COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Villanova coach Jay Wright pulled off a major coup during his first year on the Main line when he signed four players – McDonald’s All American center Jason Frazier of Amityville, L.I., forward Curt Sumpter of Brooklyn Bishop Loughlin, guard Allan Ray of St. Raymond’s and guard Randy Foye of Newark Eastside– who eventually became four-year players who were the nucleus of a team that finished No. 2 in the 2006 AP poll along with sophomore Kyle Lowry and advanced to NCAA Elite Eight before losing to eventual national champion Florida.
Wright beat out North Carolina for Frazier and Sumpter. Foye became a fist team All American and played 13 years in the NBA with Minnesota, the Clippers and the Nets and Ray played briefly for the Boston Celtics.
But Wright’s Class of 2019 is potential better, and a direct result of his team’s ultimate success, winning two NCAA championships in four years in 2016 and 2018.
The Cats signed two Top 20 players—forward Jeremiah Robinson Earl of IMB Academy in Fla. And guard Brian Antoine of the Ranney School in New Jersey—who made the McDonald’s All- American team, and two more, 6-7, 275 center Eric Dixon of Abington, and Justin of DeMatha, Md Catholic—who were Top 60 recruits and should also make an immediate impact in the rotation of a young team.
The 6-8, 235- pound Robinson-Earl is the crown jewel of this class. He was a starter on USA Basketball’s U18 team gold medal team last year in the Tournament of the Americas in Canada; the star of the IMG Academy team that won the GEICO Prep school invitational, scoring on a dunk at the buzzer to defeat Montverde in the semi-finals; was the leading recruiting on the UnderArmour circuit, played in the Nike Hoop Summit and is one of three Villanova recruits along with Dixon, who was selected Mr. Basketball in Pennsylvania; and Moore, the Washington Post Player of the Year who played in the Nike Hoop Summit, who was selected as one of the 18 finalists as for the FIBA U19 World Cup in Crete.
The others include forward 6-8 forward Scottie Barnes of University School in West Palm Beach, Fla., 6-5 guard Joshua Christopher of Lakewood, Calif. Mayfair; 6-7 guard Cade Cunningham of Montverde, Fla. Academy; 6-5 guard Jalen Green of Prolific, Calif. Prep; 6-5 sophomore guard Tyrese Haliburton of Iowa State; 6-11 center Walker Kessler of Newman, Ga. Woodward Academy; 6-3 sophomore guard Kira Lewis Jr. from the University of Alabama; 6-6 sophomore wing Isaac Likekele of Oklahoma State; 7-0 center Evan Mobley or Rancho Christian, Calif. School; 6-4 incoming freshman guard Casey Morsell of Virginia; 6-9 incoming freshman Zeke Nnaju of Arizona; 6–9 sophomore Reggie Perry of Mississippi State; 6-3 guard Jalen Suggs of Minneapolis, Minn. Minnehaha Academy; 6-7 incoming 6-7 forward Anton Williams of Gonzaga; 6-9 sophomore Trevion Williams of Purdue; 6-7 forward Ziarire Williams of Sherman Oaks, Calif. Notre Dame; and 6-6 incoming freshman Samuell Williamson of Louisville; and 6-5 sophomore point guard Jared Butler of Baylor.
Robinson-Earl, an excellent student who is a member of the National Honor Society and IMG’s Scholar Athlete of the Year, is a perfect fit for Villanova. He is originally from Kansas City, Mo. Where he played for Bishop Miege for three years and was the Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior before transferring to prep school.
“It’s a growing trend of high school kids,’’ he said. “I wanted to go to a school that take me to another level in basketball,’’ he said. “It’s no difference than a kid picking a prep school that will do the same thing in academics. I missed my mom, but it wasn’t like I was leaving anything else behind after I transferred from Kansas City.’’
Robinson- Earl rocked the recruiting world last fall when he committed to Villanova over Kansas, where his father former McDonald’s All American Lester Earl, an LSU transfer, played for three years under Roy Williams. Robinson-Earl, a Top 20 recruit nationally, also visited North Carolina, Notre Dame and Arizona
Robinson broke with family tradition in selecting Villanova. His father Lester Earl, a McDonald’s All American played at Kansas three years under Roy Williams after transferring from LSU.
“The call to Kansas was really difficult because they were recruiting me for years and it kind of came into my head like how many players commit to their home area school, the school they’re supposed to go to, because how tough it is to say, no to them,’’ he said.
But once he visited Villanova, he knew he would be a perfect fit both athletically—where he should be a starter—and academically.
“After I went to campus, I just knew I was going to be really tough to see if any school could beat that,’’ he said. “From the coaches to the campus, the atmosphere. After I visited, I knew it would be tough to beat.
“It’s a small community so everybody is really tight with each other and when I went on my visit I enjoyed how tight everybody is how much they support the team. Philadelphia is kind of a pro town., but everyone there is down for Villanova and I thought that was cool.”
Robinson-Earl was impressed all the coaching staff was in constant communication with him during the recruiting process. “Coach Wright talked to me about what I would be able to do there, spreading the floor and expanding my game. We talked a lot about what Eric Paschall is was doing and how I would be able to do a lot of similar things, so I really enjoyed that.’’
Paschall, a transfer from Fordham, stayed at Villanova for the rest of his eligibility and is penciled in as a late first round pick in the NBA draft. Robinson-Earl, who can shoot threes and played both forwards in Wright’s position less system.
Unlike last year, where the Cats had two go to seniors—Paschal and Booth—this team will be younger and may not peak until second semester after Antoine returns from shoulder surgery. But the potential for this class to be special is there.
