VILLANOVA, Pa. – The brand new block of cement, untouched by time or the weather, proudly proclaims in all capital letters the house between the Finneran Pavilion and the Davis Heart as Wright Manner. It’s an homage to Jay Wright, the person who took Villanova to 2 nationwide titles and 4 Ultimate Fours and spearheaded the fundraising for each the world renovations and development of the apply facility.
Drop the “W,’’ and you’ve got a distinct that means. The Wright Manner grew to become synonymous with the Proper Manner, not simply on the leafy Foremost Line campus however the world over of faculty basketball. “Villanova basketball,’’ initially a vacuous empty risk of a catchphrase for gamers schooled within the artwork of being unquotable, finally morphed into one thing with actual that means. Villanova basketball grew to become recognizable, and above all else, profitable. Powerful protection, guards who butted their method into the low publish, sharp shooters, a staff that hardly ever beat itself and a roster constructed methodically and systematically, sustained by gamers who firmly planted two sneakers within the faculty sport. Whereas the remainder of the game chronically reinvented itself, at first chasing one-and-done payoff earlier than flipping for four-year stability, Wright remained dedicated to a system that originally labored for him and Villanova, however in the end simply labored.
In 21 years with the Wildcats, he gained 520 video games and misplaced simply 197 earlier than stunningly saying his retirement in April 2022. On the identical day Wright stated goodbye, Villanova launched his alternative, the college’s means to maintain the entire thing quiet solely barely much less stunning than Wright’s precise retirement. Kyle Neptune had much less head teaching expertise than his predecessor (one yr to Wright’s seven) however, like Wright, had reduce his enamel on the Nova bench. Neptune started his teaching profession in 2008 as Wright’s video coordinator. He was born into the household.
Although they took over the identical job, they didn’t inherit the identical place. Wright arrived to a staff that hadn’t made it past the second spherical of the NCAA Match in a decade and was 0 for its final two Marches. He had room to develop.
Wright’s Proper Manner already paved for him, Neptune was launched 20 days after the Wildcats misplaced within the nationwide semifinal. He solely had room to fail.
Let’s begin by taking off the rose-colored glasses. Wright’s tenure at Villanova was not a superb, seamless plan executed to close perfection. It was bumpy. Bought on a scorching recruiting class in yr one which didn’t ship something greater than three NIT bids, the fan base wished him fired in yr 4; fell in love with him after a 2009 Ultimate 4 run; questioned his dedication when that devolved right into a 13-19 end in 2012; second-guessed his legitimacy when bloated regular-season data light into three consecutive first-week NCAA Match exoduses; rejoiced after Kris Jenkins hit a buzzer beater in 2016; and at last, in 2018, held Wright up because the modern-era Dr. Naismith when the Wildcats buzz-sawed the competitors en path to their second title in three seasons.
That is offered as proof to the gentleman on the Wells Fargo Heart who, as Villanova trailed UCLA 29-24 with 16 seconds left within the first half of a sport it in the end would win, screamed “FIRE NEPTUNE!’’ It additionally serves his compatriots who’ve caterwauled on social media, threatened to revoke donations or stop attending video games till Villanova provides Neptune, 45 video games into his profession, a pink slip.
To be truthful, the outcomes haven’t been as much as the Villanova commonplace: 17-17 in an injury-plagued first season and a confounding 7-4 mark to this point in yr two, a document that features wins over North Carolina, UCLA and a title on the Battle 4 Atlantis, but losses to Penn, St. Joe’s and Drexel. “We’ve had each single emotion and each single attainable expertise you may have as a staff up to now,’’ Neptune says. “Actually all the pieces and something. However no season has ever been like, ‘Oh properly, you’ve gained each sport by 30 factors and walked off and gained the championship.’ No less than to not my information.
“As a coach, you anticipate the surprising and I’m not shocked by something. You can have a leprechaun stroll by means of right here proper now, and I’be like, ‘Alright.’’
