TAMPA, Fla. -- Jay Wright talks fast and he likes to do a lot of it. He also dresses in expensive suits that certainly aren't off the rack and look like they cost as much as a small car. The gold cufflinks add to the sharpness.
Wright also happens to be a good guy in an era of coaching paranoia, not a slick dude looking for an angle. That makes him a rarity. He's pleasant to be around. There isn't a hint of Bob Knight in him. Thankfully.
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| Jay Wright gets a stellar game from tough-guy point guard Scottie Reynolds. (AP) |
Wright's Villanova Wildcats, without any seniors, marched into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament Sunday with an 84-72 victory over Siena at the St. Pete Times Forum. Villanova is in the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years, something most programs can't say they have done.
"We just try and be the best Villanova can be, and that's a pretty good thing," Wright said. "I don't really care about that. But when people mention it, we're honored."
After four emotion-packed games here Friday, with all four lower seeds advancing, this one was a dud. The drama left Saturday. If it were on in mid-December, you'd have had a hard time finding anybody to watch -- that's how tough it was on the eyes.
But for 12th-seeded Villanova, none of that matters now. It's on to a Midwest Region showdown with top-seeded Kansas. If they can pull off that shocker, Wright might get the due he deserves.
Rollie Massimino, in the stands watching, will always be revered by the Villanova faithful for leading the amazing upset of Georgetown in the championship game of the 1985 tournament. That was a stunning moment in sports history, and Wright has a ways to go to get to that level of adulation. But he's getting there.
"He's a passionate coach," guard Scottie Reynolds said. "He pushes and pushes you. He wants the best out of us. You need somebody to push you."
The interesting thing about Sunday's game is that he didn't push his team, which helped. After playing the late game Friday night, upsetting fifth-seeded Clemson, the Wildcats didn't get back to their hotel until 2:30 a.m. Wright let his team sleep in and then was talked out of practicing.
Instead, he allowed his team to heal. They sat in the cold tub for a while. Then they moved to the hot tub. It was all done with the idea of having their legs back Sunday against a team that presses full court the entire game.
"We were so beat up," Wright said. "We had guys with IVs in them. We were shot."
Wright is known as a coach who will push as much as he can, so this was a concession on his part, one thought up by assistant Brent Gunning. Wright admitted it killed him to do so.
