Villanova advertisement states Neptune will return as coach

Mar 21, 2024, 07:35 PM ET

PHILADELPHIA– Kyle Neptune will return for a 3rd season at Villanova, where he was successful Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright and followed with two straight seasons in the NIT.Neptune is 35-33 in 2 years with the Wildcats and has lost the group’s opening game of the NIT each year. The Wildcats– who won two championship games under Wright– lost to VCU on Wednesday in front of just 1,763 fans at the Structure. The smattering of fans who stayed to the end shouted,”Fire Neptune! “Villanova athletic director Mark Jackson told The

Associated Press on Thursday that while he comprehended the frustration surrounding the program’s falloff since Wright’s abrupt retirement just weeks after he led the Wildcats to the Last Four in 2022, he has actually not despaired in Neptune. “Kyle’s our head coach moving

forward,”Jackson said.Neptune felt the heat this season as the Wildcats–

once a perennial Big East winner and nationwide title competitor– moved into mediocrity and out of the nationwide rankings.The Wildcats fell out of legitimate contention for a possible at-large

NCAA tournament bid with a five-game losing streak at the end of January. They hardly managed 24-point underdog DePaul in the preliminary of the Big East tournament and were knocked out in overtime in the next round by Marquette.Neptune downplayed the criticism throughout and insisted he didn’t hear fans who booed him at

times this year throughout pregame introductions.Neptune, 39, served under Wright on the Villanova coaching personnel before accepting the head training position at Fordham in 2021.

Neptune went 16-16 in his only season at Fordham.Neptune, just Villanova’s 6th coach given that 1936, went 17-17 last season and 18-16 this season. “I’m not going to sugarcoat things. Competitively on the court we have some work to do,”Jackson said.”We all understand what the requirement is. We lived it.” Wright, who was inducted into the

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021, directed Villanova to titles in 2016 and 2018 and led the Wildcats to 2 other Last 4 looks. He went 520-197 in 21 seasons at the school and has stayed a stable presence at Villanova games. Wright now works for CBS.” I can’t determine what would have occurred if Jay stayed,” Jackson stated.”The fact is, he didn’t and we adjusted. Jay’s among the best to ever do it. I would never mark down having him around leading to an advantage.

“The Wildcats have suffered through injuries– significantly the previous 2 seasons to standout Justin Moore– but opened the season structure on an approximately $3 million name, image, and likeness cumulative that should keep them competitive in both the transfer

website and in retaining their own players.”We have actually dealt with injuries, we’ve handled a significant transition of losing Jay and an existence around the program, “Jackson said.”We’ve dealt with a lot of changing collegiate landscape issues. There’s a number of aspects that have caused alter

. We’re all set to compete because environment. But I don’t think you can pinpoint one specific thing.” The Wildcats opened the season in the AP Top 25 and showed some early signs of promise with consecutive wins over Texas Tech and North Carolina– two NCAA tournament groups– and Memphis to win the Battle 4 Atlantis crown. However losses to Huge 5 competitors Penn, Saint Joseph’s and Drexel were inexcusable to fans and former players alike. “I don’t want to be ignorant and say I’m not familiar with how unhappy a lot of individuals are,”Jackson said. “It’s my task to focus on all of it. I listen to all of it. I ingest all of it. I understand it affects our head coach, too. It harms him more than any person else.”Neptune stated after the NIT loss that he”comprehends the disappointment “however was prepared to already begin work on next season.As for a 2024-25 season with a coach on the hot seat, Jackson just stated all seasons are big ones. “To have someone that understands where we require to be,” Jackson said,”I have a great deal of confidence that Kyle’s the best guy and understands how to get us there.”