PHILADELPHIA — Jay Wright would listen to the homily during Easter mass, waiting for something inspirational he could text his players. He sat on the Ocean City beach in the summer and wondered if the other beach-goers knew that this was Wright’s scheduled day away from the recruiting trail and not that he was cutting corners.
Coaching, Wright said, was his obsession and he could not turn it off even when he was at church or the Jersey Shore. His drive paid dividends as Wright won two national titles and built Villanova into one of college basketball’s premier programs.
But the 60-year-old said he lost that edge last season. Wright was no longer “totally obsessed” and coached the Wildcats to his fourth Final Four despite saying his effort level was at 70%. He told the school last month that he couldn’t keep coaching that way and his stunning retirement became official on Wednesday night when he told his players.
