< PreviousCoaching Staff Mike Nardi, a four-year starter at guard for the Wildcats from 2003- 07, was elevated to the position of Assistant Coach in the spring of 2018 following the departure of Ashley Howard to accept the head coaching position at La Salle University. Since joining the basketball staff at the start of the 2015-16 season, Nardi has been a part of four BIG EAST regular season, four BIG EAST Tournament, three NCAA Final Fours and two NCAA national championships. Previously, the New Jersey native served as Director of Student-Athlete Development (2015-16), Video Coordinator (2016-17). and Director of Basketball Operations (2017-18). Nardi remained in his position when Kyle Neptune was introduced as Villanova’s new head coach in April 2022, replacing Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright, who announced his retirement. Nardi originally came to Villanova after an outstanding career at St. Patrick’s High School in New Jersey. The 6-2 native of Linden, N.J., was tabbed New Jersey High School Player of the Year by the Newark Star Ledger. As a Wildcat, Nardi was named to the 2004 BIG EAST All- Rookie Team after starting all 35 games as a freshman. He would remain an integral part of some of Villanova’s most successful teams in the mid-2000’s, helping VU reach the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2005 and the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in 2006. As a senior he helped mentor freshman Scottie Reynolds while helping lead the Wildcats back to the NCAA Tournament and he was named Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST. Nardi scored 1,306 points in his Villanova career. His 423 ca- reer assists place him in 12th place in school history. He was a 2019 inductee into the Philadelphia Big Five Hall of Fame. Following graduation in 2007 Nardi played professionally for nine seasons in Italy. In August 2018 Nardi was married to the former Lauren Christiana in a ceremony at the St. Thomas of Villanova Chapel. The couple are parents to a daughter Luciana and son Donte. Date Of Birth: January 30, 1985 Hometown: Linden, N.J. Education: B.A., Villanova University (2007) Experience: Director, S.A. Development Villanova University (2015-16); Video Coordinator, Villanova University (2016-17); Director, Basketball Operations, Villanova University (2017-18); Assistant Coach, Villanova University (2018-present) MIKE NARDI | assistant Coach Dwayne Anderson II, a 2009 Villanova graduate who served as a captain on the unit that brought the Wildcats to the NCAA Final Four in Detroit, was elevated to the position of Assistant Coach in June 2021 after serving three seasons as the Wildcats’ Director of Basketball Operations. Anderson began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Penn State University from 2013-18. Anderson remained in his position after the hiring of Kyle Neptune as head coach in April 2022 upon the retirement of longtime former head coach Jay Wright. A Silver Spring, Md., native, Anderson first came to Villanova by way of St. Thomas More (Conn.) in 2005. As a freshman, he was part of an NCAA Tournament Elite Eight team. In 2007-08, the 6-6 guard/forward earned a starting role for a unit that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. One year later, he helped lead the Wildcats to a 78-76 victory over Pittsburgh in the NCAA East Regional Final and the school’s first Final Four appearance in 24 years. He averaged 9.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game as a senior captain in ‘08-09. In his four seasons, Anderson played on teams that posted a 102-37 overall record (.734) that included a 9-4 mark in the NCAA Tournament (.692). At the time of its departure, the class of 2009 (Anderson, Shane Clark, Dante Cunningham and Frank Tchuisi) was the winningest in program history. Following a professional career in Germany, Anderson entered the coaching profession, joining the staff of former VU Associate Head Coach Patrick Chambers. He spent five seasons in State College as an assistant coach, highlighted by the team’s 2018 run to the National Invitation Tournament title. Anderson is married to the former Lindsay Davis, who excelled as a four year member of the VU Swimming and Diving team from 2005-09, specializing in the 1 and 3 meter diving events. The couple has two sons, Dash and Nova. Date Of Birth: June 26, 1986 Hometown: Silver Spring, Md. Education: B.A., Villanova University (2009) Experience: Assistant Coach, Penn State (2013-18); Director, Basketball Operations, Villanova University (2018-21); Assistant Coach, Villanova University (2021-Present) DWAYNE ANDERSON II | assistant Coach 2023-24 VillanoVa BasketBall 50 WWW.VILLANOVA.COM (800)541-5855 OfficeBasics.com CORPORATE OFFICE 22 Creek Circle Boothwyn, PA 19061 (610) 471-1000 LANCASTER OFFICE 499 Running Pump Road Lancaster, PA 17601 (717) 394-2672 NEW JERSEY OFFICE 201 Commerce Drive Moorestown, NJ 08057 (856) 797-5700 LOCATIONS PRODUCTS We provide product expertise in a variety of categories that include breakroom, print solutions, promotional products, furniture, facilities, and office products. PROCUREMENT Our data-driven procurement process combined with our streamlined operations brings a tailored purchasing solution to your organization. DELIVERY We pride ourselves on our reliable, punctual delivery services. You can rely on Office Basics for national delivery and free local delivery on every order. workplace s olutionsJoey Flannery was named as Villanova’s Director of Basketball Operations in June 2021 after spending three seasons with the Wildcats, first as a graduate manager and in 2020-21 as the program’s Assistant Director of Basketball Operations. In 2018, Flannery came to Villanova to work as a graduate manager under head coach Jay Wright, a role he held for two seasons. Flannery was a two-time NABC Division III National Player of the Year at Babson College from 2013-17. Flannery led Babson to the Division III national championship in 2017 and ranks first in program history and ninth in Division III history with 2,620 career points. After a year of professional basketball with Real Murcia Basketball Club in Spain, this native of Acton, Mass., came to Villanova as a graduate-assistant coach Date Of Birth: Nov. 23, 1993 Hometown: Acton, Mass. Education: B.A., Babson (2017); M.B.A., Villanova (2020) Experience: Director, Basketball Operations, Villanova University (2021-present) JOEY FLANNERY | Director of Basketball operations Coaching Staff Ashley Howard, who played a pivotal role in helping guide Villanova teams that won a pair of NCAA national championships in 2016 and 2018, rejoined the Wildcats as an Assistant Coach on the staff of Head Coach Kyle Neptune on May 10, 2023. He filled the void created by the departure of George Halcovage, who was named Head Coach at the University of Buffalo. A native of Philadelphia, Howard spent five seasons from 2013-18 working alongside Neptune for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Head Coach Jay Wright. In that span, Villanova earned four BIG EAST regular season titles, three BIG EAST Tournament crowns and posted an overall record of 165-21 (.887). Among the Wildcats Howard helped tutor were Ryan Arcidiacono, 2017 Julius Erving Award winner Josh Hart, 2018 Erving Award winner Mikal Bridges and 2018 National Player of the Year Jalen Brunson. “To bring a coach of Ashley’s caliber back to Villanova is a great boost to our team,” stated Neptune. “Ashley is an accomplished teacher and recruiter who played a critical role in the success this program enjoyed during the last decade. As a born and raised Philadelphian, he has deep ties to our basketball community. It’s an honor to welcome Ash, Arianna, Journey, and Ace back to the Villanova family.” Following the 2017-18 season, Howard was named the Head Coach at La Salle University where he served four seasons. In 2019-20 the Explorers were building momentum, winning four of six against Atlantic 10 opponents and closed the regular season with a nine point win over rival Saint Joseph’s before the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly halted a 15-15 campaign. Prior to Villanova, Howard accrued a decade’s worth of college coaching experience at three different stops. He began his coaching career as a student assistant coach at his alma mater, Drexel University, in 2002 after injury cut short his playing career for the Dragons. In 2004, following graduation, Howard was hired as an assistant coach at La Salle by Dr. John Giannini. He spent four years with the Explorers before returning to Drexel in 2008 as an assistant coach to James “Bruiser” Flint. He was part of a staff that led the Dragons to consecutive 20-win seasons, including a school record 29 victories in 2011-12. In 2012-13, Howard served as an assistant at Xavier University before landing back in the Delaware Valley