VILLANOVA, Pa. – A new chapter in the rich history of Villanova Basketball enters its next phase Sunday when William B. Finneran Head Coach Kevin Willard leads the Wildcats into game action for the first time. The Wildcats host VCU in an exhibition game at 5 p.m. at Finneran Pavilion.
 
Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby will have the audio call on the Villanova Sports Network on IHeart, beginning with the pregame show at 4:30. The duo begins its 28^th season as the radio team for Wildcats' Men's Basketball.
 
For Willard, named Nova's tenth head coach last March, this is a chance to view a largely new roster under the lights of game competition. Villanova returns just three holdovers (Tyler Perkins, Matt Hodge and Wade Chiddick) from a 2024-25 roster that posted 21 victories and advanced to the semifinals of the inaugural College Basketball Crown.
 
"I have liked the unselfishness of this group," said Willard of what he has seen since the roster came together for the summer semester in June.
 
Perkins, a 6-4 guard, averaged 63 points per game for the Wildcats a season ago. Hodge, a 6-8 forward, practiced but did not appear in any games a season ago due to an NCAA ruling on his initial eligibility. Wade Chiddick is the third holdover.
 
The list of newcomers expected to make an impact is long.
 
Forward Duke Brennan averaged 10.1 points and 9.2 rebounds a season ago for a Grand Canyon squad that won the WAC crown. His teammate, Malcolm Flaggs, also is new to Villanova.
 
Guard Devin Askew was initially recruited to Villanova by Jay Wright in 2019. He arrives as a 6-5 guard coming off a season where averaged 18.9 ppg at Long Beach State.
 
Guard Bryce Lindsay was the Conference USA Sixth Man of the Year a season ago at James Madison. He brings a silky-smooth shooting stroke with him to the Maini Line. Another guard, Philadelphia native Zion Stanford (West Catholic High School), averaged 13.1 ppg at Temple in '24-25.
 
Three of the '25-26 Wildcats were with Willard last season at Maryland: forward Tafara Gapare, a 6-9 wing with perimeter skills; 6-6 guard Malachi Palmer, who hails from Harrisburg, Pa.; and 7-0 center Braden Pierce, who is from Woodstock, Ga. A fourth, freshman guard Chris Jeffery (Brooklyn, N.Y.), originally signed with the Terrapins before re-opening his recruitment and selecting Villanova after the coaching change.
 
Acclaimed point guard Acaden Lewis, a freshman, is a product of Sidwell Friends School, the alma mater of Josh Hart and Saddiq Bey. He is expected to play a major role in '25-26.
 
Freshman center Nico Onyekwere, 7-1, is a native of Abuja, Nigeria who spent last season at Long Island Lutheran High School.
 
VCU, which last faced Villanova in the opening round of the 2024 NIT, also features a new coach. Phil Martelli Jr. was named head coach last spring after a successful run at Bryant.
 
Sunday's clash is the first of two exhibition contests upcoming for Villanova. It visits Virginia at 7 p.m. on Friday (Villanova Sports Network on IHeart/ACC Network Extra).