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ESPN insider names candidates to watch in Villanova coaching search
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
ESPN insider Pete Thamel addressed Villanova’s firing of Kyle Neptune during Saturday’s edition of College GameDay.
“Villanova is very well-resourced. They have plenty of NIL money. They just couldn’t figure it out on the floor,” Thamel said.
In fairness, Neptune had a tough act to follow after his former boss, the legendary Jay Wright, retired in 2022. But the Wildcats, a national champion in 2018 and a Final Four team in Wright’s last season just 3 years ago, never even made the NCAA Tournament under Neptune, who finished his tenure 54-47 overall and a 31-29 mark in the Big East.
Now, the Wildcats are in the hunt for a coach that will return them to national prominence.
“I think an aspirational name is going to be Marquette’s Shaka Smart. Don’t expect him to reciprocate interest. He has been very happy at Marquette,” Thamel said.
Three more realistic candidates, per Thamel, could be Ryan Odom, Kevin Willard, and Richard Pitino from VCU, Maryland, and New Mexico, respectively.
That said, with all 3 coaches positioned for NCAA berths, Villanova may not be able to move as quickly as it would have otherwise liked. What’s more, Odom has been reported as a target for the Virginia job as Ron Sanchez, the Cavaliers’ interim head coach following Tony Bennett’s retirement, was not retained.
“All those teams are obviously headed to the NCAA Tournament, so look, these searches are going to be awkward,” Thamel said. “You’re going to have teams playing, coaches coaching. We’ll see who Villanova can land.”
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
