Jay Wright created the best culture in basketball, and the game still needs him

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In 2000, I called Mike Brey, the head coach of the America East, and asked what I might be missing. You need to check out Hofstra, said Brey. They have a couple of pros, and their coach is the real deal, according to Brey. I was drawn to Wright when I started watching Hofstra.

After Claxton graduated, Hofstra played UCLA in North Carolina in the NCAA tournament. I went to watch Wright from the court side. I sought out Wright after UCLA beat his team, the first time we had met and really talked. I was impressed immediately. He was a real deal and once you saw it up close, you couldn't miss it.

It was difficult to get the program to the highest level in Wright's early days at the school. The NIT was for the first three seasons of Wright's career. Wright was a keynote speaker at an alumni event in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mike and I went to the event to support Jay, and took him to dinner afterwards. Wright pondered over the challenge of the job and whether he could do it. Gminski and I told him that he could do it and that he would be able to coach the team to multiple Final Fours. Both of us were believers.

That didn't make us Nostradamus. Jay Wright was the best coach the profession had to offer. He had time for everyone, despite being incredibly skilled and competitive. He had the ability in every area required of the greats, even though he projected an everyday Joe to the world. He knew how good his program was, but he was also humble. The best balance of any coach was struck by him. Nothing seemed to bother Jay Wright. He did not seem to break a sweat.

After reaching his first Final Four in 2009, Wright was in the running to get the best of the best in recruiting. The fits at times were not perfect for his way, but he was attracting some of the most highly rated recruits. Bill Raftery and I were walking by the team meal in South Bend when Wright waved us in after the team left the room. Wright and his staff were planning out scenarios of missing the Big East tournament or playing on the first day of the tournament, which was unthinkable to us. Wright knew. He told us that he was making changes in recruiting and that his next group was going to have the strength and resilience that he had let slip. The results would be seen in time, as the program would have a different focus and attitude. Was he correct?

The best culture in all of basketball was built by Jay Wright. The results of the culture were seen in the NCAA titles in 2016 and 2018). The culture wasattitude at Villanova. It was the first value system and every player lived it. The younger guys were brought up by the older guys. On and off the court there was a family atmosphere with programs for the parents. They fought like a motorcycle gang on the floor, but Boy Scouts were off the floor and did everything the right way. There was a pride in the program that didn't need to be talked about or sold to anyone. You could see it and feel it. It was real.

Wright was the star with the common touch. If you had a negative word to say about Jay Wright, I would name you a person who didn't know Wright or just didn't get it. Jay Wright is a competitor. He fights hard to win, yet always gives credit to his team and opponent. Always. He takes care of his players and staff even though he is demanding. He is what a coach is supposed to be, but few can operate on his level. I promise you that I am not alone in my admiration for Jay Wright, as I have more respect and admiration for a coach or person than I do for him. Bill Raftery and I used to keep a list of the coaches we would want to have a drink with after a loss, which was our list of the very best guys in the game. Jay Wright was always at the top of the list. Every time.

Wright holds a very special place for me, and I am pretty sure that it is one of the reasons why he is in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Wright was the very first guest on the show, and he immediately said yes after I pitched the idea to him. I asked Wright what his favorite TV show was when he was a kid, and he laughed and said that was a good question. We played the feature and the outtake during the broadcast, and it always makes me smile. Jay Wright is one of the few that could laugh so hard at such a thing.

Wright has a deep understanding of people. Jay would always want to know the thoughts of the coach when he was out of work. Always thinking of others and accommodating. Wright has uncommon common sense, and has never lost the sense of humor of a young coach scratching and clawing his way up, almost amazed and grateful to have the opportunities so many of us can take for granted.

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Check out the highlights from Jay Wright's win over Houston.

Wright is too vital to the fabric of the game to retire at 60. I was surprised by this one. I knew it was coming with Mike Krzyzewski because he had been at Duke for 42 years. That was natural and orderly. Jay Wright's retirement is a gut punch to the game. I was floored when I heard that Wright would be the standard-bearer in the game for the next decade. It can't be true. It is.

I hope Wright is content with the decision to move forward with his life. Nobody deserves it more. I hope Wright is not done in the game, in whatever capacity he chooses to go forward. Losing a person of the caliber of Jay Wright leaves a very real void. It makes you shake your head in a very real way. He is very important to the game. We all owe Jay Wright a debt of gratitude for what he did in the game. Wright has been a wonderful friend and example of how a person should carry himself in every situation.

One of the great careers and great coaching jobs of all time is coming to an end with the retirement of Wright. Jay Wright is always has been and will always remain the real deal because we all love him.