Freshman guard Tyler Perkins announced his transfer to Villanova University on Apr. 14.
Credit: Abhiram JuvvadiAfter three weeks in the transfer portal, Penn men’s basketball freshman guard Tyler Perkins is transferring to Villanova, he announced on Sunday.
The Virginia native entered Penn as a three-star recruit, with other high school offers coming from Brown, Cornell, Albany, Towson, and more. Perkins was thrust into a more significant role than expected this season after senior guard Clark Slajchert went down with an ankle injury that would keep him out for the majority of the regular season. The 6-foot-4 freshman averaged 13.7 points per game, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game for a Quaker team that finished seventh in the Ivy League.
Perkins joins a Wildcats team that underwhelmed in 2024, finishing sixth in a loaded Big East, and missed the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive time after nine consecutive bids.
“I don’t know what to say at this point,” Penn coach Steve Donahue told The Daily Pennsylvanian prior to Perkins’ commitment to Villanova. “It’s a difficult one … I’ve been in this business a long time. The new world of ‘he’s-in he’s-out’ … my responsibilities are to the team, yet I still want the best for all my guys. So I don’t really know what to say.”
The Wildcats, coached by Kyle Neptune, are looking to return to the level of success they saw under legendary coach Jay Wright, who led the program to national championships in 2016 and 2018. Neptune’s regime has started with back-to-back first-round National Invitation Tournament exits, each coming after 10-10 finishes in the Big East.
Villanova entered the offseason with a hole in its backcourt after losing starting guards TJ Bamba and Justin Moore. Perkins enters with an immediate chance to start for a prestigious team in a high-level power conference, and has a shot to play in the national tournament — which didn’t seem to be a reality at Penn.
Staying within the Big 5 means the Red and Blue will face off against Perkins frequently, with the move being especially ironic after this year’s matchup between the two. Perkins’ 22-point performance in the Penn win catapulted him onto the national scene early in the season, after which he said he was inspired by former Wildcat Jalen Brunson. Now, he will follow in Brunson’s footsteps at Villanova, and attempt to take them back to the tournament and beyond.
As for the Red and Blue, they will be searching for a lot of answers next year in the remainder of the offseason. With both Slajchert and Perkins playing elsewhere, the Quaker backcourt loses its two best scorers from a disappointing 2023-24 season. Freshman guard Sam Brown will be expected to fill a much larger role with his two counterparts gone, after scoring 10.9 points per game and starting for the majority of the season.
Deputy Sports Editor Sean McKeown contributed reporting to this story.
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