Who’s Next? Villanova watches another center go off the board

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 12: Julius Halaifonua #11 of the Georgetown Hoyas takes a foul shot during the 2026 Big East Men's Tournament - Quarterfinal game against the Villanova Wildcats at Madison Square Garden on March 12, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It has not been a good week for Villanova in the center market.

Last week, both Ben Defty (Arizona State) and Christian Reeves (Kansas) went off the board. That trend continued into this week as Georgetown transfer Julius Halaifonua committed to Oklahoma State. That is three seven footers that have found new homes as the Wildcats remain in search of a starting big man next to Kwame Evans Jr.

Villanova was linked to Halaifonua early in the process but as time went on, it seemed that it was out on the center. As a sophomore, Halaifonua averaged 9.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He played in 32 games for the Hoyas, making 28 starts.

Kevin Willard has pulled off many surprises this offseason, including Elijah Crawford and Buddy Simmons, in the backcourt. On Friday, Matt mentioned in a previous post that the Wildcats have been connected to 19-year-old Luigi Suigo out of Italy. The 7-foot-3 center has declared for the NBA Draft so fans will have to wait until the June 15th deadline to withdraw.

Outside of Suigo, there is a good chance that Willard and the Wildcats are working on names that we have not heard connections to just yet. Regardless, the fact that the Wildcats remain in the center market proves that the coaching staff wants to get bigger — and that is a necessity compared to last year’s team.