Villanova claimed its second national championship in three seasons Monday night with a 79-62 victory over Michigan. While the Wildcats don’t have any seniors on this year’s roster, they will likely lose junior stars Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson to the NBA (and Most Outstanding Player Donte DiVincenzo might test the draft waters following his 31 points Monday night) — but they have several key players returning and a strong recruiting class coming in, including one of the D.C. area’s top high school stars.
Paul VI senior guard Brandon Slater will be headed to the Philadelphia suburbs to play for the Wildcats in the fall, adding new blood to the defending NCAA champions.
Slater’s high school career ended on a high note, scoring 13 points in Paul VI’s 58-40 win over Bishop O’Connell to claim the Panthers’ fourth VISAA championship. He was cleared to play in the tournament after having broken a bone in his left hand at the beginning of February, causing him to miss the latter portion of the team’s regular season and the WCAC playoffs.
He played a crucial role in the Panthers’ 18-0 conference season, despite missing time to injury.
“His senior year has been nothing short of magical,” Paul VI Coach Glenn Farello said. “Disappointed he didn’t play down the stretch, but for him to walk out, win the state championship and the way we did it, 6-of-7 from the field for his last game …”
Slater, a four-star recruit ranked 48th by ESPN in the Class of 2018 (that gives him the third-highest ranking among the Wildcats’ three-man recruiting class, behind New Jersey guard Jahvon Quinerly and Providence forward Cole Swider), was one of four high-major guards on the Panthers this season, playing alongside junior Anthony Harris, sophomore Jeremy Roach and freshman Trevor Keels.
“I’m so excited, it feels surreal that I am going to one of those prestigious colleges everyone looks up to,” said Slater, the Panthers’ senior captain. “Everywhere I go, someone knows I’m going to Villanova.”
Slater will be joining a Wildcats team that figures to again be loaded next season, even with the expected departures of Bridges and Brunson. Villanova’s other six rotation players are likely to return, and that, combined with the fact that Slater is one of three highly touted recruits in the Wildcats’ 2018 class, could make minutes hard to come by during his freshman campaign.
But Slater said that he is excited to get into the school’s strength and conditioning program, as well as get acclimated to the Wildcats’ system. He also figures to be a stylistic fit, as a versatile, 6-foot-6 guard who plays hard, can guard multiple positions and score in different ways.
“He’s always been a player who brings a lot of activity, fills up stat sheet and that I think is what attracted Coach [Jay] Wright, how valuable he can be,” said Farello, who lauded Slater for the intangibles he brings to the team.
Wright hasn’t talked to Slater much about his role with the Wildcats headed into next season, but Slater said Wright planned on giving him a full rundown once the college season was over. Slater has experience playing in an up-tempo system at Paul VI, and his shooting stroke from deep should be an asset in an offense that shoots the long ball as much as Villanova (the Wildcats had six rotation players who shot 38 percent or better from three-point range this season).
Slater chose the Wildcats last May over Maryland, South Carolina and Miami. He said the Terrapins were his second choice. Last January he also started receiving interest from Kansas and Kentucky after a 34-point, 10-rebound performance against WCAC powerhouse Gonzaga.
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