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The 2024-2025 Villanova Men’s Basketball season officially tipped off last night, as the ‘Cats take on the Lafayette Leopards out of the Patriot League. In the era of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), for many fans, this means learning plenty of new names and new faces. Despite maintaining key pieces such as Eric Dixon and Jordan Longino, the same is true for the Wildcats in Kyle Neptune’s third year as head coach. Over the offseason, Villanova brought in a recruiting class of four freshmen and a transfer portal class of five players. No need to fret, because we have you covered with a Road To The Garden Villanova MBB Season Program, covering each player on this year’s team.
Photo: Villanova University, John Shetron
KEY RETURNS
Eric Dixon, #43
Graduate Student, Willow Grove PA, Abington High School, Aspiring Museum Curator
Starting with the hits, Eric Dixon enters his 6th and final year at Villanova. Yes, you read that right, Eric Dixon has been here since the 2019-2020 season where he red-shirted on Coach Jay Wright’s Sadiq Bey and Collin Gillespie-led squad. The 6’8”, 265-pound big man will reprise his role as Villanova’s leader and far-and-away best player. Dixon comes into the year with high expectations, earning Preseason All-Big East First team honors, is on Karl Malone Award Preseason Watch, and has been touted as a top-10 CBB player by many CBB analysts. Dixon will miss game one due to a one-game suspension for participating in the Portsmouth Invitational back in April, for what is considered by the NCAA to be “impermissible participation” as Dixon was testing the NBA waters at this event. Dixon will reprise his role at the four this season with Enoch Boakye manning the five, but more on him later. Eyes will be on Dixon to see how he handles the 4 defensively. Look for Dixon to continue being threat down low, shooting 53.9% on 2PA in 2023-24, and to expand upon his already solid permitter game, shooting 34.6% from 3PA in 2023-24. Dixon impressed against Robert Morris, scoring 28 in just 24 minutes with 5 threes and 6 boards.
TAKEAWAY: If Villanova wants to compete in the Big East, or be dancing in mid-March, Dixon will have to be what he has shown to be. This team will go as far as Dixon can take them.
Jordan Longino, #15
Senior, Doylestown PA, Germantown Academy, Former Quarterback
Jordan Longino follows a long line of Villanova guards and finally has a healthy offseason under his belt to show his talents off. Longino enters as a true senior, one of the 5 returning players from last year, and a leader hailing as a bastion of the now very distant Jay Wright era. The 6’5”, 215-pound guard is an extremely skilled player who was a 4-star recruit and 43 overall, according to 247 Sports Rankings. Those skills were on full display against Robert Morris, with Longino posting 21 Points in 24 minutes, also having the best +/- while on the floor with +29. Longino will be a key starter for this Villanova team, bringing some much-needed “Villanova Basketball” experience to the squad. Longino is a plus defender and has shown flashes offensively. However, Longino has struggled from beyond the arc, shooting at a 32.9% clip last season.` With Dixon out in game one, look for Longino to be a key contributor.
TAKEAWAY: Projected as a starter, if Longino can make a senior leap and play as those within the program expect, Villanova will be VERY deep in the backcourt.
Nnanna Njoku, #21
Redshirt Junior, Newark DE, Sanford School, Freak Talent
Nnanna Njoku has put in a lot of work over the past two offseasons. Njoku comes in at 6’9”, 245-pounds and looks extremely athletic and springy. Although he has been dealing with some soreness over the offseason, Nnanna will look to come back after a mid-season knee surgery left him sidelined for last season. Early last season, Nnanna looked like he could be a big contributor off the bench for this team, with huge defensive plays in the Battle-4-Atlantis highlighting the “Freak Talent,” that Coach Neptune praised the big man about early in 2023. His college stats do not pop out, but the potential is there from the player who put up 20.8 PTS, 8.9 RBS, and 1.9 AST in high school.
TAKEAWAY: Staying healthy will be a key for Nnanna. However, if he can stay healthy, he will play a significant role off the bench coming in for both Dixon and Enoch Boakye.
Jordann Dumont, #10
Redshirt Freshman, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Hamilton Heights Christian (Tenn.)
At 6’8” 220 pounds, Dumont was Neptune’s first recruit as head coach. Between Redshirting and being hit by injuries, Dumont has not been able to find the floor yet at Villanova. Dumont only played one year of HS in the USA, so was unranked out of HS, but received praises from the staff and Villanova Legend Alan Ray.
TAKEAWAY: Hopefully Dumont can stay healthy so we can see the potential he has as a 6’8” SF with solid skills come to fruition.
