Tag: Jay Wright

Team USA’s Jay Wright says Zach LaVine ‘blew the coaching staff away’

The Bulls All-Star impressed during his time with Team USA in Tokyo.

Chicago Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine gained some fans during his time with Team USA this summer playing in the Tokyo Olympics — Team USA assistant coach and Villanova head coach Jay Wright being one of them.

On a recent episode of ‘Bulls Talk Podcast’, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago stated that he spoke to someone who talked with Wright, saying that LaVine ‘blew the coaching staff away.’

“I was actually talking to somebody who is really close to Jay Wright, who is an assistant on the Olympic team, and Jay Wright was telling this guy that Zach just blew the coaching staff away with his role acceptance, his work ethic, his commitment to the defensive end,” Johnson said.

During Team USA’s run to Gold medal in Tokyo, LaVine averaged 10.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists on 59% from the field and 47% from 3-point range.

Listen to the full podcast here.

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Who’s coaching the United States men’s and women’s basketball teams?

The NBA season ended just a few days ago but for fans who want their basketball fix, the Olympics will help.

The NBA season ended just a few days ago, but for fans who want their basketball fix, the Olympics will help provide necessary excitement.

When the United State’s men’s national team begins to play against other top competition from around the world, the men’s team will be coached by Gregg Popovich. He is a five-time NBA champion leading the San Antonio Spurs and has served as head coach for Team USA since taking over for Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski back in October 2015.

Also on the coaching staff for the United States is Steve Kerr, who won five NBA titles as a player and has also already been crowned champion three times as a coach. Kerr played for Popovich for several years when he was a professional player.

Others on the coaching staff are Lloyd Pierce — who was head coach of the Atlanta Hawks until this past season and was recently hired as lead assistant for the Indiana Pacers — as well as Villanova men’s basketball head coach Jay Wright.

Meanwhile, the United States women’s basketball team is led by Dawn Staley, who has held the position since 2017.

(Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)

She played professional basketball for more than a decade both domestically and internationally and is now the head coach for South Carolina’s women’s basketball team. She was recently considered a candidate for the head coaching position with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Her staff includes Dan Hughes (who recently retired as head coach of the Seattle Storm), Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve and former George Washington women’s basketball head coach Jennifer Rizzotti — who recently took over as head coach of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun.

Men’s basketball at the Tokyo Olympics is set to begin Sunday, July 25, and Team USA’s first game is against France at 8 a.m. ET.

Women’s basketball at the Games begins Monday, July 26, and Team USA’s first matchup is against Nigeria at 12:40 a.m. ET on Tuesday, July 27.

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Report: Sixers, Tyronn Lue have strong mutual interest for head job

The Philadelphia 76ers and Tyronn Lue have strong mutual interest for the head coaching job.

The Philadelphia 76ers will continue on with their coaching search after firing Brett Brown on Mondy after seven years on the job. Even after the news that Villanova’s Jay Wright will not be in the running for the head job, there are plenty of other candidates for the position.

One of them is Tyronn Lue who is currently serving as an assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers and he has experience coaching with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He coached them to an NBA title in 2016 as the Cavs rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the historic Golden State Warriors team that won 73 games.

With Wright out of the picture, there is a strong mutual interest between Philadelphia and Lue for the job. The Sixers could not go after Lue in this situation.

Lue is a guy who has had success in this league as a coach and is known for keeping his players accountable. He had the attention of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving during their time with the Cavs and he will be tasked to do the same with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. [lawrence-related id=37354,37349,37343]

Villanova coach Jay Wright confirms he’s not in running for Sixers job

Villanova Wildcats coach Jay Wright puts the rumors to bed that he is not a candidate for the Philadelphia 76ers job.

The Philadelphia 76ers are conducting a coaching search in the 2020 offseason for the first time in seven seasons after firing Brett Brown on August 24 following a Round 1 sweep to the hands of the Boston Celtics.

There has been a list of candidates that have been released and one of them was a popular college coach in the Philadelphia area in the form of Villanova’s Jay Wright. However, Wright released a statement on Wednesday confirming that he is not in the running for the head job of the Sixers.

He cited that out of respect to the Villanova community, he wanted to put the rumors and speculation to rest. He is also a big Sixers fan and he believes in general manager Elton Brand’s ability to help the team bounce back from the disappointing finish.

Wright has had a successful career with the Wildcats leading them to NCAA titles in 2016 with a dramatic win over North Carolina and again in 2018 over Michigan. While he would definitely be a solid candidate for the Sixers, it is clear that he is very comfortable in his position at Villanova and one cannot blame him. [lawrence-related id=37354,37349,37343]

Alex Schiffer: New Nets coach odds per …

Alex Schiffer: New Nets coach odds per @betonline_ag: Jacque Vaughn-5/2 Ty Lue-11/4 Gregg Popovich-3/1 Mark Jackson-7/2 Jason Kidd-4/1 Jeff Van Gundy-15/2 Darvin Ham-10/1 Ime Udoka-10/1 Rick Pitino-15/1 John Calipari-18/1 Mike Krzyzewski-18/1 Tom Izzo-18/1 Adam Harrington-20/1 Jay Wright-20/1

Report: Clippers assistant Tyonn Lue among candidates for Sixers job

The Philadelphia 76ers have identified a couple of candidates to replace coach, Brett Brown.

The Philadelphia 76ers are beginning to pick up the pieces after one of the most disappointing seasons in their history. They had a lot of expectations to contend in the 2019-20 season and instead, they humiliated and swept out of Round 1 by the Boston Celtics.

After a disappointing season such as this one, there will obviously be changes. The first look is going to be at coach Brett Brown who has been the head man for seven seasons in Philadelphia, but it might be time for a change at that spot on the bench as the team maybe looks for a new voice.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and The Stadium, the firing of Brown is imminent and there are already a few candidates for the position including former NBA champion Tyronn Lue as well as Villanova coach Jay Wright:

Following their series sweep loss to the Celtics, the 76ers are expected to part ways with coach Brett Brown, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation say. It’s only a matter of when.

It is believed that the franchise remains committed to building around All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, with the likely onus on figuring out the proper dynamics — on and off the floor — in the hands of the next coach.

Keep an eye on the following potential coaching candidates, according to sources: 76ers assistant Ime Udoka, Clippers assistant Ty Lue, Villanova’s Jay Wright, and former Grizzlies and Kings coach Dave Joerger.

On top of that, the Sixers do seem committed to general manager Elton Bran despite his failed offseason moves. The team picked up his option for the 2020-21 season and it still remains that the franchise has trust in him to move forward.

Shams:

The franchise will have decisions to make throughout the entire organization this offseason. Keep in mind, however, that the team exercised a 2020-21 season contract option on GM Elton Brand just a few months ago and sources say he has maintained a healthy relationship with ownership.

The Sixers have a strong young duo in Embiid and Simmons and now is the time to take advantage of what they have and build a winner around those two bright stars. [lawrence-related id=37141,37135,37132]