Stellar summer play helps land Pennsylvania standout to the Big East power.
One of Pennsylvania's top incoming senior basketball players Darrun Hilliard announced Wednesday he will be playing college basketball at Villanova.
The
Liberty (Bethlehem, Pa.) standout boosted his position this summer with some rather stellar play at a team camp and in the Orlando Showcase in July, which was enough to catch the eye of Villanova coach Jay Wright.
With a number of offers from mid-level Division I schools on the table already, Hilliard, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, saw his stock climb enough to where Wright offered a scholarship in July and on Wednesday Hilliard publicly accept.
Hilliard chose Villanova over St. Joseph’s, Temple, La Salle, Iowa, Michigan, Notre Dame and Seton Hall. He averaged 18 points a game as a junior last season, leading the Hurricanes to the PIAA Class AAAA state semifinals, where they would lose to eventual state runner-up Penn Wood.
Villanova received a good look at Hilliard in June, at Villanova's team camp, where he really attracted the attention of Wildcats' coach Jay Wright, who offered Hilliard a scholarship in July after a strong Orlando Showcase camp.
“I will attend Villanova University,” said Hilliard, during a scheduled Wednesday afternoon news conference at Liberty High to announce his decision. “The reason why I chose Villanova is because they have great academics, and I’m guaranteed a great life after basketball, and I felt real comfortable there, like a home away from home. They have a great tradition there.”
