Imagine doing that 1.5 months ago as Butler was continuing to lose! This is the best chance Butler will ever have to be what everyone on here wants them to be. The best coach in the Big East is now at Butler. Imagine that a few weeks ago without it being Stevens.
I assume Coach Wright just told his players yesterday or today, which means they have less than two weeks to decide whether they will enter the portal.
Transforming the roster? He’s simply talked everyone except Golden into returning. And from a roster that most agreed was not a BE roster. Sent from my iPad using Butler Hoops mobile app
Overall, Wright retiring is not good for our conference. Villanova, and most importantly JW, have kept the Big East nationally relevant since the reformation. Yes, this means Villanova might be an easier win for Butler, but I'd rather have a loaded conference. It's not like we competed for recruits much with Nova anyway.
While I think the BE would have been a relevant P5 conference with or without Jay, I will at least agree that he has contributed to the BE being arguably the best of the best in terms of college basketball. I also agree that having strong teams like Nova ultimately make the conference itself better along with all the teams that comprise it. Nova is in an interesting position right now. They have some history and notoriety, but I don't think they necessarily have the same brand identity of a Duke, Kentucky, or UNC. Kids aren't going to play there just because of the name of the school. It will be interesting to see if they can sustain their recent level of success. I, for one, hope so, especially if their next coach possesses even a shred of the character Jay did/does.
All true. Not to mention that we tied (with Marquette) for the best record against them (5-8) over the last six years of any team that played them more than once.
Finally something I have knowledge to discuss outside of the Butler realm. Kyle Neptune was 100% groomed for the role to take over for Jay and I wouldn't be surprised if Jay pushed Kyle to get one year under his belt at Fordham for Kyle to succeed him. Kyle did an incredible job in his one year and the buzz around us Fordham alums was at an all-time high... and Fordham's a trash men's basketball program. I'll admit it, as much as I love them. That being said, despite Kyle's recruiting chops (and he did a hell of a job, I'll admit, through low-level programs and JUCOs), I wonder how he will do with all eyes on him. He developed a very strong defensive mindset with the Rams, especially after our #1 scorer transferred out in December after shooting a game-winner. I am super thankful he took the chance to make Fordham somewhat relevant again, even if it was just for one year... ... and I am eagerly looking forward to see Matta and the Dawgs take it to Villanova every single match-up.
The national media is going to go on rants about how selfish it is to limit other peoples options because of a coaching decision, right?
Nova would show up at Hinkle and they looked and acted different than the rest. They carried themselves in a confident not cocky way. They looked and acted like winners and they were. Jay Wright was the coolest most composed coach under pressure that I've ever watched in college hoops. His teams reflected this as well. Always made himself available to media no matter what... My initial reaction is disappointment. There was plenty of gas in the tank to keep going. My other thought is that I hope all is well and this is purely a career decision. The college game will miss Jay Wright.
Really surprised by this news this morning. Good for him going out when he wants and at the top of his game. I am sure he has more than enough money to live comfortably for the rest of his life. This is a bummer for the Big East, even though it opens up opportunities for other teams to win some conference titles. The Big East would not have the stature it does today, almost 10 years post-recreation, without Villanova's final four and title runs. Add in that he runs a clean program and seems to be an overall decent human being. Sad to see this.
The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if Barry Collier caught wind of these rumors in the last month or two, and that’s why we’ve so suddenly pushed so many chips in, so to speak.
College basketball needs honest good coaches like Jay Wright. With the transfer portal, NIL and Mark Emmert driving the NCAA into a worthless organization corruption is going to explode. Would not be surprised with the landscape changing to a professional model with no guard rails he decided now is the time to hang it up.
Accurate 100%. Wright built a culture 2nd to none, without the big budget and all the glitter that comes with it. Other coaches should aspire to model his program.
That's one thing I can share about Neptune - he is a young coach and acts like a young coach with a lot of energy, passion, and not exactly the most composed always, which is all not a bad thing at all, of course. It's just a different demeanor and Neptune is one passionate guy. IMO, he's an excellent hire for Villanova, but it'll be a completely different beast - from a program that desperately needed a shot of positivity and energy to one of the more established college programs in decades. It'll be fascinating to watch.
Given the nature of the announcement, my hope is that this decision isn't health related. That would be tragic.
Absolutely agree. More than almost any other coach I can think of, the team reflected the positive qualities and temperament of the coach. They played hard but disciplined. I always loved beating them because of their excellence, but I never felt too bad when we lost to them. They were always magnanimous in victory and gracious in defeat. Would that college basketball had 100 more like him.
I agree with all the accolades of JW. He is an absolute class act and a tremendous coach. I am disappointed as I was very much looking forward to Thad and Jay coaching against each other. Due to how late in the off-season he announced his retirement, my first thought was how I hope it’s not health related. He deserves to enjoy his retirement doing whatever he desires. Sent from my iPhone using Butler Hoops
