The latest installment of the Nova Notebook introduces us to incoming freshman Jordann Dumont.
 
The month of July has already been a bit of a whirlwind for the youngest member of the 2023-24 Wildcats. It began in Hungary with the 6-8 forward dropping in 21 points to go with eight rebounds for Team Canada in its final game at the U19 World Cup on July 2. When not on the court he was online, in the second summer semester at Villanova, before arriving at Philadelphia International Airport one week later.
 
Since then, Jordann Dumont has been soaking up all he can about Villanova Basketball and enjoying every bit of the experience.
 
"I'm a freshman, so it's a lot," said Dumont on a recent morning inside Finneran Pavilion. "But it's good. The coaches and players are there to help. The older guys give me tips about how we do things. The coaches help me too with things like watching film.
 
"I'm learning every day."
 
For Dumont, this is the next step in a quiet climb that began in his native Quebec. It then shifted in 2021 to Chattanooga, Tenn., as he sought to broaden his basketball experience at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy.
 
"That was my first time in the States," notes the Montreal native. "I was with great people and a great team. They taught me a lot."
 
The first challenge was straightforward. Dumont grew up speaking French and that meant he needed to quickly learn to speak English.
 
"That was really hard at first with school," he says now. "I had to learn English pretty fast. My grade was going down without it."
 
Dumont went all in, not just in the classrooms but beyond those walls. He constantly asked questions not just of his teachers, but of his classmates. In his free time, he binge-watched movies in English, trying to pick up every bit of nuance he could. Those initial 60 or so days helped give him a sufficient language foundation.
 
"After two months or so," he says, "it was pretty good. I had a little English in me."
 
Those early days weren't always smooth. A measure of homesickness crept in.
 
"At first, it was hard," he notes. "I'm a family guy. I love to be around my sisters and my mom. But I knew my why, the reason why I had moved. It kept me pushing. I was calling them every day and pushing forward."
 
His affinity for hoops helped the cause.
 
"Basketball has taught me so much, not even on the court but off the court too," states Dumont. "It helped me grow as a man. When you fail, you just get up and do it again. I learned to play through mistakes.
 
"I have learned basketball skills, but the mental part is important too. Having confidence is (also) important, on and off the court."
 
First and foremost, Dumont leaned on his parents and family. Even at a distance, he never hesitated to check in and lean on that counsel.
 
"I look up to them," says Dumont. "Whenever I have questions, I ask them. Everybody in my family is big to m."
 
The scholarship to Villanova fell into place quickly last January. Head coach Kyle Neptune and the staff had been tracking this forward with long arms. Shortly after a recruiting trip to Chattanooga, Dumont learned the staff wanted to add him to the Wildcats' mix.
 
"It was after practice," he says. "They watched me play and when they offered, I just knew this was the place for me."
 
Dumont had watched the Wildcats from afar. He was aware of the track record of success in helping to turn wing prospects like Mikal Bridges into National Basketball Association standouts. Before committing, he consulted his father, mother, and sisters. The support was there.
 
"I just knew (Villanova) was a big family," he says. "The way the coaches treat the players, and the winning culture were what I saw. I knew I wanted to be part of that big family."
 
On the court, Dumont brings not only length but the kind of demonstrable skill that tends to bode well for prospects. The forward is a legitimate threat from beyond the 3-point arc as evidenced by his .375 accuracy from deep over seven games for Team Canada at the U19 World Cup. His athleticism also suggests plenty of upside in the sorts of intangibles – deflections, taking charges, making the extra pass – that often are vital to winning BIG EAST games.
 
"Right now, I'm just trying to bring energy every time I'm out there and get better defensively," he states. "I just want to get better in general, on and off the court. I want to be a better man."
 
The opportunity to spread his wings for his country's national team only aided that quest.
 
"It was great," he says. "I got to go to places I've never been before - Croatia, Hungary – with a great coaching staff and teammates. We visited beautiful places too.
 
"That (experience) was similar to coming here. It was preparing me for the next level. We sometimes had two practices a day, we had (weight) lifts, we watched film. It was the same kind of thing we do here so that helped make the transition really good."
 
As the only freshman on a roster chock full of college veterans with multiple years of experience at this level, it isn't clear where Dumont fits in 2023-24. In the short term, the goal is to absorb every lesson he can while adding the foundational physical strength that is vital to sustaining success in the BIG EAST.
 
An upbeat, energetic presence that has been on display early in his time at Villanova will only help him in this quest.
 
"When I get out of Villanova, I want to be able to say that I did everything I could to get better as a man and as a player, that I gave 110 percent," he states. "I have coaches that push me every day, even when I'm tired. There's always someone to help me."
 
A BIG EAST season is just a few short months away.
 
"I'm ready," he says, while looking as though he will jump up from his chair. "I'm ready to go through physical contact."
 
And if you encounter some French speaking Canadians in the stands at Finneran Pavilion or the Wells Fargo Center, don't be surprised. The friends and family of the Dumont clan plan to cheer on their native son.
 
"You'll see a group of people come in there and make some noise," he says with a laugh. "They'll be loud."