Kyle Neptune gets a new gig after losing Villanova coaching job
Both Neptune and recently-retired La Salle men's basketball coach Fran Dunphy are taking their talents to TV to talk about the NCAA tournament.
Villanova’s men’s basketball team didn’t make it to this year’s NCAA Tournament, but their former coach will be there — at least on television.
A week after having been fired by Villanova, Kyle Neptune will join CBS’s coverage of the tournament Saturday night, analyzing second-round action on the CBS Sports Network. He’ll appear on NCAA March Madness 360 at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. shows Saturday, opining along analysts Roy Hibbert, Gary Parrish, Avery Johnson, and Pete Gillen.
Neptune hasn’t mentioned having an interest in a television career, but he graduated from Lehigh University with a journalism degree in 2007. He’s also following the path of his former boss and mentor, Jay Wright, who has been an analyst for CBS since having stepped down as Villanova’s men’s basketball coach in 2022.
Of course, the two came to CBS under much different circumstances — Wright won two national championships and advanced to four Final Fours during his 22-year tenure with the Wildcats, while Neptune’s teams didn’t advance to the tournament during his three years leading Villanova.
For now, Neptune’s gig is just for one night, but it’s possible you could see him on future broadcasts. But that would mean summing up the character and charisma critics say he lacked during his brief coaching tenure.
“He seemed deathly afraid of saying anything interesting or revealing, let alone colorful or controversial, and that blandness bled onto the court,” wrote Inquirer columnist Mike Sielski.
As for Villanova’s search for a new head coach, McNeese State Cowboys coach Will Wade (who is reportedly headed to North Carolina State) appeared to spill the beans on Thursday, telling reporters the Wildcats were interested in a coach whose team is currently competing in the tournament.
“Villanova’s trying to buy a coach out who’s in the NCAA tournament right now,” Wade said, according to reporters.
A handful of coaches are rumored to be in the running for the Villanova job, including Maryland’s Kevin Willard, VCU’s Ryan Odom, and New Mexico’s Richard Pitino.
Neptune won’t be the only former Philly basketball coach making the jump to TV during this year’s tournament. Fran Dunphy, the winningest coach in Big 5 history, will jump on CBS Sports Network Friday to talk basketball at 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Dunphy coached his final game at La Salle last week, when the Explorers lost in the Atlantic 10 tournament to sixth-seeded St. Joseph’s. The 76-year-old, known as “Mr. Big 5,” has a coaching career that dates back more than 50 years and includes coaching stints at Penn (1989-2006), Temple (2006-2019), and most recently La Salle (2022-2025).
“I’ve had an amazing life,” Dunphy told The Inquirer earlier this month. “I’m the luckiest guy you know.”