Villanova’s Jay Wright continues to be a go to guy for USA Basketball

Happy Monday Nova Nation! One more month down, just under five more months to go until the official return of college basketball. But for now, it’s back to some summer fun and of course, the links.

Last week Jay Wright was announced as a coach on Greg Popovich’s staff for USA Basketball’s Senior Men’t National Team minicamp. Wright has worked with USA Basketball at multiple levels in the past, and he’s also been an assistant for Pop before. This gives him the opportunity to pad his resume some more, gain NBA credibility, and coach some of the best players alive today.

There’s really no downside in this for Wright, but as Villanova fans it’s hard not to be a little bit skeptical when Jay gets to work so closely with the NBA. Don’t get me wrong there’s plenty of pros here as well, but we should at least be aware of the cons too.

Pros

• Jay gets to work with one of the best minds in basketball by getting together with Coach Popovich again. He’ll also be working with the only other college coach invited, Gonzaga’s Mark Few. Few and Wright have a great relationship, and that is a big positive for both programs.
• This can only help on the recruiting trail. Jay knows what it’s like to work with the best pros in the NBA (including Villanova’s Kyle Lowry), and this past year showed that he knows how to get his players to the next level. It’s just one of the many reasons that more and more highly ranked recruits have Villanova on their lists.
• Having a great relationship with USA Basketball can lead to some great opportunities for Wright and his program. Bill Self just got to coach some of the best young recruits in the game through USA Basketball, and Wright is probably somewhere near the top of the list of coaches that the Under 17 team could reach out to next.

Cons

• There’s only one reason Jay Wright would leave Villanova other than retirement, and that would be to go to the NBA. That’s the crowd the Wildcat coach will be around during this process. And not just the average NBA player, it’s the best of the best. It’s hard not to see why that wouldn’t be appealing to the coach who’s accomplished everything he can at the college level.
• If there was one team that would be most attractive to Wright in the NBA, it would be his hometown Philadelphia 76ers. Well the head muckity-muck for USA Basketball, Jerry Colangelo, just happens to be the senior advisor for the Sixers. On top of that, there are reports out there that he’d like to see Jay as the team’s next coach.

Overall, this is a great move for Jay Wright and Villanova and I couldn’t be happier that he has this opportunity. Still, I can’t shake the nagging feeling someone’s eventually going to offer him an opportunity good enough to at least make him consider it. He may be at Villanova for the rest of his career, but the NBA is never going to stop knocking on the door.

In other “news”, it’s tough to play at the Little Willy, more ‘crootin’, and remember that whole FBI thing? Enjoy!

Wright Named to USA Basketball Minicamp Staff | Villanova.com
Villanova's Jay Wright will be one of only two college coaches on hand in Las Vegas later this month to assist Gregg Popovich at the Senior Men's National Team minicamp.

Coaches Announced for USA Basketball Men’s National Team Minicamp | USA Basketball
Jay Wright and eight other coaches were selected to assist at the July 25-27 USA Basketball Men’s National Team minicamp in Las Vegas.

Top 10 Hardest College Basketball Arena’s To Play In | COED.com
What are the 10 hardest college basketball arena's to play in? The Pavillion gets picked by someone who has clearly never been to the Pavillion. To his credit though, it was pretty much impossible for opposing teams to win there last season.

Evans Seven: Rising seniors that will draw the most coaches in July | GoAZCats.com
A few Villanova prospects are in high demand this summer.

Cole Anthony’s plan for making his college choice | NY Post
This much is known about Cole Anthony’s mysterious recruitment: It is nowhere close to completion.

Maryland is latest program to receive FBI subpoenas | CollegeBasketballTalk
They appear to be related to the recruitments of Diamond Stone and Silvio De Sousa.