Villanova University - Long shots: Jay Wright, Villanova, and college basketballs most unlikely champion

To Madigan and Kieran, who make this long-shot mom look like a champion every day.

Contents

Foreword by Jay Bilas

For many years, I had the honor and privilege of sitting courtside to call Big Monday games on ESPN with broadcast legends Bill Raftery and Sean McDonough. The three of us always looked forward to Big Monday, in part because we were together, and in large part because we were going to witness an old-school, bare-knuckle Big East brawl that had championship tradition, blood rivalry, and some of the finest players and coaches in the games history behind it. We never had to explain the meaning of Big Monday to anyone. We just had to say, Big Monday.

When we first started working together, Raftery, McDonough, and I came up with a list of the top five coaches wed like to have a beer with after a game, win or lose. After years of working together, and decades upon decades of combined years around the game, we had some very strong opinions about players, coaches, and teams, and we werent shy about sharing those opinions with each other. We would update our beer summit list, and debate it, usually over our own beers. It was difficult to limit the list to five, and the real debate was reached at the final two spots. The No. 1 spot, however, was never up for reasonable debate, and never changed. In fact, it was never seriously argued.

The clear No. 1 coach on that list was Villanovas Jay Wright. It wasnt really a close call.

I first came to know Jay Wright when he was the head coach at Hofstra in the late 1990s. A former colleague of mine, current Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey, was the coach at rival Delaware, and told me that I should get to know Wright, because he was the real deal, and he could really coach. On Breys advice, I started watching Hofstra closely in 1999 when Wright guided the Pride to the NIT, and then two straight NCAA Tournament bids. In March 2001, I decided to take a busmans holiday to see Hoftsra play UCLA in the NCAA Tournament in Greensboro, and I was sold. Brey was rightJay Wright was, indeed, the real deal.

Hofstra lost to UCLA that day in Greensboro, in a game that Hofstra could have won. After the game, Wright was gracious, completely in control of his emotions, and made sure that every person in his charge had exactly what they needed, physically and emotionally. In short, you could tell that Wright gets it.

Wright is a Philly guy, and from his Hofstra success, he was able to go back home to Villanova as the Wildcats head coach. In his first few years back on the Main Line, Wright was in Charlotte, North Carolina, for a Villanova alumni event. Former Philadelphia 76er Mike Gminski and I decided to go to the event to support him. The event was far less of a celebratory welcome than Wright gets from Villanova fans today, so Gminski and I took Wright to dinner afterward. At an Italian restaurant (after all, Wright is still a Rollie Massimino disciple), he shared with us the difficulties of laying down the right foundation, and wondered whether he would be allowed enough time. Gminski and I both echoed the same things to Wrighthe reminded us of Mike Krzyzewski in his first few years at Duke, and we told him we believed he would not only get it rolling, but he would take his program to multiple Final Fours during his career. Wright appreciated the support and kind words, but also told us that he was coaching in Philly, and Philly fans dont really care what other people think. They want to see it for themselves. Now.

Even though Villanova is just outside of Philadelphia, its still a Philly team. Im not from Philadelphia, but I have always believed that Philly fans get a bad rap. You boo Santa Claus one time, and youre misunderstood for life! Philly fans are not just good, Philly fans are great. They have high expectations, but I dont know of any great fan base that does not. Philly fans are passionate, gritty, engaged, and loud. Philly fans want you to be one of them, and they dont just want you to play hard, they want you to fight. They will stay with you until the bitter end as long as you fight until the end. They want you to be one of them.

Jay Wright is all Philly. He may look Madison Avenue in his suits tailored by a guy named Gabriel DAnnunzio, but he is old-school Philly. Wright is laser-focused on winning, but very aware of the feelings and expectations of those around him. Philly fans value that. Wright is as upset and bothered after a loss as any competitor, yet he will not allow that competitive fire to burn those around him. Philly fans respect that. Everybody can be Mr. Wonderful after a win. Jay Wright is Mr. Wonderful to everyone after a win or a loss. That is uncommon, and Philly fans get that about Wright. He can operate just as effectively in a board room as in a locker room, and he makes everyone feel important, from the CEO to the bus driver. Philly fans grasp that, and appreciate it. Wright is confident without being overconfident. When Kris Jenkins let the winning jumper go against North Carolina, Wright could be seen saying, Bang. Wright will tell you that he often does that whenever he sees a player step up and take the right shot with confidence. On the flip side, when an opponent takes a similar shot that might hurt the Wildcats, he will say, No way. Wright insists there was nothing special or unusual about his saying Bang, and I believe him. But its still pretty damn cool. What player wouldnt want his coach saying Bang when they pull the trigger on a big shot?

Im not nave. I know that, in Philadelphia, there will always be tension and some bad blood among the old Philly rivals, and that will never go away. That is among the things that make Philly basketball great. But even the most hardened Philly rival had to love seeing Villanova fight to the end against the toughest draw in the NCAA Tournament, and come out on top. It was, in a word, remarkable.

Most people will tell you that Jay Wright hasnt changed at all over the years. Well, I beg to differ. He has changedhe has gotten better and better. In the last three years culminating in the 2016 national championship, Villanova is 9713, winning more games over that period than any other team in the nation. But Wright is still striving for more, for sustained excellence. The Big East has changed, and things are much harder. Recruiting is harder. Getting exposure is harder. Winning is harder. Yet, Wright gets better. His core values have not changed, and they wont change after the 2016 national championship. But hes a better coach today than he was two years ago, and he will be better than ever next year. After the national championship, Wright was aggressive about learning how best to handle it. He sought out advice from Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Gregg Popovich, and others. Jay Wright is striving to get better, even after his crowning achievement. Philly fans will absolutely love that.

And every sports fan will love this book by Dana ONeil. I am so glad that Dana is writing this book on Villanova and its title season. She has as much in-depth knowledge of Villanova, Wright, and their journey since his hiring as anyone, and there is nobodys work I trust more than Danas. I know that when I read her, I will learn something I didnt know. Dana knows the game, and understands the people in the game.

One thing I have learned about teams and championship seasons is that you may be there for every team meal, bus ride, plane ride, practice, and game, but you dont know every story within the team. Even the Villanova players and coaches will read Danas book and learn details about their season that even they didnt know. The Wildcats were all in on this journey, and really seemed not to mind what people said or thought along the way. So many of us experts picked against the Wildcats, but they didnt seem to care. In fact, they didnt seem to listen. They just fought. And they just won.