Jay Wright had a .725 winning percentage in 21 seasons at Villanova. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
January 19, 2024
Big5Hoops.com
After every Villanova loss this season, Nova Nation’s fans’ social media accounts have blown up with criticism of second-year coach Kyle Neptune.
I am never one to lash out at fans for sharing their opinions. Fans want to win. Villanova is lucky to have a base as passionate as they have. Other schools would love to have supporters who care so much and invest so much of their time, energy and, yes, money into their programs.
In response, while acknowledging fans’ understandable frustration and disappointment at losses, I have urged patience when it comes to Neptune. It takes time to build a program. Give him a chance to see what he can do.
Another big chance for Neptune and the Wildcats comes Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center when Villanova (11-6, 4-2 Big East) hosts No. 1 UConn (16-2, 6-1) at 8 p.m.
I will be there. Other than the opening two games against American and Le Moyne and Monday’s defeat at No. 17 Marquette, I have seen just about every minute of the Wildcats this season, either in person or on television.
Overall, I think Neptune has done a good job. After all, the Wildcats are firmly in the NCAA tournament field at the moment and sit in third place in arguably the strongest conference in the country.
That said, there have been some times when I have been confused, like in their 57-55 loss to Drexel at the Wells Fargo Center on Dec. 2 when Villanova couldn’t hit the ocean from the side of a boat from outside but kept firing and firing and firing and missing and missing and missing from 3-point range. To his credit, in a similar situation on Dec. 20 at Creighton, Neptune quickly adjusted and the Wildcats made a concerted effort to get to the paint on their way to a Big East-opening 68-66 overtime victory.
Another thing that surprises me at times is Villanova’s tendency on offense to fall into one-on-one play rather than work the ball around for the best shot, as I’m accustomed to seeing from the Wildcats, with shooters running off screen after screen that tire and frustrate defenders while eventually getting open looks for Wildcats. I’d like to see more of that. Of course I’m biased, but I think these are fair criticisms but far from a call to place Neptune on the hot seat.
The truth, in my opinion, is that whether Neptune is the right fit to lead Villanova in the post-Jay Wright era is going to take some time to determine. Last year’s .500 mark, with Justin Moore playing just 13 games and still slowed upon his return and Cam Whitmore missing the first seven, was understandable. This year’s up-and-down performance, with great wins over the likes of now-No. 4 North Carolina and No. 10 Memphis on the way to winning the Battle 4 Atlantis title in the Bahamas and at Creighton, and uneven or downright poor performances in Big 5 defeats to Penn, St. Joe’s and Drexel, as well as an on-campus loss to an up-and-coming St. John’s squad, are part of the growing process for a team trying to quickly incorporate four key transfers – and talented transfers, I might add – into the fold.
One thing I know for sure is that it was always going to be tough for Neptune to replace Wright when Wright surprisingly retired after the 2021-22 season. Wright is a legend at Villanova. A Hall of Famer. Arguably one of the best coaches in college basketball history. In 21 seasons at Villanova, he amassed a .725 winning percentage, won a pair of national titles and appeared in a couple more Final Fours while winning six Big East Coach of the Year honors.
Wright raised banners – and expectations.
It’s why after defeats in which they are unaccustomed, Nova Nation fans get upset.
“I understand the fans’ frustration, Kyle understands the fans’ frustration, but on the inside, I’m really impressed with how he’s handling this adversity and where the program is,” Wright said in a phone interview this week. “It’s a time of transition. It’s just been a really tumultuous two years (with injuries and transfers). Not his fault. But he gets it and I get it.
“(Fans) want wins, and we get it. It’s a matter of how he handles it right now, and I think he’s doing a great job of keeping this thing together. And I think they’re going in a great direction.”
Comfortable in retirement and enjoying TV work, Wright has said he has no plans to return to the sidelines. He still maintains regular contact with Neptune, is a presence at practice and offers continued support to the program. Wright also wants to give Neptune space.
“Kyle and I talk a lot, and I’ll pop into practice once in a while,” Wright said. “Kyle, myself and (athletic director) Mark Jackson, we’re managing this transition, where I still have some connection and stay in touch with Kyle.”
I noticed Wright at games early in the season but haven’t lately, though he says he attends weekday games as part of his season-ticket package. At the very least, Villanova hasn’t called out his presence at the Pavilion of late.
“We’re finding that balance where I don’t want to be around hovering,” Wright said. “Just trying to manage that balance of being around, being supportive, without hovering.”
