Wright Lands Another New York Standout

Remember last year when Julius Hodge worked overtime to keep a secret? Well, it worked as few knew of Hodge’s plans before the actual announcement. New York prospects love to do things like that and make those surprise announcements. Recently, Curtis Sumpter gave it a good try but wasn’t able to keep the lid on his decision. He’s headed to Villanova.

Sumpter Thinks Villanova Is Just Wright

We had to see this one coming. As the coach at Hofstra, Jay Wright landed his fair share of New Yorkers. He built America East championship teams around them. He recruited all of the city kids, taking swings at some of the big guns and settling for the second tier guys but always trying.

Now, Wright is at Villanova and he isn’t settling for the second tier New York recruits anymore. At 2 p.m. today, SF/PF Curtis Sumpter will head to the TV studio and record a television show in which he announces for Villanova. He’ll be the second New York prospect to pick the Wildcats since Wright’s arrival.

The announcement is great for Sumpter and Villanova basketball. Obviously, it hasn’t taken Wright long to let the rest of the Big East know that although he’s now a 76ers and Phillies type guy, he still pays attention to the Mets, Yankees and Knicks. Being in the Big East has allowed Wright to leverage his connections in the city and turn them into commitments for a program a short drive down I-95.

Sumpter joins Bronx (NY) St. Raymond’s scoring guard Allen Ray on the Main Line. Both were recruited heavily at the Big East and national level before opting to move on with Wright. Their commitments mean that Villanova is now a force in the fertile area and that Wright has the connections and the juice to get it done in the future.