Jay Wright praises reunion of former Villanova players with Knicks

Former Villanova head coach Jay Wright says he was shocked to learn that the Brooklyn Nets traded forward Mikal Bridges to New York. This move reunited him with three other Wildcats on the Knicks roster: Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo.

All four were part of Wright's 2015-2016 Villanova national championship team.

"Amazing. I told these guys, no one gets this opportunity to play professionally with your brothers and have a chance to win a championship," Wright told The New York Post. "It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, and I know they understand that, and they know they have a lot of work to do. I know they’re committed to putting that work in, and I know they know how fortunate they are."

Wright said he likes the NovaKnicks' chances to take down the Boston Celtics, who dispatched the Dallas Mavericks in five games to win the franchise's 18th championship.

"I think they match up as well as anybody in the NBA with the Celtics now," Wright said. "What you have to respect is the process the Celtics have gone through and the experience they have together, and the Knicks have to go through that. Last year was the beginning of that, and now next year is going to be the next step."

Since stepping down from Villanova in 2022 after two national championships, Wright has been a college basketball analyst with CBS Sports, and although his name gets thrown around every time an open coaching vacancy emerges, the 62-year-old says he isn't going back into coaching, especially getting the band back to get together with the Knicks.

"No, there’s no part of me that wants to be there with them. I’m sitting back like a proud papa just watching them and enjoying it," Wright said. "I love their respect for Thibs (Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau). I love how Thibs coaches them. He’s perfect for them. I love their system. I really enjoy how they play the game."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jay Wright praises Villanova reunion as Knicks add Mikal Bridges