Askew, Allen to Miss Villanova Basketball Kickoff Event

Villanova Men’s Basketball guard Devin Askew will miss the team’s season kickoff event on Wednesday, Sept. 17 as the result of a right knee sprain suffered in practice, the team announced today. Askew, a 6-foot-5 super senior who put up 18.9 points and 4.5 assists per game last season at Long Beach State, should return in mid-October according to a Wildcats’ press release.

A member of the ESPN Top 100 (No. 26) in the class of 2020, injuries have played a major role in Askew’s college career to date: he missed the better part of two seasons while at Cal. Nevertheless, Askew is on track to return before the start of the regular season, and should even have a chance to ramp up during the Wildcats’ exhibition schedule.

The Wildcats’ season kickoff event typically features feats of skill like a three-point competition and dunk contest. This season, former Wildcats Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart will help host amidst a taping of their podcast, “Roommates Show.”

Held jointly with the Villanova Women’s Basketball team, the Wildcats will also go without senior guard Ryanne Allen. Per Denise Dillon, the women’s team’s head coach, Allen suffered a knee injury of her own in practice and should return before the regular season starts… although the press release listed her as “out indefinitely.”

Allen put up 4.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game with the Wildcats last season after transferring in from Vanderbilt.

For a related story, here’s Philadelphia Sports Now’s film room breakdown of Devin Askew.