In the latest installment of our summer "Nova Notebook" series we get to know Luigi Suigo, the center who comes to Villanova from his native Tradate, Varese, Italy.
 
On a quiet summer morning in the Davis Center, Luigi Suigo makes his way upstairs to the cinema inside the Men's Basketball offices. Still feeling the effects of a summer virus – omnipresent air conditioning in the U.S. has been an adjustment – Suigo has pressed through a training session with new Sports Performance coach Kyle Tarp.
 
"It's been a little tough since I got sick on my third day here," he says. "But I love it. I like the campus a lot. I can't wait until all the students come back from the summer."
 
Few Wildcats have arrived at Villanova with the level of interest that has accompanied Suigo's arrival. Tim Thomas in 1996 and Jason Fraser n 2002 were high school All-Americans who stepped on to campus amid much fanfare. Jalen Brunson was a 2015 McDonald's All-American who led USA Basketball to a gold medal in the weeks before he settled into the Davis Center locker room.
 
Suigo's path to Villanova is his own, but the curiosity with his basketball skill rivals that of these legendary 'Cats. Standing 7-3, highlight clips reveal an athlete schooled in the European tradition, where big men have long been afforded the freedom to operate effectively on the perimeter as well as near the basket.
 
A 2025-26 season spent playing with KK Mega Basket in Serbia helped to raise his profile and landed Suigo an invitation to the National Basketball Association Draft Camp in May. Mock drafts speculated that he was a likely second round pick and there were even a couple that suggested a first round call was possible.
 
Yet Suigo wasn't in a rush to pursue the NBA dream just yet. Rather, he and his advisors zeroed in on one of the American universities that was eager to add him to its roster for 2026-27. A spring meeting with Villanova head coach Kevin Willard and general manager Baker Dunleavy gave Suigo the sense that donning a Nova jersey was a logical next step in his career path.
 
A few weeks later, Suigo withdrew his name from NBA Draft consideration and signed with the Wildcats.
 
Unlike many of his countrymen, soccer never had much of a hold on Suigo, 19. Although he knocked the ball around on the playground with friends as a child, he preferred basketball. Of course, his size may have had a bit to do with that.
 
"I have always been tall," he says now.
 
An issue with his heels pushed him to the sidelines for a period in his younger days as his body adjusted to its growth. By the age of 15 in 2022, he had shown enough promise that he was asked to join the youth program of Pallacanestro Varese in his region. From there, he moved to the junior team of Olimpia Milano and the possibilities of what could lie ahead were suddenly front and center. By 2024, he had helped lift Italy to a FIBA U17 World Cup silver medal.
 
That journey was not without challenges.
 
"I lost my mom when I was 11, so my dad (Massimo) has been a pillar for me," Suigo states.
 
Father often drove the son the 45-minutes to Milan, where Olimpia Milano is based. That helped settle into life with one of Italy's more prominent club teams.
 
The next step came when Suigo took his game to Serbia, where he averaged 18.3 minutes, 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds across 26 games last season.
 
"It was easy to adjust being in another country," he states. "I'm a guy that likes to be with people, but I like to be alone too. My teammates were good people."
 
It was during the '25-26 campaign that Suigo became aware of the Wildcats' interest in him. When he met with Willard and Dunleavy, he grew convinced that this was the right place for him.
 
"The way Coach wants to use me in the offense is going to give me a chance to show the things I can do," Suigo states. "I thought Villanova was the best place to help me take the next step."
 
As for what he brings to the program, he notes, "I am a stretch five for sure. I can do a little bit of everything. My ball-handling needs work."

"Luigi is a player with exceptional skill, length and feel for the game and a great young man," said Willard earlier this summer.. "This is a great fit for our team."
 
The processing of Suigo's visa paperwork delayed his arrival until July 28, one day after the 'Cats annual "Summer Jam Open Practice." In the weeks since, he has been doing his best to get up to speed, working out each morning in the Davis Center on a campus that won't begin filling back to capacity until later in the month.
 
"I like the guys a lot," Suigo states. "I think we're going to be great teammates. It will be more than just a basketball relationship – a brotherhood."
 
And, yes, Suigo has thought a bit about the unique opportunity that will present itself on Nov. 1, when he is slated to make his college debut at the Eternal City Tip-Off against Notre Dame in Rome, located approximately a 6-hour plus ride from his hometown.
 
"That will be a lot of fun," he says with a smile. "I'll have a lot of people looking for tickets. To play with my new team in my country will be awesome."
 
But make no mistake. Suigo understands this is a business trip.
 
"I will be the same player I always am," he explains.
 
The same one that the Nova Nation is most eager to watch.