Former four-stars deliver title for Villanova

On Dec. 11, 2010, Rivals.com got its first in-person evaluations of then-high school sophomore Kris Jenkins and freshman Phil Booth. Monday night, the duo gave Villanova its first national championship since 1985 in one of the most dramatic title games in NCAA history.

First, Booth carried the Wildcats with a career-high 20 points and then Jenkins delivered the decisive blow with an incredible buzzer-beating three-pointer to clinch a 77-74 victory.

So how did Jenkins (No. 74 in the class of 2013) and Booth (No. 85 in the class of 2014) end up in Philly, and what type of prospects were they?

The date was Dec. 11, 2010, and the venue was the D.C. Classic at Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga.

What we wrote about a then-sophomore Kris Jenkins:

"The sophomore's wide and filled out frame screams power forward, but he's got legitimate wing skills on the offensive end. He had one of the most impressive back-to-back series on of the day on the offensive end. First, he caught 17 feet out on the wing, reverse-pivoted to face his defender up, hit him with a shot fake and then drove baseline for a left-handed layup. The next time down the floor, he caught in rhythm on the right wing and showed no hesitation in burying a three."

What we wrote about a then freshman Phil Booth:

"He didn't get in until late, but 6-foot-2 freshman combo guard Phil Booth from Baltimore (Md.) Mount Saint Joseph demonstrated some promise. He's a rangy, quick, ball-handler who seems to have a knack for scoring the ball off of the dribble."

Jenkins committed to Villanova on Aug. 26, 2012. Our last national evaluation of him came a few months before he committed and summed him and his game up pretty well.

"Named player of the year in the highly competitive WCAC, Jenkins has been huge as a junior. Built like a power forward, he uses his wide body to score in the post, he rebounds and he steps out to bury jumpers. His game doesn't fit any defined position or role, he's just a player."

Booth committed to Villanova almost a year later and again, his evaluation proved to be a good fit.

"Booth isn't going to blow anybody away because of crazy athleticism. What blows coaches away is his overall package of skill, patience and team play.

"He shoots with good range, he is a smart player, he does his job on defense, and he handles the ball well enough to be a dependable secondary option. Booth will need to get stronger, and becoming more dynamic as a scorer off the dribble will make him tougher to defend at the college level."

Both Jenkins and Booth were heavily targeted by Villanova, which has done well in Washington D.C. and Baltimore, at an early age.

About three weeks before committing to Jay Wright and his staff, Jenkins narrowed his list to a final five of Xavier, Villanova, Rutgers, Miami and Clemson. Rutgers had ties into his summer program, the DC Assault, and Clemson was a finalist because Jenkins is a native of South Carolina, who moved to D.C. for high school. However, it was the Wildcats' early and heavy pursuit and success they had with Reggie Redding before him that allowed Jenkins to make the call.

Like Jenkins, Booth was an early target of the Wildcats. However, his recruitment wasn't that difficult. Wright and his staff had developed strong ties with Booth's summer program, Team Takeover, and Booth had long been considered a lean toward Villanova. Ultimately, it wasn't a matter of if but when he would commit.