Welcome to part 2 of my conversation with John Fanta of the Big East Digital Network and FOX Sports. In this installment, John and I discuss what was lost to the fans last season in a Zoom coverage world and John’s fervent hopes of what can be regained next season, how John got through the season with help from his friends at Big East Digital Network, his overview of the Big East contenders, plus his look at how Jared Rhoden’s perseverance and hard work could pay off for him and the Pirates in 2021-22.

J.P. Pelzman: John, how were able to get through such a difficult season with all the COVID protocols yet still do your usual excellent work?

John Fanta: Well, you’re able to maintain standards when you are covering people who are 18 to 23 years old who had to go through what they went through this past year. I don’t think people fully understand--I know that’s a line people have heard a lot.

JPP: They don’t. They don’t understand.

JF: I had the chance to be in Tier 1 For the Big East tournament, to be in the hotel, to go through quarantine, and J.P., by the end of Big East tournament week, I was absolutely exhausted. And typically, you’re tired, but you’re on a rush in March, you’re just on an adrenaline rush. And having to get up every morning at 6:45, get a COVID test, go back upstairs to your room, now you’re up and staring at everything in front of you on the day and you just say to yourself, these kids are having to do this every morning during their season and then they have to play a game that night. You've got classes, you’ve got everything happening under these weird circumstances.

And so, when you observe that, I was just grateful for the opportunity to have a season, and I think the biggest thing, in terms of maintaining standards, is understanding that there was no way that we were going to be able to do things the same way and then adapting to it. We have a great crew at the Big East Digital Network, Rick Gentile oversees everything, he actually was the founding director of the Seton Hall Sports Poll. He's produced the Olympics telecast and a lot of other things. Rick and Bobby Mullen (senior director of digital and social media for the Big East), they made sure I was set up with a home studio, so that I could record hits at any given moment from my house. I actually was able to cover more games remotely than I would have in normal times when I would be at a game and would have to edit pieces of other games.

It wasn’t easy. It was a task. You had to adapt, but they did a great job of building a home studio that had really good camera resolution and really good materials to give the capability on camera for me to make it really look good. It was different, it was wacky, but when you think about the fact that people were hospitalized and there was a lot worse happening in our world, I was just happy I had a job in a world that’s really hard right now, especially in journalism. I’m very grateful for the opportunity that I had to be the voice and the face of the conference.

JPP: That’s a very good way to put it. How much do you look forward to having something much closer to a normal season next year?

JF: Oh, I am so excited. I am so looking forward to walking into a building and interacting with people. I think that what we’ve learned is you can take nothing for granted.

JPP: Yeah.

JF: How many times, J.P., have you or I been covering a game and a fan or someone walks up to one of us and I always try to conduct myself--I'm someone with an outgoing personality and you are too--but sometimes when you’re busy with something or you’re working on something you can’t necessarily be bothered by that person by that time.

JPP: Yes, I hear you.

JF: I can tell you right now, next season, I already know I'm going to be distracted and if we’re at the arena, the Prudential Center for an hour extra (after the game) because we’re in the press room and Jerry (Carino of Gannett New Jersey) has a great story or sound bite that’s worth listening to for a moment, then I've missed that. God, we’ve missed that. We've missed that part of the job.

It's weird, because when we cover a game, we cover it for that outlet that we work for. But when we’re in that work room together, when we’re on press row, we’re all kind of part of the same team. So, missing that team aspect, it was evident. So, I can’t wait to get back in the building this upcoming season and talk to fans and talk to people who are just as passionate about it as we are. They're the ones who make our lives possible and fun and we need people who care, and that was totally missed, human interaction.

And I can’t wait to interact with the student-athletes in person again. Let's face it--there’s so much as a media member that you just cannot get when you’re not there in person. You don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes. You don’t know what might be the vibe in the locker room, what might be the vibe of coach (Kevin Willard). Coach can put on a face on Zoom, and sure, he can do that during a (normal) press conference, but you still can read between the lines better, when you see his different non-verbal communications, different signals.

So I can’t wait to get back in the building. I think that crowds should come back in a big way for this coming season, and I think that if there’s anything we learned from this, it’s that you cannot take things for granted. You really cannot take things for granted and I’m really looking forward to getting back to a sense of normalcy for this season, and boy, do we need it. We could do one (COVID) season, but the fact is, for all of us media folks, we do need this access because it’s important. Because to a cover a team, you need a level of in-person access, and going without that this past year, it made us all realize just how important it is to have it.

JPP: You made a great point, John, because like you said, you can study their facial expressions on Zoom, but when somebody walks into (the interview) room, you can check out their body language, when Kevin walks into the room, or when the players walk in the room. You see their body language (after a game), and that even speaks volumes. You don’t get that on Zoom, and looking at the players’ faces on Zoom, I could tell they even missed the interaction with us at times. That was obvious to me.

