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Happy Friday Nova Nation! With Georgetown coming to town winless in conference play, the rumor mill is swirling around the future of their head coach Patrick Ewing. Ewing’s had his high points with the Hoyas, but hasn’t really achieved the level of consistent success that’s expected at a storied program like Georgetown. And he’s not the only former star player turned coach that has found trouble achieving success on the sidelines either. That said, there are a handful of universities where former stars turned coaches have made it work... and maybe Villanova will join them someday.
We all know for a fact that Jay Wright won’t retire until the year 2056 after the most successful run in college basketball history. But when that day does happen, which former Villanova players could step as the successor to Jay Wright? Let’s take a look.
There have already been a number of former players that have coached in some capacity under Wright. If we’re making a true Ewing comparison, the only two GREATs from an accolades and records standpoint for Nova would be Ed Pinckney and Doug West. They both ended their careers in the Top 5 in scoring for Nova, and were the stars of the team during their playing days.
Of course Jay’s current staff has four former players on it. Mike Nardi is the longest tenured of the former players, having been on the staff now for seven seasons. He’s joined by Dwayne Anderson, who spent several years coaching within the Jay Wright tree at Penn State before coming over to Villanova, now in his 4th season. Tim Saunders, a former walk on, is now in his second season as a Graduate Manager. And finally, former point guard Maalik Wayns has joined the team this year in a Student-Athlete Development role.
There have also been a number of other players to flow through Jay Wright’s coaching tree, including Baker Dunleavy, Curtis Sumpter, Darryl Reynolds, Henry Lowe, Brooks Sales, Kris Jenkins, and probably a few others I’m forgetting already. Point is, Jay certainly has given his players opportunities to stay close to basketball and learn what life is like on the other side of the whistle. That much exposure to how Jay runs this program means there will certainly be a number of players qualified to take over when the job opens up.
There are even one or two guys that didn’t coach under Jay, but have joined other coaching staffs in college or the NBA like Jason Fraser or Ross Condon.
Of course you also have plenty of still actives players that could easily decide to pick up a clipboard once their playing days are through. The guys that have been described as “coaches on the court” all come to mind: Arcidiacono, Brunson, Gillespie. You have some of the guys playing overseas that may decide coaching is the next step like James Bell or Daniel Ochefu.
The good news is that unlike Georgetown, a coaching change isn’t something Villanova has to worry about right now. Speculation can be fun, I think we’re all happy to kick that can down the road for a while.
In other news...
Georgetown at Villanova
Georgetown visits No. 10 Villanova after Gillespie's 33-point performance | dailyunion.com
Georgetown Hoyas (6-19, 0-14 Big East) at Villanova Wildcats (20-6, 13-3 Big East)
No. 10 Villanova in stride with struggling Georgetown ahead | WGN Radio 720
Villanova will look for its fifth consecutive victory when it hosts reeling Georgetown on Saturday. No. 10 Villanova (20-6, 13-3 Big East) most recently traveled to No. 8 Providence and came away with a stirring 89-84 victory Tuesday, thanks in large part to a career-high 33 points from Collin Gillespie. Justin Moore added 19 points […]
Villanova Men’s Basketball
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Villanova is technically half a game behind Providence in the Big East standings, but is still in great position to win another conference title.
Under the Microscope: How Jay Wright Broke Ed Cooley’s Defense with a Simple Concept | Big East Coast Bias
Matt St. Jean is back to break down how the Wildcats scored 89 points on Providence’s stingy defense
NBA Wildcats
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You can not say the Detroit Pistons were not doing their due diligence. A report has now come out they looked at Jalen Brunson of the Mavericks. EDITOR'S NOTE: Bey and Brunson were not teammates at Villanova as the article says.
College Basketball
BRACKET BREAKDOWN | College Hoops Today
Between now and Selection Sunday, each Friday I’ll give a “BRACKET BREAKDOWN” with my 68 projected teams for the 2022 NCAA Tournament along with my Top 16 seeds as well as emerging trends.
Alabama basketball: Nate Oats says Jahvon Quinerly might be 'the best point guard in the country'
Quinerly, originally a member of the Villanova Wildcats, transferred to Alabama and has exploded onto the scene. Based on his play against the Bulldogs, he could carry the Crimson Tide deep into postseason.
Jay Bilas unveils his 1-68 men's college basketball rankings version 2.0 | ESPN+
We're less than a month from Selection Sunday, and The Bilastrator has once again spoken. The Wildcats come in at #10.
Villanova Football
Colts 2022 Draft Interviews: Forrest Rhyne, LB, Villanova | Sports Illustrated
Meet Villanova Linebacker Forrest Rhyne. We talked about his rise to stardom at the FCS level and discussed all things film related for his position.
Villanova Athletics
Wildcats Open 2022 season against Pepperdine | Villanova University
Villanova will kick off their 2022 season with a trip to Malibu to take on Pepperdine for a weekend series. The two teams will open the three-game set on Friday
MEN’S LACROSSE: Bulldogs to kick off season against Villanova | Yale Daily News
The Yale men’s lacrosse team will begin its 2022 season on Saturday against Villanova.
Malik Cunningham Named BIG EAST Men’s Field Athlete of the Week | Villanova University
NEW YORK—For the second straight week and the fourth time in his career senior triple jumper Malik Cunningham (St. Andrew, Jamaica) has been named the BIG EAST Men's
McKenna Keegan Named BIG EAST Women’s Track Athlete of the Week | Villanova University
NEW YORK—Graduate middle distance runner McKenna Keegan (West Grove, Pa.) was named the BIG EAST Women's Track Athlete of the Week in an announcement made by the
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