Why key Villanova, Vanderbilt basketball players just got suspended
10/15/2024 10:39 AM
Villanova basketball and Vanderbilt basketball are getting some bad news as the college season is about to begin. Each team is having a player suspended for a regular season game, per CBS Sports. This is due to the players’ involvement in the Portsmouth Invitational basketball showcase, back in April.
Villanova basketball is losing Eric Dixon for one contest, while Vanderbilt is losing AJ Hoggard. Both players are expected to have a large impact on the respective teams this year.
Hoggard averaged more than 10 points and five assists last season for Michigan State. He transferred to the Commodores this offseason. Dixon is a mainstay at Villanova, and has played for four seasons with the team. He averaged more than 16 points a game in 2023-24.
Dixon will sit out Villanova basketball’s opener against Lafayette, due to the suspension.
What is the Portsmouth Invitational
The Portsmouth Invitational showcase is an event that occurs before the NBA Draft. It’s a chance for college seniors to show off what they can do for professional scouts. Participation is banned by NCAA rules, hence the suspension for both players. Seniors participate in the event usually to get feedback from scouts, before making the decision to go pro or return to school.
The NCAA seems to be lessening the penalty. In previous seasons players who competed in the showcase were hit with three-game suspensions, per The Tennessean. Villanova and Vanderbilt basketball fans are surely breathing a sigh of relief that the players got a one-game suspension only.
The news is especially tough for Vanderbilt. The school just lost another transfer, in Kijani Wright. Wright is a forward who came into the program from USC this offseason. He’s out due to a non basketball related health issue.
Vanderbilt basketball has a new head coach in Mark Byington. The Commodores open their season on November 4 against Maryland Eastern Shore. Villanova starts its season the same day when it plays Lafayette, without Dixon.
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