JF: It was obvious. You know what I missed? I've seen this the last couple, specifically with Seton Hall because of the way they’ve done (post-game) media. For those who don’t know, they typically have Coach come in, usually right after the players come into the press room to talk to the media. And one thing I've noticed is that, in the last couple of years particularly, and I think you would agree, early in the Kevin Willard era, a player would come out and talk, and then another player would come out and talk, and then another player would come out and talk. They would all kind of be dispersed.

JPP: Correct.

JF: I know part of this is managing the traffic, but I also think it says something about the culture of the program. One thing you’ve noticed (recently), when we’ve been there in person, all three or four players come in together, at the same time.

JPP: Right.

JF: They come in together, whether it’s a three-point loss, a 15-point loss in which somebody had a tough game, or a 15-point win. There's something to be said about that when those guys come in. We couldn’t get that off Zoom. We had no idea what was happening beyond their quotes. When you’re able to read a room...You can’t read a Zoom room. You can only unmute a Zoom room. You certainly can’t read it. You can read a real room and I'm hoping to get that back this upcoming season and I think everybody does.

We've all missed seeing one another. If we’ve seen one another, it’s been in an isolated area, it’s been with a mask on, which for some of us, like myself, wearing a mask might be the best look that I've had. (Laughs) But I'm looking forward to taking it off. It's certainly the best look that Coach Willard has had. (Laughs)

JPP: (Laughs) Looking at the Big East as a whole, obviously I knew about Jay Wright long before I began covering Seton Hall. Can Villanova be as good as advertised in all these way-too-early top 10s?

JF: Without question. Without question. Because college basketball starts at the point guard spot. And Villanova has the ultimate game manager and executor in Collin Gillespie. Having him come back for a fifth season automatically gives them a chance at cutting down the nets in New Orleans. Because you know with Jay Wright he’s typically going to have--and this is the question that needs to be answered--enough shooting. Villanova typically has enough shooting.

Actually last season, when they did fall into ruts (during games), that was the problem, that they couldn’t knock down a three. But the right plays were being made. So, for me, you bring Jermaine Samuels back, who’s been in every possible college basketball situation in his career, and has mostly thrived and is an exceptional player. You’ve watched him play, J.P., and we both know, if I were to pick some of the most dynamic players in the Big East, Jermaine Samuels would be right up there. He's explosive off the bounce, he’s got great length, he defends well, he does every little thing right.

So, you’ve got Gillespie and Samuels back, and a rising junior in Justin Moore. I actually think Justin Moore is now in a position where he could thrive. I think he played well last year. He was one of their best players, there’s no question, but I do think when you talked about Villanova, and you watched Villanova play, the ball had to go into Jeremiah Robinson-Earl's hands. They had to play through him. I think that took something away from Justin Moore from time to time. That’s not to say he couldn’t mesh with Robinson-Earl, it’s just the reality of the situation, almost like where Jared Rhoden has come. Now it’s Jared Rhoden’s time to shine and I see that Villanova and Justin Moore as well.

And I think when you bring in multiple four-star recruits and one of the best recruiting classes in Villanova history, I love the mesh and the dynamic of fifth-year seniors ushering in freshmen. It's how you build a program. It's how Villanova keeps doing it. So, if these freshmen can give Villanova anything and I'm looking at Angelo Brizzi and Nnanna Njoku, a quality class, the fact that they have the luxury of working with a Collin Gillespie. And I think we saw Bryan Antoine start to break through and come out of his shell at the end of last season. He started to give Villanova some quality minutes. Remember, the plan was for Bryan Antoine to be the guy in waiting, the next great guard. It hasn’t fully happened, but he’s still at Villanova, he didn’t transfer, which says a lot to me.

They have the pieces again. I think the one flawed area is in the frontcourt. They're going to play five out, they’re going to play small. They're going to rely on Eric Dixon and Njoku to try to give them something down low but I think Villanova is flawed at the 5. So, that’s where I would be concerned, but I think this is clearly the best team in the Big East, and could very well be a team that goes 17-3 in the conference or somewhere around that. That’s how good I expect them to be.

JPP: Who would you pick for second at this point, John? UConn?

JF: I think if we asked 10 different people we would get 10 different answers. I just talked to somebody about this and he said, “I can’t figure it out.”

I just don’t think UConn has an A-type player. You lose a player as good as James Bouknight and you’re not suddenly just as good. I think they’ll be picked second but do I think they’re the second-best team in the league? On Monday, they might be. On Tuesday, it might be Xavier. And on Wednesday, it might be Seton Hall. And on Thursday, it might be Butler

Here’s what I do know. Nationally, and even among conference reporters, I'm not hearing enough about Butler. That Butler team was playing totally different at the end of last season than they were early. They beat both Villanovan and Seton Hall late in the season at Hinkle. That Butler team is going to be very good. They could be a top three team in the league.

