Villanova University has produced plenty of notable alumni in its 184 years, but it has never had a moment quite like this. From the N.B.A. finals court to the Catholic church, current and former students are seeing navy and white everywhere.
The New York Knicks — with three Villanova alumni playing key roles — are up 2-0 in the finals and returning to Madison Square Garden on Monday night. And another grad with even more devotees, Pope Leo XIV, has been making waves with his warnings about artificial intelligence and his brief feud with the Trump administration. Jill Biden, the former first lady, who received a master’s degree at the school, has been on a splashy promotion tour for her new book.
It’s unmistakable: Villanova is in the spotlight.
So, with attention trained on the Catholic university of 6,700 undergraduates in the Philadelphia suburbs — where spring semester classes ended a month ago — Villanova Wildcats are reveling.
Shannon Kaplan, a 19-year-old Villanova student from Rye, N.Y., in Westchester County, was walking on campus on Saturday with her boyfriend, who is from San Antonio — home of the Spurs, the Knicks’ opponent in the finals. She said that Pope Leo may be partially to thank for the Knicks’ success.
“Luck is hard to justify, so this would be a miracle if they win it all,” Ms. Kaplan said. “Is this glory for Villanova, and therefore glory for Leo XIV? I say amen.”
Pope Leo’s portrait can be found both on the walls of campus buildings and prominently placed in Kelly’s Taproom, a popular off-campus bar.
Pope Leo, who was born in Chicago, graduated from Villanova in 1977 with a math degree.
Earlier this year, he sent graduates a brief message for their commencement. Last year, he also briefly removed his skullcap, known as a zucchetto, to don a white-and-blue Villanova hat. And a week before the N.B.A. finals began, he responded with a thumbs up to a St. John’s University student in a bright orange Knicks shirt who repeatedly shouted “Pope Leo, go Knicks!” at him as he rode by in Vatican City.
The Rev. Joseph Mostardi, 76, the pastor of Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish in Bryn Mawr, Pa., near Villanova’s campus, presided over Mass on Saturday evening and later reflected on Villanova’s cultural moment.
“As a Villanova graduate, the pope experienced what these Villanova players now on the Knicks experienced,” he said. “It’s all part of their success, no matter if it’s at the Vatican or Madison Square Garden.”
The pope has also been making headlines after publishing his first encyclical, in which he warned about the harm that artificial intelligence could have on workers and others. In April, he said he had “no fear” of the Trump administration after President Trump criticized him and said he had “terrible” foreign policy.
This weekend, Pope Leo visited Spain, where his predecessor had never gone as pope, and applauded the country for its “active commitment to peace.”
Meanwhile, the “Nova Knicks,” as the team has been nicknamed given its Villanova alumni, have had an active commitment to winning. They are on a 13-game playoff win streak, just two wins from what would be their first championship since 1973.
They are led by their top star, Jalen Brunson, who is playing alongside two other Villanova alums, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart. All three played together for the Wildcats during the school’s 2016 championship run.
The Knicks have won the first two games of the best-of-seven finals on the road, something only two other teams have ever done. (Both of those teams won the series.)
“This team is absolutely an extension of Villanova — Villanovans feel that way about the Knicks,” said Eric Roedl, the school’s athletic director. “They feel like they’re watching their own.”
Mr. Roedl, who graduated from the school in 1997, took over as athletic director in January 2025, just a few months before Pope Leo was named the bishop of Rome.
Now, the school is opening its men’s and women’s basketball seasons this fall with a double-header against Notre Dame. Named the “Eternal City Tip-Off,” the games will be in Rome.
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs reports on stories across the United States, including natural disasters, protests, unsolved mysteries, high-profile criminal cases and more.
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