VILLANOVA, Pa. — A packed house at Finneran Pavilion helped Villanova celebrate the start of a new basketball season Saturday night.
“I missed it last year,” said the men’s coach Kyle Neptune, who served from 2013-21 as an assistant coach before accepting the head coaching position at Fordham University. In April 2022, he was named Villanova’s head coach, replacing Jay Wright, who retired.
The evening began with the presentation of the female head coach Denise Dillon and his 2022-23 Wildcats. The women’s team took part in a dance session with the Villanova dance team to the delight of the audience, which consisted mainly of current Villanova students.
Later, returning members of Villanova’s 2021-22 men’s team received their NCAA Final Four rings. Wright was on hand to hand them out and reminded the crowd that “Villanova is the only place in the country that only houses students. No one else does.”
In a short men’s intrasquad scrum, the blue team, led by Angelo Brizzi and Eric Dixon, rallied to the white team 16-13. First year guard Marc Armstrong won the dunk contest.
Senior Caleb Daniels (broken nose) and freshman Brendan Hausen (concussion) did not participate in the festivities. Both are listed day to day.
The evening ended with a concert by artist Meek Mill.