Villanova Assistant Mike Nardi to Serve as Interim Head Coach

Villanova Men’s Basketball moved on from head coach Kyle Neptune on Saturday, March 15 after three seasons without an NCAA Tournament appearance.

The official team announcement stated that assistant coach Mike Nardi will serve as the team’s interim head coach. A Villanova alumnus who played a critical role in former head coach Jay Wright’s success from 2003 to 2007, including an Elite Eight appearance, Nardi has been back with the Wildcats since 2017, including seven years as an assistant coach.

Coaching search aside, the Wildcats face busy days ahead. Even without making the NCAA Tournament, their season might not be entirely over should they receive — and elect to go through with — a bid to the NIT. While the athletic department may prefer to get an early start to the offseason, prioritizing the head coach search and evaluating transfer portal talent, the NIT would give them a test run on Nardi’s coaching ability. It would also give departing seniors like Eric Dixon, Wooga Poplar, Jordan Longino and Jhamir Brickus one last chance to showcase their talents for professional basketball teams, whether in the NBA (in Dixon’s case) or overseas.

Following Neptune’s dismissal, Villanova Vice President and Director of Athletics Eric Roedl put out the following statement.

“Since coming to Villanova, I have been struck by Kyle’s tireless work ethic and his dedication to the student-athletes he served,” Roedl said. “We are grateful to Kyle for his long service to Villanova and his mentorship to the many outstanding young men he has coached.”