With the Villanova officially set to move on from Kyle Neptune after multiple disappointing seasons, the Wildcats are officially entering the search for a new head coach.
While their last hire may not have gone well, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Villanova is going big game hunting for their next hire, focused on one former Big 12 coach.
“Villanova is very well-resourced,” Thamel said on College GameDay. “They have plenty of NIL money. They just couldn’t figure it out on the floor. 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.”
Smart has been one of the most accomplished coaches in college basketball during his blank-year career -as a head coach, leading multiple programs to success.
He got his start at VCU, where he spent six seasons before making the leap to Texas. With the Longhorns, Smart made the NCAA Tournament in three of six seasons (2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19). His most recent stop has been perhaps his most successful, leading Marquette to a 98-39 overall record with four straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
While Smart may be the team’s dream choice to take over at Villanova, Thamel outlined some more realistic options as well, a group that includes VCU’s Ryan Odom, Maryland’s Kevin Willard, and New Mexico’s Richard Pitino.
“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.”