at Villanova. Howard, who graduated from Drexel in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in communications, is the son of Maurice Howard and Diane Coleman. Maurice played college basketball at the University of Maryland and was a second round draft choice of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. Ashley Howard starred at Monsignor Bonner High School in Lansdowne, Delaware County, where he scored 41 points in a game and averaged 23.8 points per game as a senior. He is married to Ariana Casanovas and has a daughter, Journey, and a son, Ace. Date Of Birth: August 26, 1980 Hometown: Philadelphia, Pa. Education: B.A., Drexel University (2004) Experience: Assistant Coach, La Salle University (2004-08); Assistant Coach, Drexel University (2008-12); Assistant Coach, Xavier University (2012- 13); Assistant Coach, Villanova University (2013-18); Head Coach, La Salle University (2018-22); Assistant Coach, Villanova University (2023-present) ASHLEY HOWARD | assistant Coach 2023-24 VillanoVa BasketBall 52 WWW.VILLANOVA.COM Basketball Support Staff ROB DEPERSIA Assistant Director of Basketball Operations ARLESHIA DAVIDSON Director of Program Administration COREY FISHER Student-Athlete Development Assistant DAN ERICKSON Head Athletic Trainer JUSTIN MCCLELLAND Sports Performance Coach DR. MIKE DUNCAN Team Physician DR. WILLIAM EMPER Team Surgeon REV. ROB HAGAN, O.S.A. Team Chaplain JENN BROPHY Director of Academic Support for Athletics MARISSA PAFFAS Senior Athletic Academic Advisor DR. JEREMY KEES Faculty Athletics Representative TAYLOR HESS Assistant Athletics Director/Compliance MIKE SHERIDAN Assistant Athletics Director/Communications BLAKE BURKEY Associate Athletics Director/Internal Operations & Equipment MARIE SCHAUDER Director of Administrative Services MARK JACKSON Vice President/ Director of Athletics BAKER DUNLEAVY General Manager Men’s and Women’s Basketball KEVIN VOIGT Graduate Assistant NICK DEPERSIA Graduate Assistant MIKE CHERRY Graduate Assistant 2023-24 VillanoVa BasketBall 54 WWW.VILLANOVA.COM YOUR PASSION. YOUR FUTURE. TAKE THE NEXT STEP with a VILLANOVA GRADUATE degree! Choose from more than 60 graduate degree and certificate programs in the humanities, social sciences, mathematics and sciences. DISCOVER WHERE YOUR PASSION WILL LEAD YOU gradartsci.villanova.edu GRADUATE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCESTO OUR FANS As a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Villanova University is responsible for exercising “institutional control” over its intercollegiate athletics program. The NCAA holds the University accountable for the acts of anyone identified as a Villanova University “athletics representative.” By definition, an “athletics representative” is any individual who is: • A season ticket holder. • A member of an institutional athletics booster club. • Involved in providing jobs or internships for enrolled student-athletes. • Involved in promoting the institution’s athletics program. • Has ever been involved with the Villanova University athletics program. • Has made contributions to booster clubs or to the athletics department. Once “athletics representative” status has been reached, fans retain that status for life. Under NCAA legislation, “athletics representatives” are prohibited from any contact (e.g., letters, telephone calls, face-to-face, and social media) with a prospective student-athlete or the prospect’s relatives or legal guardians for purposes of recruiting. Such contacts are to be initiated exclusively by authorized athletics department staff members. Athletics representatives are subject to NCAA legislation which requires member institutions to revoke or withhold privi- leges from any individual who has engaged in conduct that is determined by the NCAA, or its member conferences, to be in violation of NCAA legislation, regardless of whether such violation results in the imposition of sanctions. Such benefits or privileges may include, but are not limited to, ticket privileges being withheld by the University to any University-hosted athletics event, for a period of time which the NCAA, and its member conferences, deems appropriate. We request that “athletics representatives” do not make recruiting contact with prospective student-athletes at any time. No matter how well-meaning your intentions, any contact you make with a prospective student-athlete places you, our University, and the Villanova University