Jalen Brunson

Jalen Brunson became the first Wooden Award winner from Villanova University. His efficiency and basketball smarts defined his three seasons in a Wildcats uniform. In 2017-18, Brunson stepped forward as one of the Wildcats leaders, averaging 18.9 points and 4.6 assists per game for a 32-4 unit that earned the Big East Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in his three seasons. His +2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked second in the Big East (168 assists, 62 turnovers) and he was the conference’s choice as its Player of the Year. The product of Lincolnshire, Ill., Brunson is the son of former Temple standout and nine year NBA veteran and assistant coach Rick Brunson and his wife Sandra. In addition to being a standout on the court, Brunson excelled in the classroom. The communication major was a Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-American and received the Big East Scholar Athlete of the Year award.