Jonathan GivonyESPN:2 minutes to learn
Former Washington State guard TJ Bamba, one of many prime transfers in faculty basketball this spring, has dedicated to play at Villanova subsequent season, he advised ESPN on Friday.
Bamba stated he selected Villanova over a variety of faculties, together with Kansas, Tennessee, Texas, Georgia Tech, Auburn, North Carolina and St. John’s.
“This provides me the perfect alternative to realize my final aim of enjoying within the NBA,” Bamba stated. “Gamers in my mildew like Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo have been drafted from Villanova and have confirmed to be useful items. My hope is to comply with of their footsteps.”
Final season for Washington State, Bamba averaged 15.8 factors in 32.2 minutes per recreation on 37.2% capturing and earned honorable point out All-Pac-12 honors.
The Bronx native will return to the East Coast, the place he performed at Kipp Excessive Faculty in New York earlier than shifting to Colorado for his ultimate two years of highschool and ultimately touchdown in Pullman, Washington.
“Enjoying in entrance of my household extra typically performed a giant half in my resolution,” Bamba stated. “I am wanting ahead to Villanova on the street and the battles that the Large East is understood for. I do know there shall be adjustments when enjoying with a brand new coach and new teammates, but it surely’s simpler to regulate when everyone knows one another’s individuals, us. everybody is aware of play high-level basketball, and all of us have a standard aim of profitable.”
Bamba will attempt to assist Villanova return to prominence after the Wildcats missed the NCAA Match for simply the second time since 2005 in coach Kyle Neptune’s debut season.
Villanova employed former Quinnipiac coach Baker Dunleavy as its common supervisor Thursday, a newly created place centered on title, picture and likeness offers, the switch portal, advertising and marketing and fundraising for the boys’s and ladies’s basketball applications.
“My objectives subsequent season are to assist Villanova return to dominance,” Bamba stated. “I might like to win the Large East title and make a deep run in March.
“My private aim is to show myself worthy of being chosen within the 2024 draft, in addition to a few of my future teammates. If we win as a bunch, all of us win as people.”
Bamba is presently testing the NBA waters and stated he’s “severely taking this 12 months’s course of.”
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft skilled and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a non-public scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and worldwide groups.
