Mark Armstrong will remain in the NBA draft process and move on from Villanova
“Mark wants to start his career and we believe it’s a good decision,” his agent, Roger Montgomery, said.
Villanova guard Mark Armstrong will forgo his final two seasons of eligibility and remain in the NBA draft, the university announced Monday afternoon.
In a message posted on Instagram, Armstrong, a North Jersey native, thanked Villanova, former coach Jay Wright, who recruited him to campus, and current coach Kyle Neptune, who Armstrong said carried on “that same belief in me over the past two years.”
Armstrong this past weekend received an invite to the G League Elite Camp and will have a chance to move on to the NBA draft combine.
It’s unclear where Armstrong, 20, stands on the draft boards of NBA teams, but most mock drafts do not have him being selected in either of the two rounds.
Armstrong’s agent, Roger Montgomery, said Armstrong was receiving “positive feedback,” although he declined to give specifics when asked whether the feedback indicated that Armstrong would be drafted.
“We did our due diligence, and to make a decision like that you have to make sure you go through the process and the reality of the situation,” Montgomery said.
“As a result, Mark wants to start his career, and we believe it’s a good decision.”
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Montgomery said that Armstrong, his family, and his representation felt that now was the best time to make a commitment to move on to try to play in the NBA.
That Villanova was building its 2024-25 backcourt while Armstrong was in the draft process did not factor into the decision, Montgomery said, and several sources have said Armstrong was trending in the direction of moving on from Villanova during the last few weeks.
“He’s been handling it well,” Montgomery said. “He’s training and he’s got a one-track mind getting himself prepared for the G League camp.”
Armstrong declared for the draft on April 10, a move that at the time came as a bit of a surprise. Armstrong averaged 8.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in his final season with the Wildcats, but he shot 28.2% from three-point range and struggled at times finishing around the rim. His athleticism always stood out, but Armstrong’s entrance in the draft process appeared at the time like a player looking for some feedback before returning to school.
“What you expect doesn’t always happen,” Montgomery said when asked whether the process went as he thought it would. “In this endeavor, what I’m really proud of is how much homework we did. I just expected Mark and his family and I would be able to make a decision when the time came.”
Armstrong is the third player from the three-member 2022 recruiting class — Wright’s last before Neptune took over the program — to leave Villanova. Cam Whitmore entered the NBA draft last year and scored 12.3 points per game with the Houston Rockets this season as a first-round pick. Last month, Brendan Hausen transferred to Kansas State.
Armstrong enjoyed his time at Villanova and learned things he “probably wouldn’t have learned at other institutions,” Montgomery said.
“To all of my teammates, thank you for supporting me and looking out for me since the day I stepped on campus,” Armstrong said in an Instagram post. “I will forever cherish the memories we made together.”
With Armstrong staying in the draft process, Villanova will have a third open scholarship to use in the transfer portal. Eric Dixon, who has one year of eligibility remaining, remains in the draft process but could still return to Villanova. He was not invited to the NBA combine or the G League Elite Camp.
The Wildcats have brought in three guards this offseason, most recently adding Virginia Commonwealth graduate transfer Max Shulga. They are still waiting for Dixon’s decision to know whether they have three or four open spots.
Villanova made the final cut for Khalif Battle, who has played for Butler, Temple, and Arkansas, but Battle is going to Gonzaga. There are other options available to continue to bolster the guard/wing spot, including Philadelphia’s Wooga Poplar, who is transferring from Miami.