After spending three seasons at Miami, guard Wooga Poplar returned home to Philadelphia for his senior season with Villanova.
Poplar dropped a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double in the Wildcats’ 75-63 Monday night win over Lafayette. He fell five points shy of his career high of 25 points. The Philadelphia native showed that he still has ‘Philly grit,’ which translates well to the Villanova attitude. Poplar dove for loose balls and drew fouls in the paint.
Villanova fans are not the only people happy Poplar transferred, as Poplar’s friends and family were able to watch him in his Wildcat debut.
“’I’d say about like fifteen people,” Poplar said when asked about the crowd who came to watch him play on opening night at the Finn.
Poplar’s strong connection to Philadelphia is a reason he chose Villanova instead of taking up the other offers he had after entering the transfer portal last spring. The 6-foot-5 guard had portal offers from Oregon, Arkansas and Kentucky, among others.
When Villanova took on Robert Morris in an exhibition scrimmage on Oct. 27, Poplar recorded five points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes. It was limited offensive production for Poplar, who averaged 13.1 points for Miami last season.
Poplar assuaged any concerns left over by his scrimmage performance with a nine-point second half to help the Eric Dixon-less ‘Cats pull away from Lafayette.
For Poplar, playing in his hometown drives his motivation even more to perform at his best.
“[Math, Civics and Sciences Charter School is] the same color,” Poplar said. “So everybody says, ‘Oh, he’s back in that same blue.’ So yeah, it’s a great experience. I’m just happy to be here.”
Last season at Miami, Poplar shot 38.5% from three-point range. He was 2-of-3 from deep Monday night, and 8-of-13 from the field overall. After an 0-for-8 performance in the scrimmage, it allowed the ‘Cats to take a deep breath about Poplar’s shooting.
“Poplar is arguably one of the best shooters we’ve had here [at Villanova],” Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune said. “When you look at his numbers in terms of what he’s done so far with us, arguably one of the best athletes we’ve had here.”
Poplar has experience on the big stage, aiding Miami in its 2023 Final Four run. Villanova is hungry to return to March Madness after missing the tournament in back-to-back seasons after a 2022 Final Four run.
Villanova’s last two seasons did not meet the standards of the Villanova program, with it comes a lot of uncertainty amongst fans. Poplar knows what it feels like to get so close to a title and fall short. He knows how to embrace adversity and pressure. The bright lights do not make him nervous. It’s part of his natural environment, a place where all the noise just disappears.
With no sixth-year Eric Dixon in the lineup due to a one-game NCAA suspension, Poplar was the lone double-figure scorer for the Wildcats.
On media day, Dixon acknowledged Poplar’s ability to shoot the ball.
“The thing about [Poplar] is he’s such a good shooter, we get mad when he doesn’t shoot it,” Dixon said. “He’s a great teammate in that way. He likes to make [opportunities] for guys, but sometimes we have to yell at him to shoot the basketball.”
Scoring is just one thing Poplar has in an arsenal of basketball skills. His no-look flashy passes confuse defenders. He rebounds well. He logged three steals in the opener.
“I’m trying just not to score. I try to do everything across the board, even if it’s rebounding and defending,” Poplar said. “I just try to get the [win] as my team needs.”
Poplar is no stranger to winning, especially in Philadelphia. He led his high school to both its first Philadelphia Public League title game appearance and championship.
Teammates will always get the spotlight before Poplar gives himself any. For Poplar, his game is successful because of the people he plays alongside.
“I feel like my teammates made my game successful,” Poplar said. “I mean, they just handed me the ball at the right times.”
Monday’s performance by Poplar marked a new tone for the Wildcats. Poplar is not here to have an average final season: he wants to bring back hardware to the Main Line and more importantly, to the city of Philadelphia, his home.
