As a freshman on one of the best teams in college basketball, Donte DiVincenzo was the best player his team faced all season.
Fresh off a broken foot that caused him to redshirt after just nine games, the scarlet-haired youngster was cleared to practice as Villanova prepared for an appearance in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. In the days leading up to the Final Four matchup with Oklahoma and soon-to-be player of the year, HieldDiVincenzo's buddy was on the Wildcats' scout team. This week, DiVincenzo had to imitate Hield – his style and movements. In games where the Sooners represented Hield, Villanova coaches competed for their freshman with their starters.
For this week, DiVincenzo was Buddy. But he wasn't friendly at all.
“He was playing Buddy so well that we couldn't guard him,” Villanova assistant coach Ashley Howard said by phone last month.
Bucket after bucket fell on the heads of DiVincenzo's teammates, several of whom would go on to play in the NBA, including Jalen Brunson, Mosty Mikal and Josh Hart. To describe DiVincenzo as unworthy of protection would be disrespectful to what he actually did. DiVincenzo undermined his own team's confidence.
“If we can't guard Donte, we won't be able to guard Buddy Hield,” Howard recalls other coaches saying. I know Donte is really good, but he just destroyed us in training. I didn't know if we were ready for Oklahoma.
Villanova outscored the Sooners by 44 on their way to the national championship. Hield, who was named the nation's top college player a day later, scored nine points.
“After the game, everyone praised Donte in the locker room because he prepared us for this game,” Howard said. “Donte could have just done all the things, but he went into the first team.”
That's what DiVincenzo is like. Player and preparer behind the scenes. Winner. He is a two-time high school champion in Delaware, a two-time national champion in college, and at the age of 27, he is already an NBA champion.
DiVincenzo has spent most of his NBA career coming off the bench just to show he's worthy of a starting lineup. Last month was part of the biggest trade of the offseason, going from the New York Knicks to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In New York, he set a franchise record for three-pointers made in a game and helped produce the most anticipated season in over 20 years. In Minnesota, he will be asked to raise the bar higher than he did in last year's Western Conference finals.
“Getting a player of (Karl-Anthony Towns)'s stature is huge, but you can't get a good player like that without giving up good players, so that's what we had to do,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said.
Teams that leave DiVincenzo tend to regret losing him, and teams that get him are thrilled. It influences victory. It's always been like this.
Like many Villanova recruits before him, DiVincenzo wasn't a great high school prospect. He was a four-star guard according to 247Sports and was ranked just outside the top 100 in the country. The summer before DiVincenzo arrived in the Wildcats program, some thought it would take him some time to become a true contributor.
“Everyone said the summer before he joined Villanova he didn't do well on the track,” said Villanova assistant coach Mike Nardi. “And not that anyone was mad at him, but everyone realized he had a lot of work to do. We all thought he had great talent. I don't think we thought it would happen so quickly.”
Before his freshman year, when he suffered a foot injury, DiVincenzo appeared in every game he could play. There were no memorable performances. He didn't even log double-digit minutes most nights. For the most part, he looked like a regular freshman playing college basketball.
Like BrunsonDiVincenzo, there was no guarantee he would immediately arrive on campus and make a significant contribution. In fact, it was the work both young defensemen put in in the offseason and behind the scenes that helped each gain the trust of the head coach. If you were wondering where DiVincenzo was after practice, just look for Brunson. If you were wondering where Brunson was, look for DiVincenzo.
Together, they did extra reps after practice along with Brunson's father, Rick. Brunson joined the Villanova program as one of the most heralded recruits in a long time. He was destined to go to the NBA. He prepared at Villanova with the goal of reaching the top of the sport. This relationship had a huge impact on DiVincenzo.
Donte DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson celebrate after the 2018 Final Four National Championship game against the Michigan Wolverines. (Photos by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA via Getty Images)
Then came DiVincenzo's foot injury, which many in the program considered a blessing for the young defenseman. He was forced to observe. He was forced to work on his body. And once he was able to practice again, DiVincenzo returned with the freedom to explore who he was as a player. There was no pressure of a novice contributing to wins and losses.
