Latest news with #JayWright
Fox Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Former Villanova coach Jay Wright not interested in Knicks head coach job
Jay Wright will not be the next head coach of the New York Knicks. The former Villanova men's basketball head coach has informed the Knicks that he's not interested in succeeding Tom Thibodeau and will remain retired, he told Sports Illustrated. Wright added in his comments to Sports Illustrated that he and Knicks president Leon Rose briefly discussed the position. Even though he and Rose are good friends, Wright reiterated his plans to remain retired as he never asked to interview for the vacancy. In the moments after Thibodeau was fired, Wright was immediately viewed as a top candidate to replace him. He coached three of the Knicks' top players in college, winning multiple national championships with guard Jalen Brunson and forward Mikal Bridges. He also won a national title coaching wing Josh Hart. However, some insiders viewed the Knicks' chances at obtaining the two-time national championship-winning head coach as a bit of a long shot. "Jay Wright is enjoying red wine, basketball, television and his family," FOX Sports college basketball expert John Fanta recently said on "The Herd." "If he wanted to coach again, he'd be the Villanova coach. "Jay Wright is not going anywhere." Wright, 63, announced his retirement from Villanova after leading the Wildcats to the Final Four in 2022. That marked his fourth Final Four trip as Villanova's head coach, winning eight Big East regular-season titles and five Big East Tournament titles to go with his two national championship victories. Wright is one of multiple coaches with Big East ties who have said they don't plan to pursue the Knicks' head coach gig. St. John's coach Rick Pitino, who coached the Knicks for two seasons in the late 1980s, said he was "absolutely not" interested in becoming New York's next head coach. UConn's Dan Hurley, meanwhile, sidestepped a question about his possible interest in the job. In addition to those three, a pair of other rumored Knicks candidates seem unlikely to interview for the job. New York has reportedly expressed interest in Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka and Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd. But after capturing the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference during the 2024-25 season, the Rockets aren't interested in letting the Knicks potentially negotiate a deal and trade involving Udoka, per The Athletic . As for Kidd, the Knicks reportedly planned to ask the Mavericks for permission to interview their head coach. However, the Mavericks are expected to turn down any request the Knicks make to interview Kidd, longtime NBA insider Marc Stein reported Saturday. Beyond those five candidates, former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone and current Cleveland Cavaliers associate head coach Johnnie Bryant have been viewed as possibilities for the Knicks' head coach job. Bryant is the current betting favorite for the job, while Malone has the second-best odds, via DraftKings Sportsbook. Bryant, who was the Knicks' associate head coach from 2020-24, was one of the finalists for the Phoenix Suns' head coach vacancy, but they named fellow Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as their next head coach on Friday. Malone, who grew up near Madison Square Garden in Queens, was fired by the Nuggets with less than a week to go in the regular season. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily ! recommended Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Jay Wright snubs Knicks head coach job after Tom Thibodeau firing... despite close links to team
Legendary college basketball head coach Jay Wright has no interest in returning to the sidelines, reportedly declining interest in the vacant New York Knicks head-coaching job. Wright has been away from coaching since stepping down as Villanova's coach in 2022 after 21 years leading the Wildcats. In his time at the private-school powerhouse, Wright had a 520-197 record and won two national titles. Wright, 63, trading in his broadcast job for a clipboard again generated serious fan interest after Tom Thibodeau was fired as the team's coach on Tuesday, combined with three Villanova alumni in the Knicks' core. Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges all played for Wright in the Philadelphia suburb. A Big East reunion is not in the cards in the Big Apple, per Seth Davis. Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges all played for Wright as Villanova's head coach Wright has worked for both CBS Sports and TNT Sports since his Villanova career ended. The Knicks' vacancy underscores the team's desire to win a championship, with the eventual hire needing to hang a banner inside Madison Square Garden for it to be seen as a successful tenure. Wright no doubt has the basketball pedigree to be considered able to pull off the feat. Now, the Knicks will look elsewhere. The team was linked with Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd earlier this week, while another longshot, home-run hire in Dan Hurley still exists. Other options include Cavaliers assistant Johnnie Bryant and former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone among coaches with connections to the team or available leaders with previous championships.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Jay Wright not in the mix to coach New York Knicks: Report
