Jay Wright, the head coach of the Villanova men’s basketball team, has announced his retirement. The renowned coach is retiring after 21 seasons, four Final Four trips, and two national championships.
Jay Wright’s enduring legacy
Jay Wright had a great deal of success with the Villanova Wildcats. In 16 of his 21 seasons with the squad, including 2022, he won two national championships and advanced to the NCAA tournament.
In September, Wright was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Wright has also worked as a coach for a number of NBA players. Wright has coached nine players who are currently on NBA rosters, for a total of 16 players who have made the NBA after being coached by Wright.
In 2016 and 2018, Wright won national titles. Six players from the two clubs have made it to the NBA, with five of them remaining on active squads.
He led Villanova to a 520-197 record during his tenure as head coach. Six times he was named Big East Coach of the Year, and twice he was named Naismith Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2016.
In a Twitter post, Wright congratulated all of his former Villanova players, coaches, and administrators.
Kyle Neptune of Fordham University will take over as the new coach
Jay Wright’s replacement has already been found at Villanova. Kyle Neptune of Fordham is the new coach for next season.
Kyle Neptune worked as a video coordinator and assistant coach for Wright for ten years. Neptune led Fordham to a 16-16 record in just one season, a 14-win increase over the 2020-2021 season.
Neptune served as an assistant coach for Villanova’s national championship teams in 2016 and 2018.
He is not the only one
Jay Wright isn’t the first renowned or Hall of Fame coach to leave the collegiate basketball landscape this season.
Mike Krzyzewski of Duke announced his retirement prior to the 2021-2022 season, but coached it as his final season.
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Before retiring, both Jay Wright and Coach K made it to the NCAA Tournament Final Four.
