With Collin Gillespie sidelined, Villanova’s Jay Wright putting other point guards to the test
The Wildcats aren't short on options, but the starting point guard is unknown after Gillespie broke his nose.
Scottie Reynolds, Ryan Arcidiacono, Kyle Lowry, Randy Foye and Jalen Brunson. Those are some of the point guards Jay Wright has had at Villanova.
Collin Gillespie, the team’s leading returning scorer, suffered a broken nose Monday at practice and will have a procedure next week. With Gillespie out, Wright said “big minutes” are available at point guard.
Hundreds of fans were lined up an hour early Thursday outside Finneran Pavilion for Villanova’s intrasquad scrimmage. As play ended, Wright grabbed the microphone and walked to the center of the court. “We have to figure out who’s going to be our point guard,” Wright told the fans.
An injury to five-star freshman guard Bryan Antoine will sideline him at the beginning of the season, taking away a potential option to spot Gillespie.
Freshman Justin Moore spent time at point guard in the scrimmage and didn’t look overwhelmed. He changed pace and probed his way through the Wildcats’ defense to create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. Wright said Moore will factor into the point-guard rotation this season.
“We’re putting Justin in tough spots because he is more of a combo guard and scorer,” Wright said. “It’s a lot of responsibility on him.”
While Wright was answering a question about Chris Arcidiacono, he mistakenly referred to him as Ryan before catching himself and laughing with the crowd, which immediately noticed.
Ryan is long gone, but that might not be the only time Wright makes that mistake. When watching Chris play, it is easy to see a resemblance to his older brother.
“He’s looking for an opportunity to get a loose ball, to get in a scrap, and we don’t have to teach him that,” Wright said. “I love that.”
Saddiq Bey might be the most surprising player factoring into the battle. At 6-foot-8, Bey can use his height to see over defenders and make plays.
He played on the team opposite of Arcidiacono and Moore, which gave him several opportunities to showcase his skills.
“Saddiq did a good job. It’s really the first time Saddiq’s probably played point,” Wright said.
The good news is all the options will provide strong depth behind Gillespie when he’s healthy.
The bad news? Gillespie won’t be available for next week’s exhibition against USC, so someone will have to emerge from the pack.
“It’s early in the season and they’re getting thrown into these spots,” Wright said. "We gotta keep getting them game reps as many times as we can.”