Villanova Men's Basketball
Villanova Transfers: Point Guard Needed… Will ‘Cats Go Big?
Villanova Men’s Basketball secured a pair of transfers on Monday, April 13, with Kwame Evans Jr. and Devin Royal both announcing their commitment. The Wildcats still need a starting point guard and likely a center, with Evans slotting to the four if head coach Kevin Willard is serious about wanting to add size to his roster.
Royal played power forward at Ohio State but might fit better at the three given his 6-foot-6, 220 pound frame. Both he and Evans started at their previous schools and, as senior transfers, almost certainly come to Villanova with the same expectations. That raises questions for the rest of the Wildcats’ roster, however. If they play Evans at the five and Royal at the four, returning starters Matt Hodge and Tyler Perkins could slot in on the perimeter, leaving a starting point guard spot open.
Reserve wing Malachi Palmer hasn’t yet announced whether he’ll remain at Villanova or transfer: no matter which lineup the Wildcats go with, he’s likely to stay in a reserve role if he stays. Incoming freshman and top 60 recruit Adam Oumiddoch, a lanky shooting guard, will also vie for minutes.
Hodge underwent ACL repair in early March: that will take him a minimum of eight to nine months to recover from, leaving his start to the 2026-27 season in jeopardy as a best case scenario. Should his recovery go on longer, there will be more minutes to go around, but that’s difficult to project with the season seven months away and transfers looking to secure playing time right now.
Aiming for another big man will complicate Villanova’s roster outlook further but also holds more upside; rolling with Evans down low will smooth things over right now but might limit the team’s ceiling.