Before Villanova faced Providence last night, I had a conversation with one of my roommates. I am high on Nova and have been all year. I have said numerous times on The Campus Cover that this Nova team, which is the best we have seen ever, is also the best team in the country by a wide margin. He rebuffed with a concern for the Wildcats’ depth and said, “One injury could be the end of this team.”
Now, there is a possibility we will be able to find out how right he is with news regarding redshirt junior guard Phil Booth. After wiping the floor with Providence (and covering, like true champions) head coach Jay Wright announced the six foot three inch guard will be sidelined indefinitely with a broken bone in his hand.
Phil Booth was forced to sit out all but three games last season due to a knee injury, and many Nova fans believe it is the main reason they could not take the next step in the tournament while trying to defend their National Championship campaign of 2016.
This season has a different feel, though. Freshman guard Collin Gillespie, who also suffered a broken bone in his wrist and missed nine games, seems primed to be able to fill the void left by Phil Booth. Junior guards Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges and sophomore guard Donte DiVincenzo have taken huge steps forward this season to cement themselves as the best backcourt in the nation. Omari Spellman, five-star center from the 2016 class, is dominating in his freshman campaign, which was delayed by a year due to injury.
Phil Booth is the third Nova player to suffer a broken bone in his wrist and hand area. Gillespie returned after nine games. Four star freshman Jermaine Samuels has been sidelined since December 27th. There is no timeline currently for the guard’s return, but the Wildcats hope to have him back before a hopefully deep March run.