Villanova Parts Ways With Assistant Coaches Nardi, Anderson, Young

Villanova Men’s Basketball parted ways with three assistant coaches on Monday, April 7: Mike Nardi, who served as the Wildcats’ interim head coach following former head coach Kyle Neptune’s dismissal, along with Dwayne Anderson II and Jamie Young.

New head coach Kevin Willard evidently wants to retain most of his staff from his previous position at Maryland, forcing these longtime Wildcats out the door.

Nardi could have a chance leading his own program and beginning to work his way up the totem pole after leading the Wildcats to the College Basketball Crown semifinals. He spent four years with the Wildcats as a starter, reaching the 2006 Final Four, and helped them win a pair of national championships during ten seasons as a member of the coaching staff.

Anderson, a 2009 Villanova graduate and member of that Final Four squad alongside Nardi, spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Penn State following the conclusion of his professional playing career. He then joined the Wildcats’ staff in an administrative role, serving as Director of Basketball Operations from 2018 to 2021, at which point he became an assistant coach.

Anderson’s dismissal evidently came as a shock, as he broke the news tweeting “never thought I would have to say goodbye like this.” 

Sad to have to say goodbye to my Alma mater and the place my kids call home. Villanova made me into the man I am today and I have had the privilege of coaching and mentoring so many young men who can now say the same. Never thought I would have to say goodbye like this. pic.twitter.com/I50PiKjZYz

— Dwayne Anderson II (@waynethepres) April 8, 2025

Young joined Villanova’s staff in June 2024 after spending more than two decades as an scout and assistant coach in the NBA. 

Per Jeff Neiburg of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Wildcats will retain assistant coach Ashley Howard, a seven season coaching veteran with Villanova across two separate stints. Additions to their staff will include David Cox, Kevin Norris and Greg Manning Jr., each of whom follows Willard from Maryland.