A Look Back at the 2018 Villanova Basketball Roster and Championship Team
I still remember watching that 2018 Villanova team take the court for their season opener like it was yesterday. There was this electric feeling in the air - you could just tell this wasn't going to be an ordinary college basketball season. What struck me most was how they came out swinging against defending champion University of the Philippines. That phrase "the black-and-gold flexed its muscles" perfectly captures what we witnessed that night. They weren't just playing basketball - they were making a statement.
Looking back, what made that roster so special was the perfect blend of veteran leadership and young talent. You had Jalen Brunson, who I firmly believe was the best point guard in college basketball that year. The guy played with this incredible poise that you rarely see in someone his age. Then there was Mikal Bridges, this lanky defender who could just shut down anyone on the perimeter. I'll never forget how he'd sneak into passing lanes - it was like he could read opponents' minds. And Donte DiVincenzo, oh man, that kid came off the bench with more energy than most starters. Little did we know he'd become the X-factor when it mattered most.
The beauty of that team was how they complemented each other. Brunson provided the steady hand, Bridges brought the defensive intensity, and DiVincenzo gave them that explosive spark off the bench. But what often gets overlooked is how deep that roster really was. Eric Paschall brought this physical presence in the paint that just wore teams down. Phil Booth provided clutch shooting when they needed it most. And Omari Spellman stretched defenses with his three-point shooting - something you don't often see from a big man.
I've followed college basketball for over twenty years, and I can count on one hand the teams that moved the ball as beautifully as that Villanova squad. They averaged something like 18 assists per game - though don't quote me on the exact number - and you could see the trust they had in each other every time they stepped on the court. It wasn't about individual stats; it was about finding the best shot, whether that came from Brunson driving to the basket or Bridges spotting up in the corner.
Their championship run was nothing short of spectacular. What impressed me most was how they handled the pressure. In the Final Four against Kansas, they shot an unbelievable 55% from three-point range. I mean, that's video game numbers! Then in the championship game against Michigan, DiVincenzo put on one of the greatest performances I've ever seen from a bench player. The guy dropped 31 points, and I remember thinking "this kid's going to be a star."
What made that championship so satisfying for me as a longtime fan was seeing how they evolved from earlier seasons. They'd had talented teams before, but this group had this unique chemistry that you can't coach. They played like they'd been together for years, moving in perfect sync on both ends of the floor. When they cut down the nets that April night, it felt like the culmination of everything Jay Wright had been building toward.
Even now, years later, I find myself going back to watch highlights from that season. There's something timeless about how that team played basketball - the ball movement, the defensive intensity, the unselfishness. They set a standard that I think every college program should aspire to. While the exact win-loss record might escape me now, the memories of watching that team dominate night after night remain crystal clear. That 2018 Villanova squad wasn't just a championship team - they were a masterclass in how basketball should be played.
We are shifting fundamentally from historically being a take, make and dispose organisation to an avoid, reduce, reuse, and recycle organisation whilst regenerating to reduce our environmental impact. We see significant potential in this space for our operations and for our industry, not only to reduce waste and improve resource use efficiency, but to transform our view of the finite resources in our care.
Looking to the Future
By 2022, we will establish a pilot for circularity at our Goonoo feedlot that builds on our current initiatives in water, manure and local sourcing. We will extend these initiatives to reach our full circularity potential at Goonoo feedlot and then draw on this pilot to light a pathway to integrating circularity across our supply chain.
The quality of our product and ongoing health of our business is intrinsically linked to healthy and functioning ecosystems. We recognise our potential to play our part in reversing the decline in biodiversity, building soil health and protecting key ecosystems in our care. This theme extends on the core initiatives and practices already embedded in our business including our sustainable stocking strategy and our long-standing best practice Rangelands Management program, to a more a holistic approach to our landscape.
We are the custodians of a significant natural asset that extends across 6.4 million hectares in some of the most remote parts of Australia. Building a strong foundation of condition assessment will be fundamental to mapping out a successful pathway to improving the health of the landscape and to drive growth in the value of our Natural Capital.
Our Commitment
We will work with Accounting for Nature to develop a scientifically robust and certifiable framework to measure and report on the condition of natural capital, including biodiversity, across AACo’s assets by 2023. We will apply that framework to baseline priority assets by 2024.
Looking to the Future
By 2030 we will improve landscape and soil health by increasing the percentage of our estate achieving greater than 50% persistent groundcover with regional targets of:
– Savannah and Tropics – 90% of land achieving >50% cover
– Sub-tropics – 80% of land achieving >50% perennial cover
– Grasslands – 80% of land achieving >50% cover
– Desert country – 60% of land achieving >50% cover
