Sports Villanova has fired men’s basketball coach Kyle Neptune after three disappointing seasons following the Jay Wright era.
The 40-year-broken-down Neptune, who turned into as soon as in Wright’s coaching tree as an assistant at the college for eight years, did no longer attain the NCAA Tournament in his three years at the helm and went 54-47 all the diagram through that span. Neptune did no longer interrupt through this season no matter getting the nation’s leading scorer in Eric Dixon (23.0 points per game) and one of the easier title, image and likeness (NIL) budgets in the Colossal East. The Wildcats went 19-14, highlighted by losses to Columbia and Virginia, and unraveled in several video games, including handing Georgetown its first current-season sweep of Villanova since 1993.
The customary for success modified under Wright, who led Villanova to the head of the arrangement with nationwide titles in 2016 and 2018 while producing high-level NBA players and going 263-fifty three over his final nine years on the job.
When broken-down Villanova athletic director Tag Jackson, who hired Neptune, took the Northwestern athletic director job final August, it felt relish the writing turned into as soon as on the wall — except Neptune turned the ship spherical this season. But it indubitably turned into as soon as more of the equivalent, with a bunch that possessed abilities and 3-point taking pictures nonetheless lacked the flexibility to shut video games.
Contemporary Villanova athletic director Eric Roedl, who came from one of the winningest athletic departments in the nation at Oregon, took the job in November with the peace of mind that he would be on high of things of hiring and firing tasks, sources told FOX Sports. Roedl has been in observation mode of the program since taking the job, and with Neptune shedding the toughen of key backers, ample turned into as soon as ample for the college’s brass.
The set up carry out the Wildcats turn now?
Understanding Northwestern head coach Chris Collins to be a predominant candidate, with Drake’s Ben McCollum, Contemporary Mexico’s Richard Pitino, Vanderbilt’s Tag Byington and Colorado Allege’s Niko Medved doubtlessly on their radar as effectively, in accordance with what sources told FOX Sports.
Assistant Coach Mike Nardi will wait on as the program’s period in-between head coach and a nationwide search will gain underway for Villanova, a label that had risen to the head of the sport no longer long ago nonetheless with a generational noteworthy in Wright. A precious job? Fully. But a irregular admire a college that has to head initiate air the family.
John Fanta is a nationwide faculty basketball broadcaster and author for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a mode of capacities, from calling video games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Enviornment of 68 Media Network. Apply him at @John_Fanta .
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