Jalen Brunson on U.S.A. Basketball Experience

This edition of the Nova Notebook by Director of Media Relations Mike Sheridan helps introduce Villanova to guard Jalen Brunson, fresh from being named Most Valuable Player at the U19 World Championship as he helped lead USA Basketball to the gold medal in Greece.

Basketball celebrity earned prior to the start of a college career is not unknown territory at Villanova.

Tim Thomas was the No. 2 overall prospect in his class when he reached VU in 1996. Jason Fraser was the top-rated big man in a prep class that included A'mare Stoudemire in 2002. Scottie Reynolds and JayVaughn Pinkston were both national basketball names when they reached campus in 2006 and 2010 respectively.

Yet none of those cases quite match the unique place that Jalen Brunson finds himself in these days, courtesy of a sensational effort for USA Basketball watched by millions on national television over the July 4th holiday weekend.

Brunson earned high marks for his skill and leadership as the starting point guard on an U.S. squad that knocked off host Greece and Croatia to wrap up the U19 World Championship. In the semifinal win on July 3, Brunson scored 30 points. Then came some terrific clutch work that included 14 points and seven assists as the Americans grabbed a 76-71 overtime win in the final on July 5.

"He (Jalen) had a great tournament," said Arizona and USA head coach Sean Miller. "He emerged as our leader as well, and when you have a leader at that position, it helps things. I thought his performance against Greece with 30 points was an incredible performance."

It's the first international basketball gold medal won by a Villanova player since Randy Foye helped the USA claim 2005 World University Games' gold (his coach was Jay Wright).

The Brunson profile was an established one before he arrived in Colorado Springs for team trials in June. As a senior at Stevenson (Ill.) High School, the 6-2 guard helped lead his squad to a state title while earning McDonald's All-American and Mr. Basketball honors. His signature on a national letter of intent last November was viewed as a coup for the Wildcats.

And his hoops' work abroad has only added to the profile.

While the man at the center of the storm is certainly aware of all the praise, he is not consumed by it. The expression "humble and hungry" is uttered often on the second floor of the Davis Center and Brunson embraces it.

"I'm just coming in here to work hard," said Brunson on a recent summer afternoon. "I missed a little bit here so I have a lot to learn. I've been the new guy in a lot of situations. I'm just going to have to adjust to it."

Basketball has been a part of Jalen Brunson's life for as long as he can remember. His father, Rick, was himself a McDonald's All-American who starred in Philadelphia at Temple University before building a nine-year National Basketball Association career.

"One of the things my Dad has told me is that when I was in a stroller he would always push me around," says Jalen Brunson. "When we would go into gyms, he would sit me there and I would watch. I would just watch my Dad really working hard, not knowing what he was doing. Watching him lift, watching him run. He really worked his butt off and I just saw that at a young age.

"As I got older, I saw what he was doing and what I would have to do to get to that level."

The younger Brunson credits both of his parents - his mom is Sandra Brunson -- for helping him accomplish so much before enrolling in college.

"My parents did a really good job of raising me," he states. "I can't thank them enough. They're so supportive."

One reason that Brunson is not intimidated by his new surroundings is that he is used to adapting. Part of his youth was spent in South Jersey before his family settled in the suburbs near Chicago during Rick Brunson's tenure as an NBA assistant coach.

This, then, is a homecoming of sorts as he returns to a region he knows well. That was just part of the appeal of becoming a Wildcat as he weighed his options before making a verbal pledge in September 2014.

"I loved the family atmosphere," says Brunson. "Everyone was so together. Everyone was having a good time with each other. I knew it wasn't a show. I knew that's how they were because I could sense it.

"I just fell in love with Coach Wright. He's a great coach. I love the way he coaches. I love this style of play and felt like I fit right in."

The transition will be under way for the rest of July as workouts continue until the end of the summer session. The coaching staff directed Brunson to take a pause on the full workload in the week immediately following his return from overseas to allow his body to rest following a month of high-end hoops.

For now, Brunson can take a rightful dose of pride in having excelled while representing his nation on a world stage.

"It definitely has to rank No. 1 in my experiences," Brunson states. "It has to be up there because you were playing for your country. You are playing for the United States of America. Not many people can say they represented their country in any way. I felt really honored just to put that jersey on.

"It was just a surreal feeling: wearing that gold medal, wearing that jersey, listening to the national anthem."

As preludes go, the last month of work by Jalen Brunson stands tall. Now the challenge is to take the lessons learned in Greece and get up to speed on life in the BIG EAST.

"I'm just a freshman now," he says.

It is a fact, of course. The gold medal won't aid him when he steps on the court as a collegian in November. If anything, it may only serve to catch the attention of opponents.

No matter, though. Brunson's work ethic, intelligence, skill, and willingness to strive for the greater good make him a snug fit for a Wildcats' team that was known as much for its unselfishness as it was for its 33 victories. He is eager to be a part of that.

"When I watched (Villanova in '14-15) I just imagined myself being in the positions they were in," he says. "I was excited and rooting for them. I just can't wait to get out there."

That chance grows ever more closer with each passing day.