In a program long defined by achievement, Jay Wright has, in eight seasons as head coach of Villanova University's Men's Basketball team, placed his own imprint of success on Wildcat basketball. Under his dynamic stewardship, which includes a pair of BIG EAST Coach of the Year awards, Villanova has enjoyed a five-year ride unlike any in program history, culminating in the school's appearance in the 2009 Final Four.
There is also ample evidence that there is more to look forward to on the Main Line. Villanova returns several key holdovers from its Final Four squad and will augment that with a recruiting crop ranked as No. 2 in the nation by ESPNU.
The 2008-09 season put a fitting exclamation point on the period. Backed by an experienced cast that included senior captains Dwayne Anderson, Shane Clark, Dante Cunningham and junior Scottie Reynolds, Villanova established a new single season record for victories with 30. It was ranked in the Associated Press top 25 every week of the season and posted a 13-5 mark in BIG EAST play. Cunningham was the BIG EAST's Most Improved Player and Corey Fisher its Sixth Man of the Year. Wright was selected as the conference's Coach of the Year.
In 2007-08 it was a tale of a young cast slowly acclimating itself to the rigors of BIG EAST basketball. With a roster devoid of seniors, the Wildcats endured growing pains as they acclimated themselves to the rigors of the BIG EAST Conference. In early February Villanova owned a 13-8 record and its post-season prospects appeared tenuous.
However, VU displayed the grit that has become such a staple of the program in the 21st century, picking up huge late season victories over West Virginia, Connecticut, Providence and Syracuse to gain an NCAA bid. Then, in another display of resiliency, the Wildcats rallied from an 18-point first half deficit to upset No. 5 seed Clemson in the opening round and followed that with a second round triumph over Siena before being eliminated by eventual champion Kansas.
It was just one more symbol of the vitality of Villanova basketball under Wright, who owns a 178-91 (.662) record as head coach of the Wildcats.
That strength showed itself in 2006-07 as well. Despite the loss of six seniors, including first round NBA draft choices Foye (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Lowry (Memphis Grizzlies), the Wildcats responded with a 22-11 effort, winning seven of their last nine regular season games to earn an at-large bid to the 2007 NCAA Tournament. The `Cats also extended their school record Philadelphia Big Five winning streak to 11 straight (it would ultimately reach 13 in a row) with a perfect 4-0 record against their City Series rivals and freshman Scottie Reynolds joined Tim Thomas as the only Villanova players to earn BIG EAST Rookie of the Year honors.
In 2005-06, the Wildcats catalogued an impressive array of accomplishments despite the October loss of All-Big East forward Curtis Sumpter to season-ending knee surgery. Utilizing a four guard lineup, Villanova finished with 28 wins, to that point the most in school history, earning a share of the Big East Conference regular season title along the way. It spent the entire season ranked in the top 10 of both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN polls, climbing as high as No. 2 in February. The Wildcats were rewarded with the first NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed in the program's history and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1988.
There were plenty of individual highlights too. Wright received national coach of the year honors from CBS/Chevrolet, the Naismith Awards, and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). The native of Churchville, Pa., was also named Big East Coach of the Year and earned the Harry Litwack Award as the Eastern College Coach of the Year from the Herb Good Club in Philadelphia.
In 2004-05, the Wildcats enjoyed a breakthrough campaign. The club overcame a host of significant injuries to emerge as a force in the BIG EAST Conference, recording six victories over nationally ranked teams. 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. 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.
It was a significant milepost in a cycle of growth spawned when Wright returned to the university he had first served as an assistant coach to Rollie Massimino from 1987-92. 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."
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 includes former players in the annual Men's Basketball Banquet, which was moved to the floor of the Pavilion in 2009 to accommodate the growing demand for tickets.
This marks Wright's second stint at Villanova. He served as an assistant to former head coach Rollie Massimino for five seasons before moving on to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas for two more years as an assistant coach from 1992-94.
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.
Five of those Wright has tutored as a college head coach moved on to the National Basketball Association following their college careers. Foye was taken with the seventh overall selection in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft and is with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Lowry was also selected in the first round of the 2006 draft by Memphis and Ray spent the 2006-07 season with the Boston Celtics. Speedy Claxton, whom Wright coached at Hofstra, was a first round draft pick of Philadelphia in 2000 and has enjoyed an eight-year NBA career while his former Pride teammate, Norman Richardson, spent time with Indiana.
Academic success has been a key component of Wright's coaching career. Every player who has spent four years with Wright's programs at Villanova and Hofstra has earned his college degree. 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. For his efforts Wright was named USA Basketball Co-Developmental Coach of the Year. In the summer of 2007, he served as head coach of the United States' entry in the Pan American Games, leading the squad to a 3-2 record.
Wright's coaching career began in 1984 at the University of Rochester and he followed that with a season at Drexel (1985-86).
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 the nation.
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 (16), Colin (15), and a daughter, Reilly (10).
