Grading And Breaking Down All 2024 Villanova Basketball Portal Transfers

In the blink of an eye, the 2023 NCAA basketball season came and went. Now Villanova basketball and Kyle Neptune look toward a reset.

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Villanova basketball lost 10 players in various ways such as the transfer portal, NBA Draft, or players who ran out of eligibility.

Massive shoes were left empty with the departure of Justin Moore, TJ Bamba, Mark Armstrong, and quite possibly Eric Dixon.

As of May 23, Neptune and staff have added two transfers in an effort to get the Wildcats back to the March Madness Tournament after two unsuccessful NIT runs.

The Wildcats have already recruited three players from the class of 2024. Those players are forwards Josiah Moseley, Matthew Hodge, and Malcolm Thomas.

While they will be the next era of Wildcat basketball, veterans are a much-needed piece if the team wants to make a run into March.

How exactly do those transfers fit Villanova? Below is a report and grade on each of the two (and counting)* Villanova portal transfers.

*- This list will be updated if/when more transfers are recruited.

Tyler Perkins

Perkins was the first portal pickup this offseason for the Wildcats.

Perkins is coming off a hot season as a true freshman at the University of Pennsylvania. He started 27 of 29 games for the Quakers. Perkins averaged 13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists as a guard.

Villanova lacked height and struggled to find offensive and defensive boards last season. The addition of Perkins’ 6’4 frame will bring support to fix the issues they struggled with last year.

UPenn struggled to find wins in the Ivy League and finished with a 3-11 conference record. Most notably, UPenn took down Villanova in Big 5 play last season, 76-72. At the time Villanova basketball was ranked 21st in the nation.

Entering his sophomore season, Perkins still has three years of eligibility remaining. With the recent announcement that Villanova guard Mark Armstrong will forgo his college eligibility and remain in the draft, Perkins has a huge opportunity to find minutes on the court.

Perkins will be in contention with Villanova’s two other portal transfers, Jhamir Brickus and Max Shulga, for a starting guard spot. 

Perkins being young and having three years of eligibility is a nice compliment to the Villanova program. That also creates an unknown to what he can contribute on a consistent basis. It will be just one of many young guys joining the team this year who can possibly stay and learn the Villanova attitude.

Grade: B-

Jhamir Brickus

Brickus, just like Perkins, jumped across Philly to join the Wildcats.

Brickus was a four-year veteran of Villanova’s Big 5 rival, the La Salle Explorers. The Explorers finished their season with a 16-17 record. As a senior last season, he started in all of his team’s 33 games. Brickus averaged 13.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists throughout those games.

Last season was a huge improvement for Brickus. It was his best collegiate season. Before his senior year, he came short of averaging double-digit points.

If Brickus can maintain his success from last season, he is primed for a starting role in the Wildcat offense. Villanova lost almost their entire roster of guards and all of their starting guards.

Brickus measures in at 5’11 and 165 pounds. His lack of size could be a negative on defense which creates a net gain on his addition to the team. He only has one season of notable performance. It is a risk that Villanova needs to take to get the progam back on track. His strength is letting the three-point ball fly from the left side of the break but he can attack the basket when needed. If he is used correctly, he can turn into a weapon for the Wildcats.

Brickus has one year of eligibility remaining.

Grade: C+

Max Shulga

Shulga has annouced he is returning to his former school, VCU, to play his final year of eligibility. He will not suit up for the Wildcats next season.

All stats and data are accurate as of May 23, 2024.

Featured graphic courtesy of @AlertsNova