Villanova Lands 7-Foot-4 Commit From Italy on Saturday

Villanova basketball has yet to recreate the success it had in the Jay Wright era, as it hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since the Basketball Hall of Famer’s last season in 2021-22. However, first-year head coach Kevin Willard got the program back to the tournament for the first time since then this past season.

The Wildcats made the tournament 16 times under Wright’s tenure, which lasted from 2001 to 2022. They also won the national championship in 2016 and 2018 and made the Final Four in 2009 and 2022.

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Kyle Neptune then replaced Wright, and the program never finished above sixth in the Big East during his tenure. Willard replaced him in 2025 after leading Maryland to the Sweet Sixteen.

Now, the latter coach has a new weapon, via Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

“NEWS: Luigi Suigo has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and committed to Villanova, Sigma Sports and Excel Sports tell DraftExpress,” he reported on Saturday. “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.”

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Luigi Suigo Has Tools to Dominate for Villanova

Suigo declared for the 2026 NBA Draft after completing his professional season in Serbia’s ABA League. The center averaged 7.9 points with 5.1 rebounds and one block in 17.8 minutes (26 games) for the club Mega Superbet. He also played in three games for the Italian national team in the 2025-26 campaign

Before that, Suigo played for Olympia Milano of the LBA, which is the professional Italian league. He joined the junior team in 2022 played two senior games across the next two seasons.

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Suigo will likely replace departed senior center Duke Brennan for Villanova, per The Villanovan’s Sammie McKee. Willard released a statement to Villanova Athletics, per McKee.

“We’re excited to welcome Luigi to Villanova and America,” he said. “He is a player with exceptional skill, length, and feel for the game. This is a great fit for our…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/villanova-lands-7-foot-4-182143833.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-13 18:21:00

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