History was made on Thursday, as the Vatican elected the first American Pope to replace Pope Francis. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was based out of Peru, was born in Chicago, a fact that created a huge reaction from Americans all over.
While the Chicago connection is getting a large amount of traction, the new Pope Leo XIV has another connection that has permeated the sports world. Prevost attended Villanova University, a private Catholic university, which has also seen a larger amount of basketball success in the past decade.
Ahead of the Timberwolves Game 2 matchup against the Warriors, Villanova grad Donte DiVincenzo was reportedly celebrating in the locker room. The guard even revealed that former Villanova head coach Jay Wright was texting the Villanova basketball group chat out of excitement.
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“Did you see it guys?!?! Nova pride!” the text apparently said.
Donte DiVincenzo came into the locker room pregame flashing his fingers in a V, with a huge smile on his face, talking about Pope Leo. “I’m having a great day!” he exclaimed. He said Coach Jay Wright texted their Wildcats group chat: “Did you see it guys?!?! Nova pride!”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 8, 2025
It’s another big moment for Villanova following a huge night on Wednesday when grads Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges all led the Knicks to a 2-0 series lead over the Celtics. The new pope even led to Spike Lee celebrating that the Villanova grad leading the Catholic Church is a good sign for the Knicks playoff hopes.
spike lee posting about the new pope and connecting it back to his beloved new york knicks has me in tears pic.twitter.com/Zmk15SU1rE
— ana (@pelicinema) May 8, 2025
Where did Donte DiVincenzo go to college?
DiVincenzo attended Villanova from 2015-18 and was a part of two national championships in those three seasons. While DiVincenzo was largely a bench player in his freshman year title, he played a crucial role in the 2018 championship, scoring 31 points in the national title game and being named the 2018 NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
