Jay Wright is retiring
- Thread starter RedOctober3829
- Start date
Hopefully (I'm dreaming of course) he takes over my team-The St. Joe Hawks. Their local Arch Rival.
This is sadly the first thing I thought as well. Sixty just seems too young these days, especially for someone as superb at his profession as Wright is. If this were the first step of a "process" that ends with Doc coaching the Lakers while Jay takes over the Sixers, I'd be ecstatic. But from the story, it sounds like he's not looking to go to the NBA.
My first thought was some kind of misconduct. Hoping it’s neither obviously. Always seemed like a good guy that did things the right way and this is coming from a UCONN fan so I have zero reason to like him.
I live in the Philly area. I'm not a Villanova fan but I always liked him compared to the late Rollie Massamino who thought he was the greatest thing after Nova won it all in 1985. Went to his head. Plus I'm a fan of St. Joes their local arch rival. I respect Jay so much, he might be the best coach in the Big Fives's history. (For those who aren't from here it's the 5 Colleges that play for the City Title, Temple, Villanova, St.Joseph's , U Penn, and La Salle) Drexel is not in the Big Five but many of the teams play them also and they have made the NCAA tourney a few times. The Big Five teams used to always play each other at the Penn Palestra. It is as even Coach K called it the Cathedral of college basketball. The best place in the country to watch a college basketball game. I always laugh when I hear MSG called the worlds greatest arena. The crowd noise is loud and always crazy You should see a game there on your sports bucket list. The games aren't as big as they used to be because most games are at the teams home arena now. Anyway if Jay goes to the Lakers, that would put him on my disdain list. (I don't like to use the word hate) Anyway I don't think he's going to be offered that and hopefully he turns it down.
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Fran Dunphy did that at Temple and thought it was weird, now he's coaching his alma mater LaSalle. Phil Martelli who was the St. Joe coach may have been offered that but he decided to just leave or get fired, which he did. And because of that St. Joe lost 3 recruits who had committed and 2 starters transferred. Really hurt the program bad. As you know he's now an assistant at Michigan.
Boy this sucks, but I'm happy he's going out the way he wants to go out. They made a hell of a run this year.
As a long time Nova fan it's been a joy to see what Jay Wright has done with this program. Even during some of the lean years following the first Final Four appearance in 09, Jay was always a class act. There were some recruiting debacles that lead to those years, and on record he admitted that he needed to get back to what made the teams that he had before it which lead into the Golden Era of "Attitude". I do not expect the program to continually reach the same heights its been at for the last decade or so, but I think brining in long time Wright assistant Kyle Neptune is the right hire and he will keep the program very competitive in the years to come. I just hope the culture stays the way it's been, I love how hard and gritty Nova plays.
Quick side note, when I first got out of college I worked at our local Wegmans. Back in 07, I had the privilege of being the store employee who hung with Jay Wright when he visited the store for some promotional event. Having a chance to sit there and talk about all sorts of stuff with him, hoops included, for two hours was one of the best work related experiences I've ever had in my life. Just an all around great guy.
As a long time Nova fan it's been a joy to see what Jay Wright has done with this program. Even during some of the lean years following the first Final Four appearance in 09, Jay was always a class act. There were some recruiting debacles that lead to those years, and on record he admitted that he needed to get back to what made the teams that he had before it which lead into the Golden Era of "Attitude". I do not expect the program to continually reach the same heights its been at for the last decade or so, but I think brining in long time Wright assistant Kyle Neptune is the right hire and he will keep the program very competitive in the years to come. I just hope the culture stays the way it's been, I love how hard and gritty Nova plays.
Quick side note, when I first got out of college I worked at our local Wegmans. Back in 07, I had the privilege of being the store employee who hung with Jay Wright when he visited the store for some promotional event. Having a chance to sit there and talk about all sorts of stuff with him, hoops included, for two hours was one of the best work related experiences I've ever had in my life. Just an all around great guy.
It says a lot of the sort of people who reach the pinnacle of this profession that we’re all shocked that a 60-year old man who has achieved everything one can achieve as a college coach and just concluded a successful season has chosen to retire.
As a PC alum, I respect the hell out of Jay Wright. Awesome coach, great recruiter, great dresser, all that good stuff. I am hoping this is just him wanting to do something else and not health-related in any way, but if it's the former I am THRILLED to see him leave the Big East.
