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The Villanova Wildcats are losing 3 scholarship players entering the 2014-15 season. James Bell is by far the most notable, while Tony Chennault played a solid backup role in the backcourt. Former walk-on Nick McMahon earned a scholarship in his senior season, but wasn't a contributor.
The new 5th year transfer rules allowed a student who has graduated to 'transfer' to another program and retain immediate eligibility to play at the new school, whereas traditional transfers have to sit out at least one season.
ESPN's Jeff Goodman has compiled a list of all transfers available, but with Villanova in a prime position entering next season, the thought is that Jay Wright would only be interested in a one year rental type of player. Here's the shortened list.
| Player | School | Pos | Height | PPG | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Allen | Hofstra | F | 6'6" | 6.6 | 4.8 | 2 |
| D.J. Brown | San Jose State | G | 6'2" | 5.7 | 2.3 | 2.8 |
| Ian Chiles | IUPUI | G | 6'1" | 15.8 | 3.2 | 1.8 |
| Bryce Dejean-Jones | UNLV | G | 6'5" | 13.6 | 3.7 | 3 |
| Chad Donley | Liberty | G | 6'2" | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Jeylani Dublin | Longwood | F | 6'6" | 10.4 | 4.2 | 0.2 |
| Austin Etherington | Indiana | F | 6'6" | 2 | 1.6 | 0.5 |
| Chris Evans | Sacred Heart | G | 6'3" | 11.3 | 3.4 | 1.8 |
| Spencer Llewellyn | Pacific | G | 6'3" | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Sommy Ogukwe | Liberty | F | 6'7" | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0 |
| M.J. Rhett | Tennessee State | F | 6'8" | 10.9 | 9.1 | 0.8 |
| K.C. Ross-Miller | New Mexico State | G | 6'1" | 8.3 | 2.2 | 3.5 |
| Malik Thomas | Boston University | F | 6'7" | 5.8 | 4.0 |
With Phil Booth and Mikal Bridges coming in as freshmen, Wright may opt to use the third scholarship. The backcourt and the wings look solid, so if 'Nova is to bring in a transfer, conventional thinking would have that player in the frontcourt to support Daniel Ochefu and JayVaughn Pinkston with Darryl Reynolds still an unknown.
That thought is supported by the news that Jay Wright has offered Tennessee State's M.J. Rhett a scholarship, though it's not expected Villanova is a serious player in that race.
Past Rhett, that list is pretty thin in the frontcourt (Anthony Lee of Temple has already committed to Ohio St.), especially if you want an impact player with some more traditional size, instead of a player more in the mold of Pinkston or Kris Jenkins.
Another option would be to bring in an impact player like Bryce Dejean-Jones or Jeylani Dublin, and stick with the small-ball approach.
Will Jay Wright bring in a transfer, or will he stick with the players he already has lined up for next season?