City of Basketball Love

By Finn Courtney (@finncourtney_)
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Jasmine Bascoe is no stranger to high-level competition. A four-year star for King's Christian Collegiate (Ont.) and multi-time medalist for the Canadian national team, the native of the Great White North has made an instant impact on an almost completely rebuilt Villanova.

Hailing from Milton, Ontario, the 5-foot-7 guard starred on her national team for multiple years, most recently averaging 14.8 points per game and 4.7 assists per game on route to a FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup 2024 silver medal this past summer. With that international competition under her belt, Bascoe brings a distinct style and unique background to the Wildcats’ offensive attack.

“The first thing that always comes to mind is just the intensity of it, playing against grown women and they’ve got years on me, so it’s different than playing against people my age,” Bascoe said. “So, coming in here, I think that was the biggest thing, intensity of practice, games, our schedule, just everything like that. I think I was lucky to be able to experience that for the past couple of summers, so it made it an easy transition.”

For head coach Denise Dillon, she’s had a star to rely upon for almost half a decade in first legendary scorer Maddy Siegrist and more recently, former Spring-Ford star Lucy Olsen. However, the key to success this year is not one star, it’s balancing a variety of talents and Bascoe leading the way from the point guard position has made immediate impacts, in terms of spacing and scoring opportunities. 

“Her impact [is obvious], Jaz in the recruiting process, she wanted to come in and make an impact and we talked to her and told her you’re gonna be thrown in the fire right away, whatever the situation was,” Dillon said. “And she’s responded, she is a basketball player, she has the mind of the game, the IQ, the determination and the will to lead her team to whatever she can do. It doesn’t matter what year she is, it’s just who she is as a player and a person and we’re happy to have her out there.”

In a hard-fought 68-67 win over Columbia on Saturday, the 18-year-old looked years beyond her age as she grinded past early foul trouble to finish with 15 points (7-15, 1-1 FT), six rebounds and five assists.

“I was impressed [today], she had two fouls early and I think all of them, we’re talking about playing disciplined defense and staying out on the floor,” Dillon said. “And for Jaz to be in that situation, this early in her career, it just shows maturity and the setup that playing with a national team has put her in this place, so it’s great to have her and a lot of the newcomers.”

Bascoe was subbed out for a mere 44 seconds in a forty-minute clash with the Lions, showing a gritty stamina to gut out games. Through three contests, she’s currently leading the Wildcats in minutes played per game (36.7). 

And despite that big physical toll, Bascoe’s speed and leadership that made her such a big get for Dillon was evident from horn to horn, with multiple different full-court slashing drives to the hoop paying dividends for Villanova. The playing time is no surprise for Bascoe, who knew from day one what a key role she’d play, especially with a backcourt that had lost Olsen and Zanai Jones via transfers to Iowa and SMU.

“They made it clear to me that’s what it’s gonna be like, so I know that going into it, it’s gonna be like that,” Bascoe said, “but just working for the team, there’s times I’m so tired on the court and the girls will say to me ‘come on, I know you’re tired, but just keep pushing,’ so I just gotta keep going for them.”

After that, Dillon remarked that she didn’t know Bascoe was tired, getting a chuckle from both player and media - a sign of the positive and hard-working attitude Bascoe has brought to the Wildcats.

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Burke sets Villanova career high 

Coming into the season, Villanova returned just three players who averaged 15 minutes or more of playing time. And their most experienced in fifth-year guard Maddie Burke got off the schneid after going scoreless in Villanova’s first two games, flipping the script for a terrific day by halftime with 17 points (6-9, 5-7 3PA) and 10 rebounds on the day — both career highs as a Wildcat in her third year with the team.

Burke, with a wealth of experience after four impressive seasons at Central Bucks West and two solid campaigns for Penn State, shot exceptionally from three-point range, knocking down five of six attempted threes in the first half and providing an infectious veteran presence on and off the floor. 

“I talk to her a lot, she’s a fifth-year grad student and there are some days at practice like it’s her first year, her effort is so great, her energy is tremendous and to see her rewarded, there’s nothing better,” Dillon said. “For a coach to be a part of that, I know she has it and I think her teammates do as well and they’re feeding her that confidence if it’s wayward for her, but for her to feel it today, we’re gonna look to carry that throughout her final season.”

After a downturn in three-point shooting percentage (36.1% her junior year vs. 23.7% last season) and a slow start to this season, game three today looked like a step in the right direction for the Doylestown native.

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Carter making impact after long recovery

Eighteen months after last playing in a game, for an entirely different university, junior forward Denae Carter is back to action after an ACL tear and helping out in a big way. Lacking a true ‘5’ inside this season, Villanova has turned to Carter to fill that void and St. Basil’s all-time leader in points, blocks and rebounds has played remarkably well for someone who went through such a tough rehab.

Averaging 6.3 points and 5.0 rebounds a game, Carter added to that with a good game against the Lions, including knocking down one-of-two free throws in the final seconds to give Villanova a lead and pulling down a game-ending rebound on the other end to push the Wildcats to victory. Carter finished Saturday with 11 points and six rebounds.

“It’s great, another player you want to see rewarded for her decision to be here and fighting back from another ACL injury, that’s a grueling rehab,” Dillon said. “Seeing her on the floor, just enjoying, being so happy to play, it was nice to see her break out a little bit. [We’re] trying to explain to her, it’s gonna take a little time, patience, it’s been a while since she’s been in game situations, so today, she was feeling it a little more and both ends of the floor, defensively and offensively.”