Kwame Evans Jr. and Devin Royal were the top two names in the rumor mill once the transfer portal opened, but the first player that Villanova met with was Cornell’s Jake Fiegen. The competition for the 6’4” senior was stiff, with the other reported teams involved being Vanderbilt, Northwestern and Virginia. Being a three-year player in the Ivy League, it was obvious that academics were still a part of the equation for Fiegen. Being from Wilmette, IL, it seemed like the Northwestern Wildcats had the inside track on his recruitment. Instead, Fiegen chose to go about 3.5 hours south to become a different Wildcat.
The senior guard improved tremendously in his junior season, increasing his stats and efficiency in nearly every category. Despite only playing an extra 0.4 minutes per game in comparison to his sophomore year, Fiegen increased his scoring average from 10.9 to 17.1 points. His field goal percentage went up 3.7%, despite taking 3.6 more shots per game, and his three-point percentage went up 3.1% on 0.9 more attempts per contest. Fiegen is also a quality rebounder for his size, averaging 5.1 rebounds per outing. In his one game against a power-conference foe, Fiegen scored 15 points and grabbed 7 rebounds at Michigan State, though he struggled from the floor (6/16) and from three (1/8).
With Villanova, Fiegen will have to face this kind of competition more often, but he won’t be at the top of the scouting report. His role on this team will likely be what it was in the exhibition game against Rutgers on Saturday: fire up as many threes as he can. Fiegen went 5/11 from the field against the Scarlet Knights, and all of those attempts came from beyond the arc. He will take a two-point shot at some point this year, but the vast majority of his attempts should be of the three-point variety.
Throughout the offseason, Kevin Willard has talked up Fiegen’s toughness. He’s also spoken to Fiegen’s work ethic, saying that he rivals Tyler Perkins in that department. Through one exhibition game, there’s no reason to doubt that. His shooting ability will be critical to helping to spread the floor on offense, but his ability to rebound and play hard-nosed defense is what will keep him on the floor at the Big East level. There were more flashy transfers brought in the past offseason, but don’t sleep on Fiegen. As likely the first reserve and best shooter on the roster, he will be a big part of the success level for this Villanova team.