There’s, nonetheless, barring a cataclysmic cultural implosion, scandal or leprechaun invasion, completely zero likelihood Villanova fires Neptune. Lower than zero. The Athletic has spoken to individuals in and round faculty basketball, Philadelphia and Villanova, all of whom requested anonymity to be able to communicate freely. All of them agree on one factor: Neptune isn’t going anyplace. Nor do they consider he ought to.
Simply as then-athletic director Vince Nicastro by no means even toyed with firing Wright by means of the early bumps and the late March struggles, the sources affirm what ought to appear apparent: Firing Neptune will not be even on the radar of present AD Mark Jackson. This isn’t Texas A&M soccer. That is, as soon as once more, Villanova basketball, and the time period extends past the courtroom itself; it’s how the college and the athletic division does enterprise. The final time Villaova fired a coach — not only a basketball coach, any coach — was in 2016, when it quietly opted to not renew the contract of baseball coach Joe Godri. Amongst coaches of the college’s most profitable sports activities (males’s and ladies’s monitor and subject, males’s and ladies’s basketball, and soccer),Wright, 21 years in upon his retirement, was nonetheless the beginner.
Jay Wright (left) and Kyle Neptune, reuniting this month on the Wells Fargo Heart, took over the identical job — however discovered themselves in very completely different conditions. (Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Photos)
Have there been golden parachutes, or mutually agreed upon exoduses? Sure, however they’ve been dealt with graciously, typically to a fault. Take into account: Even because the shine light on Rollie Massimino’s 1985 glory and devolved right into a flamable heap of distress, Massimino wrote his ticket out — to UNLV. Villanova didn’t shove him. 9 years later, the chair warmed below Steve Lappas whereas Wright, then the pinnacle coach at Hofstra, was wooed by Rutgers. Despite the fact that Villanova wished desperately to deliver their former assistant residence, the college waited, giving Lappas the grace of discovering his personal exit technique. Solely as soon as Lappas went to UMass did Villanova name Wright.
Whacking Neptune is extra anathema to Villanova than not taking part in arduous, good and collectively. If something, insiders are extra fearful about him beating himself up than the athletic division studying him the riot act. There isn’t a escaping the usual he’s meant to attain. Your complete foyer of the Finn is a museum to the Wildcats’ success, a lot of it earned below Wright. His employees is crammed with Villanova grads or former assistants who’ve gained at exceptionally excessive ranges. Neptune will not be married. He’s not, those that know him say, a person with a ton of out of doors hobbies. “All he does is basketball,’’ says one particular person near Neptune, who requested anonymity to be able to communicate freely. “You are worried he’s not too consumed by it.’’
He doesn’t appear to be, at the very least not publicly. He comes off as calm and pretty unflappable, if perhaps just a little bristly when questions come up about his staff’s failures.
Requested if beating UCLA was a “should win,’’ Neptune stated, “No. We have a look at each sport as the most important sport of the yr. No matter meaning to you guys, nice. We play our subsequent sport, that’s our largest sport of the yr.’’ On a scale of 1 to Jim Boeheim, it hardly registers, however positively pointed.
Neptune parrots loads of Wright’s truisms: About counting on protection and rebounding and residing with missed pictures; about not getting caught up in a document however fairly worrying about progressing. He’s not, nonetheless, the identical particular person, which — unfairly — works towards him. Wright entered a room like Elvis, however acted extra like a Walmart greeter. Everybody wished to satisfy Wright, and Wright made everybody really feel like he’d identified them his entire life. It was his persona, but additionally a part of his job description. Wright wanted to reinvigorate a fan base, interact the bigger Philadelphia group and join a disjointed basketball household, so he stumped, charmed, joked and glad handed.
Neptune has the fan base. They don’t wish to be charmed; they need outcomes.
