Top Cat! Knicks' Jalen Brunson Will Have Jersey Retired By Villanova
New Yorkers cheering for a Philadelphia sports representative as the Super Bowl looms as the City of the Brotherly Love's Eagles competes for the Vince Lombardi Trophy seems downright absurd.
Unless, of course, they're taking in the Villanova Wildcats' men's basketball game on Feb. 8.
The program announced on Tuesday that former point guard Jalen Brunson, now repping the New York Knicks, will have the jersey he wore as a Wildcat will be immortalized during halftime of the modern group's showdown with DePaul next month.
"Jalen put together one of the most amazing Villanova Basketball careers ever," Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune said in a statement. "His remarkable will and work ethic left an indelible mark on our program. He set a standard of excellence, on and off the court, that still impacts us today. We can't wait to celebrate Jalen's legendary Villanova career with the Nova Nation."
Brunson is one of the most accomplished representatives in Villanova basketball history, helping guide the Wildcats to two national titles in 2016 and 2018 (the former earned alongside current Knicks teammate Ryan Arcidiacono). He'll be the third No. 1 honored by the Villanova program, joining Kyle Lowry and late athletic trainer Jake Nevin.
His tenure featured numerous individual national honors, becoming the first Wildcat to be named both the AP and John Wooden/Los Angeles Athletic Club Player of the Year in 2018, the same year he won the Big East Player of the Year title. Brunson played that success into a second-round selection in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks, where he spent four seasons before the Knicks inked him to a $104 million deal last summer.
That contract has proven well worth it and then some, as he's averaging a career-best 22.5 points and 6.3 assists so far in his maiden New York voyage. Many have deemed Brunson worthy of his first All-Star Game as the Knicks (25-23) try to make their way back into the Eastern Conference postseason discussion. They currently sit in seventh place entering Tuesday night play and they'll look to end a four-game losing streak against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
The modern Wildcats (10-10, 4-5 Big East), working through their first year without head coach Jay Wright in over two decades, could perhaps use Brunson's services. As it stands, they sit in seventh place in the conference standings and they return to action on Sunday afternoon against No. 22 Providence (12 p.m. ET, FS1). They recently earned victory at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, topping St. John's 57-49.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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