Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo’s time as teammates on the Knicks roster came to a surprising end after the latter was traded to the Timberwolves along with Julius Randle for Karl-Anthony Towns. While they no longer share a dressing room, they still have a lifelong bond, which was formed nearly a decade ago when they were plying their trade for the Villanova Wildcats.
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DiVincenzo and Brunson were part of the same recruiting class in 2015. The latter was a five-star recruit and the 31st-ranked player in the country, while the former was a four-star prospect and the 110th-ranked player nationally. DiVincenzo was already at a disadvantage and to make matters worse, he suffered a fractured foot, which forced him to redshirt his freshman year just nine games into the season.
During his rehabilitation, he served as a member of Villanova’s scout team. As he recovered from the injury physically and mentally, Brunson was by his side, helping him deal with it and pushing him to focus on getting better and not worrying about his future. Villanova assistant coach Mike Nardi reminisced about witnessing the duo’s friendship blossom in an interview with The Athletic. He said,
“I think the Jalen effect really helped him, as well as sitting out. [Jalen’s] work ethic was off the charts. Those guys created a really tight bond from Jalen taking Donte under his wing and getting him in the gym at night. I really think that brought out Donte’s competitiveness.”
Brunson and DiVincenzo trained together after Villanova’s practice, which helped them improve tremendously. It also boosted the latter’s confidence, who couldn’t take part on the court but played a vital role in helping his alma mater win a national championship.
DiVincenzo dominated Villanova teammates and helped them beat Oklahoma
After being assigned to the scout team in his freshman year, DiVincenzo was tasked with studying the Wildcats’ opponents and mimicking their guards’ play styles to help his teammates prepare. In their Final Four matchup, they were up against the Oklahoma Sooners, who had Buddy Hield in their ranks, the best player in college basketball that year.
He averaged 25 points, 5.7 rebounds, and shot 45.7% from three-point range and went on to win the Naismith Player of the Year award. DiVincenzo was handed the seemingly improbable task of replicating his playstyle to help his teammates prepare. However, the guard’s impersonation of Hield in scrimmage shocked the entire team. In an interview with the Athletic, assistant coach Ashley Howard revealed,
“He was impersonating Buddy so well that we couldn’t guard this dude… [I told the other coaches] If we can’t guard Donte, we’re not going to be able to guard Buddy Hield.”
None of the starters could contain DiVincenzo, and doubts crept in whether they could stop Hield. But the guard’s incredible scouting and performance in scrimmage proved enough, as the Wildcats held the Sooners guard to nine points and thrashed them 95-51.
They went on to win the final against the North Carolina Tar Heels on a game-ending buzzer-beater and hoisted the National Championship. It perhaps wouldn’t have been possible without DiVincenzo’s contribution.
