The Knicks have quite the collection of former Villanova players. Four of their stars not only played for the program but also won a national title together. Jalen Brunson was a part of that quartet and remembers those days fondly. He also believes that his time at Villanova made him a better player and altered his lifestyle for the better.
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During his recent appearance on the Come And Talk 2 Me show, he opened up on how the Wildcats influenced his habits. He claimed their tough loss in the critical knockout and championship games forged his approach to basketball. Brunson said,
“I thought I had good habits of winning going into college. But I realized that I had good habits, but I needed better ones. Because college is different. And so, being able to be held accountable by the older guys on the team, and by Coach [Jay] Wright, it definitely helped me. And then learning how to be effective in a limited role kind of taught me that I can help win in different ways.”
While he played a limited role in his first two years with the program, he improved dramatically by the time he entered his junior year. He became the first option on offense and shouldered the responsibility of leading the young team. He said,
“I got the chance to lead a team and win a championship my junior year. And so, I was able to learn how to win in different roles, and I think that helped me get to the league. So, I started back at the bottom of the totem pole. And um, kind of worked my way back up. I felt like I was like effective in a bunch of different roles.”
His point about being able to play different roles is right on the money. During his time with the Mavericks, he was forced to play a reserved role. Yet, he impressed the Knicks’ top brass and general manager enough to make him the face of the franchise.
Brunson and the Villanova Knicks have already tasted a lot of success together. However, nothing short of an NBA title would soothe the franchise’s fans, who’ve suffered long enough.
