Big games in the spotlight can do wonders for a player’s career, and LeBron James thinks Villanova’s star reserve had a career-altering performance on Monday night.
Donte DiVincenzo had the breakout game of a lifetime for Nova in the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship Game, scoring 31 points as the Wildcats won their second NCAA title in three years.
The scoring outburst changed the way more than a few people have talked about the guard, including Michael Wilbon. But as absurd as his Wilbon’s on DiVincenzo was, LeBron also thinks the Nova star is poised to benefit from the title win in a big way.
James spoke to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin on Tuesday morning and explained the importance of DiVincenzo’s big game and what it means for his future.
“First of all, he made himself a lot of money,” James said. “That’s the first thing I thought.”
James said DiVincenzo was “on fire” and talked about his all-around game, explaining that he was much more than just a hot 3-point shooter on Monday night.
“He was getting into the lane, and-1s. Backdoors. Lobs. Verticality with Matthews at the peak, showing his athleticism,” James said. “And then when the game started to kind of get (close) when Michigan cut it to 12, boom, he hits another backbreaker. Michigan kind of gets it to 10, boom, he shows up again.”
DiVincenzo is Nova’s sixth man as a redshirt sophomore, so it’s hard to imagine him as a mainstay in the NBA right now, but James said the way he played on Monday night puts him in a position to cash in on his game. And James had high praise for Nova as a whole, pointing out the team’s foul troubles in the second half and how they dominated despite that.
“Villanova was the best team in college basketball this year,” James said. “When the National Player of the Year is on the sideline with four fouls for the majority of the second half and you’re still winning? That lets you know how great of a team you are.”
Whether DiVincenzo makes the money James predicts is tough to say at this point, but it’s clear he made himself a legend in the eyes of Nova fans on Tuesday night.
