The Charlotte Hornets are reportedly adding former Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune to Charles Lee’s coaching staff.
> Former Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune has agreed to a deal to become an assistant coach with the Charlotte Hornets under Charles Lee, sources tell ESPN.
>
> — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) [August 29, 2025](https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1961497980193644724?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
No word yet on what his exact role on the coaching staff is, but there was a vacancy after [Chris Jent departed](https://atthehive.com/2025/08/11/hornets-news-and-notes-in-early-august/) to be the associate head coach of the New York Knicks. I can only assume the hiring of Neptune is to fill that vacancy in some capacity.
Neptune probably doesn’t have a whole lot of pop as a name right now after an underwhelming tenure following Jay Wright as the head coach of Villanova basketball. He went 54-47 in his three seasons and never made the NCAA Tournament. He was a long time assistant under Jay Wright before venturing off to be the head coach of Fordham for a year before returning to take the Villanova job.
While his collegiate head coaching resume is not impressive, that doesn’t really say much about the caliber of coach that he will be at the NBA level. A big part of college coaching is recruiting, and Neptune didn’t seem to land any major talent at Villanova to show what kind of coach he could be. That won’t be a problem for an assistant at the NBA level.
Ultimately, from a fan perspective, we probably won’t feel any effects of this news, but it’s news. Welcome to the team, Kyle.
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