Did Maddy Siegrist’s legendary Villanova career end at the NCAA Sweet 16?

GREENVILLE, S.C. — The finest Villanova player of her generation, jumping up this season to maybe best ever. Maddy Siegrist, the nation’s leading scorer, carried the weight of all that, to maybe the last meaningful shots of her Villanova career.

She wanted the shots.

If Friday, in fact, saw Siegrist’s last college shots, a little classic of a March Madness game on the line against No. 9 Miami during the Sweet 16, after a historic ‘Nova comeback — yes, Siegrist said later, the exact shots she wanted to take.

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Shoulders squared, ball high. The shot for a tie, a tick under 29 seconds left, a little turnaround, just outside the paint. A Siegrist classic. Another closer shot with 12 seconds left, ‘Nova down three.

“Both shots I thought were in,” Siegrist said at a media conference, after Miami survived, 70-65, inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena. “Like I totally back-rimmed. I thought they were good. I would take them a hundred times over.”

Siegrist was all over Villanova’s crazed second-half comeback from 21 points down. Her 31 points and 13 rebounds can sound like business as usual for this first-time All-American. Her five steals tell more of this game’s story. Tying a career-high, injecting more shots of pure belief into her teammates when this game simply looked over, after Miami scored the first eight points of the second half before Villanova even got a shot up.

That was the way ‘Nova was going out? Yeah, no. Fullcourt press on, trying to flip the pressure. It worked. A 14-0 run included Siegrist making a couple of free throws to cut Miami’s lead to 11. After a Hurricanes shot-clock violation, Siegrist scored in the paint. … So down nine. Then she stole the inbounds pass, put it right up, and added a free throw. Five points in four seconds, ‘Nova suddenly down six.

The Wildcats took a lead with less than 6 minutes left in the game. It became obvious at that point that this game was coming down to unpredictable bounces of the basketball. The last ones just happened to be on the rim.

“I’ll tell you what, we’ve won a lot of games with similar looks,” Villanova coach Denise Dillon said later of Siegrist’s shot to tie it. “She likes the left block. I was surprised she was able to turn over her right shoulder and get that shot with a little bit of one-on-one coverage. I think we all know, she makes that shot nine times out of 10. Actually, she’s made it 10 out of 10 times. She just didn’t make it tonight, so 10 out of 11.”

Siegrist has a season of eligibility remaining, just needs to trust her own gut on what she should do next. The WNBA gives her all of four days from now to officially decide her future. Sure, Villanova alums could contribute to a NIL collective that could outbid the WNBA’s five-figure salary cap. But Siegrist has always said this game isn’t about the money for her. She’s a ballplayer. She’s also been in college for five years, and already has her master’s degree.

“As a senior, I couldn’t be [happier] to play with these guys,” Siegrist said.

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“Anyone that knows her knows she’s just an amazing person,” said teammate Bella Runyan, sitting next to her. “She doesn’t just see us as teammates. She puts us first as best friends. I’m just so honored I’ve been able to play on the same team as her, learn from her.”

Runyan added, “Sometimes I forget that one of my friends is like an All-American.”

Siegrist knew the question about her future was coming. “I’ve got to talk to my parents and stuff like that,” she said.

But her own emotions, breaking down as she spoke on the podium, told plenty beyond her words.

“I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to have played here,” Siegrist said between tears. “So many good people, and it’s really all about the people. Take the basketball part out of it — like the memories and the people are something I’m going to cherish forever.”

Asked about Siegrist’s legacy, Dillon started to answer.

“The numbers are going to be there forever, which is so special, what she has accomplished,” Dillon said, then her own voice started catching.

“Hoo,” Dillon said, pausing for a couple of beats.

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The coach picked up her thoughts about how the mark Siegrist the person made, “there’s nothing greater. It’s a question you can ask all student-athletes, I think you ask yourself as a coach, just as a person in general: How do you want to be remembered?”

Siegrist’s teammates, Dillon said, will always start with a great friend, a lot of fun. “That’s better. They’re going to always start with that, and they’re going to be like, ‘Yeah, you know what, she was a really good basketball player.”

Whatever the official word is, Dillon sees the Maddy Siegrist story this way: “An authentic person as opposed to just a great athlete.”