The college basketball season tips off this weekend with five of the six local Division I schools playing Friday night. Saint Joseph's is the lone exception — the Hawks host Toledo on Saturday. With that in mind, here's a list of the city's 15 most intriguing figures — both players and coaches — entering the new season.
1. Jay Wright
Wright finds himself in a position no city coach has been in since Rollie Massimino 31 years ago — defending a national championship. But Wright and his players are quick to point out they're not defending anything. They've wiped the slate clean from last spring's magical run that concluded with Kris Jenkins' buzzer-beater to beat North Carolina in the title game. It's the right mentality to have and the Wildcats intend to prove themselves all over again. But there's no denying Villanova enters the season with a bullseye on its back — in the Big 5, the Big East and around the country. The Wildcats check in at No. 4 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll.
Wright has plenty of talent at his disposal to make another run deep into March and possibly April. Josh Hart is a preseason first team All-American and Jenkins is a first team Big East preseason selection. Jalen Brunson takes over the reins as the Wildcats' lead guard while Phil Booth, Darryl Reynolds and Mikal Bridges will all have more prominent roles than last season. Wright's biggest challenge will be replacing the production and more importantly the leadership of Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu. From all accounts Villanova's senior class of Hart, Jenkins and Reynolds has acclimated itself well to increased leadership roles. That's important given the amount of attention and expectations that will surround the Wildcats all season.
It appears Wright will go with an eight-man rotation to start the season with Bridges, Eric Paschall and Donte DiVincenzo coming off the bench. Paschall is key — he sat out last season after transferring from Fordham, where he won Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year honors two years ago. He's a big, physical player who will provide inside scoring and rebounding but also has the ability to step out and knock down the three-point shot. The addition of Paschall took on even more importance after the NCAA deemed Villanova's top incoming freshman Omari Spellman academically ineligible for the 2016-17 season.
2. Kris Jenkins
Regardless of whether he scores a single point this season, Jenkins is already a Villanova legend following his game-winning shot against North Carolina in the national championship game. It's arguably the best shot in the long and storied history of the NCAA Tournament. Jenkins spent the entire offseason answering questions about the shot, taking pictures with fans and signing autographs of his Sports Illustrated cover. But what will he do for an encore during his final season at Villanova? Jenkins is a team captain now and has reportedly lost 15 pounds from the end of last season. His focus appears to be on what lies ahead rather than what he's already accomplished.
Jenkins is an elite shooter who has improved his mid-range and post-up skills over the last four years. He'll be counted on for steady play on both ends of the floor and increased leadership in the locker room. How Jenkins responds will go a long way in determining how Villanova follows up its national title run from a year ago.
3. Josh Hart
While Jenkins is Villanova's most popular player, Hart is unquestionably the Wildcats' best player. He is a first team preseason All-American and was the Big East coaches' choice for preseason conference player of the year. Hart went through the NBA draft process last spring but decided to return to the Main Line for his senior season. There have been many special single-season performances in recent Villanova history — Kerry Kittles' junior season of 1995, Randy Foye's senior season of 2006 and Scottie Reynolds' senior season of 2010 all come to mind. Expect Hart's senior year to compare favorably to those seasons. He'll be the best player on the floor in every game this season. Hart is one of the most talented players in the country but what really sets him apart is how hard he plays. In addition to his constant effort on the defensive end, he is relentless driving to the basket and attacking the offensive glass.
Hart worked on his perimeter jumper in the offseason in an effort to improve his all-around game as well as his NBA draft stock. When Hart is hitting his outside shot he is essentially unguardable. Teams rarely stop him from getting to the rim and his midrange game is outstanding. Hart is hands down the best player in the city and will be a strong candidate for Big East and potentially national player of the year honors.
4. Jordan Price
Price is La Salle's best player and the best pure scorer in the city. He averaged more than 19 points as a junior last season but didn't experience a whole lot of team success, as the Explorers finished with a 9-22 record. At times, Price was a one-man show who was always the focal point of opposing defenses. He'll be a marked man once again this season but will have much more help in La Salle's offense with the arrival of transfers B.J. Johnson (Syracuse), Pookie Powell (Memphis) and Demetrius Henry (South Carolina). It will be interesting to see how Price adjusts given the influx of scoring options in the Explorers' lineup. Chances are his scoring average will go down but the wins will go up, a trade Price will gladly accept after enduring the struggles of last season.
5. Phil Martelli
Martelli led St. Joe's to 28 wins last season. The Hawks captured their second Atlantic 10 Tournament title in three years in the process and came within a whisker of upsetting top-seeded Oregon in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. But Martelli faces a dramatic rebuild in his 22nd season on Hawk Hill. He lost Atlantic 10 and Big 5 Player of the Year DeAndre' Bembry to the NBA and must also replace leading scorer Isaiah Miles and third-leading scorer Aaron Brown. Bembry, Miles and Brown accounted for 60 percent of the Hawks' scoring last season. Saint Joseph's was picked to finish ninth in the Atlantic 10 in the league's preseason poll. Martelli inherits a talented freshman class, but he'll have to turn in one heck of a coaching job to improve upon those preseason expectations.
