Villanova’s Jasmine Bascoe has risen to the occasion

“We laugh about the conversation when I called her. I said, ‘It’s Coach Dillon from Villanova.’ And she’s, like, ‘Jalen Brunson Villanova?'” Denise told reporters. “So she has been a fan of Villanova for longer than we all realized and always following and watching Jalen.”

The Canadian guard ultimately followed in the foosteps of Brunson, point guard of the NBA’s New York Knicks, by playing college basketball at Villanova. She committed as a high school junior, calling it an “easy” decision to play for a program that she believes suits her game quite well.

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Right when she got to campus, Bascoe was expected to make an impact. She stepped into a Villanova program at a bit of a crossroads. Two years removed from losing three-time USBWA All-American Maddy Siegrist to the WNBA, Villanova also lost last season’s leading scorer, Lucy Olsen — and seven other players — to the transfer portal. Coach Dillon needed a player to make up for lost production and roster turnover, and she believed Bascoe could be that player.

“Honestly, I think just the coaches have been very open with me about my expectations for myself and to create for the rest of the girls on the team,” Boscoe told reporters. “… I just know everyone around me supports me so I don’t have to lack in confidence.”

In her first season at Villanova, Bascoe has risen to Coach Dillon’s high expectations. She’s started in all but one game, averaging a team-leading 16.4 points per game to go with a 4.4 rebounds per contest. She entered the postseason leading the Wildcats in assists (118) and steals (57) and has reached double figures in 25 of 28 regular season games. She joined Maddy Siegrist as the only Wildcats in program history to earn first team All-BIG EAST honors as a freshman.

In Saturday’s BIG EAST quarterfinal, Bascoe proved why she’s an all-conference player. In a back-and-forth No. 5 vs. No. 4 seed game against Marquette, she was the difference maker. When Marquette took a 27-24 lead with 2:43 in the second quarter, the 5’7 freshmen responded by scoring eight straight points to send the Wildcats to halftime with a 32-29 lead. In the final four minutes of the game, with Marquette trailing by just five, 60-55, Bascoe scored five straight points to extend Villanova’s lead to double-digits, 65-55. She ended the game with her first career double-double — 22 points and 10 rebounds. In her debut conference tournament performance, she was the best player on the court.

“She has a great basketball mind. She has a great work ethic. Those two things you can do a lot with, but the biggest piece is she’s a tremendous teammate,” Dillon said. “She’s just fun to be around. There’s nothing better than to just watch someone grow and develop in all areas on and off the court.”

As she herself predicted as a high school junior, Bascoe fits beautifully into Villanova’s culture and system. She’s no longer a distant admirer, either: Dillon said postgame that Bascoe now connects with Jalen Brunson through calls and texts, soaking up his Wildcat wisdom and talking hoops. Brunson, a two-time NCAA champion, follows the team and has been watching Bascoe’s ascent. Already, she’s one of the conference’s elite players — and she’s just getting started.

“We’re happy to have her at Villanova and excited to continue to be a part of the journey and see what’s ahead,” Dillon said.

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