In the atmosphere of championships and high stakes, he was able to absorb all this, preparing against the best, without any consequences.
“I think the Jalen effect really helped him, as well as just sitting,” Nardi said. “(Jalena’s) work ethic was off the charts. These guys formed a really close bond when Jalen took Donte under his wing and invited him to the gym in the evenings. I really think it highlighted Donte's competitiveness. It's not that he wasn't competitive, but he showed another edge, another level.
“He gained a lot of confidence from being on the scout team. You could have let guys like that go and think about it because you didn't count on them in the games.
A week in which DiVincenzo handled Buddy Hield better than Buddy Hield brought great excitement about what the freshman could be in his second season. Villanova players improve their game year after year. The program implemented, regardless of what is in the water, tends to breed players who are never satisfied, players who always seem prepared when the path is lightened and allowed them to move forward freely.
“Donte came in and had something to prove, he let himself be trained and had to learn to become more tough and decisive, and our training helped with that,” Nardi continued. “But he came with the talent, the athleticism and the confidence that came from the work he put in. When he had to be Buddy Hield, we said, “Holy…!” We expect you to come back and become a stud dog next year. He did this and played an important role on the top team in the country.
DiVincenzo, who left Villanova after his junior season to turn pro, with a stacked backcourt, spent most of his college career coming off the bench, but was still one of the better college defenders in the country as a redshirt sophomore shirt playing in the highest league. ranking program. His best performance this season came in the NCAA Tournament when he scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds against Mount St. Mary's. However, the Wildcats' season ended with another game. A three-point loss to Wisconsin halted the program's run to consecutive national titles.
However, the following year, Villanova dominated the college basketball team like no other in recent years. He lost only three games in the regular season. En route to the national championship, the Wildcats' average margin of victory in the NCAA Tournament was 14.3 points. For DiVincenzo, an up-and-down college career culminated in the championship game, a 79-62 victory over Michigan. He scored a game-high 31 points, hitting 10 of 15 shots from the field. DiVincenzo accounted for 37 percent of the Wildcats' baskets in the contest. He did this while playing 37 minutes into the game on the bench.
“I said to Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, 'Guard this guy! You have to protect this guy!” former Michigan head coach John Beilein said by phone last month. “He said, 'Coach, I'm right next to his grill. Watch this. I'm there!” Donte found himself in the zone. If you look at those shots, no one can defend them unless you're a 6-9 wing.
Going into the game, Beilein thought the Wolverines would be able to use DiVincenzo on defense. Beilein believed his team could lose DiVincenzo through ball screens. That wasn't the case. DiVincenzo has worn the jersey of every player before him. Villanova's team featured some of the most talented and disciplined defenders in the country. The Wolverines didn't have much room to maneuver.
“I feel better now because I see that Donte and Bridges are elite defenders in the NBA,” Beilein said with a laugh.
DiVincenzo's college career wasn't always rewarding from an individual standpoint. He was often in the shadows, playing behind some of the best defenders the program had ever produced. It was similar at the professional level. That same year, he was injured in the playoffs as the Milwaukee Bucks won the championship. He played behind Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors. Last season in New York was the first time I felt DiVincenzo received flowers on a national level.
However, reports indicate that this is not what motivates him. It wins. He always found a way to impact the game – whether it was preparing the starters for a national title run, dressing up as Hield, ending Michigan's championship hopes with Curry-style shooting, defending at the same level as Hart and Bridges, or passing z The NBA's sixth player of the year, the favorite to become the legitimate starter in the blink of an eye.
DiVincenzo is a player every team wants. But they don't want just one thing. They want many. There's something about these Villanova guys.
“All these guys have been through being underdogs and doubting,” Nardi said. “But they proved they belonged. They will do anything to win. Everyone individually has goals, but if your team wins and you do everything together, it will give you the best chance of winning individual rewards. That's what's ingrained in them.”
(DiVincenzo photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
