In this edition of the Nova Notebook, we spend time with Jhamir Brickus, a dynamic lead guard who comes to Villanova as a graduate transfer for 2024-25 after a productive four seasons at La Salle.
 
In an enterprise where outcomes are inherently tied to accumulating more points than the opponent, Jhamir Brickus has always demonstrated a knack for generating them. As a standout at Coatesville Area High School, the 5-11 guard notched a record setting 2,531 points. Last season, as a senior at La Salle, Brickus dropped in 40 points in a November Philadelphia Big Five matchup at Temple.
 
Brickus getting buckets is a line Wildcats fans can look forward to hearing from VU play by play man Ryan Fannon in the season ahead.
 
But individual scoring isn't all that Brickus brings to Villanova. In fact, he is also an elite distributor who prides himself on creating open looks for his teammates. Over the course of the last two months, he has already developed a knack for finding new teammate Enoch Boakye with lobs that lead to dunks in Davis Center workouts.
 
"I would say," he stated in a recent interview inside Finneran Pavilion, "that I'm a player that can make everybody around him better. I can shoot it and I can pass it."
 
At the other end, he brings with him a tenacity homed in the tradition of Philadelphia guards that allows him to be a factor defensively despite his relative lack of size.
 
"I love to play defense," he stated. "I'm going to come after you."
 
Those traits caught the eye of Ashley Howard shortly after he departed Villanova to accept the head coaching position at La Salle in 2018. The two formed a bond that ultimately led to Brickus choosing to become an Explorer.
 
"It was just the way Coach Ash recruited me," recalled Brickus. "No one else recruited me as hard as he did. He took me in with open arms and that gave me the confidence to go in there and be myself."
 
Brickus played his first two seasons on Olney Avenue for Howard. He spent his final two seasons as a standout for Howard's successor as head coach Fran Dunphy. In 2023-24, the senior was voted third team All-Atlantic 10, starting all 33 games for La Salle while averaging 13.9 points and 4.8 assists per contest.
 
At the conclusion of last season, he opted to enter the transfer portal and had no shortage of attention. Ultimately, he elected to remain near home to play for head coach Kyle Neptune and the Wildcats in the BIG EAST.
 
"Jhamir is a high-level decision maker, distributor, and scorer," stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "He possesses some of the best traits of a Philly guard with his toughness and understanding of the game. His experience and knowledge will be a great asset to our team, and we're excited to welcome him to the Villanova family."
 
Of course, one of Brickus' college head coaches – Howard – is again part of the Wildcats staff, in year two of his second stint as an assistant coach at Villanova.
 
"Playing for Coach Ash before has helped me here," Brickus said. "The terms and concepts they use at Villanova are similar. Knowing that I had two years with Coach Ash has made it an easier transition for me."
 
The pipeline of standout guards from the Delaware Valley who brought toughness and tenacity to Villanova is lengthy. It includes the likes of Wali Jones and Bill Melchionni in the 1960s, Chris Ford and Tom Ingelsby in the 70s, Jonathan Haynes and Alvin Williams in the '90s, and, in this century, Kyle Lowry, Reggie Redding, Ryan Arcidiacono and even Jalen Brunson, who spent some of his formative years in South Jersey before moving to Illinois in high school. That is only a partial list too.
 
Brickus is from Coatesville and doesn't shy away from the label of "Philly guard".
 
"Being a Philly guard is just having that grit, toughness, knowing that at the end of the game you left it all out on the court, you gave it your all," he stated.
 
In fact, the 2024-25 roster may feature some unfamiliar faces to the Nova Nation, but several of them have crossed paths in the Delaware Valley before arriving at Villanova. Holdovers Eric Dixon, Jordan Longino and Nnanna Njoku are from the region. They have been joined by Brickus and Philadelphia native Wooga Poplar, both of whom figure to log many important minutes in the season ahead.
 
"You just know you are going out there on the court with some Philly guys, knowing they will give it a full fight and that they have your back," noted Brickus.
 
To Brickus, the transition through the early part of summer has been smooth.
 
"It's been good," he said. "We've had that connection, everyone playing hard, defending and rebounding, sharing the ball. We've started to get a feel for where we're going to be at on the court with each other."
 
Although he's been on campus for a relatively short time, Brickus has been an on-court leader throughout his career, and it's expected he'll do so again at Villanova. It's a role he knows well.
 
"As a point guard coming in every day (to practice), I know I've got to be the loudest guy out there and make sure guys are on top of their stuff, doing the right things," Brickus states.
 
Asked if he has anything to add at the conclusion of an interview, Brickus said: "thank you, Nova Nation. I'm excited."
 
Buckets created by Brickus?
 
Yes, please.