The Villanova Wildcats won the NCAA championship on Monday, surprising many along the way. With the win, head coach Jay Wright has seemingly appeared as a potential target for NBA teams looking for a coach.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, some general managers have interest in the head coach, claiming he could be the next to make the jump from college to the pros.
“Sure,” one NBA general manager said when asked if Wright could be the next college-to-NBA guy. “He has a great demeanor, communicates, has a terrific knowledge of the game. He just gets it.”
“I think he could be — if he wanted to be,” another GM added.
As the second quote illustrates, this hinges to some extent on Wright’s desire to even make that jump. He just won a title and his teams are always among the highest ranked in the country. Money will be a factor, but it is not outlandish to think Wright prefers to stay in college where he’s had success.
The college to NBA leap is a difficult one and there have been varying levels of success in recent years. Brad Stevens has turned into one of the best coaches in the league in Boston while Fred Hoiiberg and Billy Donovan have not done so well and have been immensely criticized for their work in Chicago and Oklahoma City, respectively.
If Wright wants a job in the NBA, he can likely get it now that his stock is at its highest. However, he will have to consider the success he has had in college and determine whether the money and opportunity at success in the pros is worth the risk of failure.
