Villanova Parts Ways with Head Coach Kyle Neptune After Three Seasons

Villanova University has decided to part ways with men’s basketball coach Kyle Neptune after a brief three-season run, as reported by ESPN. An official statement is anticipated to surface by Saturday afternoon.

Neptune stepped in for Jay Wright, a legendary figure who retired in 2022, but he hasn’t led the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament. They flirted with reaching the tournament towards the end of the regular season, but a defeat to Georgetown in their last game and a significant 17-point loss to UConn in the Big East quarterfinal ended those aspirations.

Filling the role of a coach who brought Villanova to great heights, including two national championships and multiple Final Four appearances, was always going to be a tough act for Neptune to follow. His tenure got off to a rocky start with a 2-5 record in his debut season, highlighted by unexpected losses to teams like Temple and Portland—an omen of struggles to come.

In his first year, the team ended with a balanced 17-17 record, followed by early season setbacks in 2023-24 against local rivals like Penn, Saint Joseph’s, and Drexel. Although there was a mid-season surge in February, they couldn’t maintain it and ended at 18-16, despite high preseason expectations with a Top 25 ranking.

Entering what was clearly a crucial 2024-25 season, the Wildcats faced an early 10-point home game loss to Columbia and lost four of their first seven games. By January’s end, a challenging 1-5 stretch left Villanova at 12-10.

Overall, Neptune guided the team to just a 54-47 record in his tenure. During Wright’s era, the Wildcats reached the NCAA tournament 16 times in his last 17 seasons, winning at least one game in eight consecutive appearances. Missing out on three straight tournaments hasn’t happened to Villanova since Wright’s initial three seasons from 2002 to 2004.

Before his role as head coach, Neptune served a short stint leading Fordham and had an extensive history with Villanova, acting as assistant coach under Wright from 2013 to 2021 and as video coordinator between 2008 and 2010.

The news of Neptune’s dismissal was initially broken by Villanova’s student-run publication, The Villanovan.