On Friday, May 3, guard Max Shulga announced that he is transferring to Villanova from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). A native of Kyiv, Ukraine, Shulga is entering his fifth and final year of eligibility in the NCAA. He played three years at Utah State and played his senior year at VCU.
The Wildcats fell to VCU in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) on Wednesday, March 20. In that game, Shulga scored 10 points against the Wildcats. Now that Shulga is a Wildcat himself, he will become more acquainted with the leadership under Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune.
Shulga is a 6-foot-4 guard who averaged 14 points per game during the 2023-2024 season. His overall free throw percentage was 44.6% this year, while landing at a brisk 41.5% from deep. Shulga’s single-game season high at VCU was 26 points against Saint Louis University on Feb. 16.
During Shulga’s time at Utah State from 2020-2023, he adjusted to the competitive nature of college basketball in the United States. In Shulga’s freshman year, he appeared in 23 games and averaged 6.8 minutes per game. That year, he only scored 37 points with a season high of eight against Wyoming. By his junior year, Shulga appeared in all 35 games and reached a career high of 29 points against the Air Force Academy. He received Honorable Mention All-Mountain West in 2023, and on Feb. 20, 2023, he received the award for Mountain West Player of the week.
Prior to his college career, Shulga was a nationally ranked player in the Ukraine. In the summer of 2019, he played in the U18 FIBA European Championships. Also, during the summer of 2022, Shulga represented Ukraine again in the FIBA U20 European Championships. He attended the Basketball School of Excellence in Torrelodones, Spain, where he was scouted to play at Utah State in his junior year.
Shulga is one of three transfer students so far who are joining the Villanova roster. The other players are two guards, Tyler Perkins from the University of Pennsylvania and Jhamir Brickus from LaSalle University. Since the Wildcats are suffering the loss of several star players, the new recruits will have to step up to fulfill the reputation of playing Villanova Basketball.
