{"id":100260,"date":"2024-10-09T14:12:04","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T18:12:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=100260"},"modified":"2024-10-09T14:12:04","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T18:12:04","slug":"villanova-scrimmage-showcases-a-new-look-roster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/09\/villanova-scrimmage-showcases-a-new-look-roster\/","title":{"rendered":"Villanova Scrimmage Showcases A New-Look Roster"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The annual Blue-White Scrimmage gave fans an early look at the 2024-25 Villanova men&#8217;s basketball team. Unlike many scrimmages where the roster split into two teams, the event at Finneran Pavilion saw the teams changing personnel in each of the <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/villanovan.com\/26856\/sports\/mbb-showcases-new-talent-in-blue-and-white-scrimmage\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">four games<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Villanova coach <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/coaches\/kyle-neptune-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kyle Neptune<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> liked what he saw as the Wildcats got a chance to play in front of fans after some spirited practices to prepare for the upcoming season.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;At this time of year, you&#8217;re just trying to get your team organized with your concepts as fast as possible,&#8221; Neptune <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/villanova.com\/news\/2024\/10\/8\/mens-basketball-a-post-blue-white-scrimmage-look-at-the-wildcats.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">told the media<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> after the scrimmage. It&#8217;s really all you can do until you see your team against another team. Really, at this stage it&#8217;s just about seeing how bought in your team is and how much they&#8217;re reacting to what you are asking them to do.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Villanova will return to Finneran Pavilion on Oct. 27 for an exhibition against Robert Morris. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/12\/breaking-down-the-top-10-big-east-mens-basketball-matchups\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">regular season opens <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with a home game against Lafayette on Nov. 4. The Wildcats finished tied for sixth at 10-10 in the Big East during the 2023-24 season.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let&#8217;s take a look at some of Neptune&#8217;s thoughts after the Tuesday night scrimmage as part of the Last Word On Sports&#8217; continuing preseason coverage of Big East men&#8217;s basketball.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Villanova Scrimmage Showcases A New-Look Roster<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Things are going to look different when Villanova takes to the court for real next month. The Villanova scrimmage presented the opportunity for returning players and promising newcomers to get to work.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\ud83d\udcf8 Views from the Blue\/White Scrimmage ! \u270c\ufe0f<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RothmanOrtho?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@RothmanOrtho<\/a> x <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GoNova?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#GoNova<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/phCEIu0ROS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/phCEIu0ROS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NovaMBB\/status\/1843841055982334430?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 9, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the things that came out of the scrimmage was that <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/eric-dixon-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eric Dixon<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, who led Villanova with an average of 16.6 points a season ago, is now playing at the power forward position. The arrival of 6-foot-11 Fresno State transfer <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/enoch-boakye-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enoch Boakye<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will free up Dixon to play at different spots on the floor this season.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;It&#8217;s definitely a little change from what we&#8217;ve had the last couple of years,&#8221; Neptune said. &#8220;It&#8217;s good for Eric because he&#8217;s so versatile. He can play on the perimeter and obviously play inside. We&#8217;re looking to continue to see what that looks like moving forward.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><b>Brickus Making Himself Right At Home<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/jhamir-brickus-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jhamir Brickus<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is no stranger to some of the veteran Villanova players. He scored 13 points in 31 minutes in a 2021 game against the Wildcats. The four-year starter at La Salle posted career-high marks with 13.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 60 3-pointers during the 2023-24 season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Nice to be back. Hoops season is close. Villanova has its blue\/white scrimmage tonight. Wildcats open here Nov. 4. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tjPo5z9cxE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/tjPo5z9cxE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jeff Neiburg (@Jeff_Neiburg) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Jeff_Neiburg\/status\/1843786637878399171?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 8, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brickus and Miami transfer <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/wooga-poplar-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wooga Poplar<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will bring some experience and scoring potential to a revamped Villanova backcourt.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;He can do everything,&#8221; Neptune said. &#8220;He may not be the tallest in stature, but there&#8217;s nothing he can&#8217;t do. There are times when I get on him in practice and then I go back and watch the film and it&#8217;s like, &#8216;he was right&#8217;. Jhamir just sees the game at such an advanced level.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><b>Perkins Another Transfer To Keep An Eye On<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A 22-point effort against Villanova was one of five games with at least 20 points for <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/tyler-perkins-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tyler Perkins<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> during his freshman season at Penn. He averaged 13.7 points per game in his lone season with the Quakers. He is another perimeter player who is being counted on for big things.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;We saw that when we played (Penn) last year,&#8221; Neptune said. &#8220;After what he did to us, I&#8217;m not surprised at all. As in shape as he was last year, he&#8217;s really changed his body. His jump shot has really improved as well. He brings a level of toughness to practice and we&#8217;re expecting him to bring that into games.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><b>Freshmen Ready To Make An Impact<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/villanova.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/josiah-moseley\/14322\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Josiah Moseley<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/villanova.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/matthew-hodge\/14321\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Matthew Hodge<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are a pair of forwards who were ranked as top-100 recruits by the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/247sports.com\/season\/2024-basketball\/recruitrankings\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">247sports.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> database. Neptune expects both of them to make their presence felt this season.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;[Moseley] has real length, real athleticism and is one of the most athletic players we&#8217;ve had here,&#8221; Neptune said. &#8220;We&#8217;ve had some high-level athletes here and he fits alongside them. There is his versatility defensively. He&#8217;ll only get better as his skill level improves. There&#8217;s a bright future for Josiah.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 6-foot-8 Hodge is two inches taller than Moseley so his role might be a little different. He got the chance to battle Dixon in all four games during the Villanova scrimmage.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Three Villanova Players On the Mend<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Villanova was without Alabama transfer <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/villanova.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/kris-parker\/14545\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kris Parker<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as a result of a right toe injury. The redshirt freshman was the <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/villanova.com\/news\/2024\/8\/12\/mens-basketball-wildcats-add-gurad-kirs-parker-to-2024-25-roster.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">final player<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> added to the 2024-25 Villanova roster. Freshman <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/villanova.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/jordann-dumont\/14311\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jordann Dumont<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is working his way back from hip surgery while teammate\u00a0<\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/villanova.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/aleksandar-gavalyugov\/14320\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aleksandar Gavalyugov<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> suffered a right knee bone bruise last week.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are three of the newcomers that Villanova is hoping can make an impact this season. The Wildcats had the 23rd ranked recruiting class according to the<\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/247sports.com\/college\/villanova\/season\/2024-basketball\/commits\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 247sports.com database<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Neptune didn&#8217;t have a return date for any of the injured players but said he is hopeful they will be ready for the season opener.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The annual Blue-White Scrimmage gave fans an early look at the 2024-25 Villanova men&#8217;s basketball team. Unlike many scrimmages where the roster split into two teams, the event at Finneran Pavilion saw the teams changing personnel in each of the four games.\u00a0Villanova coach Kyle Neptune liked what he saw as the Wildcats got a chance [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5287,"featured_media":100302,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,773],"tags":[4447,49707,4567,860],"class_list":["post-100260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-college-basketball","tag-big-east-basketball","tag-eric-dixon","tag-kyle-neptune","tag-villanova-wildcats"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5287"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100260\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}