Villanova’s Mark Armstrong declares for NBA draft; Brendan Hausen enters NCAA transfer portal

Villanova’s Mark Armstrong, a sophomore guard, announced Wednesday on Instagram his intent to enter the NBA draft process. Minutes later, a source confirmed to The Inquirer that fellow sophomore guard Brendan Hausen has entered the NCAA’s transfer portal.

Armstrong said on Instagram that he plans to “test the waters,” meaning he will retain his college eligibility. The Wildcats point guard started 32 of Villanova’s 34 games, averaging 8.4 points and 2.3 assists in 24.5 minutes per game. However, he struggled at times with turnovers and several cold shooting stretches.

While he improved offensively throughout the season, Villanova’s offensive struggles led to the Wildcats missing the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. His declaration for the NBA draft is a surprise, as he has not been listed in most recent mock drafts by NBA analysts. However, the move has benefits for Armstrong. He will be able to go through the pre-draft process and be evaluated by NBA teams, receiving feedback on his overall game.

While it is possible that a professional team could be enamored with Armstrong’s athleticism, he will also be able to return to Villanova without risk of losing his eligibility as long as he withdraws by the early entry deadline of May 29.

In the case of Hausen — a long-range specialist who averaged 6.2 points on 38.1% three-point shooting — his decision comes as a surprise. Coach Kyle Neptune repeatedly praised Hausen’s improvement on defense and continued to increase his minutes throughout the season. Of this 176 field goal attempts, 160 came from three-point range and he is considered by some to be one of the best shooters to ever play at Villanova.

Hausen’s best stretch came in five games in early February when he scored 11 or more points in each contest as Villanova won four out of five.

Hausen also went cold at times. Strong defensive teams would not allow him any space to shoot three-pointers, and he was held scoreless in both matchups with UConn and held to just one three in two matchups this season with Creighton. He went 2-for-21 in Villanova’s final four regular-season games but finished the season shooting 3-for-8 (nine points) in Villanova’s NIT first-round loss to Virginia Commonwealth.

Villanova was not planning on heavily attacking the transfer portal for next season’s team, but now it’s beginning to become a necessity for Neptune and Co.