KEY TRANSFERS
Wooga Poplar, #5
Senior, Philadelphia PA, Maths Civics and Sciences Charter School, MIAMI TRANSFER
Touted as a 4-star recruit and a 4-star transfer prospect on 247 Sports, Nisine Hamir Poplar, who goes by Wooga, comes into Villanova bearing high expectations. The local 6’5”, 197-pound guard was named to the Preseason Big East All Second Team, and rightfully so. Poplar was a vital piece in Miami’s 2022-23 Final Four run, putting up 16 in an Elite Eight Matchup with Texas. However, the 2023-2024 season did not go as well for Poplar or the Hurricanes, who failed to reach the NCAAT, posting 13.1 PTS, 4.8 REB, and 2.1 AST per game. Poplar is a very skilled offensive guard, shooting 38.5% from 3PT, which would have been Villanova’s best percentage last season. Villanova’s offense is centered around the 3, taking the 11th most in the country last year. However, Villanova had the 186th ranked 3PT % amongst all D1 men’s programs last season. Poplar’s presence will be essential if Villanova looks to be even above average in that regard this season. Wooga will fit right into a high-percentage Villanova FT shooting team with his 86.4% rate from the stripe. Wooga’s athleticism helps him Defensively and it will be intriguing to see what Coach Neptune and Staff can get out of him on that end this season.
TAKEAWAY: Poplar has the potential to be one of the best transfers in the country. If he can consistently be the player he was in the 2023 Elite 8, Villanova can finish in the top quarter of the Big East.
Enoch Boakye, #13
Senior, Brampton, Ontario, Canada, George Harris Prep, FRESNO STATE TRANSFER
Enoch Boakye comes into 2024-2025 as one of the first true, starting caliber, big men Villanova has had in years. The 6’11” 255-pound forward will be the primary Center in Villanova’s backcourt this season. He is strong and looks to have gotten stronger under Justin McClelland this offseason. Enoch posted 7.5 PTS and 7.7 REBS per game at Fresno State and will be a huge contributor on the glass for Villanova. His performance against Robert Morris was impressive and hopefully a sign of things to come, posting 15 PTS and 10 RBS in just 27 minutes. Enoch will match up against some of the best bigs in the country, such as Ryan Kalkbrenner, come Big East Conference play, so he will be tested more than he was in this scrimmage and at Fresno State. Look for him to be a great contributor on the Pick-N-Roll with our next transfer. Please note that Boakye is a classic big man who is not known for his outside shooting, taking 0 threes in his career and holding a 49.2 FT percentage that leaves much to be desired.
TAKEAWAY: Boakye will allow Dixon to play his natural position at the 4, as well as enabling Villanova to have a genuine presence down low. Look to see big blocks and a lot of rebounds out of Boakye.
Jhamir Brickus, #2
Graduate Student, Coatesville PA, Coatesville HS, LA SALLE TRANSFER
After Villanova finished 6th in the Big 5––yes, with Drexel involved, that is now mathematically possible––Coach Neptune and staff decided if you can’t beat ‘em, go get all of their best players. So, the 5’11” 188-pound crafty guard Jhamir Brickus left La Salle and the Explorers to become a Villanova Wildcat, bearing the number of Nova Legend Collin Gillespie. Brickus is a phenomenal facilitator, playing with the basketball on a string. He averaged 13.9 PTS, 3.5 RBS, and 4.8 AST while leading the Atlantic-10 in minutes played. His 10 assists against Robert Morris were impressive, especially when coupled with only one turnover. Brickus shot 39.7% from 3PT last year in what seems to be a pattern amongst the incoming transfer class of high-percentage shooters. Brickus is notably a smaller guard, which will be exposed going against some of the larger and more athletic guards in the Big East. Brickus will follow suit with past Nova guards, shooting 85.7% from FT.
TAKEAWAY: Brickus will play a key role as a facilitator on this team. If he can combine that with the solid shooting he has shown in the past and hold his own on Defense, he can help Nova get revenge in the Big 5, and set Nova on the path to Dancing in March.
Tyler Perkins, #4
Sophomore, Lorton VA, Landon School, PENN TRANSFER
Perkins and Penn poked the holes into Villanova’s Resume early last year, leading the Quakers to a 76-72 victory with 22 Points in the Palestra, aka the Cathedral of College Basketball. At 6’4”, 212 pounds, Perkins is a strong guard who can hold his own. He posted 13.7 PTS, 5.3 RBS, and 1.9 AST per game at Penn. Although a solid shooter from the line, shooting 75.5% from FT, Perkins will look to improve on his 3PT clip of 35%. Perkins's size and athleticism will be a plus on the defensive end. He has been fighting this offseason for a starting spot with the Cats but will probably be looking at a 6th or 7th man role early on this season.
