“Delaware’s Michael Jordan” wasn’t meant as a compliment.
The nickname, coined sarcastically by Jay Wright, stems from Donte DiVincenzo’s overconfidence that turned into a bad habit during practice.
Something to the effect of, “Who do you think you are, Michael Jordan of Delaware?” His name stuck. When you hear about DiVincenzo’s background, it makes sense.
DiVincenzo, a red-haired guard from Newark, Del., was a basketball god in the state.
My high school hero.
His games at Salesianum, a small Catholic school in Wilmington, became local events that transcended racial boundaries.
“That was the destination,” says then-Salesianum coach Brendan Haley. “All of a sudden our games were packed. We had a big crowd, mostly white people. All of a sudden we had a very diverse crowd.
“Because of Donte.”
DiVincenzo was nicknamed “The Worm” at the time for his slimy style, but in hindsight MJ from Delaware was a better name. DiVincenzo, a senior at Salesianum University, single-handedly led his team to the state championship.
He just came off a .500 regular season before flipping the switch and completely dominating the 2015 postseason tournament.
It was captured on YouTube in “Donte Destroys the DI-AA State Championship,” a 6 ¹/₂ minute clip that highlights the atmosphere DiVincenzo encountered and conquered as a Delaware basketball star.
“There were more spectators than the stands could accommodate,” DiVincenzo said. “There’s a person standing in the door. …The whole city hugged me. Old, young, black, white, it didn’t matter.”
Mr. Wright summarized it as follows.
“He was a rock star.”
And a perverted athlete.
“One day during practice, he said to me, ‘Coach, look at this,'” Haley recalled. “Then he threw the ball against the wall behind the basket, it hit the American flag on the wall, it came back and he caught it with one hand and dunked it.
“And as a coach, you have to act like you’re not impressed. And I just said, ‘Whatever, you won’t be able to do it anymore if you try 100 times.’ As I was about to drive away, I turned to the players and thought, “Oh my god.” ”
Growing a head is inevitable in situations like this, but DiVincenzo has coped better than most teenagers while staying away from the trappings of the social media hype machine.
But being so much better than others can cause problems. For example, if DiVincenzo can jump into passing lanes and steal, he doesn’t need to maintain a defensive stance. As Haley says, “We couldn’t afford to bench him.”
Wright did.
Additionally, Villanova’s coaches had the benefit of having hyper-focused Jalen Brunson in the same class. They quickly became best friends.
“Donte and Jaylen became very close right away, straight away. Even in high school, they started communicating with each other. And it was a perfect match,” says Wright. “Jalen was a solid guy, he was dedicated to his studies. And Donte was super talented. Jalen was highly touted. But Donte was a freak athlete and had the same competitiveness as Jalen. He was super talented. But he didn’t have the work ethic yet. And when they lived together, Donte was in such good shape that everything felt easy to him. As soon as he arrived with Jalen…”
For example, DiVincenzo learned the importance of controlling his body by jumping and playing with both feet. Brunson set a strong example as a master of footwork.
“I didn’t really understand basketball. I was very athletic. I was better than everyone on the court. So I didn’t jump off one foot or gamble or anything like that. ,” DiVincenzo said. “I still do it. …Playing with both feet was never my forte. But learning — how can I incorporate that? Even though the players are so athletic in the NBA, And if you always put one foot down, you get blocked shots. When you look at Jaylen, he’s always two feet away. So I think it was more…more eye-opening.”
Villanova was immediately humbled. DiVincenzo learned to put his feet on the floor for several reasons. He broke his foot coming off the bench as a freshman and redshirted while watching the Wildcats win the national title. MJ in Delaware was suddenly ignored.
In 2016, four-star rookie Peyton Pritchard was ready to commit to Villanova, even though he played a similar position to DiVincenzo. They hit it off during Pritchard’s official visit, playing one-on-one with Brunson, which likely led Pritchard to commit to the University of Oregon.
“I thought we were going to get Peyton Pritchard,” Wright said. “I thought they could play together.” [Ryan Arcidiacono] I did it with Jalen.And they played one-on-one, and I think Payton was like, “Oh my god, we didn’t know this guy.” [DiVincenzo]. After that, they were like, “We’ll see.” ”
It worked out well for everyone involved. Pritchard is currently with the Celtics and recently signed a $30 million extension. Brunson is the toast of New York and the first NBA All-Star.
DiVincenzo was the Most Valuable Player of the Final Four with Villanova in 2018, and his performance earned him a first-round pick in the NBA Draft. Currently, he is the Knicks’ $50 million man and is well suited for the role of gunner thanks to the dignity he displayed during his high school days.
Since Dec. 30, no player in the Eastern Conference has attempted or completed more treys than DiVincenzo. It’s not even close. He stepped into the starting spot vacated by Quentin Grimes and the offensive holes left by RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, and he took it with the utmost confidence.
DiVincenzo is flying like Delaware.
“He thought he was going to play for money, but he didn’t think it was going to go to the NBA. He thought it was going to be Italy or something,” Haley says. “But he just kept getting better and better. And he keeps betting on himself and keeps winning.”
