Villanova’s Brandon Slater opened all sorts of eyes at the Big East Tournament | Mike Jensen
His viral block and two free throws kept Villanova in the tournament.
The video is a little more dramatic in slow motion, a basketball on a basketball court, big bodies skidding around after it before the ball gets into the hands of a Connecticut player, then into the air, crossing the Madison Square Garden court.
Villanova’s Brandon Slater appeared to be an extra in this sequence. Four strides toward the loose ball, inconsequential, taking him farther away from the rim. When the UConn player got hold of it, Slater jump-stopped and immediately backed up a couple of steps as the ball crossed the court. He left the video screen entirely, an apparent bystander.
Another UConn player, Tyrese Martin, was already on the move toward the hoop before the ball reached him. The catch was part of Martin’s move. His intent was clear. His dunk was going to be two-handed.
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It was spectacular. Except there was no dunk. Slater came up with other plans.
From the left side of the basket, he arrived to the right of the rim, above the rim, and then … holy moly, the 6-foot-6 Slater didn’t just block the ball, he took control of it, kind of half-pinning it against the backboard.
“They passed the ball quickly over my head,’’ Slater said later. “I had to make a quick decision. I saw a great athlete jumping. I knew I had to be quick off my feet.”
This Big East semifinal had its highlight. Jay Wright called it the play of the game, five minutes left. A wild momentum swing in a game that ended up 63-60.
“I see it every day in practice,’’ said Villanova guard Caleb Daniels.
Practice blocks don’t go viral, though. Friends at home in Virginia were texting Slater. His phone was probably tired by the time he got to the locker room.
“People are still sending me the video,’’ Slater said on Selection Sunday after Villanova found out it is a No. 2 seed playing No. 15 Delaware on Friday in Pittsburgh.
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The block wasn’t even Slater’s biggest contribution of the tournament. His two free throws the night before, 2.8 seconds left, had allowed Villanova to get out of the St. John’s quarterfinal alive, 66-65. Slater also had 15 points against UConn.
Collin Gillespie, already Big East player of the year, was named outstanding player of the tournament, a no-brainer after his late three-point heroics in the final against Creighton. Justin Moore also made the all-tournament team. Creighton got a couple of players. Providence got a player. No Slater? That was an air ball.
Slater said, no big deal to him. Wright said it did not come up in his presence.
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“See, I didn’t even know that,” Wright said of Slater’s omission. “We really don’t [talk about it.] We really don’t. I’m sure, individually, those guys feel like, I still want to prove myself.”
A basketball season, if you haven’t heard, is long. Slater had begun this one hot, proving right away he was deserving of his new starting spot. But lost amid Villanova’s pre-Thanksgiving wipeout of Tennessee up at Mohegan Sun, Slater hurt his ankle. He kept playing.
“I’ve been battling since then. … I was definitely battling through the whole entire year,” Slater said Sunday.
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His offensive production fell, then rose again. His KenPom.com offensive efficiency rating is second among Villanova rotation players, sky high. Those free throws are part of it. After making just 6 of 17 foul shots his first two seasons as a deep reserve, and shooting 60% last season as a rotation reserve, Slater has made 69 of 79 this season, 87.3%.
With 2.8 seconds left in conference elimination games, 100 percent. He got mobbed by his teammates after the 2.8 seconds played out. What does that do for him, to know he just made some lifelong memories?
“Oh, man, honestly, it’s still crazy for me,” Slater said. “It hasn’t sunk in yet. But my teammates keep telling me, you’ve done something that’s very memorable.”
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He meant both plays. Asked about what such things can do for a player’s confidence, Wright said he had just talked to his team about that.
“We always hear about how a coach has to give a guy confidence,” Wright said. “Someone else having confidence in you doesn’t really do anything for you. You’ve got to do it. And when you do it, and you know you’ve done that, you own that. And that’s where confidence comes from.”
For Slater, his coach suggested, this is about more than having confidence going into the NCAA Tournament.
“I really think that’s going to be big for him in his career,” Wright said.
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