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Not-so-super-Nova
Shulga won't be a Wildcats after all, leaving Kyle Neptune with a thin roster and no proven stars. How does a proud program rally? Plus, TCU adds more scoring, two notable NBA Draft decisions, a coaching position opens, and more.
Mike Miller
May 23, 2024
The $2.7 billion settlement for house v. NCAA is almost official. The NCAA Board of Governors voted to adopt settlement terms on Wednesday night — it wasn’t unanimous — which will alter how college sports revenue is distributed. The SEC and Pac-12 boards will vote today.
So let’s move to some basketball news, shall we?
1. Villanova’s thin roster needs a cookie
It’s been a rough without Jay Wright around.
Villanova’s gone 35-33 in two seasons under Kyle Neptune, a stark departure from the days when Wright’s program was a Big East juggernaut. (Maybe he knew what was coming with UConn?)
The Wildcats have dealt with injuries, underwhelming transfers, and questions about Neptune’s coaching. Last spring, the program reportedly spent about $3 million on NIL, which resulted in roster filled with notable players, big expectations, and a so-so 18-16 season.
That might be aiming high for 2024-25.
The Wildcats lost guard Max Shulga on Wednesday — the VCU senior elected to not transfer to Nova — leaving them with a roster of eight players. And of those eight, only junior guard Jordan Longino played any meaningful minutes this season. A pair of local transfers, La Salle guard Jhamir Brickus and Penn guard Tyler Perkins, figure to be the go-to guys.
Beyond that, it’s three incoming freshmen and little-used senior forward Nnanna Njoku. (Jordann redshirted.)
So what hope does Villanova have of not being the worst team in the Big East? It’s not even summer, so there’s time to address needs, but hey, even Georgetown’s been busy adding pieces. Villanova is behind.
Perhaps senior forward Eric Dixon will withdraw from the NBA Draft (he’ll have to miss games due to playing at the Portsmouth Invitational), but that’s far from a given. And they’ll need to throw some NIL at one of the remaining transfer scorers available, such as Wooga Poplar. He visited campus last week. Without Shulga, they need more scoring and ball-handling.
Heck, they just need more of everything.
It’s still likely that Nova finishes in the bottom half of the Big East again. Quite the transition from one of the 2010’s best programs.
2. TCU’s talent grab continues + more portal moves
Last week, TCU added a serious scorer in forward Trazarien White. Wednesday, it added another one.