Triumphant homecoming for Villanova's Brunson
ROSEMONT, Ill. - Villanova coach Jay Wright says guard Jalen Brunson "doesn't play like a freshman [and] doesn't act like a freshman." In returning to his home area of Chicago for the first time competing for the Wildcats, Brunson showed his coach to be correct on both counts.
ROSEMONT, Ill. - Villanova coach Jay Wright says guard Jalen Brunson "doesn't play like a freshman [and] doesn't act like a freshman." In returning to his home area of Chicago for the first time competing for the Wildcats, Brunson showed his coach to be correct on both counts.
It began once the team charter landed Monday night at O'Hare Airport with Brunson, a two-time Illinois player of the year who led Stevenson High School to the Class 4A state championship last year.
"It felt weird," he said about being back, speaking Tuesday night after the top-ranked Wildcats clubbed DePaul, 86-59, at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. "I definitely miss it out here.
"But as soon as I stepped off that plane, I knew it was a business trip, and I knew that I had to be focused with the guys and get this win."
It's no wonder that Wright loves to see that type of maturity in a freshman. The 6-foot-2 Brunson had 11 points and four assists in the win over the Blue Demons, including the last six points of a 15-0 run that opened the second half and gave the Wildcats total control.
Wright, who has coached some great guards at Villanova, including NBA all-star Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors, listed Brunson and Ryan Arcidiacono as the only two guards he's had who picked up everything with the program from Day 1.
"I don't know if there's another freshman, at any position in the country, that we could have gotten who would come in as mature and as well-prepared," Wright said. "He's playing with juniors and seniors and he fits in perfectly, not just in terms of how he plays but his personal maturity. I think that's really allowed us to be a very good team.
"On the court, you don't see any emotion. He doesn't make stupid mistakes. He never loses concentration, Every day he comes to practice prepared. He knows the scouting report. He goes all-out in every drill. It usually takes until you get to your junior year, sometimes the middle of your junior year, before you learn to do that every day. But he does it right away, as a freshman. It's really amazing."
Brunson, of Lincolnshire, Ill., hit four shots in eight attempts, with his first basket coming from behind the three-point arc. He later hit a short jumper on a second-chance opportunity, and drove to the hoop for his final two field goals.
Brunson, who said he had no idea how many friends and family members were in the crowd of 6,393, called his success "really a tribute to my teammates."
"The biggest adjustment is playing with great players all around," he said. "Everyone's a player, everyone tries to do the same thing. That's what Coach tries to build in us. He really wants us to be an all-around good basketball player. Playing with the rest of these great players has really helped my game."
The winningest class. The victory was the 103rd for the senior class of Arcidiacono, Daniel Ochefu, Patrick Farrell, and Henry Lowe, the most by any class in school history. The Class of 2009, featuring Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson, Shane Clark, and Frank Tchuisi, finished with 102 wins.
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