Villanova’s Jay Wright a finalist for Coach of the Year

Villanova’s Jay Wright is a finalist for the Naismith Trophy Men’s College Coach of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Thursday.

Wright is one of four finalists, joining Virginia’s Tony Bennett, Ohio State’s Chris Holtmann and Tennessee’s Rick Barnes.

“GQ Jay”, who is in the thick of his 17th season, coached the Wildcats to the top of the Big East and the No. 1 seed in the East. His resume includes six Big East conference titles and 13 NCAA tournament appearances.

The winner of the award will be announced during on April 1 in San Antonio, Texas. A fan vote will account for five percent of the final Coach of the Year selection tally. Fans can vote once daily at www.naismithtrophy.com/vote between March 19-30.

Villanova opens the 2018 NCAA Tournament’s East Region against No. 16-seed Radford on Thursday at 6:50p.m. Eastern Time (TV: truTV) in Pittsburgh.