VILLANOVA, Pa. - Former standout forward JayVaughn Pinkston officially rejoined the Wildcats earlier this week in the role of Student-Athlete Development Assistant on the Wildcats' staff.

Pinkston, who excelled at Bishop Loughlin High school in Brooklyn, N.Y. before coming to Villanova in 2010, fills the role occupied last season by another former Villanova star, Corey Fisher. Fisher is now an assistant coach at Wagner.

"As a Villanova Basketball player, JayVaughn was revered by his teammates and coaches not just for his great skill, but for his toughness and commitment to our core values," stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "We're excited to welcome JayVaughn back to Villanova where he will serve as an important mentor to our guys."

The Student-Athlete Development Assistant position was created a decade ago to allow former players the opportunity to learn if college coaching is a field they wish to pursue.  In this position, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native follows other former Wildcats including Brooks Sales, Curtis Sumpter, Mike Nardi, Maalik Wayns and Corey Fisher, who held the job in 2023-24.
 
During his Wildcats career, Pinkston scored 1,590 points and collected 737 rebounds while helping lead Villanova to BIG EAST regular season titles in 2014 and 2015 and the 2015 BIG EAST Tournament crown. After earning his Villanova degree, Pinkston went on to play professionally in Europe.

Pinkston, who has a daughter Jaya Jennai Pinkston, age two, made his first appearance in his new role on the bench in Tuesday night's 68-60 victory over No. 14 Cincinnati.