Behind the veneer of the beautiful story of the trio Jalen Brunson – Donte DiVincenzo – Josh Hart, former NCAA friends at Villanova, then NBA teammates this season with the Knicks, the reality has long been a little more complex. If Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo have been friends since their first steps in college, the relationship between “DDV” and Hart has long been very tense. The two players actually couldn't stand each other, to the point of being separated on several occasions as things got heated between the two.
ESPN thus devotes a long article retracing the history of this meeting on the New York side, which those involved would probably never have imagined a few years earlier. Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo, who arrived on campus at the same time, were staying in the same room. Josh Hart had already been on the team for two years. And in terms of character, compared to the calmer newcomers, the contrast was great.
Hart the “tyrant”
“ Josh can tell you, I hated him! » explains the rear. “ A number of guys on the team hated him. Jalen and I were best friends, and Jalen had to tell me, 'Don't worry, he's cool.' It was our common bond. » Because if Jalen Brunson had quickly integrated into the Wildcats, Donte DiVincenzo had to wait longer to integrate, the fault of a serious foot injury.
Difficult in these conditions to form bonds with Josh Hart with such an assertive personality. “ Josh was simply a bully. A sleeping tyrant » summarizes Donte DiVincenzo.
“ He plays like he's possessed » explains Phil Booth, a member of the Villanova team at that time, and today a fullback for Strasbourg in Betclic Elite. “ Once you get to know him, you see he has a good background. You understand that Josh is just…Josh. » « I don't know, I guess I must be a polite motherfucker » Josh Hart laughs today.
The smile was less appropriate for two seasons, between 2015 and 2017, between the winger and Donte DiVincenzo. During their first season, a trashtalking session by Josh Hart towards Donte DiVincenzo ended in a tie between first and second. “ Donte couldn't move at all » recalled Jalen Brunson in his podcast with Josh Hart “Roommates Show” “ The thing about Josh is you never see him pushing in the gym, but he's pretty damn tough » admits Donte DiVincenzo.
Headaches and good memories
A few months later, while Josh Hart was weight training with his young partner, an insult from the winger caused things to escalate, to the point that Donte DiVincenzo had sent a 4.5 kilo weight towards his teammate. “ Josh should have received the weight since he said » assures Jalen Brunson, while none of the players of the time today wish to reveal the words of the former Lakers, Pelicans and Blazers player.
Competitive, almost to an excess, Josh Hart ended up mending with his former classmate once both men arrived in the NBA, where the bad times became old memories of the good times. That of the Wildcats, NCAA champions in 2016 and 2018, within a team not so far removed from that of the Knicks.
Facing Oklahoma during the 2016 Final Four, Villanova prepared for the challenge of Buddy Hield, the best forward in the NCAA at the time, by asking Donte DiVincenzo to copy him line for line in training. The two players are face to face today, with a 2-0 advantage for the Knicks, notably thanks to Donte DiVincenzo's decisive shot in Game 2.