With all of his success late in his run at Villanova, it is important, I think, to remember that it also took some time for Wright to get things going on the Main Line. He did not have a winning Big East record in any of his first three seasons, going 21-27 combined from 2001-04 before starting an amazing run of 14 NCAA tournaments in 15 seasons with a 24-8 overall mark and 11-5 league record in 2004-05.
A hallmark of Wright teams was a talented, experienced group that the coach had molded into an oft-used cliché of “Villanova basketball.” For me, “Villanova basketball” is a product where team play is evident, where the star of the show is the “V” on the jersey, where the Wildcats always are tougher, hustle and play together more than their opponents — and dive for loose balls and defend like their scholarships depend on it.
But finding those types of players and then implementing that system took Wright some time. Neptune, surely, deserves the same.
The transfer portal, which brought Neptune TJ Bamba (Washington State), Hakim Hart (Maryland), Lance Ware (Kentucky) and Tyler Burton (Richmond) this season, can be looked at in two ways: 1) It’s easier for Neptune to quickly assemble high-end talent and 2) it will take some time for that high-end talent to mesh.
For me, the up-and-down nature of Villanova’s season – and I could be wrong – speaks more to the second point than Neptune’s coaching. Wright acknowledges the challenges today’s college basketball landscape presents.
“I think that’s the point and this is again why I’m impressed with the job Kyle is doing,” Wright said. “When things change, NIL and transfer portal, we were going to go out and try to find guys that fit our Villanova community. And the guys he brought in really have fit. Now, it does take time in our system to pick it up. And I think that’s what you’re watching with the Villanova team.
“We’re always striving to be the best team we can be by the end of the year. The path might look a little different now because you’re bringing in a lot of new guys. We don’t anticipate bringing in this many new guys every year. This was a unique year. I would have been going through this same transition. How do we instill the Villanova culture with a lot of transfers? And I think that’s what you’re watching is this process. It might not look pretty all the time, but it’s where do you end up at the end. And that’s where I think Kyle is doing a really good job.”
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Philly Sports Writers honor La Salle’s Mihalich
Joe Mihalic and his wife, Mary, look at the plaque after receiving the Most Courageous Award from the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association at Wednesday’s banquet in Cherry Hill. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
The Philadelphia Sports Writers Association honored La Salle assistant coach Joe Mihalich with the Most Courageous Award at the organization’s banquet on Wednesday night at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cherry Hill. Nearly 3 ½ years ago, Mihalich had a stroke that nearly cost him his life.
He works hard every day to regain his speech and motor skills.
“It’s a miracle,” Mihalich’s wife, Mary, said. “There was a lot of hard work in recovery. The prayers are the reason you’re sitting here. He just never stops, he never gives up on working on that.”
After a long stint as an assistant on the sidelines at La Salle, his alma mater, Mihalich was a successful head coach at Niagara and then Hofstra, where he was working when he suffered the stroke on Aug. 15, 2020. When Fran Dunphy took the Explorers head coaching job in April 2022, he brought Mihalich, his friend whom he previously had coached with as fellow assistants at La Salle, onto his staff.
Mihalich said being on Dunphy’s staff and staying involved in basketball have been vital to his continued recovery.
“Don’t know where I’d be without it. Dunph,” Mihalich, getting emotional, said. “Aw man, Dunph is really something. Yeah, he’s really something. Thank you.”
