Villanova gets portal point guard in Long Beach State transfer Devin Askew, who will play at his fifth school

On the list of needs for Villanova as it continued to fill out its 2025-26 roster under new coach Kevin Willard was an experienced ballhandler.

It’s hard to find one on the market more experienced than Devin Askew, who committed to Villanova on Friday out of the transfer portal.

Villanova will be Askew’s fifth school in six seasons. He played last season at Long Beach State, where he posted averages of 18.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 37.6% from three-point range on a team that won seven games.

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Six seasons? You read that right. Askew, who turns 23 in July, was a consensus top 40 recruit in the class of 2020 and played his first season of college basketball at Kentucky. He gets an extra COVID year from that season, and he received a medical redshirt from the 2023-24 season when he was at the University of California.

Askew, who is 6-foot-5, started as a freshman at Kentucky and struggled. He transferred to Texas, where he had a bench role. At Cal, Askew’s two seasons were derailed by injuries. He landed at Long Beach this past season and thrived at a lower level.

The fit at Villanova is obvious. The Wildcats needed a true point guard with experience and another perimeter option, especially after missing out on Maryland transfer Rodney Rice, who committed to Southern California earlier this week.

Askew, who once was recruited by Jay Wright in 2019-20, is Villanova’s fourth guard pickup from the portal, joining James Madison’s Bryce Lindsay, Temple’s Zion Stanford, and Maryland’s Malachi Palmer. The Wildcats also have incoming freshman Chris Jeffrey, a top-70 prospect, and apparently remain in the running for another top freshman point guard, Acaden Lewis, though Askew’s arrival probably would limit the amount of touches either freshman receives.

Askew at least is a stopgap point guard who can help Villanova bridge to its future at the position, which could be Jeffrey or others.

The Wildcats now have nine scholarship players in the fold for 2025-26. They are still a favorite to land Bosnian forward Harun Zrno, a 6-foot-7 sharpshooter who was originally committed to Indiana before reopening his recruitment following a coaching change. They could use another experienced bigger forward, though rising redshirt freshman Matthew Hodge has a bright future and could see plenty of time in the frontcourt.

» READ MORE: Kevin Willard was honest about his task at Villanova. Villanova was honest about the pressure on him.

With Askew in the mix, Villanova now has six guards on its roster. Askew figures to run the point, while other roles are still unclear. Lindsay projects best as a catch-and-shoot scorer who may be best used off the bench. Stanford versatile and could start or come off the bench. Returning junior guard Tyler Perkins could take a step forward as a starter. Palmer, meanwhile, projects as a bench piece.

It’s been a slow build so far in the portal for Willard. Villanova has prioritized building for the future, but Askew is the second player who will be a one-year rental, joining starting big man Duke Brennan (Grand Canyon). On paper, he portal haul has been a bit underwhelming, compared to some of Villanova’s peers in the Big East, but offseason projections are not perfect science. Still, it’s hard to see at this juncture if Villanova has a team capable of snapping a three-year NCAA Tournament drought.

But offseasons in college basketball these days don’t end in April, and Villanova still has room, and seemingly more money, to make some moves.