Recently retired Villanova coach Jay Wright said Tuesday he could envision himself coaching in the NBA — one day.
A guest on “Keyshawn, JWill & Max” on ESPN, Wright said working with NBA players during the Olympics opened his eyes to the possibility down the road, but right now he’s looking forward to time off.
Wright, 60, retired last Wednesday after 21 years and two national titles at Villanova.
“Right now I definitely need a break,” Wright said. “Right now I’m looking forward to this (special assistant) position at Villanova. But honestly, down the road, I’d be lying — I don’t know what I’m going to feel like.”
Wright worked under Gregg Popovich at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as an assistant on Team USA’s staff. The team won the gold medal.
He said he feels no regret about his career choice a few days into retirement.
“I know I made the right decision, because I don’t think going into next year I’d be able to do the things I need to do to keep this program at a high level,” Wright said. “But I’m going to take this year and really throw myself into this position at Villanova, and then see what’s out there. I just didn’t want to be the coach at Villanova and not be 100 percent in.”
Kyle Neptune, 37, is taking over for Wright. Most recently the coach at Fordham, Neptune worked as an assistant coach on Wright’s Villanova staff for 10 years.
–Field Level Media
