Villanova Fires HC Kyle Neptune After Three Seasons

The Wildcats will now be on the search for its next head coach.

Feb 18, 2025; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Villanova Wildcats head coach Kyle Neptune watches from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Villanova has fired head Men's Basketball coach Kyle Neptune, according to multiple reports.

Neptune went 54-47 in three seasons at Villanova after taking over for longtime head coach Jay Wright.

Neptune, who served as an assistant for Wright at Villanova, was hired as head coach after one. season at the helm at Fordham. The Wildcats made a run to the Final Four in Wright's final season, marking the third appearance in six tournaments. Once Neptune took over, the team immediately struggled.

Villanova has missed the tournament in Neptune's first two years and will make it three in a row on Sunday.

Over the last three years, Villanova has suffered bad loss after bad loss within the Big Five. This includes losses to Drexel, Penn, and St. Joe's twice. The Wildcats also have non-conference losses to Portland and Columbia during Neptune's tenure.

This season, Villanova finished with a record of 19-14 and was sixth in the Big East at 11-9. The Wildcats suffered a 17-point loss to UConn in the Big East tournament on Thursday night. This came after two losses to Georgetown during the regular season.

Villanova appeared in the NIT in each of the last two seasons and was eliminated in the first round each year.

Neptune was tasked with replacing one of the great coaches in college basketball and struggled to come close to making Villanova a tournament team. In a Big East conference full of elite head coaches, the Wildcats will now be on the search for the right candidate that can bring the program back to prominence.

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