PHILADELPHIA — Feelings of contempt and abandonment go both ways.
As 76ers fans whine on social media about Villanova celebrating a Knicks graduate, it’s worth remembering that their hometown organization withheld all draft picks from the two-time NCAA championship crew. Dew.
Josh Hart, who was drafted 30th overall by the Lakers in 2017, wasn’t forgotten either.
“Yeah, I wanted to go here,” Hart said. “They were a 25-year-old draft-and-stash guy whose name I can’t pronounce but is European (Andrzej Pasekniks from Latvia).
“But yeah, this is where I wanted to go. It was right down the street. But unfortunately, they felt like they wanted to draft and stash. On draft night, 25 I was a little disappointed that people came and I wasn’t there.”
A year later, the Sixers, who share their home arena with Villanova on Broad Street, passed once to Donte DiVincenzo and twice to Jalen Brunson.
And in the same draft, the Sixers selected Villanova forward Mikal Bridges, but immediately traded him to the Suns for Zaire Smith, who ended up taking the spot above DiVincenzo. .
At the time, the Sixers, whose front office was led by Brian Colangelo and Brett Brown, seemed to actively avoid removing players from the program that hung two banners in the arena. Bridges’ mother works for the organization and he was still traded on draft night.
Hart, who was training for the Sixers during the pre-draft process, said he was surprised.
“We were probably a little surprised because we came in with pedigree, discipline and a winning mentality,” Hart said. “We’re right down the street and the pipeline is there. But they wanted their organization to go in a different direction.”
None of the players the Sixers drafted in 2017 and 2018 are on the roster yet. They immediately waived the draft rights to Pasechniks. Smith was at the bottom of the G League.
Like Hart, DiVincenzo, a native of Delaware, also wanted to be drafted by Philadelphia.
“Yeah, absolutely,” said DiVincenzo, who was selected No. 17 by the Bucks. “You’re going through that process. You go to school. You go to school here or in the suburbs or Philadelphia or whatever.” But when it comes to going to school here, it’s obviously where you wanted to go because you grew up 30 minutes away in Delaware. Then run the whole process. Meet different teams. I am grateful for where I started my career. I believe God has a plan and I am following the plan He has for me. ”
DiVincenzo’s path led him to the Knicks, who gave the Sixers a 2-0 series lead in Thursday’s Game 3 at Wells Fargo Center.
The 27-year-old guard hit a game-winning big shot in Monday’s Game 2, which drew congratulatory tweets from the Villanova men’s basketball account and backlash from Sixers fans.
The relationship between Philadelphia and Villanova is a bit complicated. The campus is located on the outskirts of the city and is considered an elite private school when compared to Temple.
But former Villanova players say the city had no problem hosting the Wildcats when they were winning.
“When we were winning championships and representing the city, people wanted to claim Villanova because we were playing at Wells Fargo Center and stuff like that,” he said of Villanova and the Knicks. Ryan Arcidiacono, who played with Hart on both, told SiriusXM NBA Radio on Thursday. “Honestly, we’ve been putting up with Big 5 basketball (which includes Temple, Drexel, St. Joe’s, Villanova, and La Salle) for a while. And we’ve struggled the last few years. That’s why Villanova… It’s the way we do it, and we acknowledge and praise the players who perform well.I think people who do that (X account) say, “It’s necessary as a recruiting strategy.” Watch our players make an impact and wreak havoc at the highest level in the Garden in the NBA. ”
“But the Philadelphia area is not shady at all. Everyone knows I’m from Philadelphia and I’m a Philadelphia sports fan. But they can’t take it personally. The Knicks and Villanova players are doing everything 50-50 and making big plays, so I’m on par with Villanova in that regard.”
