A pair of Villanova Basketball stalwarts now have the first stop of their journey in professional basketball set.
Two-time BIG EAST Player of the Year Collin Gillespie has agreed to a two-way deal with the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association, per published reports. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news. Jermaine Samuels, meanwhile, has come to an agreement on an Exhibit 10 free agency deal with the Indiana Pacers.
Gillespie concluded one of the legendary careers in the annals of the Villanova program in April, leading his team to an NCAA Final Four appearance. As a freshman, the 6-3 graduate of Archbishop Wood High School was a part of the regular rotation for the 2018 NCAA national champions. A year later he earned a spot in the starting lineup and was named a team captain alongside Phil Booth and Eric Paschall.
As a junior Gillespie helped steer VU to a 24-7 overall record and a share of the BIG EAST regular season title. In 2020-21, he and teammate Jeremiah Robinson-Earl were named BIG EAST Players of the Year as Nova won another BIG EAST regular season title. Unfortunately, Gillespie suffered a season-ending knee injury in a win over Creighton on March 3, 2021.
Following a summer of rehab, Gillespie was back at the controls as a graduate student in 2021-22. He was named a third team All-American by The Sporting News and United States Basketball Writers Association, became the first Villanova player ever to win BIG EAST Player of the Year honors twice, and was honored with the Bob Cousy Award as the nation's top point guard.
Samuels was another key cog in Villanova's success over the past five seasons. He too was a member of the 2018 NCAA national champions who emerged as key member of the rotation as a sophomore, draining 27 points in a key regular season win over Marquette to help secure the 2019 BIG EAST regular season title for the 'Cats. This past season the 6-7 native of Franklin, Mass., played a pivotal role for the Wildcats, averaging 11.1 points and 6.5 rebounds as the 'Cats posted a 30-8 overall record on their way to the NCAA Final Four.
