Image: Fordham Ram
UPDATES:
10:10-Via Press Release, Fordham confirms Neptune’s departure on their end. Associate Head Coach Keith Urgo has been named Interim Head Coach. A nationwide search will begin immediately to find a permanent head coach.
9:33-Via Adam Zagoria on Twitter, Kyle Neptune has officially been announced as the new Head Coach of Villanova Men’s Basketball
9:17 PM-Jay Wright has made his retirement official via Twitter
8:07 PM-Matt Norlander of CBS Sports is reporting that Jay Wright has held a meeting with his team. In the meeting, he talked about his retirement, and said that Kyle Neptune will be taking his place next season.
At approximately 7:10 PM on Wednesday evening, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported that Villanova head coach Jay Wright will be stepping away from the program after over twenty years with the Wildcats. Rothstein followed up this Tweet with an additional report that in his place, former Villanova Assistant and current Fordham Men’s Basketball Head Coach Kyle Neptune will be taking the reins of the program.
Sources: Fordham's Kyle Neptune is expected to be Jay Wright's successor at Villanova. https://t.co/2v9CEGbkHi
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 20, 2022
In the moments after Rothstein’s Tweet. Several other sources, such as The Athletic’s Shams Charania, reported a similar situation from sources of their own. According to Matt Norlander of CBS, Jay Wright will meet with his staff tonight to discuss the immediate future of the Villanova program. It is unclear whether or not Neptune will be discussed at the program.
In his first year with Fordham, Neptune Coached the Rams to an 8-10 record in Atlantic 10 play, a 16-16 record overall. This finish was the best from the Men’s basketball team both overall and in conference play since the 2015-16 season. After winning their second round game against George Mason, the Rams fell in the quarterfinals to Davidson. At Nova, Neptune was an Assistant Coach under Wright for eight years, and helped the Wildcats win the 2016 and 2018 National Championships.
Earlier today, Fordham Men’s Basketball confirmed on social media that their incoming freshman class has been all but finalized. Will Richardson, a 4-Star recruit according to Verbal Commits, signed a Letter of Intent to play at Fordham this past November. Romad Dean and Angel Montas, both 3-Star recruits on VC, expressed Verbal Commitments to join the program earlier this Spring.
This is a situation that will continue to develop, so check back on A10Talk.com and @a10talk on Twitter for continuing updates.
