Wright garnered some much-deserved recognition Friday when he was named the AP Coach of the Decade.
Wright received 16 of 24 votes from a panel of AP poll voters, with Duke's Coach K the next closest with five votes. Mark Few, John Calipari, and Tony Bennett received one vote each.
It's hard to argue with the voting, as Wright brought Villanova two national titles in the decade. He also compiled five Big East regular-season titles and four Big East Tournament titles.
"Jay Wright's resume speaks for itself with two national titles in the 2010s," Dick Vitale told the AP. "He has developed a consistent winner and has enjoyed success on and off the court. He has a special winners mentality."
While, as Vitale notes, Wright's accomplishments speak for themselves, the award was about more than just the winning, as his impact on the game itself has to be considered as well.
"In my generation, coach Jay Wright's changed basketball. He's the one that kind of invented small ball, where your four man can shoot 3s," said Texas Tech coach Chris Beard at last year's Final Four. "They always have four guys on the floor that shoot. He's transformed basketball. They way they play, we're all kind of doing the same thing."
It is truly remarkable what Wright has accomplished at Villanova, and it's been a true joy for fans of the program. Congrats to Coach Wright on a much-deserved honor.
Wright received 16 of 24 votes from a panel of AP poll voters, with Duke's Coach K the next closest with five votes. Mark Few, John Calipari, and Tony Bennett received one vote each.
It's hard to argue with the voting, as Wright brought Villanova two national titles in the decade. He also compiled five Big East regular-season titles and four Big East Tournament titles.
"Jay Wright's resume speaks for itself with two national titles in the 2010s," Dick Vitale told the AP. "He has developed a consistent winner and has enjoyed success on and off the court. He has a special winners mentality."
While, as Vitale notes, Wright's accomplishments speak for themselves, the award was about more than just the winning, as his impact on the game itself has to be considered as well.
"In my generation, coach Jay Wright's changed basketball. He's the one that kind of invented small ball, where your four man can shoot 3s," said Texas Tech coach Chris Beard at last year's Final Four. "They always have four guys on the floor that shoot. He's transformed basketball. They way they play, we're all kind of doing the same thing."
It is truly remarkable what Wright has accomplished at Villanova, and it's been a true joy for fans of the program. Congrats to Coach Wright on a much-deserved honor.