Villanova Basketball Blue-White Scrimmage: A Look At The Season Ahead

With the college basketball season just under four weeks away, Villanova basketball held its annual Blue-White Scrimmage to cap off 1842 Day on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

The Wildcats will have a new identity this upcoming season. Only five players are returning from last season. Senior LaSalle transfer Jhamir Brickus should pace the offense as point guard and Fresno St. transfer Enoch Boyake should man the paint. Many other decisions are still up in the air as the season nears. Here are the early notes that can be taken away from the scrimmage.

Brickus commands the offense

This season there is a sense of quickness from the roster. Having Brickus run the offense from the point guard role opens up more scoring opportunities.

Brickus has a tremendous basketball IQ and head coach Kyle Neptune acknowledges it.

“I just see him as a basketball player, a guy that can do everything,” Neptune said. “He’s obviously not of the tallest stature, but there’s nothing he can’t do from shooting on the perimeter, [shooting] off the dribble, off the catch, using ball screens, (isolations), posting up, he literally does everything.” 

Brickus averaged 13.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 40.0% from the three-point line.

The guard comes in at five-foot-eleven, but that does not impact his ability in the game. Players who adapt their playstyle to benefit their weaknesses strive on the court, that is what Brickus has done. His ability to analyze a court at game speed is notable. Neptune notices it in the practice gym frequently.

“There are times that I’m getting on them in practice, and then I go back and watch the film. I’m like, “All right, he was right,’” Neptune said. “He just sees the game at such an advanced level.”

When watching Brickus play you can see he is poised. He is fearless in keeping the ball and slows things down to find opportunities, there is no rush in his game.

Eric Dixon

Dixon has played various roles in the Villanova roster. This season, Dixon might have found the role that will use his skills to the best of their ability.

Dixon still displays his ability to play on the perimeter and in the paint. His versatility makes him the vocal point of both the offense and the defense. In the scrimmage, Dixon was playing his role as a forward. He is a facilitator.

Kyle Neptune spoke about Dixon’s ability to impact the game.

“I think it’s good for Eric because he’s so versatile,” Neptune said. “He can play on the perimeter, can obviously play inside. We’re looking to continue to see what that looks like as we move forward.”

Pace of play

While a scrimmage can never determine how fast the pace of a real game will be, it is a peak at what is possible.

Brickus, UPenn sophomore transfer Tyler Perkins and senior Jordan Longino stood out as the primary ball handlers in the scrimmage. All three have the speed to move up and down the court quickly. Last season, Villanova focused on slowing the game down and waited for players to get set. Former guard Mark Armstrong flashed his speed throughout the season, sometimes scoring on fastbreaks with no defender in his vicinity. That was a rare occurrence for the Wildcats as Armstrong usually let his team transition on offense before bringing the ball up.

This scrimmage hints at a faster Villanova team with a quicker pace of play.

Injury update

Villanova has had its fair share of injuries entering the season the past few years. For last year’s scrimmage, Justin Moore (ankle), Jordan Dumont (knee soreness) and Lance Ware (hamstring) were sidelined. 

This season’s scrimmage was not different. Alabama redshirt freshman transfer Kris Parker (toe), freshman guard Aleksandar Gavalyugov (knee), and redshirt freshman Jordann Dumont (hip) sat out.

Neptune plans to have all three healthy for the start of the 2024-25 season.

Earlier at Hoops Mania 2024, redshirt junior Nnanna Njoku did not participate in basketball activities due to a stress injury in his left foot. Njoku did dress and fully participated in the Blue-White Scrimmage.