|
 In
four short years, Jay Wright has authored a new
chapter in the rich history of Villanova basketball.
In 2004-05, the Wildcats returned to the national
spotlight, advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA
Tournament for the first time since 1988 and
finishing the season with a No. 13 ranking in the
ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
From the day of his arrival as head coach on March
27, 2001 Wright's agenda was clear.
"We want to build an attitude of playing hard and
playing together and playing with great passion," he
stated then. "Most importantly, we want our guys to
play with a pride in representing Villanova."
Today those qualities indeed define Villanova
basketball.
In 2004-05, a national audience saw firsthand how
those elements impact the Wildcats. Despite a litany
of injuries, Villanova emerged as a force in the Big
East Conference, recording six victories over
nationally ranked teams. In its Big East opener, the
Wildcats defeated No. 21 West Virginia 84-46. Three
weeks later, on a snowy afternoon at the Wachovia
Center, Villanova got America's attention with an
83-62 victory over No. 2 Kansas. In February, there
were wins over No. 17 Pittsburgh and No. 3 Boston
College in the Pavilion.
Villanova completed the regular season with a 21-6
record (.778), its best winning percentage since
1995-96. It was awarded the school's first NCAA
Tournament bid since 1999 and came up with victories
over Mountain West Tournament champion New Mexico
and Southeastern Conference Tournament champion
Florida to reach the regional semifinal. Without
forward Curtis Sumpter, who suffered a season-ending
knee injury in the win over the Gators, Villanova
nearly upended top seed and eventual NCAA champion
North Carolina, dropping a 67-66 decision that was
not decided until the final horn sounded.
Wright was named Philadelphia Big Five Eastern
College Coach of the Year for his efforts in leading
VU to a 24-8 mark in 2004-05.
Given that the entire roster minus walk-on guard Tom
Grace is due to return in 2005-06, the horizon
appears especially bright.
The first three seasons of Wright's Villanova tenure
offered snapshots of promise. In 2001-02, the
Wildcats surprised observers by recording 19
victories, including a win over No. 16 UCLA, and
reaching the quarterfinals of the National
Invitation Tournament. The next two seasons were
marked by peaks and valleys as a 2002 recruiting
class ranked among the nation's best acclimated
itself to college. Yet Villanova continued its
postseason streak, earning NIT bids in both 2003 and
2004 while also reaching the Big East Tournament
semifinals in 2004.
Under Wright, Villanova basketball has grown in
other ways. One of Wright's first priorities was to
reach out to former Wildcat players to insure that
they are an active part of the program. Towards that
end, Wright's staff hosts an annual golf outing and
alumni game as part of the university's basketball
"Summer Jam".
Another clear sign of growth is that two former
members of Wright's Villanova staff have now been
entrusted to lead other programs. Joe Jones, a
Villanova assistant coach from 1997-2003, is the
head coach at Columbia. Billy Lange, a part of
Wright's Wildcat staff from 2001-04, now is the head
coach at the United States Naval Academy.
This marks Wright's second stint at Villanova. From
1987-92 he served as an assistant to former head
coach Rollie Massimino before moving on to the
University of Nevada- Las Vegas for two more years
as an assistant coach.
In 1994, Wright landed his first head coaching
position. Hofstra University hired him to breathe
life into a program that had struggled through the
late 1980s and into the early part of the 1990s.
Piece by piece, Wright transformed the Pride into a
potent force in the America East Conference. This
period was capped by a three-year run, which
concluded in 2001, that saw Hofstra post a 72-22
(.766) record and make a pair of NCAA Tournament
appearances.
Wright earned America East Coach of the Year honors
in both 1999-2000 and 2000-01. He was also tabbed
Eastern Basketball's Coach of the Year in 1999-2000.
Two of Wright's Hofstra players have gone on to the
National Basketball Association. Guard Speedy
Claxton was the No. 1 draft choice of the
Philadelphia 76ers in 2000 and Norman Richardson
joined the Indiana Pacers in 2001. Claxton now plays
for the New Orleans Hornets.
"If it weren't for him, I might not be here today,"
said Claxton upon hearing of Wright's move to
Villanova. "He taught me how to play the game, to
have so much passion for the game. We just had a
special relationship. He's great to talk to, a
really good friend. They got a great guy, a great
coach."
At Hofstra, Wright's teams improved on an annual
basis, culminating in the 26-5 season of 2000-01. In
each of Wright's last six seasons on Long Island,
the team improved its victory total from the
previous year. Under Wright's watch Claxton became
only the second sophomore in school history to win
America East Player of the Year honors and the Pride
captured the first ECAC Holiday Festival in school
history in 1998, defeating Pennsylvania and Georgia
Tech.
Tom Pecora, who was by Wright's side throughout the
seven seasons on Long Island, succeeded Wright as
head coach. He is the third former Wright aide now
directing a Division I program.
Since becoming a head coach, Wright has also taken
time out to work with USA Basketball. In August 2005
he served as head coach for the United States' entry
in the World University Games which earned a gold
medal. Team USA was dominant in amassing an 8-0
record by an average margin of victory of 29.9
points per game. Previously, Wright served as an
assistant coach under Syracuse University head coach
Jim Boeheim for the USA Basketball World
Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team in 2000.
The squad competed at the COPABA World Championship
for Young Men Qualifying Tournament in Riberao Preto,
Brazil, and won the silver medal.
Wright spent five years on the Main Line from
1987-92. He performed a wide range of assignments
for Massimino, including scouting, on-court coaching
and recruiting. During his time at Villanova the
Wildcats made three NCAA Tournament appearances and
reached the Elite Eight in 1988.
Wright's coaching career began in 1984 at the
University of Rochester. He also served as an aide
to Eddie Burke at Drexel University.
A 1983 graduate of Bucknell University with degrees
in economics and sociology, Wright was a four-year
letterman in basketball. He earned both the Benton
A. Kribbs Most Valuable Player and the Macolm E.
Musser Leadership Awards as an undergraduate.
Following graduation, Wright worked as an
administrative assistant with the Philadelphia Stars
football team that captured the 1983 United States
Football League championship.
Since returning to Philadelphia, Wright has joined
forces with his fellow Division I head coaches in
the fight against cancer. Through the work of the
head coaches at Drexel, La Salle, Penn, Saint
Joseph's, Temple and Villanova, the Philadelphia
chapter of Coaches vs. Cancer has become one of the
top fundraising groups in that organization.
The product of Churchville, Pa., attended Council
Rock High School. He is married to the former
Patricia Reilly (Villanova class of 1983). The
Wrights have two sons, Taylor (12), Colin (10), and
a daughter, Reilly (6). |
