Jay Wright Reveals How Close He Came to Taking the Knicks’ HC Job Last Summer

With the Knicks finally champions and Mike Brown drawing raves, Rich asked Jay Wright the point-blank question: did New York ever try to get the whole Villanova gang back together?

Wright didn't dodge it. He talked to Leon, a good friend and fellow Philadelphia-area guy, and the two were going to meet at the Jersey Shore where they all hide out. Wright cut it short. "I don't want to waste your time," he told him. "I know I'm done."

More than that, Wright doubts he would have been the right fit. He's not sure he'd have been good for his former players at this point. They were with him for four years and took a lot from him, and they still listen. He texts with them constantly, though he insists it's not about basketball, more about mentality and life. But he figures they've heard enough from him.

Brown, by contrast, was perfect for this group. Wright described an older, mature team that just needed to find a way to gel, and Brown delivered. He singled out the decision to play Alvarado at the end of the fourth quarter in game four, calling it gutsy and smart given how little he and Brunson had played together in that situation. It was brilliant, one of many such moves Wright said earned Brown a lot of credit.

The exchange ended on a lighter, more personal grudge. Rich, a die-hard Knicks fan, noted there's a small contingent of fans who went to the University of Michigan and feel Brunson owes them one, a reference to 2018. His wait for relief, Rich joked, was only made longer by Wright and the Nova Knicks, so this championship felt like the circle of life finally closing. Wright's reply was simple: that was a great year for the Wolverines.