Jay Wright is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the head coach for the Villanova Wildcats, a position he has held since 2001. He previously served as head coach at Hofstra University (1994–2001), leading the program to NCAA Tournament appearances in both 2000 and 2001. With Villanova, Wright has led the Wildcats to five Big East conference championships and 12 NCAA Tournament appearances in his 16 seasons as head coach. He’s appeared in three Final Fours, 2009, 2016, and 2018, winning the NCAA Championship in 2016. TBD on whether or not Wright’s Wildcats will bring home their second championship in three tries this year.
Jay Wright Net Worth As Of 2018: $7 Million
With a salary of about $2.7 million, Wright has done pretty well for himself as a coach in the college arena. His high salary is indicative of his great success at Villanova. Let’s take a look at how it all began.
Early Years
Jay Wright, 56, graduated from Council Rock High School North in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He went to college at Bucknell University where he played on the school’s basketball team and was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity.
1984-1994
After graduating from Bucknell, Wright got his first job as an assistant coach at the University of Rochester, a DIII school. In 1986, he moved into his first role at a DI program as an assistant coach at Drexel University. His next job came as an assistant to Rollie Massimino at Villanova, where he remained from 1987–1992. In 1992, he moved with Massimino to UNLV, where he stayed until 1994.
1994-2001
In 1994, Wright was named head coach at Hofstra University, which had struggled through most of the 1980s and early ’90s. Under Wright, the program slowly and steadily improved, and by 1999 the Pride was a premier team in the America East Conference. They won the conference championship in 2000 and 2001, and from 1999–2001, went 72–22, including two NCAA tournament appearances. Wright was named America East Coach of the Year in 1999–2000 and 2000–2001. He was also tabbed Eastern Basketball’s Coach of the Year in 1999–2000.
2001-Present
Wright’s success at Hofstra earned him a coveting head coaching spot at Villanova. He became just the eighth coach in the 81-year history of the school’s program. Wright was able to spark the school’s team that had become stagnant since their success in the 80’s. Over the next 17 years, he grew the program into an elite perennial competitor in college basketball. Wright has made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, three Final Four appearances, won five Big East conference championships, and a national championship in 2016.
This weekend, he’ll have a shot at adding a second championship to the Wildcat’s mantle.
