Villanova Product Wooga Poplar Earns Pre-Draft Honors

Wooga Poplar only played one season with Villanova, transferring to the Wildcats ahead of his senior campaign after three years at the University of Miami, but that didn’t stop him from making an impact with his emphatic dunks and lightning-rod style of play. Now Poplar is doing the same in preparation for the 2025 NBA Draft, recognized as a member of the All-Tournament Team during the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a pre-draft camp that gives big league hopefuls a chance to showcase their skills.

A graduate of Philadelphia’s Math, Civics and Sciences Charter School, the 6-foot-5, 197 pound shooting guard suited up for the Sales Systems, Ltd. team, averaging 19 points per game despite a brutal start in his first game of the tournament, where he made just two of nine shots and committed five turnovers. For comparison, Poplar averaged 15.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game with the Wildcats last season.

Wooga Poplar Turns It On

Poplar quickly found his footing, however, bouncing back for 19 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench the following night, showing off the athleticism that helped him lead Villanova in rebounds during the 2024-25 season despite playing the wing. He then capped his tournament performance with a 31 point outburst, serving as his team’s volume scorer and making 11 of his 23 shots. Poplar also added ten rebounds to notch a double-double.

While Poplar’s athleticism could help him catch the eye of a professional team, he faces long odds in the NBA Draft itself, which consists of two rounds and 60 selections. Teams often prefer to select younger players — Poplar turned 22 in January — because of their projectable room for growth: even Villanova’s Eric Dixon, who led the nation in scoring this season, probably won’t hear his name called until the tail end of the draft as a result of his age.

Even so, Poplar could catch on overseas or in the G-League as an undrafted free agent if he doesn’t hear his name called, building up a professional résumé that helps him work his way into the big leagues someday. Former Wildcats star Collin Gillespie took a similar path, finally breaking into the Phoenix Suns’ starting lineup this season after three years in the G-League.