VILLANOVA, Pa., - Villanova conducted its annual Blue-White Scrimmage Tuesday night at Finneran Pavilion. Following the 90-minute session, head coach Kyle Neptune met with the media to give his impressions of where he sees his team at.
 
A trio of Wildcats were not dressed Tuesday night. Jordann Dumont (hip surgeries) and Kris Parker (right toe fracture) continue their recoveries from previously announced injuries. Aleksandar Gavalyugov (right knee bone bruise) sat out with an injury suffered last week.
 
Neptune: At this time of year, you're just trying to get your team organized with your concepts as fast as possible. It's really all you can do until you see your team against another team. Really, at this stage it's just about seeing how bought in your team is and how much they're reacting to what you are asking them to do.
 
Thus far, they are reacting well in practice:
 
Q: Obviously you've got a lot of new guys, some experienced, some freshmen with a few holdovers. What has the mix been like in the preseason?
 
Neptune: It's been good. First and foremost, everyone in college basketball is going through the same thing. Everyone has to figure out their version of getting a lot of different guys on the same page.
 
For us, it's been good because we have a really nice mix of older guys and younger guys. There is some synergy -  some of the guys knew each other before they came to Villanova.  I love our mix and the team chemistry.
 
Q: Anything Tyler (Perkins) is doing right now that surprises you?
 
Neptune: Unfortunately for us, we saw that when we played (Penn) last year. After what he did to us, I'm not surprised at all. As in shape as he was last year, he's really changed his body. His jump shot has really improved as well. He brings a level of toughness to practice and we're expecting him to bring that into games.
 
Q: Eric (Dixon) and Matthew Hodge were matched up against each other in all four (scrimmage) games. Was that a purposeful thing to put those two opposite each other?
 
Neptune: It was kind of a hodgepodge of lineups – no pun intended. Two years ago at this event we were playing 3-on-3 with two walk-ons, Kris Jenkins and Daniel Ochefu. Last year, we had eight guys available to play with two walk-ons. This year, we have three guys out, so we also kind of had to figure it out.
 
It's good for our guys to play together in front of a crowd. This is the first time they got to do that in a more serious setting.
 
Q: How different is it for Eric to be spending a lot of time at the four with Enoch (Boakye) now here?
 
Neptune: It's definitely a little change from what we've had the last couple of years. It's good for Eric because he's so versatile. He can play on the perimeter and obviously play inside. We're looking to continue to see what that looks like moving forward.
 
Q: Josiah Moseley was impacting the game in a lot of ways even though he didn't score a lot until late. What do you like about his versatility?
 
Neptune: He's a prospect. He has real length, real athleticism and is one of the most athletic players we've had here. We've had some high-level athletes here and he fits alongside them. There is his versatility defensively. He'll only get better as his skill level improves. There's a bright future for Josiah.
 
Q: Is there an update on the injured guys?
 
Neptune: Each guy is at a different point, but they hopefully should be available by the time the regular season starts.
 
Q: It appears that your team is more athletic at the rim. Are you noticing that?
 
Neptune: This year's team is a little different from some of the teams we've had in the last couple of years. I love our skill level. I think the guys really understand what we're looking to do, even as newer guys. Their ability to learn on the fly and put it into action has been impressive. I would say that's the thing that pops out to me.
 
Q: The Jhamir Brickus we saw at La Salle – is that going to be the same player we'll see this season?
 
Neptune: I just see him as a basketball player. He can do everything. He may not be the tallest in stature, but there's nothing he can't do – shooting on the perimeter, shooting off the dribble, off the catch, using ball screens, isolations. There are times when I get on him in practice and then I go back and watch the film and it's like, 'he was right'. Jhamir just sees the game at such an advanced level.
 
Q: What have you seen from Jordan (Longino)?
 
Neptune: This is the first time that, from when we started in June until now, that he's been fully healthy. I think that is something that boosts his confidence level too. When you get hurt multiple times, it's not just your body that has to heal. The mental piece is just as important. He's over that mental hurdle. We're expecting big things from him.