To be clear, there’s trigger for grievance. Villanova has misplaced video games it doesn’t — and albeit, mustn’t — lose. The final time the Wildcats misplaced to Penn, St. Joe’s and Drexel in a single season is precisely by no means. Within the first yr of a reborn Large 5 tripleheader, Villanova completed lifeless final. This may occasionally not resonate outdoors of town limits, but it surely clatters louder than a ringing Liberty Bell right here. Villanova will not be accustomed to being the Large 5 hoi polloi. As soon as blamed for ruining the Metropolis Sequence below Massimio’s tutelage, the Cats practically dismantled it by dominating it; from 2013 to 2018, Villanova didn’t lose a single sport to its Brotherly Love brethren.
Although a single-alarm-fire loss to Penn was erased with the Battle 4 Atlantis romp, the thumping by the hands of rival St. Joe’s on Villanova’s courtroom reignited the blaze. And when Drexel scored the upset, there weren’t sufficient hoses to extinguish it. Particularly after final yr’s season ended with an NIT first-round loss to Liberty.
The fact is the Wildcats are most likely inferior to the staff that snipped Memphis and Carolina on back-to-back nights in Atlantis, nor as unhealthy because the one which misplaced three in a row proper after.
They continue to be very a lot a piece in progress, which elsewhere is a permissible sin. However not when the Proper Manner is so clearly designed. Simply the place the Cats stand on the trail to Wrightful salvation was evident practically possession by possession towards the Bruins. For each well-executed play — Eric Dixon, doubled within the publish, handed out to Hakim Hart within the nook, who made the smart further cross to Jordan Longino for an open three — there was a head scratcher. Given an opportunity to again down the comparatively diminutive Dylan Andrews, Dixon as a substitute handed out and finally jacked a 3. He missed, permitting for an Adem Bona run out and bucket.
Generally, the offense feels extra like a group of elements than a well-oiled machine. Which it kind of is, and albeit might need to be for the foreseeable future. Wright bolted for a purpose. “I look down on the roster, and I imply, what number of of those guys dedicated to Villanova proper out of highschool?” UCLA coach Mick Cronin says. “It’s a distinct world. That’s most likely why Jay is on TV now.’’ Wright grew gamers. Jalen Brunson would grow to be the nationwide participant of the yr by his junior season; as a freshman, he watched from the bench as senior Ryan Arcidiacono ran the offense within the remaining minutes of the 2016 championship sport. Mikal Bridges, presently the twenty second finest scorer within the NBA, redshirted.
Such stability will probably be uncommon with the switch portal and NIL. The lure of alternative elsewhere has by no means been stronger, and maintaining gamers on campus additionally means maintaining them pleased. Neptune is presently working a 10-man rotation, which is kind of like working a two-quarterback system. It means you don’t actually have a rotation. “There’s no continuity but with the substitution sample,’’ says one basketball knowledgeable, who has watched the Cats play a number of occasions.
The irony is, the portal theoretically must be proper up Villanova’s alley. It makes a staff instantaneously older. Villanova ranks tenth per KenPom with a mean of three.01 years of faculty hoops on the roster. However other than Dixon and Justin Moore, solely two gamers — Chris Arcidiacono and Jordan Longino — have seen any measurable taking part in time in every of the final three seasons. And Longino missed 5 weeks final yr with a leg harm. “You’re attempting to get high quality children after which match them into your system,’’ one particular person conversant in this system says. “The children they’ve, they’re all fantastic individuals, however Kyle has to determine make them match. That takes time.’’
Villanova introduced in T.J. Bamba from Washington State, who was an efficient scorer for the Cougars. Of the 12.6 pictures he averaged there final season simply 4.8 got here from the arc; this season, he’s launching practically as many 3s (4.0) and 2s (4.5). They, too, aren’t getting into — 31 %. He’s additionally not the prototypical Villanova guard, snug together with his rear finish in somebody’s stomach, backing down a defender within the low publish.
