Kevin Willard’s first year at Villanova suffers major early hit

There’s already a better feeling in Villanova since Kevin Willard took over as head coach this past offseason, but nothing comes either for this program in the Big East. Even weeks before the regular season is set to begin, the Wildcats are already dealing with a big of a blow as it was announced last week that Devin Askew is out indefinitely with an injury.

A 6-3 guard from Sacramento and a former top recruit, Askew has truly bounced around in his collegiate career. After limited work as an underclassman at Kentucky and Texas, Askew really shined at California but missed significant time with injuries. He’s coming fresh off a marvelous season at Long Beach State, putting up 18.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game for the Beach while leading the Big West in multiple statistics.

Coming into this season, Askew was considered an important piece of Willard’s new transfer class as he attempts to turn Villanova back into a national contender. While the staff also grabbed Bryce Lindsay and Malachi Palmer in the portal, Askew was certainly seen as the most important backcourt addition and a great veteran presence for this team that can run the offense and score when needed.

However, a knee injury will sideline Askew for an indeterminate amount of time. It’s certainly not the first injury issue in his career but it’s a major headache both for him and these Wildcats. Early hopes are that he’ll be back in a few months and this won’t linger throughout the entire season, but it’ll certainly change Villanova’s early rotations.

Askew was expected to assume a major role in the backcourt next to Lindsay and returning guard Tyler Perkins, but his injury opens up playing time for other faces. This could been even more minutes for Acaden Lewis, a 4-star combo guard and Top 50 recruit who was already expected to get decent run in this backcourt. Fellow 4-star guard Chris Jeffrey also slides up the depth chart and might get his shot to prove himself quickly in his career.

Villanova has not been in the NCAA Tournament since Jay Wright retired back in 2022. Willard is just putting the pieces together for his first season with the Wildcats and it’s hard to know just what this team will develop into, but losing Askew is unquestionably a big blow. When healthy, he’s one of the best players on this roster and could be their top scorer when all is said and done. For now, they’ll need a bit more offense from those unproven new faces while hoping that Askew is back and healthy by Big East play.