VILLANOVA, Pa. – Jay Wright attended Mass – as one does working at Villanova, 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 formerly dumpy gym that underwent a metamorphosis into a sleek home court where championship banners were raised under his watch as head coach of the Villanova men’s basketball team – 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 from leading the Wildcats, 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 NCAA tourney’s Final Four.