Jay Wright Named Naismith Coach Of The Year
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — On Sunday, Villanova head coach Jay Wright was named the 2016 Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year, awarded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Wright joins the rare realm of John Calipari (University of Massachusetts 1996, University of Memphis 2008 and University of Kentucky 2015) and Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University, 1989, 1992, 1999) as the only multi-year winners of the award.
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Wright became the first Big East coach to win the award in 2006, and now has won two in 11 years. This year, Wright won out over four finalists that included Tom Crean (Indiana University), Chris Mack (Xavier University) and Bill Self (University of Kansas). Wright was selected by a group of top national college basketball writers, current and former head coaches, former award winners and conference commissioners.
None of this should really come as a surprise. What Wright has done throughout Villanova's NCAA Tournament championship run has been nothing short of excellent. His team has bought into his unselfish message, though it's been mostly Wright's ability to turn the Wildcats' defensive screws up and down that's placed them in the championship.
Wright has kept opposing teams guessing what defense he'll employ, and that's forced teams out of their offense. That was most evident Saturday in Villanova's historic 95-51 Final Four victory over Oklahoma. By the time the Sooners got the ball where they wanted it, a large portion of the shot clock had been shaved off and they rushed their shots.
Wright led the Wildcats to their third straight season of 25 or more victories. There have been 12 seasons of 25 or more victories since Villanova basketball began in 1920. Six have occurred since 2006 when Wright took over. The Wildcats finished with a 16-2 record for the third straight season to win their third consecutive Big East regular season title. This year, Wright led the team to its 11th NCAA Tournament and second Final Four run in his 15 seasons as head coach.
And he has done all of this without a top NBA prospect.
According to CBSSports' Sam Vecenie, Villanova does not have a player inside the top-71 NBA prospects and only three in the top-150. Josh Hart is No. 72, the only Wildcat inside the top-100. Daniel Ochefu is Vecenie's 134th listed player, while freshman Jalen Brunson is No. 142.
Wright was named co-Big East Coach of the Year. It is the fifth time he was named Big East Coach of the Year since 2006 and he is also the first to win the honor in three straight seasons (2014-16). Villanova ascended to the No. 1 spot on Feb. 8 for the first time in the regular season in the history of the program. They remained atop the polls for three weeks. The Wildcats' 34 wins this season is a school record for wins in a year—and it may not be finished yet.
If Villanova wins Monday night, expect Wright—and Villanova—to receive every local sports honor there is, from the Philadelphia's Sports Writers Association's Team of the Year, to CBS Philly's Sportsperson of the Year.
Villanova has enjoyed a season for the ages. And there's no questioning who put them there.
