In the latest installment of our summer "Nova Notebook" series profiling the 2026-27 Men's Basketball Wildcats, we check in with senior guard Tyler Perkins, a third-team All-BIG EAST selection in 2025-26.
 
Over the course of two-plus years at Villanova since transferring from Penn, Tyler Perkins has witnessed a variety of basketball centric events that has helped give him an appreciation for the program's tradition. One of his favorites takes place this Monday, July 27, at 4 p.m. in Finneran Pavilion: 'The Summer Jam Open Practice". (Tickets can be purchased by clicking the link at the top of this story.)
 
"It's magical," says Perkins, who will take part in his third mid-summer hoops celebration on Monday. "To see so many legends back, the guys whose pictures are on the walls that we walk by every day, is great. We get to see so many of them in person and pick their brains.
 
"It's a second to none experience."
 
This has been a unique offseason for Perkins, who averaged 13.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest as one of the leaders of a 24-9 Villanova squad that returned the 'Cats to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021-22. One season after serving primarily as his team's sixth man, Perkins earned the BIG EAST Most Improved player award.
 
Perhaps most remarkable of all, he accomplished some of that with a damaged right shoulder that was surgically repaired via an arthroscopic procedure following the season.
 
"I think," he states, "I may have first injured it in my first season here (2024-25). I had been playing with it ever since."
 
Perkins, a native of Lorton, Va., suspects he may have aggravated the injury in an overtime victory at Xavier on Feb. 17 (92-89).
 
"My shoulder popped out that night and came right back in," Perkins notes. "It was hurting pretty bad."
 
Following the season Perkins made two decisions: he elected to return to Villanova for his senior campaign and to address the shoulder surgically. The latter choice meant that a good chunk of his offseason would keep him off the court as he began the rehabilitation process.
 
"This was the time to get it taken care of," states Perkins. "I'm getting better every day. The strength is getting better. The range of motion with my right shoulder is probably better than with my left (shooting) shoulder, which is crazy. I just can't wait to be fully back on the court with the guys."
 
That Perkins is on track in his recovery is good news for the Wildcats. In his first year playing for head coach Kevin Willard, Perkins established himself as a pillar of the Nova rotation. But there was a period of transition as the guard adjusted to his third system in as many seasons of college basketball.
 
"It was tough at first," he states. "It took me about the first five or six games to see where I could be effective in Coach's style. Once I figured it out, it (became) second nature to me. Coach allows you freedom offensively if you are playing hard, rebounding, and defending. That's what I pride myself on. Once I saw it in games, I was able to kind of take off."
 
After scoring exactly eight points in each of the Wildcats' first four outings, he tallied 53 in the next three contests. The 6-4 guard scored in double figures in each of Villanova's final 17 games, which was critical as the 'Cats pushed to earn a bid for the NCAA Tournament.
 
"Tyler does a lot of things that impact winning," Willard said in April. "He did a great job of adjusting to what was a new style of play for him this past season and we're excited to have him return as one of our leaders."
 
Says Perkins: "I think we did a good job of staying together (in 2025-26). A number of those wins were on the road and winning on the road in the Big East is (difficult). I was proud to see how we handled ourselves, especially on the road when the crowd is against you and calls may not go your way."
 
Now, Perkins is an elder rotation statesman of sorts alongside his buddy Matt Hodge, helping to introduce multiple newcomers to the essentials of Villanova Basketball.
 
"I've seen a lot of good things," Perkins says of the past two months when the 2026-27 roster has largely settled into campus life, attending summer classes and participating in summer on-court workouts with the coaching staff. "We've jelled easily in the locker room. We do a lot of team bonding activities.
 
"It's been natural and not forced. We have a lot of size and experience this year."
 
One of the important items Perkins pays close attention to is the need to keep tabs on the standards of Villanova Basketball.
 
"It's huge," he says. "That (culture) has won this University championships in past years. We must stay together and understand it's a team sport. We don't want to get too high or too low. Right now, it's OK to be tired and sore. That's what the summer is for.
 
"You can't be comfortable at this level. You can't just expect to go out there and have things happen. You've got to make it happen. That is one of the things I have learned in my years here. It's a privilege to wear this jersey. It's not just us – it's everyone who played before us.
 
"Now, it's our turn to wear the jersey and win games."