As the play concludes, with Kris Jenkins leaning slightly at the waist to watch his masterpiece unfold into history, Mikal Bridges sprints onto the court, and Josh Hart, full size, is pressed against Phil Booth. Somehow, Jalen Brunson finds himself on the floor, the back of his jersey ending up in a heap, celebrating Villanova’s 2016 national championship.
Now, a decade later, three of them could etch their names in history. Should Hart, Bridges, and Brunson lead the New York Knicks to an NBA championship, they would become the first trio of teammates from the same college squads to capture both collegiate and NBA titles.
A trio of guys from the same collegiate championship teams have gone on to win NBA titles. In 1951, Frank Ramsey, Lou Tsioropoulos, and Cliff Hagan swept all the titles for Kentucky, and in 1960, Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek, and Larry Siegfried were part of an Ohio State team that claimed a title.
No one has accomplished both simultaneously. Ramsey and Tsioropoulos together won two titles with the Celtics, while Hagan’s championship came with the Hawks. Meanwhile, Lucas’s NBA title with the Knicks occurred a full decade after Havlicek and Siegfried had won it all in Boston.
The fact that they might do it in New York — a city that touts itself as basketball’s mecca and has seen only five decades of empty hardwood courts — would only add to the legend of the so-called “Nova Knicks.”
But if you rewind it, go back to that 2016 shot, you’ll see the Nova Knicks are more than just a clever and convenient nickname. In the final 4.7 seconds, on a play designed for the national championship, the three players from that roster who are still active in the NBA had next to no involvement in the play they’ve come to call “The Nova.”
Hart was nowhere near the action, setting a screen. Bridges and Brunson weren’t even in the game. They were on the bench, watching.
This serves as an illustration of what college basketball once was.
With players like Mo Bamba moving for millions and the transfer portal essentially wide open, more than 4,000 players have entered the fray, looking for a change of scenery. Some sought playing time, others more opportunity. Most desired additional money, and nearly all had one goal: finding a better path to the NBA.
Somehow, adversity, that which used to be overcome, has now become something to be avoided. Parents are putting pillows on the potholes, and the children are learning to avoid the rough patches.
The Nova Knicks chose the bumpier route — and still ended up in the right place.
Mikal Bridges was a redshirt as a freshman, and the following year, when Villanova won the title, he never cracked the starting lineup. He played in 40 games and started none. A first-round draft pick in 2018, he’s in his eighth year in the league and is in the first year of a four-year, $150 million contract.
In 2015, Josh Hart earned both Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player and league’s Sixth Man awards as he didn’t become a full-time starter until his junior year. Dylan Ennis, who went undrafted and has since played overseas, bypassed him as a sophomore. A late first-round pick, Hart is in his 11th NBA season and signed a three-year, $81 million contract extension three years ago.
Jalen Brunson, the only McDonald’s All-American on that championship team as a freshman, played 959 minutes that year. Ryan Arcidiacono, a senior, logged 1,282. Brunson’s charity is called the Second Round Foundation because, despite being named National Player of the Year his junior season, he was only selected in the second round. He’s a three-time All-Star and, after taking less money to give the Knicks financial flexibility to attract better players, is on the verge of a max deal.
Beyond their moniker, the Nova Knicks are, in essence, a proof of concept, an antidote, an answer, and a solution to everything that is ailing college basketball.
If, that is, anyone is paying attention.
About the Author
