Transfer portal mania has reached the basketball programs at Villanova, with multiple players from both the men’s and women’s teams entering the portal over the past few weeks. For the men’s team, these transfers, along with five graduating players and two that have declared for the draft, leave many spots open for more transfers as the May 1 portal entry deadline approaches.
The first to enter the portal was junior forward Trey Patterson, who was sidelined for the 2023-24 season while recovering from a surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. During his time as a Wildcat, Patterson did not see much action on the floor, recording career highs of five points and 15 minutes. On April 17, Patterson committed to Rice University. The Owls came in last place in the American Athletic Conference last season, with a 5-13 conference record.
Following Patterson, senior forward Lance Ware entered the portal after less than a year at Villanova. In his lone season with the ‘Cats, Ware averaged 1.2 points and 10.5 minutes per game in 33 appearances. Despite his six-foot-nine stature, Ware only averaged 2.3 rebounds per game. As of now, he has not committed to any team.
One of the biggest surprises to enter the portal was sophomore guard Brendan Hausen who had a breakout 2023-24 season with Wildcats, averaging 6.2 points per game. His six three-point shots against Seton Hall cemented him as one of the top distance shooters on the team. Hausen entered the portal on April 10, after two seasons with the ‘Cats. As of now, he has not committed to any team. However, there are rumors that Nebraska has reached out to Hausen, as well as rumors linking him to UConn, where he could have the opportunity to replace graduating guard Cam Spencer.
The most recent loss for the ‘Cats came last week when senior guard TJ Bamba entered the portal less than a year after transferring to Villanova from Washington State. In his single season on the team, Bamba averaged the second most amount of minutes and points with an average of 28.1 minutes and 10.1 points. As of now, Bamba has not committed anywhere, although he has a list of six schools in consideration. Kentucky, Louisville, Florida, Memphis and Oregon are all in the running to land Bamba.
Although they are not transferring, Dixon’s and sophomore guard Mark Armstrong’s decisions to declare for the NBA draft arguably hit the hardest. As the leading scorer and rebounder for the ‘Cats with 16.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, Dixon has voided eligibility to play another year at Villanova to go into the draft.
In Armstrong’s second year on the team, he started in 32 of Villanova’s 34 games and led the team in assists (83) and steals (29) as he averaged 8.4 points and 24.5 minutes per game. However, though he entered the draft he will still maintain his college eligibility if he withdraws by May 29.
Armstrong’s presence on the team next year will be paramount, as Villanova is losing two more of its starters, Justin Moore and Tyler Burton. The ‘Cats will also lose sixth man guard Hakim Hart and graduate guard Chris Arcidiacono, since they have exhausted their eligibility.
For now, the remaining players on the team are junior guard Jordan Longino, junior forward Nnanna Njoku, junior guard Collin O’Toole and freshman forward Jordann Dumont, who was sidelined with an injury for his first season. Besides Longino, who averaged 6.6 points and 21.7 minutes per game, the rest of the team has yet to have a lot of experience.
As for recruits, Villanova has three signed letters of intent from power forward Joshiah Moseley from Round Rock, Texas, power forward Matthew Hodge from Belmar, New Jersey and center Malcom Thomas from Hyattsville, Maryland. Averaging 20.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per game for Stony Point, Moseley seeks to make up for the loss of Bamba. Hodge, who stands six-foot-eight, averaged 14.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game with St. Rose, and will look to replace the size lost by Dixon and Ware. The same goes for Thomas, who, also at six-foot-eight, averaged 11.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game at DeMatha Catholic—the same high school Moore attended.
Although Villanova has not made a lot of moves in the portal so far, it recently picked up freshman guard Tyler Perkins. In Perkins’ first season with Penn, he played in all 29 games, averaging 13.7 points, 29.8 minutes and 5.3 rebounds per game. In the case of Armstrong being drafted, Perkins will be one of the key players the team will turn to.
The transfer portal opened on March 17 and will remain open for 45 days before closing on Wednesday, May 1. With only 10 days left for players to enter the portal, Villanova will soon have a clearer picture of the gaps it needs to fill and the players that are available to fill them.
