INDIANAPOLIS — Jay Wright has taken great pride in the trio of former Villanova players — emerging superstar point guard Jalen Brunson and contributing starters Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo — leading the Knicks into the second round of the playoffs.
But he’s not surprised by their improvement at the NBA level, knowing their work ethic as NCAA champions together with the Wildcats.
“It’s kind of cool to watch them and see that they’ve chosen to take a lot of what they learned [at Villanova] with them. Really cool,” Wright said this week on “The Anthony Gargano Show” podcast.
“That’s kind of what we tried to teach these guys. You can’t control if you’re gonna run into people that are more talented than you, you can’t control if you run into people that are bigger or stronger than you, you can’t control if you run into a team that is just faster or more athletic than you.
“But you can control your effort every night, every play, and you can control your attitude and how you approach every play and every game and every day. That was our whole program, that’s what it was about. And it’s really fulfilling to watch those guys embody that.”
The 62-year-old Wright, who retired from coaching in 2022 and now does TV work for CBS, intentionally kept a low profile during the Knicks’ first-round series against the 76ers, with three of his former Villanova players on each side.
The Knicks ousted a Sixers squad that featured veteran guard Kyle Lowry and assistant coaches Doug West and Reggie Redding in six games.
“It was like having three of your children on each team, who do you [root] for?” Wright said. “The series was unbelievable. Great basketball. It was like the essence of Philly and New York basketball […] It was so wild, I was enjoying watching it all by myself. It really was like proud parents watching your kids.”
After Brunson finished fifth in league-wide MVP voting on Wednesday, Wright admitted on CBS even he “didn’t think he would be this good,” but said he “thought [Brunson] would be a point guard on an NBA championship team because he’s such a winner.”
The two-time NCAA champion added in the Gargano interview that he has not been surprised by the improvements and contributions Hart and DiVincenzo have made to the Knicks this season amid all of the team’s injuries.
“What was interesting about both of them, and this was something we always tried to teach our guys, was you’ve gotta be humble and hungry and you’ve gotta continue to keep getting better, keep improving, as long as you’re playing basketball,” Wright said. “Both of those guys have done that since they’ve left us and been in the NBA. They’re getting better right now in front of our eyes in the playoffs as guys get hurt for the Knicks.
“As soon as [OG] Anunoby went out [with a hamstring injury in Game 2], you saw Donte step up offensively, you saw Josh step up offensively. And they’re gonna keep doing that.”
Wright also relayed a recruitment story about Hart, in which he was there to watch DC-area AAU teammate Stanley Robinson, who instead went to Indiana.
“I’m watching, and I know Stanley Robinson is the star and a highly rated player. But this dude [Hart] is a killer,” Wright said. “He’s getting every rebound. This is the guy that’s making the plays. Stanley Robinson is scoring, but I’m like, who’s this guy?
“Stanley Robinson went to Indiana, chose not to come to Villanova, and we got Josh Hart, and we’re happy as hell about it.”
On Brunson, who signed with the Knicks as a free agent after playing his first four NBA seasons with the Mavericks, Wright said, “he chose being the go-to guy over being the complementary guy” to Luka Doncic.
“He had a good thing there in Dallas, and he loved Dallas, and he loved Luka,” Wright told CBS. “But he wanted to be the guy. That’s just what is so unique about him. It’s not selfishness. He wants to lead, and he wants to carry a team. He wants the responsibility. He’s such a rare individual.”
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