Jay Wright Named 2016 Naismith Men's College Basketball Coach of the Year
Villanova Wildcats head coach Jay Wright has had a pretty good weekend. First, his team advanced to the national championship Saturday. On Sunday, he won the Naismith Men's College Basketball Coach of the Year Award, per NaismithTrophy.com.
It's his second Coach of the Year award after winning in 2006.
“I’m extremely proud to accept the Naismith Coach of the Year award on behalf of our staff and the Villanova basketball team. I know the great history of this award and our whole program is humbled to be honored with this year’s Naismith award,” Wright said, per the press release.
The Wildcats claimed the regular-season Big East title and finished runners-up to the Seton Hall Pirates in the conference tournament. Villanova has looked downright dominant in the NCAA tournament. It hammered the Oklahoma Sooners 95-51 in the national semifinals, which is the biggest margin of victory ever in a semifinal game, per ESPN Stats & Info.
The Wildcats rank second in adjusted offense, per KenPom.com, but CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein has been more impressed with their work on the defensive end:
Depending on the outcome of the title game, this could go down as Wright's best coaching job since joining the team in 2001. Villanova's 34 wins are the most in school history, per Sports-Reference.com.
The Wildcats are also succeeding despite not having a bona fide star. They had just two players named to either the first or second All-Big East teams. Junior guard Josh Hart earned first-team honors, while senior guard Ryan Arcidiacono was on the second team. Wright has taken a group of very good players and turned them into a great team.
He will hope to cap off this impressive season with Villanova's second national championship on the hardwood. In doing so, Wright would arguably supplant Rollie Massimino as the most legendary coach in program history.
The Wildcats will face off with the North Carolina Tar Heels on Monday night at 9:19 p.m. ET.
