Villanova coach Wright resigns; Neptune hired
College basketball
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PHILADELPHIA -- Jay Wright shocked college basketball Wednesday night with his immediate resignation at Villanova, the Big East program he led to two national championships and four Final Fours in a Hall of Fame career.
The 60-year-old Wright guided Villanova to titles in 2016 and 2018 and just led the Wildcats to the Final Four, where they lost to national champion Kansas. He went 520-197 in 21 seasons at the school and 642-282 overall, also coaching Hofstra from 1994-2001.
"It's time for us to enter a new era of Villanova basketball," Wright said in a statement. "After 35 years in coaching, I am proud and excited to hand over the reins to Villanova's next coach. I am excited to remain a part of Villanova and look forward to working with (Villanova) and the rest of the leadership team."
Kyle Neptune, who served on the Villanova coaching staff before accepting the head coaching position at Fordham in 2021, returned to replace Wright.
"When looking for a successor, we wanted a candidate who could navigate the changing landscape of collegiate athletics and keep Villanova in a position of strength -- now and in the future," Villanova athletic director Mark Jackson said. "After meeting with several exceptional candidates, we found all those attributes and more in Kyle Neptune. Kyle quickly stood out for his basketball knowledge, recruiting savvy and natural ability to connect with student-athletes and coaches."
Wright's decision was unexpected and there was no immediate word the move was health related or that he was leaving for the NBA. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
Wright will remain at Villanova and stay involved in fundraising, advising, education and more.
He joined North Carolina's Roy Williams and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski as the third coach with multiple championship to step down over the last two years.
Before he arrived, Villanova was known for upsetting Georgetown in the 1985 national championship game and the occasional trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Big Ten in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Big Ten basketball tournaments are coming to Minneapolis.
The conference announced Wednesday that the women's tournament will be held at Target Center in 2023 and 2024 and the men's tournament will be played there in 2024. All 14 teams are automatic entrants in both events. Chicago will host the men's basketball tournament in 2023 as a makeup for 2021 when the event was shifted to Indianapolis due to COVID-19 restrictions.
As part of the Big Ten's effort to rotate host sites around its 11-state footprint, Minneapolis will become the fifth city to host the men's tournament. Washington (2017) and New York (2018) were recent hosts, with Chicago and Indianapolis the most frequent host sites.
On the women's side, Minneapolis will be the first non-Indianapolis host since 2015, when the tournament was held in in suburban Chicago. Target Center was the host of the NCAA Women's Final Four earlier this month.
Elsewhere:
n Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe will return for his senior year with the Wildcats after a breakout season in which he swept national player of the year awards. The 6-foot-9 Tshiebwe announced his decision Wednesday on ESPN's SportsCenter.
n Duke's Paolo Banchero is leaping to the NBA after one season as a candidate to be the No. 1 overall draft pick. The 6-foot-10, 250-pound freshman announced his decision in a social media video Wednesday, with the school saying he planned to hire an agent.
n Illinois All-America center Kofi Cockburn has declared for the NBA draft and hired an agent, marking the end of one of the most productive careers in program history. Cockburn made the announcement on his social media channels Wednesday, and the Illinois athletic department confirmed it.
n UCLA's Johnny Juzang, one of the stars of the 2021 NCAA Tournament during the Bruins' run to the Final Four, is entering the NBA draft. The junior guard announced his plans Wednesday on his Instagram account.
n Temple point guard Jeremiah Williams is transferring to Iowa State. Cyclones coach T.J. Otzelberger announced the move Wednesday, one day after Big 12 freshman of the year Tyrese Hunter said he would enter the transfer portal.