Tyler Burton, a chosen scorer from Richmond, has been extra chilly than scorching (by no means sinking greater than two from the arc in a sport). Lance Ware, allegedly paid properly to come back from Kentucky, missed the summer time with harm and may barely get on the ground. He’s averaging 11 minutes per sport. Hakim Hart, who arrived from Maryland, has been taking pictures comparatively properly (38 % from the arc) however isn’t getting an entire lot of touches. He’s taking solely 4.5 pictures per sport, in comparison with eight-plus for the Terps. “They took good gamers,’’ one longtime observer says. “However you do marvel in the event that they thought of how they had been going to make use of them.’’
It’s a good criticism. Below Wright, the Wildcats’ offense ranked twenty first or higher in KenPom yearly since 2012. Below Neptune, they had been thirty ninth and now, thirty fifth. They rank close to the underside in Division I (second percentile) in 2-pointers tried per sport, which isn’t uncommon. Wright lived by the “shoot ’em up and sleep within the streets” mentality, and Neptune appears equally dedicated to the inexperienced mild. “We’re going to take our pictures and reside with it,’’ he says. Besides Wright’s final three groups, per CBB Analytics, ranked within the sixty fifth, 87th and 84th percentiles in 3-point taking pictures. This yr’s staff is within the fortieth, sinking at solely 32 % a sport.
The one factor Villanova does nonetheless do, a number of opposing coaches say, is play arduous. “One factor that doesn’t change with Villanova is their aggressive hearth, their toughness and their spirit,’’ says Cronin, who as the pinnacle coach at Cincinnati coached reverse Wright for seven seasons within the Large East. “They educate you classes,’’ Cronin says. “You higher come to play.’’
The nice false impression about Villanova all the time has been that the Cats are an offense-first staff, largely as a result of they had been so good at it. However Wright way back made a commerce together with his gamers: Give me good protection and I’ll provide you with, if not a inexperienced mild, at the very least a yellow, on offense. In his most profitable seasons, the protection was practically pretty much as good because the offense. From 2014 to 2018, the Wildcats gained 29 or video games or extra in every season; the protection ranked twelfth or higher, per KenPom.
So when Neptune says he’s looking for a staff that may win when it doesn’t shoot properly, he’s not attempting to deflect from the unhealthy offense; he’s being trustworthy. Which, within the seek for one thing to construct on, is what occurred towards UCLA. The avert-your-eyes first half taking pictures (8 of 31 from the ground, 4 of 19 from the arc) improved exponentially within the second, however nonetheless solely landed on a staff that shot 32 % general and 31 % from the arc. The distinction: The Wildcats outworked the Bruins on the glass, and transformed 10 turnovers into 17 factors. It was removed from a murals. It was, nonetheless, a factor of magnificence to Neptune.
“That’s Villanova basketball,’’ he stated. “Any good staff, they’re not going to have each evening after they shoot the ball nice. Actually, there are going to be so much the place they shoot the ball terribly. However I by no means wish to be a staff that claims, ‘Oh properly. We simply didn’t make pictures.’ That’s by no means been us. We wish to say, ‘Alright, we didn’t make pictures, however we nonetheless obtained stops and located a method.’’’
Two days after his staff misplaced to Drexel, Neptune was scheduled to satisfy with the media at 2 p.m. Follow didn’t finish till shut to three.
If there was something to learn into the delay, Neptune wasn’t letting on. Requested what his apply objective was for the day, he shrugged. “Simply get higher. Sports activities are an incredible mirror in life,’’ he stated. “A lot you may’t management, so no matter occurs, the query is: What’s your subsequent finest motion? We had a troublesome go of it the final couple of video games, so what’s our subsequent best choice? How can we get higher as we speak?’’
Exterior, as Neptune met with the media, a bus idled ready to take the Wildcats to the airport, the place they’d go away that night for Manhattan, Kansas and a sport towards Kansas State. The bus hugged the curb as finest because it might, however the highway is slim, and passing vehicles needed to navigate round to exit or enter.
Wright Manner curves like an ess. It doesn’t comply with a straight line.
Neither, it seems, does the Proper Manner.
(Prime picture: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Photographs: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Photos; Patrick McDermott / Getty Photos)