After season’s end, Wright advocating for rest, reflection

Hey ‘Nova Nation. Are you ready for a bearded Jay Wright?

That was one of the discoveries made during a video conference with the Villanova coach Wednesday afternoon. The always clean shaven Wright sported the start of a beard as he self-quarantines with his family at home in Berwyn during the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s been two weeks since the college basketball season came to a screeching halt. On the 25-minute call, Wright praised the healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic and expressed compassion for those who have been stricken or are vulnerable to the virus. He also said that postponing the Olympics, for which he was to serve as an assistant coach for Team USA, was the right decision and how he felt bad for his players. But Wright also said that this crisis is a good lesson on dealing with adversity.

“The biggest issue in our country right now, our healthcare providers, those people that are ill with the virus and also those people that are vulnerable at this time,” Wright said. “That’s the biggest issue so I know we’re all, I’ve said this to our players, this is our life, sports, basketball is our life, but it’s so minimal and kind of crazy for us to be talking about it right now. I think we all set the tone that what’s most important is what’s going on in our country, the people who are ill and the people who are vulnerable and just great respect for all of our healthcare providers. I think those people are the true heroes and the courageous people in our country right now.”

Wright said that everyone associated with the program from coaches, staff, players and their families are healthy. And yes, he talked a little basketball, specifically about the future of Saddiq Bey and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Wright said he thinks both players will probably go through the pre-draft process, whatever that may be since the NBA, like every other major sport, is on hold.

“If we were in a normal time, they would both go through the process,” Wright said. “As we learn what the NBA is going to do; there’s so many possibilities, just to take it to an extreme, there’s a possibility they might not have a pre-draft process and for the first time have the draft with no workouts, use the evaluations they had during the season.”

Bey, a 6-8 sophomore and unanimous All-Big East selection, is projected as a first-round pick by several mock drafts. Bey averaged 16.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. A finalist for the Julius Erving Award as the top small forward in the country, Bey is considered an ideal threeand-D guy by NBA scouts.

Robinson-Earl, a 6-9 forward and Big East Freshman of the Year, is seen as a first-round pick by only one mock draft. He averaged 10.5 points and a teamhigh 9.4 rebounds per game.

Wright said that Bey is at home with his family in the Washington D.C. area and Robinson-Earl is living in the area with his mother.

“They’re still on a hold so they don’t have a plan yet for what they’re going to do with the pre-draft process or the draft yet,” Wright said. “The players, Saddiq and Jeremiah, who probably both will go through that process when we find out what it is, they’re waiting and counting on us for information to should they start working out and we’re trying to get them as much information as possible.”

Villanova was on a roll when the season abruptly ended. The Wildcats had won seven of eight to claim a share of their sixth Big East regular-season title in the last seven years. Villanova was 24-7 before the Big East and NCAA tournaments were cancelled. The Wildcats finished 10th in the final Associated Press top 25.

“We felt like we were playing great basketball,” Wright said. “We felt like we were coming on. All you locals always hear me say that we want to be playing our best basketball at the end of the season and I felt we were, but that’s just is what it is. I think our guys get it. The next step is, this time right now, we don’t know how long this will go, is really an important rest time for us.

“We really, this sounds crazy but, we spend a lot of time talking to our guys about rest because the time that we spend together is so intense and we tell them that if you’re intense in the time we spend together then the rest is really valuable and productive. If you’re lazy when we’re together then the rest really isn’t productive.”

Wright stays in touch on a regular basis through text messages and other means with his players, but not about basketball. He wants them to take a step back, spend time with their families and take care of their schoolwork. There will be plenty of time to get ready for next season.

“We’re trying to find positives in this,” Wright said. “And I also think that time spent home with their families and loved ones is found time because we know as athletes we’re kind of crazy and we get caught up in our world and missed time with our loved ones. We’re trying to take advantage of that.”

Wright has spent the time with his family, something he’s not used to this time of year, usually coaching or out on the recruiting trail. He said there are eight people in the house, plus two dogs and a cat. They’ve kept busy by playing games, working out at scheduled times in the home gym, taking walks and watching the 2016 national championship game, something Wright never did from a fan’s perspective. He said he’s also working on self-improvement.

“I’m just testing myself on what else is there in me and trying to get our players to do the same, being a better father, being a better husband, spending more time with the kids, watching movies, reading, being more worldly,” Wright said. “I can’t say I’m good at it, but I’m really trying to test myself.”

As Wright likes to say about his team, it’s a work in progress.

“It’s been a couple of weeks now, Patty (his wife) reminds me that no one in this house plays for me,” Wright said. “No one in this house works for me. They’re not assistants. They’re not players. I’m not in charge of everything. It’s a good experience for all of us. It’s humbling.”