With all of this center talk, who are the tallest ‘Cats of all time?

Mario and Luigi are on the move, racing to the next stage as the bands keep rocking on the last day of Welcome to Rockville at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, May 12, 2024.

There haven’t been very many seven-footers in Villanova’s history.

Dating back as far as 1982, the following is a rundown of the top ten tallest Wildcat players in history.

Tom Greis – 7’3”

The tallest Villanova player ever, Greis played four years for the Wildcats from 1986-87 to 1989-90. His career averages were 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. If you remove his freshman season, Greis was a consistent 12-14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Rafal Bigus – 7’1”

An aptly-named player, Bigus played four years for Villanova from 1995-96 to 1998-99. He played sparingly in his first two seasons, but as an upperclassman he played about 20 minutes per game. He had his best season as a junior, averaging 8.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Nico Onyekwere – 7’1”

The current Wildcat redshirted this past season, and despite entering the transfer portal, he decided to withdraw and return to Villanova for another year. Onyekwere has a chance to be the backup center for whoever is brought in.

Chuck Everson – 7’1”

Everson played four years for the Wildcats, including the 1985 championship season. He only averaged 6.2 minutes per game over his career. In the championship game against Georgetown, Everson played three minutes and did not record a stat.

Chris Charles – 7’0”

Charles played for Jay Wright from the 2001-02 season through 2005-06. He played more in his first two seasons, accumulating a total of nine starts.

Braden Pierce – 7’0”

The redshirt freshman followed Kevin Willard from Maryland, where he redshirted his first two seasons. He played consistently, but sparingly, this past year for the Wildcats. In most instances, he provided a steady presence in less than ten minutes off of the bench. Pierce has transferred to College of Charleston for the 2026-27 season.

Wyatt Maker – 6’11”

Maker was also a member of the 1985 title team, and like Everson he played sparingly over his career. Though in the last two seasons, Maker averaged around 11 minutes per contest and started in nine games each year. He played for the Wildcats from 1982-83 to 1986-87.

Daniel Ochefu – 6’11”

Arguably the best tall player in Villanova’s history, Ochefu was a three-year starter for the Wildcats at the beginning of the “golden era.” Ochefu played for coach Wright from 2012-13 to 2015-16, culminating in the championship against North Carolina. Throughout the tournament, Ochefu averaged 11.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, which were all up from his senior season averages.

Jason Lawson – 6’11”

Lawson had the most consistently productive career of anyone on this list. In all four of his years as Wildcat (from 1993-94 to 1996-97), Lawson averaged over ten points and 6 rebounds per game. His career averages were 11.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per contest. He had a 23 points, 9 rebound and 3 block game against Louisville in the second round of the 1996 NCAA tournament for Steve Lappas.

Enoch Boakye – 6’11”

A transfer from Arizona State and Fresno State, Boakye played his final season under Kyle Neptune and next to Eric Dixon in the frontcourt. He provided a steadying presence, averaging 4.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game in 22.9 minutes. He played a role in Dixon leading the country in scoring.