Villanova men’s basketball team gets first 2023 commitment in Jordann Dumont

Jordann Dumont said he knew it right away.

“As soon as I stepped in the building I knew it was the right fit for me,” Dumont said Tuesday night, hours after he verbally committed, signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Villanova, and became the first recruit of the Kyle Neptune era.

On3, a college sports and recruiting website, first reported the news Tuesday afternoon.

Dumont is a 6-foot-8 wing from Montreal who is playing at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tenn.

“Jordann is a long, skilled athlete who really fits our culture,” Neptune said in a press release. “We know he’ll work hard to become the best Villanova player he can be.”

Dumont, who made his official visit to the campus this past weekend, was offered a scholarship earlier this month by Villanova.

Dumont, who came to the U.S. to set up his basketball future before last season, made a name for himself playing with Team Canada at the 2022 U18 FIBA Americas Championship, the same tournament where current Villanova freshmen Cam Whitmore and Mark Armstrong shined.

Dumont averaged 8.5 points in 14.6 minutes per game during the tournament, helping Canada to a bronze medal. He said he was in contact with Villanova in the months following that tournament, and got a call from assistant coach Dwayne Anderson with the scholarship offer in early November.

On3 recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw says Dumont has “good length and explosion.”

“He is skilled in the open floor, with the ball in his hands, and can knock down open looks with his feet set,” Shaw wrote. “Dumont is tightening his ballhandling in the halfcourt and is learning reads off the ball. There are a lot of natural tools to work with, and his in-game production is already high. This year is his first playing in the U.S., and college programs are finding out more about him. Tuck away this name and watch closely this summer; there could be a quick rise that happens.”

That quick rise apparently happened.

Last month, Dumont took an official visit to Drake. According to his Verbal Commits page, Dumont held offers from Oklahoma State, Drake, East Tennessee State, Radford, Jacksonville, and others.

Dumont said he was drawn to the coaching staff and players in the program. He watched Villanova lose a Big 5 game to Temple on Friday night at the Liacouras Center and spent time on campus over the weekend.

“A guy like me coming from Canada, Montreal, not a lot of people are getting high-major Division I offers,” Dumont said.

That’s a big reason why Dumont chose Hamilton Heights, where he averaged more than 20 points per game during his junior season. The path from Canada through Hamilton Heights and to Division I (and the NBA) has already been forged by at least two Hamilton Heights players before him: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Kentucky, Oklahoma City Thunder) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Virginia Tech, Utah Jazz).

Dumont, whose voicemail greets would-be callers with an automated message in French, said he didn’t know much English before coming to the U.S., but he practiced by watching American films and television shows. His favorites include Friday and Breaking Bad.

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Tuesday, Dumont said, was an exciting day. His phone was busy with incoming calls, texts and social media messages. He still had to practice, too. The Hamilton Heights season is just getting underway. Dumont scored 28 points, including seven three-pointers, in a season-opening win.

How many text messages was he preparing to catch up on after practice?

“Too many to count, honestly,” he said.

Dumont is the first commitment of Villanova’s 2023 class and the first for Neptune in the post-Jay Wright era.

Tracking scholarship availability has become difficult in the post-COVID-19 era of eligibility. Villanova will definitely be losing fifth-year graduate students Caleb Daniels and Brandon Slater after this season. Freshman Cam Whitmore could be a one-and-done player. Justin Moore could decide to go pro. And, of course, there is always the transfer portal.