Jalen Brunson, former Stevenson star, is at the top of Villanova’s ‘best’ list

SAN ANTONIO — Before the NCAA Tournament started, a wise scribe wrote on these pages of Villanova:

“The Wildcats have more ways to beat you than you have to beat them. Their coach, Jay Wright, has indeed built a monster, amassing 159 victories over the last five seasons, including six mighty big ones en route to the national title in 2016. . . . No one is better prepared to battle than ’Nova, my pick to win it all.”

Then again, the same scribe also predicted that Kentucky, Gonzaga and Michigan State would be right here, right now, getting ready to play in the Final Four. (It’s like he didn’t even realize Loyola existed!)

What a dope.

Anyway, here we are. There’s a clear favorite to cut down the nets Monday night, and it isn’t the Ramblers, despite their incredible mojo and Sister Jean-led prayers. It isn’t Loyola’s semifinal opponent, Michigan, despite the Wolverines’ compelling play in a 13-game winning streak. Nor is it Kansas, a No. 1 seed rich in blue-blood tradition, despite the mass migration of Jayhawks fans that takes place every March — sometimes into early April — wherever the team plays.

It’s ’Nova. Not only do the Wildcats have the Final Four’s best-dressed coach (sorry, Porter Moser), but they also have the best . . . well, let’s just say their “best” list is long. Without question, they have the best player — junior point guard Jalen Brunson.

“He’s been the consummate Villanova student-athlete,” Wright said. “He came with a plan to graduate in three years. He came with a plan to win a national championship. He came with a plan to be a leader. It wasn’t my plan. It was his. And he’s fulfilled all of those goals. . . . I’ve never seen a player attain this much individual attention and awards and be so selfless and so committed to a team and a university.”

Brunson has won multiple national player of the year awards since arriving in San Antonio. It seems we can all agree the former Stevenson star has done quite well for himself since spurning John Groce and Illinois — one of only two schools on his list of finalists — for Wright and Villanova.

“He was as complete a player as I’ve ever seen in high school,” Wright said. “And I commented to our assistant watching him, ‘I’ve never seen such a refined player in high school.’ I think he’s brought a lot of it to Villanova.”

Brunson was a starter all season as a freshman, but Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins, Daniel Ochefu and now-Bulls guard Ryan Arcidiacono all played larger roles in the run to the national championship. Those four guys are gone now, though.

The 2018 Wildcats are beautifully balanced, with Mikal Bridges at an All-American level and Donte DiVincenzo and Omari Spellman poised as the program’s next breakout stars. But Brunson — a stone-faced assassin who always stays in control — is running the show.

And now he can taste title No. 2.

“It’s been fun,” he said. “I think the outside world gets the perception that we’re just machines and we’re so robotic and we don’t have any emotion. This is fun. This is really fun to be a part of. I love playing with my teammates. I love being a part of this program.”

This season, no one has done it better.