Villanova’s Wooga Poplar is eager to see his return to Philly equate to more wins for the Wildcats
Poplar has made his presence known in a return to the area, averaging 14.1 points and 6.4 rebounds. He has established himself as the Wildcats' second-leading scorer and their top rebounder.

He’s been described as one of the best shooters Villanova has had in its men’s basketball program.
When Wooga Poplar transferred to Villanova in the offseason, it was a homecoming for a player who was a standout at the former Math Civics & Sciences charter school before he became a key part of a Miami program with back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances — one of which included a trip to the Final Four — in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
Poplar has excelled on just about any basketball court, as he showed Saturday in a Wildcats showdown against Creighton at the Wells Fargo Center. The Wildcats lost in a nail biter, but Poplar finished with a season-high 24 points coupled with five steals.
» READ MORE: Wooga Poplar goes off, but Villanova falls just short in a nailbiter against Big East foe Creighton
Averaging 14.1 points and 6.4 rebounds, Poplar is Villanova’s second-leading scorer and top rebounder.
The 6-foot-5 Philadelphia native has been a key starter since he recorded a double-double in the season opener on Nov. 5. Afterward, Villanova coach Kyle Neptune described him as “one of the best shooters we’ve had.”
Returning home
Lonnie Diggs, the former coach at MC&S, remembers Poplar long before he realized his dreams of playing in an NCAA Tournament game. Poplar had mostly played at the local recreation center, but the MC&S coaching staff recognized his potential.
“We were really his first experience playing organized basketball as a 10th grader,” Diggs said. “He was a raw talent, but he got good really quick, and we won the state championship that year. I’m really proud of Wooga and just the progress he’s made over the years.”
After playing three seasons at Miami, Poplar who originally declared for the NBA draft, withdrew and announced his decision to transfer to Villanova in June.
It took some time for Poplar to adjust, but the team bonding and long practices are paying off. From Dec. 21 to Jan. 17, he averaged 17.6 points over a seven-game stretch of Big East play. He scored his 1,000th career point on Jan. 11 at St. John’s, scoring 22 that night.
Not all of his surroundings at Villanova are new, though. Many of the seats at home games are usually filled with family and hometown friends.
“I’m home, and it’s been great,” Poplar said. “The number one reason that I really came back [to Philadelphia] was so my family and friends could come to my games, especially my grandma. Just seeing her come to my games has been cool.”
Senior leadership
Poplar is one of a handful of Wildcats on the roster who have experienced the NCAA Final Four. Graduate forward Eric Dixon, senior guard Jordan Longino, and redshirt junior forward Nnanna Njoku are the only players from Villanova’s 2022 Final Four roster who are still on the team.
“We have the experience and we’re just trying to keep the team disciplined,” Poplar said.
While Poplar guides the younger players in the rotation, staying disciplined is a lesson he’s had to learn himself this season. He was ejected after swinging a fist at Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber during a courtside tussle on Jan. 20. The consequences continued into the Marquette game on Jan. 24, in which he was benched for the first six minutes.
Responding with a powerful performance against Creighton, Poplar has momentum back when Villanova travels to DePaul on Wednesday (9 p.m., CBS Sports).
Reconnecting with his roots
Diggs has remained a mentor for Poplar over the years.
“We talk at least a couple times a week,” Diggs said. “Not even always about basketball, but about life stuff as well. It’s been a roller-coaster ride for him over the last five years.”
Diggs, now coach at Chester Charter, and another of Poplar’s former coaches, John Dennis, reunited with Poplar for a Friends of Nova event in December. The experience gave high school players the opportunity to tour Villanova’s facilities and meet the team.
“It was really inspirational for those guys,” Diggs said. “It’s different when [coaches] tell the guys, ‘you can do it.’ But when they see someone from a very similar background to them actually doing it, I think it sends a much clearer message. It was really big.”
In August, before classes started at Villanova, Poplar also returned to the recreation center where he first discovered the sport.
“I did a [basketball] camp in the summertime at the recreation center in North Philadelphia,” Poplar explained. “Just going back to the place where I grew up, giving free back-to-school stuff for the kids. So they could see: You could be in the same position as me one day.”
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