In a truly stunning move, Jay Wright is reportedly set to retire from his position as the head coach of Villanova.
The news shocked the college basketball world on Wednesday, coming a handful of weeks after Villanova’s 81-65 Final Four loss to Kansas in the 2022 March Madness tournament. Though there’s no set timetable for Wright’s departure, he will reportedly be succeeded by Kyle Neptune, head coach of Fordham University and former assistant at Villanova.
Wright has been the head coach at Villanova since 2001, bringing in two NCAA tournament championships in 2016 and 2018. The sudden retirement means Wright won’t get a farewell tour in the same way Mike Krzyzewski got for Duke this past year before the long-time Blue Devils head coach retired earlier in April.
Not only that, Wright’s retirement alongside great head coaches in Krzyzewski and Roy Williams in the last 13 months heralds in quite an unprecedented era for college basketball. Here’s how the college basketball world reacted to the news of Wright’s retirement.