Fordham on Tuesday officially named Villanova assistant Kyle Neptune its new head men’s basketball.

It was reported in this space last week that Neptune was the “presumed favorite” after the school also considered Bryant’s Jared Grasso, Siena’s Carmen Maciariello and Saint Peter’s Shaheen Holloway. Fordham fired Jeff Neubauer in January and Mike DePaoli served as the interim as the Rams finished 2-12 this season.

"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 in a statement. “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. 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.”

Now that Villanova is out of the NCAA Tournament after losing to No. 1 Baylor in the Sweet 16 on Saturday, Neptune was free and clear to come to the Atlantic 10 school.

Neptune is already working on putting together a staff that includes assistants with New York City ties, including current assistant coaches at other schools and influential local AAU coaches.

“I think the best thing for me to say about Kyle right now is he is definitely ready to be a head coach,” Wildcats head coach Jay Wright said Monday on a Zoom call.

“But he is ready to be a head coach. So many times, young guys who are great recruiters get labeled as such, but he’s probably one of the best X’s and O’s guys I’ve had this early in his career. It’s kind of funny, he kinds of drives me crazy but it’s a good thing. Sometimes you can see me on the bench and I’m telling him like ‘Shut up’ because he’s got so many great suggestions and most times I listen to them but they’re always great X’s and O’s ideas....I think he’s more ready to be a head coach than most young guys X’s and O’s-wise and I think he’s got great character, great leadership skills, I think he’s going to be an outstanding head coach.”

“Kyle is going to make an excellent head coach at Fordham,” Quinnipiac head coach Baker Dunleavy, who worked alongside Neptune at Villanova before taking over the Bobcats’ program in 2017, told A Daly Dose of Hoops. “He combines a tireless work ethic, great knowledge for the game, and most of all, a passion for New York City basketball. I look forward to watching him build a terrific program.”

Neptune, 36, has been with Villanova during its recent run of winning seven Big East regular-season titles, four Big East Tournament titles and two NCAA championships (2016 and ‘18).

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Neptune played four seasons of college basketball at Lehigh University where he served as a team captain in his senior year of 2006-07. The Mountain Hawks claimed the 2004 Patriot League title during Neptune's freshman campaign. As a junior, Neptune logged 33 minutes as a Lehigh starting forward when the Mountain Hawks played Villanova in November of 2005 at the Pavilion.

“We take great pride in welcoming Kyle to Fordham Athletics,” said Fordham AD Ed Kull. “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. 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.

“I also want to extend my gratitude to the entire search committee and members of the Board of Trustees who conducted a thorough and successful search that brought Kyle to Fordham,” Kull added.

This post was updated after the official hiring of Neptune on Tuesday.