6. Fran Dunphy
Dunphy enters his 11th season at Temple with no shortage of question marks on his roster. The Owls lost three of their top four scorers from last season, including first team All-AAC selection Queton DeCosey. To make things more challenging, point guard Josh Brown tore his Achilles in the spring and his status moving forward is very much in doubt. Brown certainly won't be ready for the start of the season, which creates a huge void in the Temple backcourt. Brown has been a fixture in the Owls' rotation the past three years and emerged as an extremely valuable starter last season, averaging more than 36 minutes per game and a team-best 4.9 assists. Meanwhile shooting guard Trey Lowe will redshirt this year while recovering from a car accident last February. Dunphy's teams always seem to get better as the season goes on. Expect that to be the case again this year as the head coach integrates a number of new parts into his lineup.
7. Obi Enechionyia
Enechionyia is Temple's best player and will be a strong candidate for All-Big 5 and All-AAC postseason honors. He made great strides last season as a sophomore, averaging 11 points and converting more than 38 percent of his three-point attempts. Enechionyia will be asked to do even more given the offseason losses to the Owls' lineup. He's one of the more versatile players in the city, standing 6-foot-10 and possessing the ball skills of a perimeter player. Time will tell how Enechionyia adjusts to being Temple's leading man.
8. Steve Donahue
It's likely only a matter of time before Donahue leads Penn back into Ivy League contention, and we saw signs of that in Donahue's first season leading the Quakers. Donahue lost several key pieces from last year's group, but he does have a number of versatile returners at his disposal, including senior Matt Howard. As Donahue starts to integrate his own recruiting classes into the Penn program it will be interesting to see the progress the Quakers make. Donahue has already proven he knows how to win in the Ivy League from his time at Cornell. Now he's setting out to replicate that success at Penn.
9. Jalen Brunson
Brunson played a supporting role for Villanova last season as a freshman, finishing fifth on the team in scoring at a shade under 10 points per game. But his role expanded significantly the moment Ryan Arcidiacono graduated. Brunson is now the Wildcats' lead guard — a role he flourished in as a McDonald's All-American in high school — and is poised to become the next in a long line of great Villanova guards. Brunson will have the ball in his hands the majority of the time and will be responsible for getting the Wildcats organized on both ends of the floor. He'll spend a lot of time setting up Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins, but expect Brunson to be much more aggressive looking for his own shot. He's in line for a breakout season, and could play himself into the NBA draft with a big sophomore year.
10. John Giannini
Giannini spent a lot of time last year talking about the group of transfers that would breathe life into the program this year. Now we get to find out if that will be the case. The trio of B.J. Johnson, Pookie Powell and Demetrius Henry will be counted on to make immediate impacts this season at La Salle. The Explorers are in need of new blood following last season's 9-22 finish. Giannini has had success with transfers in the past, most notably Ramon Galloway and Tyrone Garland leading La Salle to the Sweet 16 in 2013. But the head coach hasn't been able to cash in on that NCAA Tournament run — La Salle is a combined 13 games under .500 the past three seasons. With the transfers and star guard Jordan Price, Giannini has the firepower to reverse that trend this season
11. Lamarr Kimble
Kimble takes the reins to the St. Joe's offense as a sophomore after playing 18 minutes per game last season. He was voted a team captain, becoming just the third sophomore in school history to serve in that role. He's a classic "Philly guard" — a tough, hard-nosed player able to create his own shot and set up scoring opportunities for his teammates. Kimble was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team last season following a terrific high school career at Neumann-Goretti. The spotlight will be shining bright on Kimble now as Saint Joseph’s turns the page from the DeAndre' Bembry era.
12. Zach Spiker
Spiker takes over as Drexel head coach at Drexel following Bruiser Flint's 15-year tenure at the school. Flint had plenty of regular season success at Drexel but was never able to push the Dragons into the NCAA Tournament. A 17-44 record the last two seasons was enough to convince the school to make a coaching change. Now it's on Spiker to rebuild the Drexel program. He's an unfamiliar figure to local basketball fans — a Morgantown, West Virginia, native who played his college ball at Ithaca and coached previously at Army. But Spiker did have success at Army, which is no small feat. He won 15 or more games in each of the last four seasons, topping out at 19 wins last year. He's got his work cut out for him getting Drexel back into contention in the CAA. It will be interesting to track his progress in Year 1.
13. Mikal Bridges
Bridges enters the season as Villanova's sixth man following a breakout red-shirt freshman year. Bridges would start for 95 percent of the teams in the country, but he'll make a huge impact for the Wildcats coming off the bench. He's an NBA caliber athlete who got more and more confident as last season progressed, eventually playing himself into Jay Wright's crunch time lineup. Bridges was the difference in Villanova's Elite 8 win over Kansas, making big play after big play on both ends of the floor. He's a terror defensively with his long arms and freak athleticism. His offensive game continues to evolve in large part because of his improved outside shooting. Bridges is a reserve in name only — he'll play starters' minutes and is one of the most important players on the Wildcats' roster.
14. Matt Howard
Howard is Penn's best and most versatile player. A 6-4 guard, Howard is also able to play inside when called upon by Donahue. He averaged 12 points and just under six rebounds last year as a junior, and that production will need to increase if the Quakers are going to make some noise in the Ivy League. I expect Penn to be a factor in the Ivy this season, and Howard will play a large role in determining that success.
15. Miles Overton
The son of former La Salle great and current Lincoln head coach Doug Overton will be counted on to make an immediate impact this season at Drexel. Overton transferred from Wake Forest two years ago and sat out last season, watching the Dragons stumble to a 6-25 season. He's got great size and skills for a guard — local basketball fans got a glimpse of his ability during his stellar high school career at St. Joe's prep. It's a new era at Drexel, and Overton will be a big part of the Dragons program for the next three years.