just say, 'Go make a play.' He'll either go up and get a good shot or get a shot for somebody else. That's why he sticks out on the court."

Wright said Brunson has been much better this season simply because of opportunity.

"Last year was more of a challenge than this year," the coach said. "He was like this last year really, but he just had to take a little bit lesser of a role. He's comfortable being a leader out there and being one of the guys who is counted on."

Brunson's time on the court increased from 24 to 31 minutes per game and there's no doubt he'd be happy never leaving the floor. He agreed with Wright that his freshman year was a grind because of his time on the bench.

"Buying into a role last year was definitely difficult," Brunson said. "This is the role I've had most of my life with the teams I have played with. This is definitely more comfortable."

And it goes beyond the court. Hart, Jenkins, and Reynolds are the seniors, but Brunson was not afraid to speak his mind. According to Wright, the first words out of his point guard's mouth after Villanova's Big East championship rout of Creighton were, "Hey, we're not done. We still have work to do. We have to get better.' "

"I didn't have to say that to the team," Wright said. "That came from him. He is like having a four-year veteran on your team."

Still, he is listed as a sophomore and that means he could be the glue not only for this season, but also for the two beyond this one. It was assumed when he committed to Villanova that he'd leave early for the NBA, but this year's draft class is expected to be loaded with talented point guards, which could keep Brunson around for at least one more year.

Brunson is focused only on the task at hand, which is attempting to win another national title.

"I think we're definitely as good, if not better [than last year's team]," he said. "But we have to continue to focus on getting better. We can't get complacent with what we've done so far. That has been our mind-set here. You block out the future and focus on the next game and the next practice and focus on getting better."

The son of a former Temple star who grinded his way through parts of nine NBA seasons with eight teams sometimes speaks in coach's cliches, and that's only because he is true to all of them. Jalen Brunson is a sophomore who already has an advanced degree in basketball.

bbrookover@phillynews.com

@brookob