Jay Wright has no interest in being the New York Knicks’ next head coach, and one of his former players is relieved about that decision.
Wright — who coached Villanova to two national championships, four Final Fours and 642 wins — had been mentioned as a possible candidate for the Knicks opening after they fired Tom Thibodeau last week. NBA teams have long been fascinated to see if Wright’s success in college basketball could translate to the pros.
The Knicks were a particularly intriguing choice because three former Wildcats — Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart — are star players on the roster. (Apologies to Donte DiVincenzo, who was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves last season. But he got an AT&T commercial out of it.)
However, Wright told college basketball reporters Seth Davis and Matt Norlander he is retired from coaching and wants to remain a studio analyst for CBS. That’s not surprising since Wright is 63 years old and had always been a college coach during his nearly 40-year career, 28 as a head coach at Hofstra and Villanova.
Perhaps taking those factors into consideration, Hart responded to news of Wright’s desire to stay retired by saying, “Man Thank You. Stay retired!”
Hart was certainly successful playing for Wright at Villanova. He won a national championship in 2016, along with first-team All-America and Big East Player of the Year honors. That put him in position to be an NBA first-round pick, drafted No. 30 overall by the Utah Jazz in 2017. (Hart was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and also played with the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers before being traded to the Knicks.)
Wright reportedly also has a good relationship with Knicks president Leon Rose, with whom he communicates regularly. Yet that means Rose knows Wright well enough to be aware that he prefers to stay retired.
The Knicks are apparently targeting experienced NBA head coaches in their search. They’re reportedly expected to request permission to interview Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd. The Houston Rockets have already declined a similar inquiry regarding their coach, Ime Udoka.
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