Can Mark Armstrong become Villanova’s next New Yorker

Mark Armstrong was part of Jay Wright’s last recruiting class at Villanova, a Top 75 prospect out of St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City. The plan was that he’d spend time under Wright’s tutelage out on Philadelphia’s Main Line, then get drafted joining the host of former Wildcats who litter NBA rosters, particularly in New York.

It didn’t quite work out that way. Wright retired and after two desultory seasons at ‘Nova, he didn’t make the cut. He did make the rounds of workouts, getting an inside look at 12 NBA training facilities. including one in Brooklyn. So when the Brooklyn Nets offered him an Exhibit 10 contract — a training camp invitation, the South Orange, N.J. native jumped at the chance. Depending on whether you take the train or drive, Barclays Center is only an hour or so away for friends and family.

“It’s great,” the 20-year-old Armstrong told Adam Zagoria of NJ.com Tuesday at HSS Training Center. “It’s crazy how God works and it’s just great.

“It was a good feeling [when I worked out for Brooklyn],” “I met the front office and everybody, it was a great vibe in here, so definitely felt like I had a good opportunity here.”

Armstrong also has a friend in court, so to speak. Dariq Whitehead, who the Nets drafted last year, grew up on the West Side of Newark, just blocks from South Orange. The played together on the New Jersey Give & Go AAU team. They became good friends back then and now will share the Nets Summer League backcourt Friday night in Las Vegas.

“I was in fifth grade since I started playing there and since then we’ve had the closest of bonds,” Whitehead said. “I would go over and sleep at his house, he would come to mine.”

Whitehead, six months younger than Armstrong, said their closeness extends beyond their time in the AAU. Like Armstrong, Whitehead’s college career at Duke had its disappointments, in his case due to injuries.

“So [I’m] just making sure that he’s OK and getting the ropes. He had a similar college career to mine, he had some ups and downs but just being able to get on the right path and knowing that this is where he belongs and eventually he’s going to come out on top. I believe in Mark and I feel like he’s going to do a great thing and have a bright future.”

Armstrong averaged 8.4 points, 2.4 assist and 2.3 rebounds as a sophomore at Villanova las season, shooting 42% from the field and 28% from deep, as Zagoria notes. At bit undersized at 6’3”, he is an electric athlete, with a 40” max vertical. He’ll need to improve his outside shooting in particular.

For Brooklyn, of course, it’s no-risk. Rebuilding teams often will take chances on players whose college careers didn’t match their high school hype for whatever reason. They can still play the game. The level is the question. For Armstrong, the rebuild offers ample opportunities.

“We have a very young team and we’ve got young guys coming in, you got a lot of talent, so we gotta see what comes from there,” he said.

The Nets open Summer League action Friday night in Las Vegas vs. the Indiana Pacers at 8:00 p.m. ET.

• The Nets have their own Villanova guard and he’s looking to make his Mark ($) - Adam Zagoria - N.J. com