Williams recalled that after Villanova beat North Carolina 77–74 to win the title in Houston, Williams waited for Villanova players and coaches to congratulate Wright before his moment with Wright.
“I told him, ‘I’m so happy for you. I’m devastated for my team, but I’m so happy for you,’” Williams said. “And Jay called me a few days later and he said it was like, how much do you care? And he is a great guy. He is one of the legends of our sport.”
When the original iteration of the Big East splintered in 2013, with universities with top-tier football programs like Syracuse, Louisville, Connecticut and West Virginia leaving for other leagues, Wright helped put together the “new Big East”: He added coaches under his leadership with a vision to create a basketball-focused league that could compete with the Power 5 schools that feature basketball and soccer.
“Obviously, it’s been amazing,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said in a phone interview. “His leadership when the Big East got better, I think that’s why the league is where it is today. He was there from the very beginning making sure it worked and that was definitely a big part of it.”
Wright left as two of his most skilled players, Colin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels, ended their careers after five years due to an extra year of eligibility given to athletes by the NCAA in the wake of the pandemic. He praised both players after losing to Kansas late in the season.
“At Villanova, the university’s mission is about community, love and truth,” said Wright. He added to Gillespie: “He’s a Villanova man. He is a great Villanova man. And that’s a big part of our schedule. He is not just a basketball player, but a Villanova man. And he is one of the best.” he is one “.
