Eric Dixon made this post on IG on Tuesday to announce his return to Villanova.
By AARON BRACY
May 28, 2024
Big5Hoops.com
Eric Dixon is doubly motivated for his return to Villanova, both wanting to leave the Wildcats program on a better note than this past season and to show NBA scouts that he has the game to play on that level.
Dixon made it official on Tuesday morning when he announced he was withdrawing from the NBA draft to come back to Villanova for a fifth season on the Main Line.
“I’m just excited to get another chance to lead the team, to represent this University,” Dixon, a Willow Grove native, told Big5Hoops.com on Tuesday. “I’m from down the street. I care about the school a lot. I’d love to be able to go out on a good note.”
After a tremendous four years at Villanova, in which he accumulated 1,499 points and 724 rebounds, Dixon declared for the draft after averaging 16.6 points and 6.5 rebounds as a senior last season. He always had the option of returning for one more year with the Wildcats due to the extra year granted to players affected by the pandemic.
A 6-foot-8 forward, Dixon averaged 12.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 26.3 minutes, shooting 47 percent (16 of 34) from the field and 2 of 10 from 3-point range, in three games at the Portsmouth Invitational in April for pro prospects unlikely to be first-round picks. He conducted a pro day in front of 20 NBA teams and had private workouts with the Jazz and the Spurs.
Dixon said he got positive feedback from NBA teams about his “shooting, my scoring ability, my IQ, my toughness, character and loyalty.”
Teams would like to see him show the ability to score in different ways, particularly away from the basket, whether taking someone off the dribble and getting to the rim, or making a move for a midrange jumper. He already has shown the ability to knock down 3-pointers, hitting 34.6 percent (55 of 159) from the arc last season, something he will continue to fine-tune. Additionally, he received feedback that scouts would like to see him set up his teammates in different ways, less so in the back-to-the-basket manner in which we’ve seen at Villanova, where he has averaged 1.3 assists in 127 career games.
“I want to show them that I can be more versatile than I’ve shown,” he said.
A noted worker, Dixon will focus on these skills during his summer workouts, in addition to other areas of his game.
“If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse,” he said. “So, this summer making sure you’re improving those skills, making sure they’re sharp and ready.”
In addition to the undisclosed NIL package, Dixon also was lured back to Villanova, he said, by the Wildcats’ additions of Jhamir Brickus, Tyler Perkins and Enoch Boakye through the transfer portal.
As I’ve publicly stated, Brickus is going to help elevate Dixon’s game even more with his playmaking ability. Brickus averaged 3.6 assists, in addition to 10.5 points, in 119 career games at La Salle. Dixon has known Brickus for a long time from AAU and high school and is looking forward to teaming up with him.
“I know him well from childhood,” Dixon said. “We’re close, as close as Big 5 rivals can be. We had quite a few battles on the high school level as well. I have a lot of respect for his game. I think he’s going to come and surprise a lot of Nova Nation, a lot of our fans, with his ability and toughness. Guys might not have been able to watch him a whole lot at La Salle, but they’re in for something special when he gets to the Main Line.”
Perkins is coming to Villanova from Penn after averaging 13.7 points and 5.3 rebounds last season in 29 games. He had 22 points and six boards in the Quakers’ 76-72 upset of the Wildcats on Nov. 13, 2023 at the Palestra. He talked to Big5Hoops.com after committing to the Wildcats.
“I don’t know much about them personally; they seem like good kids,” Dixon said of Perkins and Boakye. “Obviously, I played Tyler and he’s talented.”
Boakye averaged 7.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 29 games, 26 of which were starts, for Fresno State last season. Prior to that, he averaged 1.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 50 games over two seasons for Arizona State. One area of improvement for Boakye is the free-throw line, where he is a career 49.2 percent shooter.
“Looking at the film on Enoch, he’s big, athletic, physical and also intelligent when you speak to him,” Dixon said. “Coming in and getting to know those guys is going to be exciting as well.”
There also likely will be one more addition through the transfer portal for coach Kyle Neptune and Villanova. Philly native Wooga Poplar is in the running to play his final season for the Wildcats after transferring from Miami. I reported last week that he also is planning to visit Kentucky, Arkansas and possibly Kansas.
For now, the Wildcats are celebrating Dixon’s return. They hope him coming back, along with the additions, will set them up to end a two-year NCAA tournament drought.
“We’re obviously thrilled that he will be returning to lead our team in 2024-25,” Neptune said in a release. “Throughout his time here, Eric’s work ethic, intelligence and skill have allowed him to improve every year. In our minds, he’s one of the top basketball players in the country and a cornerstone of our program.”
Indications on Monday were that Dixon was going to return to Villanova when he commented on Boakye’s Instagram post announcing his commitment by saying, “Let’s work.”
Now, Dixon will have the chance to do just that in one more season at the Main Line.
“I’m excited to be back and get this rolling,” he said.
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. His byline regularly appears on Associated Press stories. Big5Hoops.com is his second website dedicated to Philadelphia college basketball. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy, like his Facebook and Instagram pages and listen to the Bracy Sports Media podcast on YouTube or the RSS Feed.