Nobody made anything of it at the time, but a comment made by now-former Villanova basketball coach Jay Wright during his post-Final Four press conference is now going viral.
“Hoops is in the house,” he said in reference to a college basketball reporter after the Wildcats’ loss to Kansas. “I get to say it one last time.”
With hindsight, it’s now abundantly clear that Wright was dropping a hint about his retirement from the coaching game this offseason.
“Hoops is in the house. I get to say it one last time.”
Damn.
Jay Wright low-key hinted to everyone at the Final Four that this was his final season. What a sneaky Easter Egg this was after losing to Kansas. Wow.
Catch via @redditCBB, hat-tip @bubbaprog for the vid assist. pic.twitter.com/1vFoBRcHls
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 21, 2022
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On Wednesday, Wright officially stepped down after 21 years as head coach of the Villanova program. Fordham head coach Kyle Neptune is set to take over as the team’s new leader.
“Over the past 21 seasons, I have had the opportunity to live out a professional dream as the head coach at Villanova,” Wright said in a statement. “Patty and I have been blessed to work with incredible, gifted young men who allowed us to coach them and brought us unmatched joy. We cannot overstate our gratitude to the players, coaches, and administrators who have been with us on this path.”
Including this year’s trip, Wright led the Wildcats to four Final Four appearances and two National Championship victories (2016, 2018). The 60 year old was also named Naismith Coach of the Year on two occasions (2006, 2016) and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.