Villanova coach Jay Wright said this about senior guard Ryan Arcidiacono, which is just about the best thing a coach can say about a player: “He’s meant so much to all of us,” he told a small group of reporters just outside the Knicks locker room at the Garden.
“Not just on the court, but around campus. Guys have so much respect for him. He kind of controls what everybody does. He sets an example that forces everybody to follow the line.”
Arcidiacono might not be the best guard in Villanova basketball history or go on to a stellar NBA career, but no one has been prouder to wear a Villanova jersey than the senior from Langhorne, Pa. He grew up a ’Nova fan, captivated by the 2009 team that reached the Final Four.
“I watched every single game,” he said. “It’s unbelievable to play for Villanova because I grew up watching them and both my parents went there. It’s just awesome.”
A four-year starter, this is his final run in a Big East Tournament, an experience he helped extend by scoring 19 points in Villanova’s 81-67 quarterfinal victory over Georgetown on Thursday afternoon.
Arcidiacono buried three 3-point jumpers and dished two terrific assists during a four-minute stretch in the second half in which the top-seeded Wildcats (28-4) turned a one-point lead into a more comfortable 65-53 advantage with 5:32 to play. Georgetown (15-18) got no closer than nine points after that.
All three of Arcidiacono’s long-range burials came in transition. He also made a terrific cross-court bounce pass that junior guard Josh Hart caught in stride for a layup and a length-of-the-court baseball pass that Hart grabbed and converted for another layup.
“I’m going to do what I do best and that’s shoot and make plays for others,” said Arcidiacono, who was 6-of-11 from the field and 5-of-7 from 3-point range. He also had six assists.
It wasn’t a flawless performance. He had the wrong kind of senior moment late in the second half when he played faster than his sneakers and launched a wild pass that was caught by someone at the scorer’s table. Wright took him out of the game for that miscue.
“I was so amped up from the run we’d just gone on,” Arcidiacono said. “That was the first time, I thought, ‘I’m making a play,’ instead of just letting the game come to me.”
Mistakes of aggression are acceptable, especially from a senior who’s become the face of the program.
“Anytime we teach him, we’re teaching everybody,” Wright said. “Everybody knows if Arch has to listen, we all have to listen.”
The Wildcats are defending the Big East Tournament championship they won last season, but the ultimate goal is to get back to the Final Four. The Wildcats have gone to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons, but haven’t advanced past the opening weekend. With a No. 1 seed likely if they win the Big East Tournament, expectations are high to make strong run at a national championship this year.
“There’s a lot of pressure from the outside on this team to get to the second week,” Wright said. “We just take it one game at a time. If we don’t get there, it’s not going to kill us. We’ll be really disappointed, but we’re going to enjoy every step.”
Arcidiacono feels the sense of urgency.
“I had the mindset coming in that it could be my last game, but I’m not going to let it be my last game,” he said. “I was going to get on people, knowing that it’s not only my last time, but our last time if we want to win another Big East Tournament. It’s not just about the seniors, it’s about everyone.”
Wright isn’t trying to think about a Villanova team without Arcidiacono whose leadership, sacrifice and dedication have been what Villanova basketball is about. The coach will simply enjoy watching him for as long as he can.
