Jalen Brunson and the Unmistakable Big East Vibe of the NBA Finals

In recent seasons, the Big East has been perceived as experiencing a "down year" with the strong performances of UCONN and St. John's followed by one other team making the NCAA tournament last season and only five teams going to the "Big Dance" the previous year.

Even with the league not being as dominant as the SEC and Big Ten, this year's NBA finals matchup between the Knicks and Spurs is not only a rematch of the 1999 finals but also a reenactment of Big East hoops and perhaps the most prominent presence of the 11-team league on pro basketball's big stage.

It is that way because former Villanova standouts Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges start for the Knicks while former UCONN guard Stephon Castle and ex-St John's star Julian Champagnie are in the starting lineup for the Spurs.

The Knicks Villanova pipeline

In the 1960s, Frank McGuire was running a pipeline of getting players from his native New York to suit up for North Carolina and later South Carolina.

The Knicks possess a similar pipeline by starting Brunson, Bridges and Hart. Brunson and Bridges won a pair of titles for Villanova while Hart scored 12 points in the Wildcats' dramatic 2016 title win over North Carolina.

Brunson and Bridges were not as prominent on the 2016 team but both played starring roles when Villanova beat Michigan for the title two years later. Brunson was the National Player of the Year and contributed 27 points in the Sweet 16 win over West Virginia.

Bridges scored 19 points in the title game, and his 93-point showing in the NCAA tournament, along with 68 points in the 2018 Big East tournament, helped him become a lottery pick. In one of those classic draft night moments, Bridges put on a Philadelphia 76ers hat, but the hometown star playing for his native team angle lasted a few minutes since he was traded to the Suns for Zhaire Smith, who broke his foot and suffered a near fatal allergic reaction before playing 13 NBA games.

Brunson's performance made him the second pick of the second round and 24 picks after the Knicks selected Kevin Knox ninth overall.

While Bridges quickly became a regular starter for Phoenix and appeared in the 2021 NBA finals before being sent to the Brooklyn Nets for Kevin Durant two years later, Brunson's rise was slower. Brunson averaged 12.6 points his third season with the Dallas Mavericks before increasing to 16.3 in 2021-22 and 21.5 in 18 postseason games as Dallas reached the Western Conference finals.

Brunson's performance led the Knicks to sign him and his continued ascendance into stardom led to four straight playoff appearances, a run of success not seen since the Knicks reached the playoffs for 14 straight seasons from 1988-2001.

Hart was completing his rookie season with the Lakers and played another season there in LeBron James' first year there. He wound up being shipped to New Orleans for Anthony Davis and was eventually flipped to Portland for CJ McCollum in 2022.

A year later Hart joined the Knicks in another trade and Brunson's viral reaction at a Villanova game was well-documented. Bridges joined up in June 2024 in a trade from the Knicks for five first-round picks and former Villanova teammate Donte DiVincenzo was also on the roster at the time before the Knicks included him in the Sept. 2024 trade for Karl-Anthony Towns.

UConn and St. John's join forces in San Antonio

UCONN and St. John's are fierce rivals in the Big East, and the rivalry has been revived recently thanks to strong teams and the presence of personalities Danny Hurley and Rick Pitino on the sidelines.

In San Antonio, the rivalry is put aside since Castle is starring in the backcourt with De'Aaron Fox while Champagnie is a potent perimeter threat in the frontcourt.

While both play different positions, their paths to the NBA are also starkly different.

Castle contributed 11.9 points and shot 47.2% when UCONN cruised to its second straight title in 2024. A year after picking Victor Wembanyama with the top pick, the Spurs snagged Castle at No. 4.

So far, Castle has been the most productive member of the 2024 draft class by averaging 15.6 points and has never scored fewer than 14 points in any playoff game. He helped San Antonio outlast Oklahoma City in the conference finals by averaging 18 points.

When Castle arrived in San Antonio Champagnie was in his second full season for the Spurs, who claimed him off waivers from Philadelphia. Champagnie entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2022 after averaging 19.2 points in the final season of his three-career at St. John's under coach Mike Anderson, who was unable to get the Red Storm back to prominence.

Champagnie has not missed a game in the past two seasons and started 68 times this season, including a 36-point showing against the Knicks in December when he hit 11 3-pointers. He also is a career 37.5% shooter from behind the arc and hit six in Game 7 against the Thunder.

With his success as an undrafted player, Champagnie is the first St. John's alum to appear in the NBA finals since Metta World Peace contributed to the Lakers' 2010 title, 11 years after he was drafted as Ron Artest.

More From Larry Fleisher

• UConn's Miracle Shot Sparks Final Four Return
• St. John's vs. UConn: Why This Rivalry is the Big East's Lifeline
• Inside the Big East: Where the Coaches Can Be the Main Event

Has an NBA finals MVP ever come from a Big East school?

When people think of peak Big East hoops, Chris Mullin and Patrick Ewing are often referenced.

Neither player won a title as Mullin played limited minutes for the 2000 Pacers while Ewing lost the 1994 finals with the Knicks and was injured five years later.

Former UCONN standout Richard Hamilton was a star for the 2004 Pistons when they stunned the superteam Lakers of Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Gary Payton. While Hamilton led the Pistons with 21.4 points, Chauncey Billups claimed MVP honors of the five-game series.

Jimmy Butler, who starred at Marquette has appeared in two NBA finals but in losing causes for the Heat in 2020 and 2023.

Butler's first appearance occurred a year after former Villanova point guard Kyle Lowry averaged 16.2 points for the Toronto Raptors, but Kawhi Leonard won MVP honors. Six years before Lowry, former UCONN standout Ray Allen won his second title by contributing 10.6 points for the Heat.

In 2008, Allen averaged 20.3 points for the 66-win Celtics against the Lakers but was edged out by Paul Pierce for MVP honors.

If the Knicks win the title, there's a good chance a Big East alum gets MVP honors for the first time. If the Spurs win it all, Castle and Champagnie would likely have to contribute way more than Wembanyama to win MVP honors.

Either way, this is a big stage for the Big East to enjoy some of its former players.

Related: Mike Brown Explains Why San Antonio Spurs Are So Dangerous

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 3:09 PM.