SPORTS
10 | The Villanovan
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
SPORTS
Jay Wright to Stay at Villanova, Turning Down 76ers Billy Vinci Co-Sports Editor On the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 2, men’s basketball head coach Jay Wright announced that he is not a candidate for the Philadelphia 76ers head coach position. “Out of respect for our Villanova community and our 76ers organization, I feel the need to address speculation about the 76ers head coach position,” Wright said in a statement released on Twitter. “The 76ers have a great leader in Elton Brand, outstanding young talent, and an incredible opportunity for any coach to compete for a championship. As a lifetime 76ers fan, I have confidence they will bring in the right coach to build on what Brett Brown has developed. I am not a candidate for the job. I am very happy and honored to coach at Villanova.” When Brett Brown was fired on Aug. 24 following a sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs, speculation quickly turned to Wright as the man to fill the job. Wright has coached the Wildcats to two National Championships and three Final Four appearances in 19 years on the job, going from a hot mid-major coach to AP Coach of the Decade for the 2010s. Wright has been courted for, or at the very least been linked to,
many jobs while he has been at the University, but only two have caused real speculation for Wright to leave the Main Line. Following the 2009 Final Four, Wright’s first appearance in the last weekend of college basketball, Kentucky attempted to hire Wright. Kentucky is obviously a blue blood in the college basketball world, and Wright took his time and considered a departure. Obviously, it didn’t happen as he remained at Villanova. The other job that causes Villanova fans angst when it comes to Wright is the Sixers. Wright has long expressed that he loves the Northeast, the Big 5 and Philadelphia in general. Going to the 76ers would not only allow him to take a step up to the NBA, but allow him to stay near the home he loves. Following the 2009 Final Four appearance, Wright was also contacted by the 76ers. Then Sixers President Ed Stefanski, who is a Philadelphia native himself, reached out to Wright to gauge his interest in the job. The two did meet to discuss the job, but Wright ended up declining and releasing a statement, like the one he just released 11 years later. As a result, whenever a 76ers job opens, speculation turns directly to Wright. Philadelphia is obviously special to Wright, and the city has never had a team as good as the one they have now. The Sixers are a legit playoff team that has real champion-
ship aspirations. Despite Wright’s self proclaimed love for Philadelphia and the Sixers, a job in the NBA is immensely different from a job in the Big East. As those who closely follow the Head Coach know, Wright has pointed out on numerous occasions that he enjoys the anonymity the Villanova job provides. He has specifically been on the record saying that he enjoys going to the Jersey Shore during the summer with minimal interruptions. Being the head coach of the local NBA team changes all of that. Winning two National Championships will get a coach a lot of attention and recognition, but nothing would compare to the pressure and attention he would receive as the Sixers coach, especially considering
Philadelphia is a professional sports town above all else. Radio and television talk shows discuss college basketball, but just spend an hour or two a day watching or listening during a calendar year, and a very large majority of the discussion will be on the professional teams. At most, about 10-20% of their discussions are reserved for college basketball, mostly during March. Wright confirmed on Wednesday that Villanova is the place he wants to be. Any distractions the basketball team has had to deal with in the days since the firing are removed as they now look forward to a season where they are ranked in the top three in the preseason and have a real shot at Wright’s third national championship and the program’s fourth.
Coach Jay Wright after Villanova’s win against Butler in the Finn Courtesy of Villanova Athletics
Golf: The Perfect Sport to Play During Quarantine Zac Tipton Staff Writer As we all know, when everyone was sent home back in March, all college sports were shut down. This included the season for the Villanova golf team, which was in the middle of its spring season and was thoroughly enjoying being out
on the course and playing together. After a successful fall season in 2019, the squad was excited to get back out there for the spring. The Wildcats were able to play in the Banyan Creek Collegiate Tournament in Palm City, Florida in mid-February. Also, on March 2nd and 3rd, they participated in the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate event, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Senior Reb Banas in action last year before the 2020 spring season was cancelled Courtesy of Villanova Athletics
However, the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate event scheduled to begin on March 22nd in Williamsburg, Va. was cancelled, as was the remainder of their schedule. The Wildcats also missed out on their home event, the Wildcat Spring Invitational, scheduled for April 6th and 7th, and the Big East Tournament at the conclusion of the season. While this was a bump in the road for the golfers, it didn’t stop the team. Although the members weren’t able to golf, they were able to focus on their studies. Coach James Wilkes applauded the team saying, “They really focused on school and cracked down on their studies, and we finished with a combined GPA of 3.8 as a team, which I believe is the best for any men’s sport.” Wilkes was incredibly proud of how the men were able to excel in the classroom when they couldn’t be on the golf course. The golfers’ individual hard work helped to earn the team a GCAA Team Academic Award, which added to Villanova’s 14 NCAA Public Recognition Awards for academic achievement. Golf is different from many sports because one can easily social distance while playing. A golfer has the ability to stay 50 feet apart from another ahtlete, much less six feet. So, most golf courses were able to open early on in quarantine, which means that many of the players
were able to play nearly every day (when they weren’t studying). Wilkes said that he does know a lot of his players were still finding ways to play competitively over the summer. He said that they all are really serious about the coronavirus and are all trying to do the best they can to make sure students can stay on campus and not have to go home again. Since the team has been able to start meeting, Wilkes said that he hasn’t been using up all the practice days he can. The team has Zoom meetings and in-person meetings, and it has been starting to get back to normal. While it hasn’t done much practicing at the course as a team, Wilkes said that a lot of the guys have been going with each other, as roommates or as groups, and just going to the course to play. He is also excited because he now has the biggest team he’s ever had. The school’s website lists the roster at 11 players, with a good mix of both old and young guys. With freshmen all the way to seniors, Wilkes is really excited to have the depth on the roster. Wilkes said that Athletic Director Mark Jackson has had good communication with Big East Officials throughout the school year and that at the moment, the spring season is still a go as normal. However, there will not be a fall season. For now, the team is back on campus practicing, playing and learning.