athletics program at risk of receiving NCAA sanctions. If you have any questions, before taking action, please contact our compliance office at the address below and telephone number for clarification. Should you wish to receive more information on applicable NCAA policies, our compliance office will be happy to provide additional information and clarification to you. To request a free copy of our “Guide to NCAA Rules…for Alumni, Faculty & Friends” or to receive clarification of NCAA rules before taking any actions, please email athletics.compliance@villanova. edu or call 610-519-6607. We are grateful for your wonderful and enthusiastic support, and we appreciate your attention to all NCAA regulations regarding Villanova University prospective and enrolled student-athletes. Thank you, Katie LeGrand, Associate Athletic Director for Compliance Compliance Letter 2023-24 VillanoVa BasketBall 56 WWW.VILLANOVA.COM XSE PROUDLY SUPPORTS VILLANOVA BASKETBALL “together, we shoot for excellence” A TEAM OF WINNERSWildcats On The Air Fox Sports Radio Philadelphia serves as the home for Villanova Men’s Basketball broadcasts on WDAS 102.5 FM (Center City), 1480 AM, 104.5 FM HD2. Listeners can also access the broadcast via the IHeart radio app. VILLLANOVA RADIO NETWORK PLAY-BY-PLAY — RYan Fannon Ryan Fannon returns to the sidelines for his 26th season as the play-by- play voice of Villanova Basketball. Fannon is a 1993 Villanova graduate who began his association with the Wildcat network as host of the pre- game and post-game shows shortly after his graduation. This marks his 24th season as one of the signature voices of Villanova Basketball. Fannon is also the radio play-by-play voice of Villanova Wildcats Football. Fannon and his wife Laura are the parents of three children and make their home in Alexandria, Va. COLOR COMMENTARY — WHiteY RiGsBY Whitey Rigsby came to Villanova in 1974 and went on to become the starting point guard for Coach Rollie Massimino and a 1978 Wildcats squad that advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. He was a three-year starter who dished out 393 career assists and was inducted into the Villanova Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995. The new basketball campaign marks Rigsby’s 43rd as a team broadcaster. In that span he helped call VU’s 1985 NCAA and 1994 National Invitation Tournament titles and in 2009 he was behind the microphone as the Wildcats marched back to the NCAA Final Four in Detroit and the 2016 NCAA national championship. Rigsby is a director in the office of the Villanova Athletic Fund. Rigsby makes his home in Malvern, Pa., with his wife Becky, a 1979 Villanova graduate. The couple has seven children: Deborah, VU class of 2005; Rob Jr., VU class of 2007; Frederick, VU class of 2007; Mary; Matthew, VU class of 2010; Joseph, VU class of 2012 and John. INSIDE VILLANOVA BASKETBALL WITH KYLE NEPTUNE presented by toyota The television program that brings Wildcat fans behind the scenes of their favorite team is “Inside Villanova Basketball with Kyle Neptune”. In 2023-24, the show returns to its longtime Philadelphia home NBC Sports Philly, where it aired from 2001-21. Ten shows will premiere on the network over the course of the college basketball season. Check villanova.com for the full schedule. TALKING VILLANOVA BASKETBALL WITH KYLE NEPTUNE presented by Hartford Funds “The Talking Villanova Basketball Podcast with Kyle Neptune presented by Hartford Funds” debuted in November 2022 as the coach of the Wildcats hosts a show dedicated to fascinating basketball conversations with student-athletes, alumni and other figures in college basketball Fans can follow @ NovaMBB on Twitter, Instragram, and Facebook to receive instant alerts when a new podcast becomes available for download. VILLANOVA ATHLETICS WEBSITE www.villanova.com • Game Notes (full game notes available in .pdf format) • Statistics • Schedule and Results • Feature Stories • Complete media guide (available section by section in .pdf format) • Highlight Videos • Villanova Apparel VILLANOVA.COM internet Radio Broadcasts • Radio Broadcasts and Live Stats of Wildcat basketball games available over the internet. • To access live and archived broadcasts, mouse over the NOVA NATION menu at the top of the website and select Nova Nation All-Access. Whitey Rigsby Eric Dixon is interviewd by “Inside Villanova Basketball.” 2023-24 VillanoVa BasketBall 58 WWW.VILLANOVA.COM Next >