Angelo Brizzi, blue-chip guard from Virginia, commits to Villanova

Angelo Brizzi has one more year of high school. His goal after that?

“Hopefully be one of the next really good Villanova point guards,‘' Brizzi said Monday night. “Obviously, that takes time.”

On Monday, Brizzi announced his commitment to Villanova. A lefty from the Highland School in Warrenton, Va., Brizzi, who averaged 20 points a game as a junior, also had interest from Arizona and Michigan, among others.

“I’m excited,‘' Brizzi said. “I’m so very excited.”

Brizzi is the second guard commitment received by Villanova in the last week, after Germantown Academy guard Jordan Longino made his announcement to stay local.

On Sunday, Archbishop Wood point guard Rahsool Diggins announced he was committing to Connecticut. Diggins also had received an offer from Villanova, but it was doubtful that both Brizzi and Diggins were going to end up at the same school. Assume both programs are happy tonight.

Brizzi is listed at 6-foot-3 . “I say 6-foot-4 in basketball season,‘' he said.

Asked to describe his game, Brizzi said, “I’d say the easiest way to say it, I’m a gritty point guard, like a tough point guard, with some skills, who can shoot it.”

That’s why the Wildcats went after him. Assistant coach Mike Nardi got in the gym to watch Brizzi in February, before the world shut down and the rest of his recruiting became virtual. Villanova jumping in was a big deal, Brizzi said, especially when you consider that he was still in middle school when the Wildcats won their 2016 NCAA title.

In other Villanova news, Saddiq Bey has gotten an invitation to the NBA combine, the school confirmed Monday. This was expected, since Bey is projected to be a first-round draft choice after turning professional following his sophomore season.

That’s assuming there is an NBA combine. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, no specifics have been nailed down on a date, site or if the combine will be an in-person event at all. The NBA draft is now scheduled for Oct. 16.