Saturday's win over #1 seed Pittsburgh in the Regional Finals of the 2009 NCAA Tournament served notice of Villanova's resurgence to the upper eschelon of the college basketball landscape. Villanova now has the second longest active NCAA Tournament appearance streak in the Big East, with 5 consecutive invitations. In addition to guiding Villanova to its first Final Four in 24 years, Jay Wright and his staff have recruited the 4th best recruiting class in the country (as per Rivals), with three Top 25 recruits and two McDonald's All-Americans.
Maalik Wayns
PG / 6-1 / 190lbs / Philadelphia, PA
Ranked #25 overall and #4 in position by Rivals.
Was also considering Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Virginia and Georgia Tech.
Named to the McDonald's All-American Team. ESPN states he "plays the way that a point guard should play," with exceptional driving and passing abilities. He will be the next great Jay Wright guard, following in the footsteps of Allan Ray, Randy Foye, Kyle Lowery and Scottie Reynolds.
Dominic Cheek
SG / 6-5 / 175lbs / Jersey City, NJ
Ranked #16 overall and #6 in position by Rivals.
Was also considering Kansas, Pittsburgh, Memphis and Rutgers.
Named to the McDonald's All-American Team. Gave a verbal to Nova on December 13th. DraftExpress calls him "an excellent teammate, comfortable doing all the little things for his team," while ESPN states that he is extremely quick and has great leaping ability, but needs to get stronger.
Mouphtaou Yarou
PF / 6-9 / 210lbs / Rockville, MD
Ranked #14 overall and #5 in position by Rivals.
Was also considering Memphis, Pittsburgh, Memphis and Georgetown.
ESPN calls him "an explosive athlete that is surprisingly skilled and displays a soft touch around the basket when he powers up in a crowd." DraftExpress contends that despite having the potential to a star, he will need to work on his left hand and defensive presence before reaching Villanova.
Isaiah Armwood
PF / 6-7 / 178lbs / Baltimore, MD
Ranked #62 overall and #18 in position by Rivals.
Was also considering Syracuse, Texas and Maryland.
ESPN states that he has great length and is an excellent athlete but needs to bulk up. Scout describes him as a "power forward who one day may surprise and turn himself into a small forward."