City of Basketball Love

Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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As Villanova warmed up for its game against Columbia on Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center, a small group of Villanova students began a chant:

Free O-Mar-I...Clap, Clap, Clap-Clap-Clap...Free O-Mar-I...Clap, Clap, Clap-Clap-Clap...

Wildcats redshirt-freshman forward Omari Spellman was supposed to play for Villanova last season. As the No. 8-ranked prospect in the 2016 class by ESPN, he was supposed to step in right away and help the Wildcats in the low post.

However, the NCAA ruled that Spellman didn’t complete his eligibility requirements on time, due to a reclassification early in his high school years, and forced him to take an academic redshirt.

After sitting out last season, Friday night was Spellman’s first official action in a Villanova uniform, a moment Villanova fans had obviously been waiting a while for, and a moment Spellman was a little jittery for.

“It was my first one,” Spellman said. “I was a little nervous, but my teammates did a great job of just talking to me and making sure I just got it going and played hard.”

The 6-foot-9, 250-pound big man was one of five starters for Villanova. He played 23 minutes in his debut, scoring 11 points and collecting 11 rebounds. He also added a block and an assist.

Spellman had a tough time sticking out in the first half. He went 1-of-4 from the floor, collected just two rebounds and looked a little lost at times on the defensive end. He said guarding ball screens is one of the biggest areas he has to improve on.

After a halftime talk with the coaching staff, Spellman said he was more locked in for the second half. He scored nine points and collected nine rebounds. His ability was on full display during a two-minute stretch in the middle of the second half when he scored six points, grabbed three rebounds and added one assist.

It wasn’t a perfect debut but the performance showed signs of what Spellman is capable of doing once he gets a little experience under his belt.

“I like that he rebounded the ball,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “For a big guy, that’s the most difficult offense to guard and he did it in his first game...decision-making, communicating defensively, he’ll get better. He just has to play. He hasn’t played a game in two years.”

Wright has had a few talented big man come through his program.

Dante Cunningham, who played on the 2009 Final Four team, turned himself into an NBA player. Mouphtau Yarou was a Top 20 recruit coming out of high school and averaged close to 10 points and eight rebounds per game during his final two seasons.

Daniel Ochefu, the primary big man on the 2016 NCAA title team, played in 19 games for the Washington Wizards last season. Even Daryl Reyonlds, who was not as highly recruited as Yarou or Ochefu, filled an important role on last year’s 32-win team.

Spellman comes to Villanova with higher expectations than all of them because of the multiple ways he can already contribute to the team.

“He’s pretty versatile player for his size,” Wright said in October. “He can get out on the perimeter and defend, he can pass it, he can shoot. Probably the greatest strength that he gives us is an inside presence defensively and offensively.”

Spellman weighed 287 pounds when arrived at Villanova. With a year away from the court, he took time to work on his body.

Strength and conditioning coach John Shackleton helped Spellman make healthier choices, adding food items like quinoa and spinach to his diet.

He lost 37 pounds during his redshirt year.

“I never want to go back to where I was, ever,” Spellman said. “I lived unhealthy. I’m just working toward being a complete person and human being and that involves my fitness and health, so I never want to go back to that.”

Before the season, Wright said Spellman also learned the culture of the program during his redshirt year.

“He looks for what’s best for the team,” Wright said after the team’s Blue & White scrimmage last month.

Spellman’s comments after Friday’s win reflected that. He used the word “teammates” more than 10 times and addressed how he would have liked to play better for them.

“It was hard,” Spellman said of sitting out last season. “But like I said, my teammates and coaches, they always did a good job of talking to me just making sure I stayed focused and locked in on the right things. I didn’t really show that tonight, but, you know, I’ll be better.”