When Jalen Brunson sat down with his parents and Villanova coach Jay Wright a couple of days ago to discuss his basketball future, he had no doubt about what he wanted to do.
"There was very little controversy," Brunson said Thursday as he announced that he would return to the Wildcats for his junior season and pass on checking out the NBA draft process.
"We were just talking about pretty much my plan, how I'm going to go about everything. It was great. It was really just grown people talking about me trying to make the best decision for me and having a plan going forward."
The plan is multifaceted. Brunson, the Big Five's scholar athlete of the year carrying a 3.54 grade point average in communications, is on schedule to get his degree in three years. He also wants to play another season with his teammates, improve his game, and win more championships.
Since going to Villanova from Lincolnshire, Ill., Brunson has been on a team that has won a national championship, a Big East tournament title, and two conference regular-season crowns. He was a unanimous all-Big East selection this past season.
"I love playing with these guys," he said. "I love playing in this program. I just feel like I can get better at multiple things, especially on the defensive end and in all aspects of my game. I just feel like I have a lot to learn, and I want to be able to lead a team. I want to help these guys win more championships."
Wright said Wednesday's meeting was "really simple."
"I have so much confidence in his mom and dad and him," he said. "They're really intelligent people and level-headed. They all just said Jalen wants to get his degree, and that's all we talked about. He also wants to help his guys win championships and be a leader here, and he likes college."
Brunson's father, Rick Brunson, played nine NBA seasons and is an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With the graduation of Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins, and Darryl Reynolds, Jalen Brunson will step into a major leadership role next season.
"We're going to have to replace the leadership, and I think I have the ability to do it," he said. "Just make sure we don't lose what this program means and what this program is about. It's just making sure that I bring my leadership first and foremost, and everything else will fall into place."
The 6-foot-2 Brunson finished second on the team in scoring this past season with a 14.7-point average and led in assists at 4.1 per game while shooting 54.1 percent from the field and 87.6 percent from the free-throw line for a 'Nova team that finished 32-4.
And he'll be back for another season.
"I love it here at Villanova," he said. "The university is a special place and will always be a special place to me. One thing I know for sure is that I want to get my degree."
