By AARON BRACY
December 11, 2024
VILLANOVA, Pa. – Wooga Poplar smiled broadly at the question, even chuckling a little. The reporter’s query was about playing at the Wells Fargo Center and his first-half dunk in Villanova’s victory in the third-place game of the Big 5 Classic on Saturday.
But the expression, likely, could’ve been a reaction to any basketball-related question of late. Poplar looks happy and is playing that way as he continues to feel more comfortable in his new setting and with his new team after transferring to the Main Line from Miami.
The Philadelphia native and graduate of Math, Civics and Sciences Charter School wasn’t finding the range from the outside as he’s accustomed for the first month of the season. But Poplar has come on of late, scoring 18 points and draining 4 of 7 three-pointers against Temple on Saturday and backing it up with 19 points on 3 of 6 from long range in the Wildcats’ 86-72 victory over FDU at the Pavilion on Wednesday night.
He punctuated Villanova’s win over the Owls with a rim-rattling dunk that finished a beautiful drive by Poplar and dominating half by the Wildcats, who eventually rolled to a 94-65 victory.
“It was cool,” Poplar said of playing in the Wells Fargo Center. “I think was my first time playing there. It was a good experience. I like the rim, as you can see.”
On the final play of the opening 20 minutes, Poplar thought coach Kyle Neptune was calling for a timeout but might have thought he was talking to the referees—or maybe Poplar heard but saw a lane to the basket.
“The dunk, I think I heard coach screaming, ‘Call a timeout. Call a timeout,’” Poplar said. “But I didn’t know who he was talking to. I just went for it. That’s pretty much it.”
“It was pretty impressive,” Neptune, who prefers to provide superlatives for defense and rebounding, said.
“As you know, I’m considered a shooter and it wasn’t falling early for me. My teammates gave me the confidence to keep going.” — Wooga Poplar
Poplar’s game has been impressive in the last two outings, as well. Against the Knights, he scored all 10 points during a 10-2 Villanova run that turned a 24-23 deficit into a 33-26 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. After entering Saturday’s game against Temple shooting 31.4 percent from three-point range, he has raised his average to 35.9 percent after making 53.8 percent (7 of 13) from downtown in the last two contests.
“As you know, I’m considered a shooter and it wasn’t falling early for me,” Poplar said. “My teammates gave me the confidence to keep going.”
Neptune likes what he has seen from Poplar. Villanova’s coach is not one to focus much on shots; rather, he likes to point out what the Wildcats are doing well defensively and rebounding.
“You have data to show that he’s a shooter. We see him every day in practice. We shoot our 100 (shots) every day, and he’s always in the 90 (percent) range. You know he’s going to make shots,” Neptune, almost getting the talk of offense out of the way, said. “For us, him playing at the top of our press and being good defensively is something that’s really helped our team. It has gotten us better defensively. Make shots, miss shots. That will happen throughout the season. We have to continue to be better defensively, and that’s something he brings to the table.”
And, lately, his offense has been pretty good, too. And, as the look on his face tells you, he’s feeling good, too.
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. His byline regularly appears on Associated Press stories. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages. His book on the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team is expected to be published on March 1, 2025. Read a summary and preorder it by clicking HERE. Contact him at aaron@big5hoops.com.