By Peter Gleason
Yes, that was Jay Wright you spotted yesterday during March Madness in a 15-second spot for Invesco QQQ.
The retired Villanova coach looks a lot more relaxed in that Hawaiian shirt than he ever did on the sidelines during his two-plus decades as coach of the Cats when his look was more bespoke.
That’s what not having to worry about recruiting, and plotting defenses and preparing for the next game will do.
Of course, his two national championships in 2016 and 2018 have guaranteed his legacy on the Main Line.
And he does seem right at home doing games on TV for CBS (above with Billy Raftery) and TNT in the studio.
He recently spoke about his decision to move to broadcasting on The Steam Room podcast with Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley. Via BarrettSportsMedia, Wright said:
“I really don’t miss it at all. I enjoyed every second of it. There was never a time when I thought ‘I don’t like this’. I feel like I got everything out of it and I’m enjoying this new life.”
He went on to discuss a specific moment that reached him. While Wright was on call for a Purdue Boilermakers men’s basketball game, he had a bit of an epiphany.
“I remember doing a game at Purdue. It was so loud we couldn’t hear in our headsets. There’s a little secondary ‘This is cool, this juice is cool’. As soon as the game starts, I look across and see the faces of the coaches, the agony. I’m so glad I’m out of this and on the other side.”
Some coaches will leave broadcasting for coaching for the right price.
Sounds like there isn’t a price that would entice Jay Wright back to coaching.
