Just bizarre news on Wednesday that highlights the ridiculous state of college basketball as Max Shulga has announced he is returning to VCU just weeks after announcing a transfer to Nova (I don't even feel like we can use the words commit/decommit at this point, nothing means anything).

I don't have details on the decision yet, but the assumption is that VCU found money for Shulga.

I'm pretty much at a loss for words at this point. The way NIL and the transfer porter have been handled is laughable and the damage it's doing to the sport is sad. Just utter incompetence, as it never should have gotten anywhere near what it is today.

A key transfer portal target is on campus Thursday as Nova hosts Miami transfer guard Wooga Poplar.

Poplar, a local product who played high school ball at Math, Civics and Sciences, averaged 13.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists last season while shooting 42.6% FG, 38.5% 3PTFG, 86.4% FT.

There's been a fair amount of buzz between Nova and Poplar since his entry into the portal and all indications are that Nova is making a strong push. Will be interesting to see if Neptune and Co. can seal the deal on the heels of this visit.

Villanova has officially announced the addition of La Salle transfer Jhamir Brickus.

A quick roundup of the current state of the roster.

Another transfer portal addition for the Cats.


Pretty solid add here in my opinion. Solid shooter, decent passer, performed well against high level competition.

Bit of a surprise here.

Some comments from coach Neptune as the school officially announces the addition of Tyler Perkins.

Another roundup of the latest portal rumblings.

First, there appears to be strong mutual interest between Nova and Arkansas transfer Khalif Battle, who we noted was on campus over the weekend. It appears Battle will decide between Nova, Gonzaga and Kansas State.

Max Shulga, a bit of a late entry into the portal, is drawing interest from Nova and there is some buzz there. Shulga played three seasons at Utah State and then last season at VCU. He averaged 14 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 44.6% overall, 41.5% from three and 87.6% from the line. He had 10 points, six assists and three rebounds in VCU's NIT win over Nova. He also had 17 points, eight assists and three rebounds against Iowa State...19 points, six rebounds and two assists against Penn State and 14 points and five assists against Memphis.

I would be very surprised if at least one of those two don't end up at Nova.

Finally, there are starting to be some rumblings that Eric Dixon is now leaning toward a return to Nova. Haven't been able to verify this with a super reliable source yet, but there's enough noise from enough places that it warrants mentioning.

There also seems to be an expectation that some sort of movement (not sure on which front) could come this weekend.

There are some strong rumblings that Wake Forest transfer Andrew Carr is headed to Nova.

Villanova immediately gained steam with Carr after he entered the portal. Strong interest from Kentucky slowed the momentum somewhat, but it is gaining steam again. The official word is he's considering Nova, Kentucky and Texas Tech, but again there's a lot of juice between Carr and Nova right now.

Carr averaged 13.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists last season while shooting 52.6% from the field and 37.1% from three.

We're hearing more rumblings on the transfer front. After a busy day that saw the Cats miss out on a key target but also add a player through the portal, yet another target was on campus on Sunday: Arkansas transfer guard Khalif Battle.

If Battle sound familiar, it's likely because he spent his freshman season at Butler and then three seasons at Temple. Last season at Arkansas, he averaged 14.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 40;6% from the field, 35.3% from three and 87.3% from the line. His best scoring season was 2021-22 at Temple, where he averaged 21.4 ppg. In 2020-21 at Temple he avearged 6.4 rebounds. Battle exploded down the stretch for Arkansas last season, averaging 26.7 ppg over the final nine games and 29.6 over the final seven games.

The Cats landed a second transfer portal commitment Sunday, although it wasn't the one we were expecting. Instead of Andrew Carr, who is headed to Kentucky, it's La Salle transfer Jhamir Brickus.

Brickus averaged 13.9 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds last season while shooting 43.3% from the field, 40% from three and 85.7% from the line. He also averaged 1.2 steals. He had some mixed results against higher level competition, with a decent game against Duke (13 points, four assists on 5-8 shooting). He had just five points on 2-8 shooting against Miami, but he did dish out eight assists, grab two rebounds and swipe three steals. His best game of the season was a 41-point, nine-rebound, four-assist, three-steal effort against Temple.

Seeing some mixed reviews of the addition on social media, but I think it's a solid get. I think there is some evaluation of the addition against the backdrop of the entire offseason and that is (understandably) creating a sour note. But that's not really fair to Brickus, and with several additions still to come it's too early to be judging the entire offseason. Brickus 35.8% or better from three each of the last three seasons, had his best season as a distributor last year and had a 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, something Nova desperately needs in the backcourt. Is he the big-time needle-mover everyone is hoping/waiting for? Probably not. But he can be a solid piece on a good team. It's on the staff to get the final few additions right and find that true difference maker.

A bit of scheduling news on Thursday.

Stetson transfer Jalen Blackmon has cut his list to five and has included Villanova. He is also considering Miami, BYU, Northwestern and Cal.

As a junior last season, Blackmon averaged 21.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He shot 42.8% from the field, 38.1% from three and 90.7% from the line.

He scored 18 against UNLV, 11 against Houston and 26 against UCF. He also scored 43 in the ASUN title game to help Stetson to the NCAA Tournament. He scored 14 against UConn in the tournament.

Blackmon is listed at 6-3, 180.

This is a significant one.

Villanova transfer portal target Dakota Leffew has cut his list to six and included Villanova. Leffew, a 6-5 guard who has played four years at Mount St. Mary's, is considering Villanova, Syracuse, Pitt, South Carolina, Georgia and Xavier.

Leffew averaged 17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals last season while shooting 43% overall, 36.5% from three and 76.5% from the line.

