Philly native Wooga Poplar, a transfer from Miami, commits to Villanova

Wooga Poplar is coming home.

Poplar, a men’s basketball transfer from the University of Miami, committed to Villanova, a source told The Inquirer Wednesday. The Math, Civics, and Sciences grad has one season of eligibility remaining after playing three seasons for the Hurricanes.

The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 13.1 points and 4.8 rebounds in 31.1 minutes across 29 games last season. He shot 38.5% from three-point range and was among the nation’s best free-throw shooters (86.4%).

Poplar entered the NBA draft while also entering the transfer portal. He participated in the G League Elite Camp and played well but was not invited to the NBA combine, signaling that he was unlikely to be drafted. In addition to Villanova, Poplar was hearing from schools such as Oregon, Arkansas, and Kentucky.

» READ MORE: Eric Dixon will return to Villanova after going through NBA draft process

Poplar vaulted up many mock drafts with a strong start to last season, even entering the lottery in some projections. But he was slowed by an ankle injury and struggled at times down the stretch for a Miami team that missed the NCAA Tournament after reaching the 2023 Final Four.

Poplar is the fourth transfer commitment for Villanova, and he immediately provides the Wildcats with a two-way wing who can score and defend.

Villanova will have a mostly new-look backcourt next season. The Wildcats lost Justin Moore to graduation, Mark Armstrong to the NBA draft, and TJ Bamba and Brendan Hausen to the transfer portal. Villanova has so far replaced that group with Tyler Perkins from Penn, Jhamir Brickus from La Salle, and Poplar. Virginia Commonwealth’s Max Shulga was expected to be part of that group but decided to return to VCU.

In the frontcourt, Villanova lost Lance Ware (University of Texas-Arlington) and Trey Patterson (Rice) to the portal. The Wildcats brought in Fresno State transfer Enoch Boakye, a 6-foot-11 center who started his college career at Arizona State as a highly rated prospect. They also brought back leading scorer Eric Dixon, who planned to go pro but is returning to school for a fifth season.

Poplar’s commitment leaves Villanova with two open scholarships. The Wildcats still need another guard, and are actively pursuing the remaining guards in the portal. Their projected starting backcourt likely includes Brickus, Poplar, and Jordan Longino, with Perkins coming off the bench. They are the only guards on the roster.

Dixon and Boakye are at the top of the frontcourt depth chart, with junior big man Nnanna Njoku and freshman forwards Josiah Moseley and Matthew Hodge penciled into reserve roles. Redshirt freshman Jordann Dumont is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery on both of his hips, and freshman forward Malcolm Thomas seems to be more of a longer-term prospect rather than an immediate difference maker.

Recruiting one more guard and leaving a 13th scholarship open for now would leave Villanova with some flexibility later in the summer should a player become available in the always-changing transfer market.

» READ MORE: From 2023: Wooga Poplar is the latest in a recent run of Philadelphia-area players starring at Miami

Poplar’s birth name is Nisine, but he has gone by Wooga since his grandmother gave him that nickname. He didn’t play organized basketball until his sophomore season at Math, Civics, and Sciences, the charter school that will close at the end of this school year. Poplar’s formative years included plenty of basketball, though. He was raised on outdoor courts on the north side of Philadelphia largely at the Francisville Recreation Center and sometimes played inside at the King Center just off Temple’s campus.

Poplar helped MCS win the PIAA Class 2A state title as a sophomore. He played his AAU basketball with K-Low Elite and was a top-100 prospect when he landed at Miami, choosing the Hurricanes over schools like Auburn, Maryland, Seton Hall, Georgia, and Penn State.