An injury-free roster of seasoned vets has Villanova optimistic that last season is in the past

With strong additions to the roster coupled with notable names on the horizon through recruiting, head coach Kyle Neptune's second offseason has been a welcome change from his first.

Head coach Kyle Neptune, center, and Villanova men's basketball come together following practice during its annual media day at Finneran Pavilion.Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer

by Colin Beazley

Published Oct. 19, 2023, 8:02 p.m. ET

The theme of Villanova’s 2023 installment of its in-house media day?

Player health.

Injuries plagued the 2022-23 Wildcats to the extent that Cam Whitmore, then a prized freshman, hurt his thumb in the practice immediately preceding last October’s availability.

So far, this year’s team has no such issues. Every player was available for practice and interviews on Thursday, and though four players missed the Blue-White Scrimmage on Oct. 5, all but Trey Patterson are expected to be ready for the season opener against American on Nov. 7.

For head coach Kyle Neptune, his second offseason has been a welcome change from his first.

“There were times [last season] where we were practicing 3-on-3 with walk-ons and [alumni] Kris Jenkins and Daniel Ochefu,” Neptune said, noting it happened during the season as well.“ ... This year, we’re 5-on-5, sometimes we’ve got six guys on each team. It’s been much more competitive in practice, and we’re hoping we can take that and bring that into games as well.”

Beyond just being healthy, this year’s Villanova team is much more experienced. Jordann Dumont is the lone freshman, and seven of 14 total Wildcats are seniors or graduate students. There were few questions on Thursday about adapting to college basketball — considering most of the team has done it before and seen firsthand the rigors of a full season.

Still, there is work to do. Last year’s season, a 17-17 campaign, was the first time Villanova had finished .500 or worse since 2012. Though the Wildcats brought in four transfers to supplement this season, it doesn’t mean that the team talks about last season’s struggles.

“This team is a completely different team from last year,” Neptune said. “We don’t even address what happened last year.”

Much of the offseason has been dedicated to indoctrinating the transfers. Richmond transfer Tyler Burton, Washington State transfer TJ Bamba, Maryland transfer Hakim Hart, and Kentucky transfer Lance Ware are all new additions. Each had fairly similar reasons for coming to Villanova: wanting to play at a higher level, and for several, closer to home.

“Everybody’s loving and caring here,” Hart said. “It’s been a brotherhood from my teammates. [The transition’s gone] pretty well.”

Several have quickly bought into program mantras. Burton deflected a question about Villanova’s schedule like he was a fifth-year Wildcat.

“[We’re] trying to be the best team we can by the end of the year,” Burton said.

This year’s media day was also an opportunity for many returnees to discuss their offseason accomplishments. Sophomore guard Mark Armstrong worked on his fundamentals. Junior forward Nnanna Njoku lost 30 pounds through working out, tweaking his Chipotle order — and understanding that in reference to his health “it’s a little bit bigger than me.”

Sophomore Brendan Hausen went viral, hitting 48 consecutive three-pointers and racking up 150,000 views on X. (He said he hit 70, but the app wouldn’t let him post the full video.)

The team doesn’t discuss projections, but it was ranked 22nd in the preseason AP Poll. Some coaches tell their teams to aim for National Championships, but for Neptune and Villanova, even with so many new faces, it’s the same goal it’s always been.

“We’re trying to just be the best team we could be [by the end of the season],” Neptune said. “Each day, we’ll go back and try to get better, and we’ll just see what the future holds.”