Villanova Gets a Major Boost as Luigi Suigo Withdraws From NBA Draft, Commits to Wildcats
Nova just filled it's center void with a 7-4, 289 pound NBA prospect.
Villanova fans can finally exhale, as word broke on Saturday that 7-foot-4, 289-pound center Luigi Suigo withdrew his name from the NBA Draft and will be a Wildcat next season.
This is massive news on a number of fronts for Kevin Willard’s club, as Nova not only adds a player considered a borderline first round pick, but fills what would have been a significant hole in the middle.
It’s been a productive spring for Willard’s staff, but one that would have felt incomplete without this move. Villanova added five players in the transfer portal who averaged at least 13 points per game at the D1 level last season.
And with Suigo, returning guard Tyler Perkins, and Matt Hodge (rehabbing from a torn ACL late in the season), this has the look of a top-25 club heading into 2026-27:
Point Guards: Elijah Crawford (14.1 PPG, 4.9 ASP at UIC), Buddy Simmons (16.3 PPG at St. Bonaventure)
Shooting Guards: Tyler Perkins (team-leading 13.9 PPG last year), Jake Fiegan (17.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG at Cornell)
Small Forwards: Devin Royal (13.7 PPG,5.7 RPG), Adam Oumiddoch (freshman)
Power Forwards: Kwame Evans Jr.: 13.3 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.3 BPG at Oregon), Matt Hodge (9.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG)
Centers: Luigi Suigo, Nico Onyekwere (redshirt freshman)
While Simmons is an outstanding scorer and Evans brings a McDonald’s All-American pedigree with defensive versatility, Suigo will be the headliner on most nights. He’s a potential 2027 lottery pick who can stretch the floor beyond the three-point arc, and could serve as a dominating roll presence for the Wildcats.
Here’s what you need to know about Luigi Suigo:
He averaged 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 18 minutes per game for KK Mega in the Adriatic League last season. This is a club that produced the likes of NBA superstar Nikola Jokic and long-time NBA center Ivica Zubac.
Suigo shot 34.8% on catch-and-shoot opportunities, 40.7% when left unguarded on jumpers, and made an outstanding 73% of his shots at the rim.
His 1.105 points per possession last season ranked in the 90th percentile in his league, with nearly 33% of his looks coming as a roll man, and another 21% from the offensive glass.
Draft Express ranked him as its 28th best player in the 2026 NBA Draft, before he decided to head to college.
Suigo played alongside Butler commit Asim Djulovic last season.
A Look at the Film:
Suigo will obviously be a massive defensive presence in the paint next year. With players of this size the question becomes what it looks like when teams get him in switches, but he recovered well more than a few times in this shot block reel we pulled together:
Offensively, Suigo didn’t post up a ton last year (22 possessions, 62% shooting), and he did far more damage as a roll man (96 possessions, 65th percentile in points per possession), on the offensive glass (63 possessions, 78th percentile), and spotting up (41 possessions, 46th percentile).
Encouragingly, Suigo’s Turnover Rate was very low for a player of his size and youth (19 years old) at just 11.6% — the best mark of any regular on his team.
Here are roughly two-and-a-half minutes of him on the offensive end last year:
Expectations Rise in Philly
The ceiling for Villanova just rose significantly with this signing. The Wildcats will be must-watch TV early in the season, even from opening night, when they head to Suigo’s native Italy
Expect to see comparisons to Michigan center Aday Mara, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year from Spain who transformed from a two-year role player at UCLA to a star under Dusty May. It’s worth noting that Suigo is two years younger than Mara, and it didn’t truly click for Mara until his third year of college basketball.
Regardless, Villanova landed the big man it so desperately wanted — and the one they targeted all along this spring — when Suigo announced on Saturday that he was pulling his name from the draft.
Enjoying what you’ve seen from The Big East Film Room so far? Help us continue to grow by spreading the word to your network! We’re committed to providing insightful, unbiased, in-depth, and year-round coverage of the Big East.
If you haven’t already done so, please consider becoming a subscriber to help us bring even more great coverage of the league.
He has a tremendous follow through on his jump shot.