Sports

Villanova Fires Kyle Neptune After Three Seasons Without a Tournament Appearance

Katie Lewis, Dylan Johnson, and Brooke Ackerman

March 15, 2025

Kyle Neptune assumed the role of head coach in 2022 after former coach Jay Wright retired.

Kyle Neptune is no longer the Villanova head men’s basketball coach, the school announced on Saturday.

“A national search for the next leader of Villanova Men’s Basketball will begin immediately, and we look forward to sharing more information when an appointment is finalized,” University President Rev. Peter. M. Donohue, OSA PhD stated in an email to the University community on Saturday. “Until then, Mike Nardi ‘07 VSB, will serve as the interim head coach.”

Neptune’s departure comes after three years at the helm, during which time the Wildcats failed to make a single March Madness appearance.

Neptune’s departure marks the end of his 11 years on the Villanova coaching staff. He first started with the Wildcats in 2013, and he served as an assistant coach to Jay Wright for eight seasons.

“Villanova Basketball is a source of enormous pride for countless Villanovans,” Father Peter stated. “There are high expectations for the men’s program, which in the past 10 years has won two NCAA National Championships, reached the Final Four and Sweet 16, and won 10 BIG EAST regular season and tournament championships. We believe a change in leadership will better position our program for continued competitive excellence as we move into the future.”

In 2021, Neptune took over at Fordham and posted a 16-16 record during one season there.

He was named head coach at Villanova in 2022, following Wright’s retirement.

Neptune ended his Villanova coaching career with a 54-47 (.535) overall record and was 31-29 in conference play. His was the shortest tenure of any Villanova coach since John Cashman (1926-1929).

In both the 2022-2023 and the 2023-2024 seasons, the Wildcats ended their campaign in the Big East quarterfinals and lost in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). This season, Villanova again ended its run in the Big East quarterfinals with a 73-56 loss to the University of Connecticut on March 13.

Questions surround the future of the Villanova men’s basketball program. This is a developing story. The Villanovan will provide breaking news updates on potential new hires, as well as roster changes and any further developments to the men’s basketball program as they unfold.

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About the Contributors

Katie Lewis, Co-Sports Editor

Katie Lewis is a junior from Miami, FL in her second year as Co-Sports Editor in 2025. From covering games to writing features and profiles, she loves to find the stories behind Villanova athletics. She is a sports desk intern with The Philadelphia Inquirer and previously interned with Main Line Today. Pursuing her enthusiasm for writing and journalism in her studies at Villanova, Katie is double-majoring in English and Communication with concentrations in Journalism and Writing & Rhetoric. When Katie isn’t at Holy Grounds working on her next article, she enjoys playing tennis with Villanova’s club team.

Dylan Johnson, Co-Sports Editor

Dylan Johnson is currently serving his first year as one of the two Villanovan Co-Sports Editors. He is currently pursuing a major in Communications with a specialization in journalism. Dylan is a sophomore from Philadelphia, PA. Dylan’s passion for journalism is driven by storytelling. At The Villanovan, he wants to discover and tell the stories that might otherwise go untold. Dylan is a hard worker who is always looking for the next article to write. He is a diehard Philadelphia sports fan and will never miss an Eagles game. He can always be found at a Villanova game, whether it be in a press box, on the sidelines, or in the stands. When he is not spending hours in the Finn’s media room, Dylan can be found enjoying runs around campus.

Brooke Ackerman, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Brooke Ackerman is one of the Co-Editors-in-Chief of The Villanovan in 2025. A junior studying Communications and Journalism, Brooke has formerly served as the Co-Sports Editor in 2023 and the Associate Editor-in-Chief in 2024. She has a love for all things sports and fosters this passion through covering collegiate athletics for The Philadelphia Inquirer. When she isn’t watching sports or editing articles in the basement of Corr, Brooke can be found spending time with her friends, shopping, baking or planning her next trip overseas.

Erick Quezada, Photography Editor

The Photography Editor for The Villanovan, Erick Quezada is currently serving his first year at the position. Erick is a freshman majoring in Electrical Engineering and plans on minoring in Mechatronics. He is a passionate student when it comes to the internal parts of electronic components and wants to find a way of combining photography and electronic robots. Erick’s passion for photography started during the COVID pandemic where he first used his parents’ old camera to create images of mini figures and miscellaneous things laying around his house. When not talking or watching about the latest camera gear or firm updates, you can catch Erick either playing or watching sports like soccer, basketball, sometimes American football, and even baseball which he has just gotten into. Erick is a very chill person to hang around with, but if you mention Manchester United, he can talk for days about how great the team is.