I can't say I'm altogether surprised to learn that Luigi Suigo, the 7-foot Italian whom BYU basketball had been courting in their endless search for a starting center, has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and chosen to commit to Villanova, Kevin Willard's restart of a once-proud Big East behemoth.
NEWS: Luigi Suigo has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and committed to Villanova, Sigma Sports and Excel Sports tell DraftExpress.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 13, 2026
The 7'4, 289-pound 19-year-old will be a physical outlier in the Big East who can pass, space the floor, protect the rim, and finish effectively. pic.twitter.com/S9HeU5kreq
It was in the tea leaves, as intel from both NCAA and NBA circles were screaming that 'Nova was the move for Suigo, should he opt to go the increasingly popular Europe-to-college route, but with a report once stating that the 7'4" floor-spacing anomaly would ultimately decide between BYU and Villanova, there was an ember of hope still alight within my blue-bleeding heart.
Suigo preferred a blue-blood of a different variety, it would appear.
Suigo was generating some first-round buzz in recent mock drafts, with Yahoo Sports listing him with the potential to climb as high as the 17th overall pick. Though the author of that mock draft, Kevin O'Connor, was quick to admit that the NBA likely wouldn't be the route Suigo opts for -- 17 was likely a significant stretch, because who would say no to such a high draft pick unless Villanova offered an even more lucrative NIL package.
On second thought, that's probably the case as well.
So with the Italian out of the picture and BYU basketball's starting five still without a big to anchor the defense or initiate offense, where does BYU go from here?
The options are a little sparse at the moment, unfortunately, though two names should be on the radar as Kevin Young and his staff continue the exhaustive search.
First is Xu Xin, a defensive pillar from China, whom the Cougars lead for alongside Ohio State, according to the most recent information available.
Another is Ilia Frolov, a more offensive-minded big at 6'11", who has a sweet jumper and could create problems in the pick-and-roll for Big 12 defenses, though BYU basketball's stake in this prospect is comparatively understated.
Patience is key in the recruiting race, but if we've learned anything to this point it's to avoid getting attached to a prospect until we see the word "committed" under his name.
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