There is a lot of buzz linking Leffew to Syracuse, which has just hired former Mount St. Mary's head coach Dan Engelstad as an assistant. However, there are also whispers that Leffew will be visiting the Main Line this weekend.

As expected, Villanova has landed Penn transfer Tyler Perkins.


I think this is a good addition, and nice to get some positive momentum going after another rough season/start to the offseason. What do you think?

The roster shuffling continued Saturday with another significant announcement.

I'm hearing that Tyler Perkins' visit went really well this weekend. I wouldn't be surprised if a commitment comes soon. Nothing official yet, but I'd be surprised if it doesn't happen.

Pretty significant development here, as Brendan Hausen enters the portal. Although I'm not quite sure it's as cataclysmic as some on social media are making it out to be. But that's another discussion.

A Villanova transfer target is reciprocating interest, as Penn transfer Tyler Perkins is expected to visit Nova April 11-13.

Perkins, a 6-4 guard, is a Virginia native who went to high school in Maryland before playing his freshman season at Penn. He averaged 13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 39.1% overall and 34.7% from three. He also averaged 1.4 steals. He fared reasonably well against Penn's toughest competition...of course Nova fans remember he scored 22 points in Penn's upset win over the Wildcats...he also scored 15 against Kentucky and 10 on the road against Houston's stingy defense, a game in which Penn only scored 42 points as a team.

With so much uncertainty about who is staying or leaving or coming, it's hard to project ideal fits. But of the players who have received interest from Nova so far, Perkins would be among the top group I would be interested in. Something to keep an eye on as we head into the offseason.

A bit of surprise announcement today from Mark Armstrong, and also perhaps a chance to read between the lines a bit.

Another Wildcat hits the portal.

The first roster movement domino for the 2024 offseason has fallen, with Trey Patterson announcing his entrance into the transfer portal.

Let me start by saying I HATE the current iteration of the transfer portal. But I'll avoid delving into a huge rant here and instead acknowledge that this is where we are and so this is what we have to do. So, on this thread we will keep track of transfers linked with Nova interest.

(listed class is year player would be playing in next season) (missed targets italicized, committed targets in bold)

Tyler Perkins, 6-4, G, Penn (So.) 13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 steals 39.1% FG, 34.7% 3PTFG, 76.5% FT (and of course we all remember Perkins scorching Nova with 22 points in loss to Penn)

Dakota Leffew, 6-5, G, Mt. Saint Mary's (Sr.) 17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.5 steals 43% FG, 36.5% 3PTFG, 76.5% FT

Amari Williams, 6-10, F, Drexel (Sr.) 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.8 blocks 51.7% FG, 33.3% 3PTFG, 65.5% FT

Clifford Omoruyi, 6-11, C, Rutgers (Sr.) 10.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.9 blocks 51.2% FG, 20.0% 3PTFG, 61.0% FT

Rowan Brumbaugh, 6-4, G, Georgetown 8.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 40.7% FG, 37.0% 3PTFG, 78.9% FT (had 23 points, eight assists and five rebounds in two games against Nova this year)

Kanaan Carlyle, 6-3, G, Stanford 11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists 38.6% FG, 32.0% 3PTFG, 77.6% FT (although I still have to watch some film, not a big fan here based on numbers...inefficient, below average from deep, negative assist-to-turnover ratio)

Malik Dia, 6-9, F, Belmont (Jr.), 16.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists 48.8% FG, 34.1% 3PTFG, 63.8% FT

Lynn Greer III, 6-2, G, St. Joe's (Sr.) 10.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists 44.7% FG, 30.4% 3PTFG, 76.9% FT

Cade Tyson, 6-7, F, Belmont (Jr.) 16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists 49.3% FG, 46.5% 3PTFG, 85.5% FT

Zeke Mayo, 6-3, G, South Dakota State (Sr.) 18.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals 46.6% FG, 39.1% 3PTFG, 82.8% FT

Koby Brea, 6-6, G, Dayton (Sr.) 11.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists 51.2% FG, 49.8% 3PTFG, 87.5% FT

Aidan Mahaney, 6-3, G, Saint Mary's (Jr.) 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists 38.6% FG, 35.5% 3PTFG, 81.3% FT

Jeremy Roach, 6-1, G, Duke (Sr.) 14 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists 46.8% FG, 42.9% 3PTFG, 84.4% FT (two notes: I believe the Nova interest is strong here (Nova was in Roach's top 4 coming out of HS) (Roach is also testing the NBA Draft waters)

Wooga Poplar, 6-5, G, Miami (Sr.) 13.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists 42.6% FG, 38.5% 3PTFG, 86.4% FT (Local product out of Philly, hearing a few early Nova rumbles here)

Khalif Battle, 6-5, G, Arkansas (Sr.) 14.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists 40.6% FG, 35.5% 3PTFG, 87.3% FT

Max Shulga, 6-4, G, VCU (Sr.) 14 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists 44.6% FG, 41.5% 3PTFG, 87.6% FT

AD Mark Jackson has told both the Inquirer's Jeff Neiburg and the AP's Dan Gelston that Kyle Neptune will return as Villanova's coach for the 2024-25 season.

“I think we have the right guy in place to get us where we need to go,” Jackson told Neiburg.

“I don’t want to be naive and say I’m not aware of how unhappy a lot of people are. It’s my job to pay attention to all of it. I listen to all of it. I ingest all of it. I know it impacts our head coach, too. It hurts him more than anybody else," Jackson told Gelston.

Perhaps not a huge surprise here...it felt like a long shot that Nova would move on from a coach in just two years...but considering how those two years have gone and the position the program finds itself in, was also fair to wonder if the school would make a change in its MO. It does not appear that will be the case.