Fordham University officially announced on Tuesday morning that Kyle Neptune will become its new head men’s basketball coach moving forward. Neptune departs from Villanova University following eight seasons as an assistant men’s basketball coach where his tenure saw the Wildcats secure five Big East Tournament titles and two NCAA National Championships.

“I want to thank Father McShane, the University trustees, and the Fordham community for placing their trust in me as I look to create a bold new legacy here for men’s basketball,” said Neptune.

Perhaps more importantly, Neptune’s role within Fordham Athletics will go further than just building a legacy for the men’s basketball program. Neptune is also partnering with Athletic Director Ed Kull to develop “an overall strategic mission” aimed at enhancing the national profiles of all 22 men’s and women’s varsity sports teams on campus. Fordham is currently home to 286 male student-athletes, 237 female student-athletes and 16 club sports.

“Kyle envisions a winning culture for men’s basketball, plans to bring the program to its rightful place on the national collegiate sports stage, and will also work to bring Fordham Athletics and the entire University to new heights,” said Kull. “I am deeply appreciative for the opportunity to support him as he becomes our Head Men’s Basketball coach and creates an energized winning environment for our students, alumni, fans, and our community.”

Kull also expressed enormous gratitude to those involved in the entire search committee as well as the board of trustees for their fastidious approach which ultimately led to Neptune’s hiring.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y, Neptune played all four seasons of his collegiate basketball career at Lehigh University where he eventually earned team captain status as a senior during the 2006-07 season. Neptune’s coaching journey began in 2008 as the administrative intern/video coordinator with Villanova for two years before moving on to spend three seasons (2010-13) as an assistant coach at Niagara University. After initially accompanying former Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich to Hofstra University, Neptune decided on rejoining the Wildcats in 2013 for his second stint with the program where he became Villanova’s longest tenured assistant coach.

When talking about Neptune’s contributions to the coaching staff, head coach Jay Wright stated, “Kyle is intelligent, experienced, polished and gritty. He is an outstanding Xs and Os coach who has great game-planning and game-adjustment abilities. He is also one of the best individual development coaches we’ve had at Villanova.“

Under Wright’s tutelage, Neptune emerged as one of the more sought-after head coaching candidates and garnered attention from multiple teams around the country. Neptune had been linked to the men’s basketball head coaching job back in 2019 and two years later, it has turned into reality. His credentials certainly check all the proverbial boxes in what has the potential to be a slam-dunk hire on Fordham’s part.

Neptune now inherits a program on the cusp of going nearly thirty years without an NCAA Tournament appearance. Fordham’s time playing in the Atlantic 10 has unfortunately been disheartening, with only one season of double-digit conference wins since joining back in the 1995-96 season. However, with nowhere to go but up, the heightened optimism manifested by this hire is completely warranted.

Behind his championship pedigree accumulated at Nova and his in-depth knowledge of the recruiting scene in New York, Neptune is confident in his assessment that Fordham Men’s Basketball can shine brightly under the national spotlight. “This is Fordham’s time. As a native New Yorker, I couldn’t be more thrilled to be coming home at a moment like this, when Fordham Men’s Basketball is poised to make its mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference and beyond,” said Neptune. “I know this program well and I know its potential to recruit and develop winning young men both on and off the court who will inspire Fordham fans and the entire community.”