INDIANAPOLIS — Jay Wright is proud of his trio of former Villanova players, up-and-coming superstar point guard Jalen Brunson and contributing starters Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, to lead the Knicks to the second round of the playoffs. guiding.
But he knew their work ethic as NCAA champions with the Wildcats and wasn’t surprised by their progress at the NBA level.
“It’s kind of cool to watch them and see that they’re choosing to apply a lot of what they’ve learned.” [at Villanova] with them. It’s really cool,” Wright said this week. “Anthony Gargano Show” Podcast.
“That’s kind of what we were trying to teach them. You can’t control whether you run into people who are more talented than you. You can’t control whether you run into people who are bigger or stronger than you. You can’t control whether they are faster or more athletic than you.
“But you can control your effort every night, every play, you can control your attitude and approach every game, every game, every day. That’s our entire program. , that was the purpose. And it’s really fulfilling to see them embody that.”
Wright, 62, who retired from coaching in 2022 and now works in television at CBS, said he deliberately missed the first round of the Knicks’ first-round series against the 76ers, in which three former Villanova players are on both teams. I tried to keep a low profile.
The Knicks defeated the Sixers, who featured veteran guard Kyle Lowry and assistant coaches Doug West and Reggie Redding, in six games.
“It was like having three kids on each team. Who are you going to have?” [root] for? “This series was unbelievable. Great basketball. It was like the quintessence of Philadelphia and New York basketball,” Wright said. […] It was so wild that I enjoyed watching it alone. It was really like a proud parent watching over their children. ”
After Brunson finished fifth in Wednesday’s league-wide MVP voting, Wright admitted on CBS that he “didn’t think I’d be this good,” but “I thought so.” [Brunson] He’s such a winner that he’ll be the point guard on an NBA championship team. ”
The two-time NCAA champion added in Gargano’s interview that he was not surprised by the improvement and contributions that Hart and DiVincenzo have brought to the Knicks this season, with the entire team suffering injuries.
“What was interesting to both of us was that this is what we always try to teach our players, that you have to stay humble and hungry and keep getting better as long as you live. I just had to keep going, ‘I’m playing basketball,”’ Wright said. “Those two guys have been doing that since they left us and went into the NBA. The Knicks have had players injured and now they’re getting better right in front of us in the playoffs. .
“As soon as possible [OG] Anunoby went out. [with a hamstring injury in Game 2], I saw Donte step up offensively, I saw Josh step up offensively. And they’re going to keep doing it.”
Wright also relayed a recruiting story about Hart. He said he was there to keep an eye on his D.C.-area AAU teammate, Stanley Robinson, who went to Indiana instead.
“I watch it too, and I know Stanley Robinson is a star and a highly regarded player. But this guy [Hart] He’s a murderer,” Wright said. “He’s getting every rebound. This guy is making plays. Stanley Robinson is scoring, but who is this guy?
“Stanley Robinson went to Indiana and chose not to come to Villanova. And we got Josh Hart. And we’re very happy about that.”
Regarding Brunson, who signed with the Knicks as a free agent after playing his first four NBA seasons with the Mavericks, Wright told Luka Doncic, “He’s more about being a dependable player than being a complementary player.” “I chose,” he said.
“He was doing good things in Dallas, and he loved Dallas, and he loved Luka,” Wright told CBS. “But he wanted to be that guy. That’s what’s unique about him. It’s not selfishness. He wants to be a leader, he wants to lead a team. He wants responsibility. He is a very rare person.”
