Connecting Villanova University’s athletics in Villanova with its value system is a high priority for its vice president and director of athletics, Eric Roedl, writes columnist Mike Sielski for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Villanova is running a big-time Big East hoops program, but it’s also an elite academic institution, and it’s a Catholic university.
“We always need to maintain a strong connection between how we’re operating in athletics and making sure there’s a clear, strong alignment with the institutional values, with the academic mission,” said Roedl.
But that’s tricky in Division I modern college basketball in an age of name, image, and likeness, pay-for-play, and potential contracts for student athletes.
How do you mesh coaches and student athletes who understand the kind of community Villanova is, while recruiting the best, most talented student-athletes and staff it can find?
That’s the challenge. Do you go after and pay talented players to win games right away, then figure out which athletes fit at Villanova, or do you look for “Villanova kids,” then risk that your team will fall short of expectations?
It’s a tricky balancing act for Villanova’s new head men’s basketball coach Kevin Willard.
Read more about the challenges ahead for Villanova University’s basketball program as it navigates modern college basketball in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
