The New York Knicks, who will be in the market for a new head coach in the offseason, have strong interest in Villanova coach Jay Wright.
“There is a strong possibility that Jay Wright in New York could happen,” one league source told Adam Zagoria of Forbes.
Wright has coached Villanova since 2001, with a record of 467-181.
He is also an assistant coach for Team USA.
The Knicks reportedly reached out to Wright back in 2018, but at the time, Villanova was coming off a national championship and Wright had no desire to leave for the NBA.
“It’s not that you’re not interested, I just don’t want to leave,” Wright told The New York Post in 2018. “It’s the Knicks. You love the Garden, you love New York City, you love the Knicks. I just know I don’t want to leave Villanova.”
If contacted about the Knicks job again, Wright’s response could be similar to 2018.
However, he has ties with Leon Rose and William Wesley, Zagoria notes.
Wright is from Philadelphia, while Rose and Wesley are from South New Jersey.
Rose is on track to be the Knicks’ new president of basketball operations, while Wesley may be an unofficial advisor for the team.
