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Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright announced his retirement as head coach of the Villanova Men’s basketball team. After 21 seasons, four Final Four appearances and two national championships, the legendary coach is stepping down.
The legacy of Jay Wright
Jay Wright was very successful in his time with the Villanova Wildcats. He won two national championships and went to the NCAA tournament in 16 of his 21 seasons with the team, including 2022. Wright was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September.
Wright has also coached many NBA players. The NBA currently has nine players on rosters that were coached by Wright, 16 total players have made the NBA after being coached by Wright.
Wright won national championships in 2016 and 2018. Six players from those two teams made the NBA, five of which are still on rosters.
In his time at Villanova, he coached the program to a 520-197 record. He was the Big East Coach of the Year six times and the Naismith Coach of the Year twice in 2006 and 2016.
Wright thanked all of his former Villanova players, coaches, and administrators in a Twitter post.
— Jay Wright (@VUCoachJWright) April 21, 2022
Fordham’s Kyle Neptune to take over
Villanova already has Jay Wright’s replacement. Fordham’s Kyle Neptune takes the job for next season.
We're excited to turn the reins of this treasure of a program over to @kyleneptune . Kyle was a part of our staff for 10 years , helped us win two national titles and returns after a successful season @FordhamMBB . He understands our culture and will keep it strong . pic.twitter.com/Nf6n1B5Gcv
— Jay Wright (@VUCoachJWright) April 21, 2022
Kyle Neptune spent 10 years as a video coordinator and assistant coach under Wright. In just one season with Fordham, Neptune led the Rams to a 16-16 record, a 14 win improvement over the 2020-2021 season.
Neptune was an assistant coach at Villanova during the 2016 and 2018 national championship teams.
Not the only one
Jay Wright is not the only legendary coach to leave the college basketball scene this season, nor is he the only Hall of Fame coach to leave.
Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski announced his retirement before the 2021-2022 season but coached it as his last year.
Both Jay Wright and Coach K made it to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament before retiring.