TAKEAWAY: Perkins has a lot of skill and a lot of heart. He has the potential to be a big piece in Villanova’s second unit, with a ceiling like what we saw in his game against Villanova last year.
Kris Parker, #1
Redshirt Freshman, Tallahassee FL, Crossroad Academy, ALABAMA TRANSFER
Kris Parker may be a name that some recognize, as Villanova was in his Top Schools before he chose Alabama in 2023. The 6’9” 201-pound Parker, who is listed as a guard, redshirted at Alabama last year and was a top-50 SF recruit in the country according to 247 Sports. Parker is extremely athletic, as displayed by a putback dunk against Robert Morris. The Villanova Coaching staff is very high on him, and he did have 6 points in the Robert Morris Exhibition game. What his role will be this year is yet to be seen, but he has the skills that could translate to a solid NCAA player.
TAKEAWAY:Parker may not be a starter, but he should see some floor time this year. Keep an eye out to see if he can crack the rotation.
FRESHMEN
Malcolm Thomas, #20
Freshman, Mitchellville MD, DeMatha Catholic, STOCK RISING
As one DeMatha alumni leaves our team by way of Justin Moore, another comes into the program with high expectations. Malcolm Thomas is a 6’8” 218-pound forward out of the DMV area and was the 32 overall PF in the 2024 class according to 247 Sports. He put up 15 PTS, 8 RBS, and 2.5 AST per game at DeMatha. Thomas is lengthy, uber-athletic, and has been in the gym this offseason with the team. He has a very high basketball IQ, and his stock has been rising throughout the program.
TAKEAWAY: Look for Thomas to grow throughout the season, potentially earning minutes if he can continue to improve his shot.
Josiah Moseley, #0
Freshman, Round Rock TX, Stony Point, TEXAS PHENOM
Josiah Moseley, the 2024 Texas Gatorafe POY and Texas POY, comes into Nova as the 73rd overall prospect in the country according to 247 Sports. The 6’6” 228-pound forward was the best player to come out of Texas in the 2024 247 recruiting class. He starred for Belize at the U18 America’s Cup, putting up great numbers of 24.2 PTS and 8.2 RBS, all while shooting 44% from 3PT. He has all the skills to be a star forward, and some say he could be the successor to Eric Dixon.
TAKEAWAY: Everything is bigger in Texas, and so are the expectations for Moseley. If he can play like he did in Belize, he will be a key part of the team’s rotation.
Matthew Hodge
Freshman, Belmar NJ, St. Rose, BULGARIAN BALLER
At 6’8”, 220 pounds, Matthew Hodge should be physically ready for the step to College Basketball. Coming in as the 82nd overall prospect in the Class of 2024 according to 247 Sports, Hodge is someone you should keep your eye on this season. He can play both sides of the ball but doesn’t have to be the star of the show. Originally from Belgium, Hodge is a strong Freshman who has only gotten stronger this offseason. Offensively, he is a good shooter who does not have to be ball-dominant to score. There seems to be a hold-up with the NCAA and his current eligibility, but that should be cleared sometime soon.
TAKEAWAYS: Hodge falls into the same category as Moseley: a lengthy freshman who, if he plays to his potential, could be a key part of Villanova’s rotation off of the bench.
Aleksandar Gavalyugov a.k.a Sash, #7
Freshman, Sofia, Bulgaria, INTERNATIONAL PROSPECT
In a late summer move, Villanova added the 6’2” 175-pound Sash from Bulgaria. After averaging 15.7 PTS, 5.0 RBS, and 6.3 AST per game in the Adidas EuroCamp, Coach Neptune and staff swooped in to sign the Bulgarian guard. Sash is a crafty guard who has been praised by the staff for his ball control and shooting. Although Sash is not expected to have a huge role on this year’s squad, the Coaching staff is very high on Sash, who has played a lot of FIBA basketball at the U18 level.
TAKEAWAY: Sash has the potential to be a diamond in the rough for this staff. He will be an interesting watch when on the court this year.
WALK-ONS
Collin O’Toole, #12
Senior, Rye NY, St. Thomas More, BIG HEART BIG HUSTLE
Collin O’Toole is a fan-favorite who will be capping off his Senior year at Villanova. O’Toole is a great locker room presence and beloved by his teammates.
TAKEAWAY: O’Toole shows heart and hustle and will be a key part of the team’s leadership this year.
Wade Chiddick, #14
King of Prussia PA, WALK ON JR.
Wade is a local kid who earned his way onto the squad as a walk-on. After serving as a practice player in 2023-2024, Wade was promoted to the active roster this season. Wade is also a Presidential Scholar at Villanova, combining brains with skill.
TAKEAWAY: Wade is a great person, earning the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Social Justice Certificate in 2022. Look for him to become a fan favorite as he already has with the team.
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