With the New York Knicks still hunting for their next head coach, you can cross Jay Wright off the list as that dream is officially over.
Ever since the New York Knicks parted ways with head coach Jeff Hornacek, there’s been a list of candidates floating around as possible replacements. Villanova’s head coach Jay Wright was among those candidates, but he’s no longer an option.
Marc Berman of the New York Post spoke with Wright’s longtime agent Carl Hirsh, who said that his client isn’t leaving Philadelphia anytime soon.
““He’s under contract with Villanova and he’s very, very happy there. There’s no plans to leave.’’
The Knicks’ front office has indicated that they’d potentially be open to hiring a college coach. General Manager Scott Perry hinted that the NCAA tournament interested him and displayed “exciting” basketball.
A former head coach at Hofstra University, Wright has lifted the NCAA title for Villanova two times in the last three years. Coming to the Big Apple would be a big jump for Wright, but I’m sure the Knicks’ faithful wouldn’t have minded with his recent success.
The Knicks’ head coach position has been the talk of the town for a couple of weeks and with a no-go on the Wright interview, the Knickerbockers are now looking to European sensation and former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt.
Despite showing some interest in the NBA, Wright flirted with the idea, but his situation at Villanova would be hard to give up. In a Q&A with Dana O’Neil of the Athletic, Wright said that NBA “intrigues” him.
“The NBA does intrigue me. That challenge is appealing, but it’s not worth giving up working with these guys. The whole thing is, to take a new challenge you have to give up what you have.”
You can’t blame Wright for not giving up his current post to come up north in New York City.
The Knicks still have their remaining eight targets, including Blatt. Whether they’ll ultimately pick from that group or if a surprise candidate comes out of nowhere to get the job remains to be seen.