JPP: Wow.

And they’re not getting enough attention. I think they might be picked fifth or sixth, but I think they’re better than that. You've got (point guard) Aaron Thompson coming back, and you’ve got Bryce Nze and Bryce Golden, two quality big men, they’re physical. And then you’ve got the two freshmen from last year Chuck Harris and Myles Tate. (The Bulldogs) were dealing with all those injuries but they still were playing decently. If I remember correctly, Chuck Harris and Myles Tate both played well in what was a close game at the Prudential Center and Seton Hall just found a way to win.

Now, when you’re sophomores, you’re finding ways to win. If everybody stays healthy and remember the name Bo Hodges an East Tennessee State transfer, he played a key role for them down the stretch last season.

I think that Butler is flying under the radar going into this season. I think the team with the most pressure on them entering this season is Xavier. Xavier has to make the NCAA tournament. They bring pretty much everybody back. They haven’t been to the Tournament since 2018.

I think the team everybody expects to be No. 2 is UConn. UConn does not have a superstar. They do not have an All-Big East first-team player. Adama Sanogo could be, but we both know it’s a guard’s game. And UConn has some freshmen prospects, but heading into next season, they don’t have an outstanding (proven) guard that they can go to with 90 seconds left on the clock who’s hitting big-time shots. I'm not saying they can’t find one, but that’s my concern with UConn.

JPP: Could Georgetown re-establish itself off the momentum of the Big East tournament championship and the huge recruiting class? How do you see the Hoyas in the upcoming season?

JF: Well, I think they’re a year away in terms of re-establishing themselves. But with the amount of mystery throughout, maybe Patrick Ewing can springboard off the Big East championship run. And he’s going to have Dante Harris, the Big East tournament Most Outstanding Player at the point. And then you bring in Ryan Mutombo and Aminu Mohammed, they have a great class coming in. But they’re going to be young. And because they’re young, I don’t see them re-establishing control next season. Now if Ewing can keep those players, and that’s been an issue at Georgetown, if Ewing can keep those players, Georgetown is going to re-establish their control. If those guys stay around they’re too talented, in my opinion, to fail.

I would be higher on Georgetown, J.P. if they had kept Qudus Wahab. But Wahab transferring to Maryland, that’s a tremendous loss. Wahab was playing at such a high level at the end of this past season, and now for him to leave for the Big Ten is such a big blow. I don’t think the Hoyas are going to be a top five team in the Big East. I think they’re going to be hanging around the picture in the six or seven range. But I don’t think they’ll re-establish their control this year. But I do think they’ll be on the horizon of that if they have roster continuity, which we all know is the question that keeps coaches up at night in this current culture.

JPP: Let's face it, too, with Wahab, it also hurts Georgetown psychologically because of the school he went to. That's a kick in the you-know-where.

JF: Big-time! It's a huge kick.

JPP: Of all the schools to go to. The rivalry has been rejoined with Seton Hall and St. John’s. I suppose the key for the Red Storm is pretty obvious. Does Julian Champagnie keep his name in the draft or not?

JF: That is the key. If he comes back, St. John’s is a top five team in the Big East, if not top three or four. If he does not come back, I can’t put them there, knowing how much instant offense he provided for that team. I still expect Julian Champagnie will come back to St. John's. I still am leaning toward that point of view. That’s what I've heard, but things could change. I've also heard from some people he’s giving thoughts to going pro.

I really do expect that he’s going to come back to St. John’s. He's spent a lot of time in Queens. You can tell he’s still deeply embedded and invested in the program, and I don’t think he’s an NBA-ready player quite yet. With another year of college basketball, could he be? Absolutely. He has the skill set to be an NBA player down the road. He's not there right now, in my humble opinion. The kid has to do what’s best for him, but there is a reason why his brother, Justin (formerly of Pitt) is going forward with the NBA and Julian is still testing the waters.

I expect Julian will come back to St. John's and I do expect Mike Anderson’s team (to be good), despite a significant amount of roster overhaul. I think they had an addition by subtraction type of thing in which the transfers they brought could be better than what they had.

JPP: Yeah, let’s face it, the guys who left St. John’s, they didn’t even make lateral moves. It was all

JF: Down.

JPP: Yeah, down. That says something.

JF: Again, I'll say this until I'm blue in the face. If you’re a role player and you embrace your role, I have a lot of respect for you. I have a lot of respect for a Jared Rhoden who embraced his role early in his career and may have had some tough times throughout his career but he trusted in his process. Now he can be a star.

That’s the type of guy I do have an extra sense of respect for because he didn’t waver. He didn’t go somewhere else. He got quality minutes all through his career, but you have to understand there’s a moment where you’re going to have the ball and there’s a moment where you're not.