VILLANOVA, Pa. — Jay Wright attended mass — as one does working at the only Augustinian Catholic university in the nation — and often found himself on his smartphone more than he was listening to the sermon.
“I’m hearing the homily and I’m texting our players about something that could help them,” he said. “Which is crazy! But it’s just the way you live.
“I look forward not to live that way.”
Wright walked out of the Pavilion — a dumpy gym that underwent a metamorphosis into a sleek home court where Villanova championship banners were raised under his watch — hand-in-hand with wife Patty, eager to test out his new life ahead. And maybe even sit through a few homilies without interruption.
Typically unflappable in the spotlight, Wright choked back tears Friday throughout his explanation for his sudden retirement at Villanova, saying he no longer had “the edge” he needed to continue coaching at a championship level.
His final season ended with a Big East Tournament title and a fourth career trip to the Final Four.
Not bad for a lost edge.
Dapper for most of his 21 seasons in a bespoke Italian suit, Wright returned to his GQ Jay style for Friday’s farewell after he spent the last two seasons coaching in casual ware.
He could have used the handkerchief in his pocket.
The 60-year-old Wright insisted there were no health scares or future dalliances ahead with other programs or the NBA that contributed to his decision. Maybe broadcasting? He couldn’t say for sure, only that he was ready to hit the beach.
Wright had contemplated retirement here and there over the last several seasons, but he knew down the stretch of this past one it was definitively his last. He told his inner circle at Villanova at the end of the regular season he was retiring. Villanova athletic director Mark Jackson and others hoped Wright would change his mind.
With good reason.
Wright went 520-197 in 21 seasons at the Big East program he led to two national championships and four Final Fours in a Hall of Fame career. Kyle Neptune, his longtime assistant who spent last season as head coach at Fordham, took over.
