The Nova Knicks embody what post-grad success is on the court for Villanova. Pat Farrell is what it looks like off it.

The bright lights of an arena might have faded, but Patrick Farrell may still play as much basketball as he did while being an unsung hero at Villanova.

From 2014 to 2018, it was putting up V’s on the court at the Finneran Pavilion. Today, it’s midrange jumpers in organized rec league games at the New York Athletic Club.

But before he took part in those NYAC matchups, he had to fill out a form that included a “level of experience” section. A lot of walks of life get written down on that piece of paper. Lots of ex-college standouts in other sports tend to thrive in this league, especially when they’re looking to get their competitive juices flowing — or unleash some anger.

On his form, Farrell wrote, “National Champion, Villanova Wildcats, 2016.” Yeah, that tends to stand out.

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On one Thursday evening, after going through a physical with the New York Knicks, fellow former Villanova guard Ryan Arcidiacono got a text from Farrell asking him if he wanted to play pickup at the club before getting dinner and watching the Eagles game. Arcidiacono had shoes; he just needed to borrow a pair of shorts from his former teammate. Arcidiacono suited up and got his game on, just like he and Farrell did in numerous practices at Villanova.

Farrell hit a three in Arcidiacono’s face in front of the Manhattan spectators, showing up the rec-league rookie who went 0-for-3 on his three-point attempts.

“I’m never gonna live this one down, am I?” Arcidiacono said, looking at Farrell.

“Nope,” Farrell responded.

Farrell is one of the less talked-about members of Jay Wright’s first team to win a national title. But he’s one of those names that light up the eyes of the program’s hardcore fans. But while his representation of the Villanova brand may not be as public, the lessons he learned while serving as an integral part of that championship season has carried on throughout his life.

Farrell showed up to Long Island’s Chaminade High School his freshman year intending to play for its renowned lacrosse team. He tried out for the basketball team only after a conversation with his dad. He realized pretty quickly he was better on a basketball court than on a lacrosse field. That proved true at school and in organized camps over the summer.

Standing 6-foot-6, Farrell arrived at Villanova as a preferred walk-on — he had no scholarship, but didn’t have to work through any practice-squad reps to get his spot on the team. He could play right away.

When Farrell got to Villanova in 2012, the team was coming off a historically bad 13-19 season that required Wright to take a step back and reflect on what his team looked like. The result, thanks to players pursuing the NBA and transferring elsewhere, was a sizable hole on the roster to fill. The stars aligned.

“Whether you’re a starter on the team [in 2016] or the last guy on the bench like I was, everybody’s opinion mattered,” Farrell said. “Everybody listened to each other. It might take five guys to win a game, but it takes 15 guys to win a championship.”

That sense of connectedness made everyone feel equal. Many walk-ons have their magic moments where they feel like they transcend that title. Farrell never felt that magic, because to ask him, he never felt like a walk-on to begin with.

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Farrell will tell you that of all of his teammates, Arcidiacono was his closest friend. And still is.

The duo lived together all four years at Villanova and did almost everything together: paintball, mini-golf, driving ranges, winning a national championship.

“He’s always watching my games,” Arcidiacono said. “Even in my G League times, he would watch those games. Being in New York, we were able to be around the East Coast crew. They would come to games and sit with my wife. Pat’s always been a great soundboard, whether it’s basketball or even just, like, life.”

But Arcidiacono isn’t the constant former Villanova voice. According to Farrell, there’s a text exchange between him and Wright about once every other month. But every so often, the two will find time to catch up in New York, proving that a relationship between a coach and a player rarely fades.

“[He’ll ask], ‘Who are you talking to?’ and ‘What’s your relationship like?’” Farrell says of his conversations with Wright. “He has, since being an assistant coach under [former Villanova head coach Rollie] Massimino, always preached about the family environment at Villanova. So for him to hear that I’ve stayed in touch with, I don’t know, 80 or 90% of the guys I’ve played with or crossed over with on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis, to him that’s like ‘OK, I’ve accomplished my goal.’”

Post-Villanova life took Farrell where the school has taken a number of its alumni: a financial office in Lower Manhattan. Today, he’s vice president on the investments team of a real estate private equity company, Dune Real Estate Partners, in its New York City office.

His day-to-day involves a lot of communication with those above and below him. That’s where the lessons from Wright start to kick in the most. Being embraced as a walk-on taught Farrell the importance of treating everyone equally. But basketball as a whole taught him how to be decisive.

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“Coach Wright always said that he would prefer us to be decisive than not do something and not make the mistake,” Farrell said. “If that’s what you genuinely thought was the right play at that moment, he’d be like, ‘I’m fine with that,’ because you were decisive and you took ownership. But if you were timid and decided not to do it, then that’s where you get caught up. And I feel like that [decisiveness] is something that I’m doing regularly here.”

Surprisingly, Farrell is not the tallest person at his company, nor is he the only college champion. Aaron Greeno, a tight end for the 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team, works in Dune’s Los Angeles office. He’s 6-7, two inches above Farrell. And they aren’t the only ones.

“We made a joke that we must only hire people that are 6-foot-2,” Farrell said. “There’s even a person on my team who’s the exact same height as me.”

While Farrell is the only Villanova alumnus in his office, several of his coworkers are Michigan alumni. So when the Wildcats took down the Wolverines in 2018 to win Wright’s second title, he had plenty of fodder to give the “Go Blue” crew a hard time.

You’d expect someone who helped win a national championship for the school to be especially boastful. For Farrell, it’s not that simple.

“Coach Wright was always big in instilling to us that the national championship and Villanova basketball shouldn’t be the highlight of your career,” Farrell said. “It shouldn’t be something that you’re hanging on to. It should just be something that you accomplished when you were 18 or 22 years old because you should always be striving for that next big achievement in life … it shouldn’t be something that I boast about to try and make a name for myself.”

So what is the next step for Farrell?

“Becoming a dad,” he said, smiling. “I don’t think 20 national championships could probably beat that out.”

Farrell embraces Villanova and is proud of his part in winning the title. He’ll say that it’s something that unfolds and shows itself every day — even when he doesn’t mean for it to. For him, being a part of something as monumental as winning a national championship is unforgettable, but it’ll never define him.