By Annie Ross
So, the phone rings at the Villanova athletic office, and the caller says it’s the White House.
Unlike Jimmy Valvano, the N. C. State coach who hung up in 1983 after assuming it was a joke, the call was accepted.
On the other end of the line was President Barack Obama.
“It was cool,” Wildcats coach Jay Wright said.
“He said the reason it was a great game because Carolina didn’t give it away, they played great, you played great. He said his daughters were rooting for Villanova because they went to school with Josh Hart in D.C. He invited us to the White House. I told him my wife has a crush on him. He said make sure she comes, I want to take a picture with her. He obviously watched the game. He was very insightful about the game and very complimentary.”
In a statement, the White House said:
This afternoon, the President called Villanova University Men’s Basketball head coach Jay Wright to congratulate him and his team on their victory in the NCAA Men’s College Basketball National Championship. The President noted that this win was the culmination of an impressive year for the team, and was a particularly exciting championship game. The President looks forward to welcoming the Wildcats to the White House to congratulate the entire team in person.