Contrary to reports, former Villanova coach Jay Wright isn't in the mix to become the new head coach of the New York Knicks. Seth Davis, an American sportswriter and broadcaster, confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that Wright had told the New York Knicks that he intends to remain retired as he isn't interested in taking up the coaching gig. "BREAKING: Jay Wright has confirmed to me that he has informed the Knicks that he is not interested in any coaching position and plans to remain retired," Davis wrote on X. The broadcaster also confirmed that Jay Wright briefly discussed the position with New York Knicks President Leon Rose, but he was never offered the job or asked to give an interview. "Jay confirmed that he and his good friend Leon Rose discussed the position briefly but he was never offered the job or asked to interview. He simply reiterated that he plans to stay retired," Davis said further. The 63-year-old Wright spent more than 20 years at Villanova before calling time on his career in 2022. He then became an analyst for CBS and TNT. Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and Jalen Brunson are some of the current New York Knicks players who have been coached by Wrightat Wildcats. Hart also reacted to the rumours of Wright becoming the New York Knicks coach on X, joking that his former coach should "stay retired." "Man Thank You. Stay retired," he wrote. The New York Knicks recently fired Tom Thibodeau. The move came out of the blue, especially considering how he led the team to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. According to ESPN, the New York Knicks are considering Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, among other head coaching candidates, for the high-profile job. The Indiana Pacers recently defeated the New York Knicks in Game 6 to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Reports: Jay Wright not interested in coaching Knicks
June 8 - Although the Knicks have three players whom Jay Wright coached at Villanova, the retired Hall of Famer will not resume his career with New York, multiple media outlets reported on Saturday. Per the reports, Wright and Knicks president Leon Rose -- who are close -- had a discussion about the coaching vacancy but a formal interview was not scheduled. Following their first trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 25 years, the Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday after just one season at the helm. At Villanova, Wright coached current Knicks Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, who were all members of the program's 2016 national championship team. After 21 seasons at Villanova, Wright retired in 2022 and became a college basketball analyst for CBS and TNT. He compiled a 520-197 record at the school. Commenting on social media regarding the reports that Wright would not be coaching the Knicks, Hart jokingly posted, "Man Thank You. Stay retired!" Per ESPN, Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd is among the candidates who have been on the Knicks' radar since Thibodeau's dismissal. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Josh Hart is glad Jay Wright isn't interested in Knicks head coaching job, saying 'Stay retired!'
Jay Wright has no interest in being the New York Knicks' next head coach and one of his former players is relieved about that decision. Wright — who coached Villanova to two national championships, four Final Fours and 642 wins — had been mentioned as a possible candidate for the Knicks opening. NBA teams have long been fascinated to see if Wright's success in college basketball could translate to the pros. Advertisement The Knicks were a particularly intriguing choice because three former Wildcats — Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart — are star players on the roster. (Apologies to Donte DiVincenzo, who was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves last season. But he got an AT&T commercial out of it.) However, Wright told college basketball reporters Seth Davis and Matt Norlander that he is retired from coaching and wants to remain a studio analyst for CBS. That's not surprising since Wright is 63 years old and had always been a college coach during his nearly 40-year career, 28 as a head coach at Hofstra and Villanova. Perhaps taking those factors into consideration, Hart responded to news of Wright's desire to stay retired by saying "Man Thank You. Stay retired!" Hart was certainly successful playing for Wright at Villanova. He won a national championship in 2016, along with first-team All-American and Big East player of the year honors. That put him in position to be an NBA first-round pick, drafted No. 30 overall by the Utah Jazz in 2017. (Hart was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, also playing with the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers before being traded to the Knicks.) Advertisement Wright reportedly also has a good relationship with Knicks president Leon Rose, with whom he communicates regularly. Yet that means Rose knows Wright well enough to be aware that he prefers to stay retired. The Knicks are apparently targeting experienced NBA head coaches in their search. They're reportedly expected to request permission to interview Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd. The Houston Rockets have already declined a similar inquiry regarding their coach, Ime Udoka.
