Villanova men’s basketball to sign 7-foot-3 Italian center Luigi Suigo
Sugio, a 19-year-old from Tradate, in the Lombardy region, went through the NBA draft process and attended the combine but withdrew. He fills a big need on Kevin Willard's roster.
In search of its next center, Villanova went to northern Italy.
The Wildcats will sign 7-foot-3 Italian professional Luigi Suigo, the school announced Saturday afternoon.
Sugio, a 19-year-old from Tradate, in the Lombardy region, went through the NBA draft process and attended the combine but decided to withdraw his name from the pool and will play college basketball instead. Suigo faced a Saturday deadline to withdraw and maintain NCAA eligibility for the 2026-27 season.
The draft projections for Suigo, who played professionally this past season with Serbia’s Mega Basket, were at the back end of the first round and into the second round. One mock draft at The Ringer recently had Suigo at 27th to the Boston Celtics. Another mock draft at ESPN had Suigo going off the board at No. 39.
The Ringer’s scouting report called Suigo a “huge piece of clay just scratching the surface of his two-way impact.” His strengths include his major paint presence on the defensive end, where his 7-foot-6 wingspan is disruptive. That size also is useful in the pick-and-roll game. The scouting report notes that Suigo has soft hands and that his shooting form is better than his shooting percentages.
In 26 games with Mega Basket this season, Suigo posted averages of 7.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1 block in 18.8 minutes. He shot 64.9% on his 111 two-point shots, 27.1% on 48 three-point attempts, and 64.7% on 34 free throws.
Suigo, who reportedly considered signing with BYU, also has experience representing Italy in international competitions.
Suigo is part of a growing trend of European pros coming to the U.S. to play college basketball in the modern world, where Division I hoops effectively is professional basketball. The Final Four in April featured multiple former European professionals, most notably on Illinois’ roster.
The NCAA, according to a report from Sports Illustrated, recently distributed “eligibility requirement guidance” that could affect the eligibility of international professionals. It’s unclear how the guidance will be enforced, and when, or if players from the ABA League, in which Suigo played, will face difficulties with eligibility.
For now, Suigo is the latest international player to choose college basketball in an era when the higher levels of the sport offer paydays that oftentimes exceed a player’s earning potential in the pros. The 30th and final pick in the first round of the NBA draft makes just over $3 million in his rookie season. Wooing Suigo to put off the draft to play in college may have a price tag higher than that, though it’s unclear what Suigo will earn at Villanova during the 2026-27 season. Financial agreements between players and schools are not made public.
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Villanova was among multiple high-profile programs in pursuit of Suigo. In addition to BYU, others included BYU, Illinois, Indiana, and Purdue.
Perhaps the Wildcats used their season-opening game in Rome in part of their pitch. Surely money talked, too.
Suigo will slot in as the starting center, which was the missing piece of Villanova’s roster overhaul this offseason. He’ll have 6-foot-10 power forward Kwame Evans Jr., an Oregon transfer, next to him, and 6-foot-6 Ohio State forward Devin Royal rounding out the frontcourt. Elijah Crawford (Illinois-Chicago) likely is the starting point guard with returning leading scorer Tyler Perkins the other starter in the backcourt.
Suigo’s addition brings Villanova’s roster to 12. Villanova added another portal player Friday night in Towson forward Abdou Samb. Samb figures to fill out a deep reserve role for the Wildcats, who will have a solid bench rotation. That bench includes returning forward Matt Hodge, who is recovering from ACL surgery, transfer guards Jake Fiegen and Buddy Simmons, incoming freshman guards Adam Oumiddoch and Carter Fisk, returning reserve center Nico Onyekwere, and Samb.
Coach Kevin Willard wanted to get bigger and more experienced after his younger Wildcats struggled at times against the top teams on their schedule last season. The roster rebuild accomplished that. Suigo may not check a box in the experience category, but there won’t be many bigger players in college basketball next season.
