Stunning news broke Wednesday night that Villanova head coach Jay Wright is expected to retire.
According to Stadium’s Jeff Goodman, Wright held a team meeting to share his decision with players. The Athletic’s Shams Charania also reported that Wright will “likely retire” from the position he’s held since 2001.
The news took the college basketball world by complete surprise. That includes Dick Vitale, who shared his reaction to the blindsiding development on Twitter.
Vitale was enjoying dinner at an Italian restaurant with his wife, Lorraine McGrath, when his phone blew up with messages about Wright’s retirement. He initially thought they were “just wacky rumors” before realizing otherwise.
Having gr8 Rigatoni at a fav Italian restaurant on fab SIESTA KEY at FLAVIO’S & all of a sudden my phone gets hit with texts JAY WRIGHT @NovaMBB is retiring.I felt just wacky rumors but report is VALID Wow our game has lost 3 HOFers in Roy W -Coach K-Jay W within 18 months . pic.twitter.com/KSzBbV4tom
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) April 21, 2022
The broadcasting icon noted that Wright joins North Carolina’s Roy Williams and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski as the third legendary coach to step down.
Wright, who also spent seven seasons as Hofstra’s head coach, led the Wildcats to national titles in 2016 and 2018. They made 16 NCAA Tournament appearances in 21 seasons and won six Big East titles.
Vitale wasn’t the only one thrown off guard by Wright’s expected exit. It’s another big loss for men’s college basketball.
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