It’s been a while since the last time Jay Wright, who throughout his career built a reputation for developing guards, coached a top ranked point guard. That drought will end in the fall of 2015, when he’ll once again have the opportunity to lead his Wildcats program with a highly coveted recruit at the one position. That’s because on Wednesday, Jalen Brunson, a 6-2 PG out of Lincolnshire (IL), announced he’ll be attending the Philadelphia school after also considering Illinois. More from the Philadelphia Enquirer:
Jalen Brunson, the nation’s top high-school point guard, orally committed to Villanova on Wednesday night to give the Wildcats their first five-star recruit since 2009.
The 6-foot-1 senior from Stevenson (Ill.) High made an official visit to Villanova last weekend. He made the announcement at a news conference at his suburban Chicago high school. ESPN and Rivals both rank Brunson as a five-star recruit.
Brunson helped Team USA win the Gold Medal this summer at the FIBA Americas Under-18 Tournament. He averaged 12 points and 5.6 assists. Brunson grew up in South Jersey while his father, Rick, played in the NBA. The family moved to Chicago when Rick Brunson was hired in 2010 to be an assistant with the Bulls.
Rick Brunson was to be hired this summer as Temple’s next assistant men’s basketball coach. But he was arrested in June and charged with sexual assault after an alleged incident at a fitness center near the family’s home. He starred at Temple in the 1990s and the Owls were a favorite to land Jalen Brunson. But, the son never made an official visit to North Broad Street.