TIP-INS Philadelphia Sports Writers honor Pompey, Papazian, Dougherty
The Philadelphia Sports Writers Association presented this plaque to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
TIP-INS: Congrats to the Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Keith Pompey, who was was presented the Stan Hochman Award for excellence in journalism by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association at the organization’s 119th annual banquet on Wednesday. I was struck by the words Pompey, who covers the 76ers and previously was the Temple men’s basketball beat writer, said during his acceptance speech: “If you have a goal, you have to name it. I wanted to be a sportswriter.” He is living out his dream covering the 76ers. Also among the honorees on Wednesday were former Saint Joseph’s and Temple sports information guru Larry Dougherty (Lifetime Achievement Award) and Glenn Papazian (Good Guy Award) of PhillyCollegeSports. … Amari Williams had 21 points and 15 rebounds on Thursday night as Drexel came back from a 15-point first-half deficit to defeat Monmouth 78-74, improving to 13-6 overall and 6-0 in the Coastal Athletic Association. The Dragons next host rival Delaware on 2 p.m. on Saturday. … La Salle returns home on Tuesday night against No. 21 Dayton. I’m told press row will be full of NBA scouts to watch the Flyers’ DaRon Holmes II. … Penn gets back on the court at 6 p.m. on Saturday against Harvard. Reese McMullen had a team-high 15 points in Monday’s 77-60 loss at Cornell in which the Big Red made 10 3-pointers after halftime while outscoring the Quakers 49-29. Penn is still awaiting the return of leading scorer Clark Slajchert (ankle), who is out for the foreseeable future. … Christ Essandoko was dominant inside in St. Joe’s 82-62 win over La Salle on Monday in which the Hawks outscored the Explorers 40-12 in the paint. ICYMI, read our game column HERE. … Temple’s 3-point struggles continued at SMU on Tuesday night in a 77-64 loss, going 7 of 28 (25 percent) from distance. Jahlil White and Shane Dezonie each had 14 points to pace the Owls. … Villanova played well offensively in an 87-74 defeat at No. 17 Marquette on Monday, but Marquette made 30 of 40 (75 percent) two-point field goals while outscoring the Wildcats 60-18 in the paint. Mark Armstrong scored a career-high 24 points, and Brendan Hausen continued his sharpshooting by making 3 of 5 3-pointers. We wrote about Hausen following Villanova’s victory over DePaul on Friday night. ICYMI, read our game column HERE. … Our live coverage this week will be as follows: Saturday Jan. 20, UConn at Villanova, 8 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, and Wednesday, Jan. 24, Villanova at St. John’s, 8:30 p.m., MSG. Saturday, Jan. 27 is still TBD. … Finally, our next #Big5Hoops Weekly Spaces Show will be from 8-9 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 23. You are hearing it here first: I will be making an EXCITING announcement at 8:15 during the show! STAY TUNED!
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. His byline regularly appears on Associated Press stories. Big5Hoops.com is his second website dedicated to Philadelphia college basketball. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages.
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Villanova remains atop Big 5 Hoops rankings
Big 5 Hoops Rankings
(Through games 1/18)
1. Villanova (11-6, 4-2 Big East)
2. Drexel (13-6, 6-0 CAA)
3. Saint Joseph’s (11-6, 1-3 Atlantic 10)
4. La Salle (10-8, 1-4 Atlantic 10)
5. Temple (8-10, 1-4 American)
6. Penn (9-8, 1-1 Ivy)
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St. Joe’s Reynolds II tops Big 5 scorers
Big 5 Scoring Leaders
(Through games 1/18)
1. Erik Reynolds II, St. Joe’s, 17.9
2. Clark Slajchert, Penn, 17.4
3. Hysier Miller, Temple, 15.6
4. Eric Dixon, Villanova, 15.3
5. Khalil Brantley, La Salle 14.9
6. Jhamir Brickus, La Salle, 14.4
7. Tyler Perkins, Penn, 14.3
8. Justin Moore, Drexel, 12.7
9. Jhalil White, Temple, 12.5
10. Amari Williams, Drexel, 12.4
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Drexel’s Williams leads Big 5 in rebounds
Big 5 Rebounding Leaders
(Through games 1/18)
1. Amari Williams, Drexel, 8.1
2. Tyler Burton, Villanova, 7.8
3. Nick Spinoso, Penn, 7.4
4. Rasheer Fleming, St. Joe’s, 7.3
5. Jahlil White, Temple, 6.8
6. Sam Hofman, Temple, 6.6
7. Eric Dixon, Villanova, 6.4
8. Daeshon Shepherd, La Salle, 6.2
9. Steve Settle III, Temple, 6.1
10. Tyler Perkins, Penn, 5.7
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Last week’s results
Friday, Jan. 12
Villanova 94, DePaul 69
Saturday, Jan. 13
VCU 71, La Salle 65
Loyola Chicago 78, Saint Joseph’s 65
North Texas 69, Temple 51
Drexel 89, Elon 69
Monday, Jan. 15
Cornell 77, Penn 60
Marquette 87, Villanova 74
Saint Joseph’s 82, La Salle 62
Tuesday, Jan. 16
SMU 77, Temple 64
Thursday, Jan. 18
Drexel 78, Monmouth 74
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This week’s schedule
Saturday, Jan. 20
2 pm, Delaware at Drexel
2 pm, Rice at Temple
2:30 pm, Duquesne at Saint Joseph’s
6 pm, Harvard at Penn
8 pm, UConn at Villanova, Wells Fargo Center
Tuesday, Jan. 23
6:30 pm, Dayton at La Salle
7 pm, Saint Joseph’s at UMass
Wednesday, Jan. 24
7 pm, South Florida at Temple
8:30 pm, Villanova at St. John’s, MSG
Thursday, Jan. 25
7 pm, Drexel at Towson
Friday, Jan. 26
8:30 pm, Saint Joseph’s at Saint Bonaventure