Can't rule out health, but thankfully, it doesn't appear to be an issue related to misconduct, because he's staying at the school:
William B. Finneran Endowed Head Men's Basketball Coach Jay Wright will be retiring from his position to begin a new chapter in his career at the University as Special Assistant to the President.
https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/media/pressreleases/2022/jay-wright-to-retire-as-villanova-head-mbasketball-coach.html
William B. Finneran Endowed Head Men's Basketball Coach Jay Wright will be retiring from his position to begin a new chapter in his career at the University as Special Assistant to the President.
https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/media/pressreleases/2022/jay-wright-to-retire-as-villanova-head-mbasketball-coach.html
I grew up in the Philly area. My dad was a Penn grad and our neighbors included the Corrigan family. (Dick Corrigan was the Penn AD at the time.) Which is a long way of saying that I spent a lot of time at the Palestra in the 70s. It’s a magic place.
I used to be a massive fan of all the Big 5 teams, but, predictably, that has waned over the years. However, I’ve always been a fan of how Jay Wright ran his program.
I’m sad to see him leave, but not particularly surprised. Being a college coach is a grind, and the changing nature of the job with very little roster continuity makes it especially challenging for coaches who focus on building a program rather than managing an ever-changing roster of 5-star recruits.
Wright has accomplished an extraordinary feat with multiple NCAA Championships and I’m glad he’s leaving on his terms.
It seems fans of the other Big Five teams, who didn't go to that school, are jumping off their team and jumping on Villanova's bandwagon. I'm not accusing you, I'm just saying because of the mediocrity(I'm being nice) of the other schools people seem to be rooting for Nova because they're so good. They're still my least favorite team, being a Hawks fan . but I still root for them in the tournament. I still enjoy the Palestra and watching the Quakers compete for the Ivy Title. I'm disappointed you're still not a Quaker fan, and a Big Five fan. "Hurrah, Hurrah, Hurrah, Hurrah, Hurrah for the Red and the Blue"
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I'm the opposite of you. Grew up in Mass, until my Dad was transferred to Philly in the summer of 71, and here I remain. I had just turned 14. I wasn't a big fan of college basketball until we moved here. I rooted for Providence because I grew up in Fall River, real close, and B.C. out of respect because my dad went there. But college B-Ball was UCLA winning it every year, zzzzzzzzzzzzz. I fell in love with College Basketball because of the Palestra. And got me to like the NBA more, even though My Celtics won every year which we were used to. My first Big Five DH, was LaSalle-Tulsa and St. Joe- Providence. Ernie D, Marvin, against Mike Bantom and Pat MacFarland. All future NBA players. (Missed the great Ken Durrett RIP by a year) LaSalle won their game and The Friars lost to the Hawks, I rooted for P.C. because they were still my team. Little did I know St. Joe would become my team, less then 10 years later. As you remember the late Harry Kallas, the legendary Phillies announcer was the play by play voice, of the Big Five games on Channel 17 and he was as great in B-Ball as he was in baseball. And local sportscaster and Buffalo Bills announcer Al Meltzer did the games also. As much as I love the Red Sox and Fenway, I would be shed a tear more if the Palestra was torn down. That's how much that place means to me because Philly and the Palestra, got me into Basketball.
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And St. Joe getting rid of Martelli turned out to be a disaster because they lost 3 recruits and 2 starters transferred. That New AD handled that terribly not thinking about the fallout. I'd love to ask the new AD, how did that work out for you? Well Phil's at Michigan now. Got hired right after he was let go.
My wife got her Masters at Villanova, which is why my affiliation shifted a bit. That said, I always resented Massimino for ending the Big 5, which (IMO) was an incredibly selfish, short-sighted move. Philly lost something special when that ended.
I am still a big fan of the Red and Blue. It’s just different in the sense that the Ivy League is no longer competitive outside of league play. And the Palestra will never again have that crazed, even war-like (though mostly respectful) atmosphere that it took on for the Big 5 games.
Rollie became a paranoid lunatic. That was form a local sportswriter, off the record whose name I won't mention. I'm glad you agree that just! the Big Five games should still be played at the Palestra. But it's all about money, like everything else. Remember the rollouts? There were some classic ones and some I can't mention on here, LOL. Ed Rendell who was Governor at the time, said somewhat tongue and cheek that he would love to make it Pennsylvania law that every Big Five game should be played at the Palestra. And I give Steve Lappas credit and the Villanova AD in 1998 for agreeing to play the four Big Five games again.
If Amaker could coach as well as he (allegedly) recruits, Harvard might be. Not too many coaches have done less with more.