Devin Askew's injury at Villanova could mean more playing time for another former Wildcat

Devin Askew - Austin Yayer, Villanova Athletics

Devin Askew‘s college career just can’t seem to get on the right track — and time is running out on his eligibility.

According to The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, Askew, who now plays at Villanova, is expected to miss a few months due to a knee injury. The Wildcats’ new head coach, Kevin Willard, told Goodman that Askew suffered the injury earlier in the summer, and the hope is to get the 6-foot-5 point guard back on the floor in time for the start of Big East play, which begins in late December.

This news is another tough blow for Askew, who is now at his fifth school in six seasons. The California native started his college career at Kentucky during the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season. Things did not go well for him under former head coach John Calipari. Askew averaged 6.5 points and 2.9 assists on 34.5 percent shooting as a true freshman before transferring.

Askew has since made stops at Texas, where he was a bench contributor for the Longhorns in 2021-22, and California, where he stayed for two seasons but played just 19 total games due to various injuries. He was able to revitalize his career a bit in 2024-25 at Long Beach State, averaging 18.9 points and 4.5 assists per outing, which led him back to the high-majors at Villanova. But back injury luck has once again struck at a terrible time. This is his final year of college eligibility.

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BREAKING: Villanova point guard Devin Askew is out indefinitely with an injury, per @GoodmanHoops.

STORY via @On3sports: https://t.co/aytxqbKSyR
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) September 25, 2025

But Askew’s injury will likely open up extra playing time for another former Kentucky Wildcat. Remember Acaden Lewis? The former four-star high school recruit was committed to UK from November 2024 through April 2025. An influx of talent to Mark Pope‘s roster through the transfer portal ultimately led to Lewis reopening his recruitment and searching elsewhere. He eventually went to Villanova.

Askew was expected to fill in as one of Nova’s starting backcourt players, Lewis filling in minutes off the bench. The rotation will change now with Askew on the mend. Will we see Lewis get his opportunity sooner than expected? Villanova still has Bryce Lindsay and Tyler Perkins as key pieces in the backcourt, but Lewis could now very well step into a starting role.