John Shackleton was the guy who made big contributions to Villanova’s 2016 and 2018 NCAA titles, but he never sunk a basket and no one ever announced his name at games, writes Mike Jensen for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

He was the strength and conditioning coach and team nutritionist for the Wildcats men’s basketball and now he’s leaving Villanova to become a private instructor.

Former ‘Nova head coach Jay Wright believes it was Shackleton’s “unique” approach that kept players conditioned and rested late in the season.

“It helped us in tournament play to be fresh,” Wright said.

Shackleton agrees he was “full-time basketball”.

It was a lot of observation, watching practices, and communicating with the coaches.

“Look, Villanova was my dream job,” Shackleton said Thursday. “When I was a kid, Villanova was the team I followed.”

Shackleton changed the body types for a generation of Wildcat players, including Kris Jenkins, Oman Spellman, and Eric Dixon.

He picked every meal they ate and monitored heart rates, body fat, and weight.

So why is he leaving now? 

He doesn’t want to grow stagnant.

“I got my dream job,” Shackleton said. “I want to pursue something else, but I’m actually in my dream.”

Read more about John Shackleton in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

John Shackleton talks nutrition and what meal plans look like for the Villanova Wildcats.