What have Villanova’s Jordan Longino and Nnanna Njoku learned from their minutes? Patience.

A lot can go into a guttural roar produced after a major moment on a basketball court. For Nnanna Njoku, the impassioned yelling he let out with six minutes left in an eventual Villanova win over UCLA on Dec. 9 had a lot of ingredients.

There was the moment itself; two consecutive Villanova stops in a tight game, one produced when the junior center rejected a shot near the rim. There was the realization that maybe all the waiting has been worth it. There were, finally, feelings of comfort and confidence.

There was, too, the calling of the shot.

“Going out on the court,” Njoku said, “I just looked everyone in the eyes and was like, ‘Yo, I don’t know what’s about to happen, but we’re about to get some stops.’”

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In a game that featured 18 points from Tyler Burton, 10 critical bench points from Hakim Hart, and two huge Brendan Hausen three-pointers, Njoku’s defense and a few clutch shots from fellow junior Jordan Longino contributed greatly in a much-needed Villanova victory.

Longino finished with nine points, two assists, and two steals in 29 minutes — another solid outing from a player who is finally healthy and performing.

That Longino, a Germantown Academy graduate, is back to himself is a big development for a Villanova team that lacked depth last season. That Njoku is changing games is, too, considering how little he has played since starring at Delaware’s Sanford School.

Jay Wright’s three-player 2021 recruiting class was already down one, with Angelo Brizzi transferring out of the program last year. At times, it looked like the other two players, Longino and Njoku, would make the class a complete bust.

It’s because of them that it isn’t.

The 2022-23 season, Longino’s sophomore year, was supposed to be his breakout. It ended up being more like a “roller coaster,” he said.

A torn meniscus ended his freshman season a day before Villanova left to begin a tournament run that would end in the Final Four. He worked that summer to get back to full strength, but the knee injury was nagging, and Longino wasn’t feeling or playing like himself. Then, he tore his hamstring in a January win at Georgetown. He returned six weeks later but had little burst in his legs. He rarely practiced. In games, he seldom shot and couldn’t rebound the same way.

“I don’t think he went into one game last year more than 60 or 70%,” said Villanova coach Kyle Neptune, who recruited Longino to campus.

It was a frustrating time, Longino said, but he wasn’t alone. Last year’s Wildcats team had plenty of injuries at various points. He could lean on Justin Moore, who missed 20 games recovering from an Achilles injury, Cam Whitmore, who missed the first seven games with a wrist injury, and Njoku, who had an injured foot.

Longino said he would also lean on his family, including his older brother, Evan-Eric, who had several surgeries during his run as a Division II college basketball player at Kutztown and West Chester. Jordan called his older brother “probably more than he wanted me to.” They would talk about Jordan staying patient, worrying only about the things that were in his control, and that all of this was part of his journey.

“I knew I would come out the other side and be successful in the end,” Longino said.

Physically, it’s easy to see the difference in Longino from this time last year. You can see it in the way he quickly turns the corner around a screen, the way he gets off the ground near the rim, the way he leaps on his jump shots.

Longino is playing nearly 25 minutes and scoring 9.5 points per game. He tallied a career-high 16 points in an overtime loss at Kansas State on Dec. 5.

The mental side, Longino said, is probably playing more of a factor.

“When you don’t have the thought process of a nagging injury when you’re out there playing in these high-level games, it helps,” Longino said. “Anything to give you that edge. For me, knowing that my body is 100%, knowing that I gave a full summer of work, knowing the preparation is there, I can go out and play with a free mind and with confidence.”

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Njoku stepped onto a scale one day after last season ended and saw a number greater than 275.

His sophomore season at Villanova was behind him, and through two years, the 2021 Delaware Gatorade Player of the Year had done almost nothing to show he belonged. His freshman season featured a concussion, an illness, and some missed time after he lost a family member. He made nine appearances. Year No. 2 featured even less time on the floor, as Njoku appeared in just four games.

It was time for a big change. Njoku thought about the conversations former Villanova guard Caleb Daniels would have with him and Longino about how the duo, known for being funny and rarely taking things too seriously, would eventually need to step up and be leaders and would need to be ready to contribute when their numbers were called.

Njoku said he and Longino made a pact. The friends, who ride to practice together almost every day, agreed to dedicate their summers to changing their bodies and getting into the best shape they could.

For Njoku, getting to the goal looked a lot different from where he was starting.

Working with Villanova’s staff, Njoku changed his diet and started getting more sleep. He stopped eating after 8 p.m. and started intermittent fasting. He cut out sugars and worked out with a purpose.

Months later, Njoku, who is 6-foot-9, is down about 30 pounds, he said. He can feel it in the way there is less pressure on his joints and the way he’s able to move more freely. The lifestyle, he said, “is part of who I am now.”

“He’s a guy that I know never gives up and is always fighting,” Longino said.

“As a coach, you’re just lucky to have guys with that type of character that are willing to buy into your program and go through good times and tougher times with you,” Neptune said of both juniors.

There’s still a long way to go for Njoku. He has impacted a couple of games in a big way — his defense helped two big wins over North Carolina and UCLA — but still isn’t playing often. Entering Wednesday night’s Big East opener at Creighton, Njoku is playing 4.1 minutes per game in just seven appearances. He has one made basket on two attempts.

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It’s fair to wonder, in the transfer portal and NIL era, what Njoku is still doing here. There’s a program out there that could use him a lot more often than Villanova has and will. Njoku was told as much during the offseason. He said there were plenty of people telling him he should leave. It would be hard to argue against him needing a change of scenery.

So, why is he still here?

“I always like to tell myself that I’m never going to quit,” Njoku said. “I’m never going to walk away from a situation knowing that I could’ve done something more myself. I would’ve felt defeated.

“If it works out for me, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. But at least I know I gave it my everything.”

Njoku said his mother doesn’t know a lot about basketball, but he has leaned on her for advice. “Control what you can control,” she told him. “At some point, your time is going to come and you have to be ready to go.”

For Longino and Njoku, the time is finally here.