ESPN's Alan Hahn shuts down idea of Jay Wright coaching New York Knicks

ESPN’s Alan Hahn shut down the idea of Jay Wright coming out of retirement to coach the New York Knicks next season. Following New York’s firing of Tom Thibodeau after the Eastern Conference Finals, everyone’s trying to figure out what the direction is for the franchise.

Wright, who was highly successful at Villanova, has a handful of his former players in New York. Naturally, some analysts feel Wright would be the right guy to coach them up and get them over the hump. He has two national titles in college to show for it.

However, Hahn pumped the brakes. Right now, it doesn’t look like either side would be interested in a partnership.

“First of all, he doesn’t have NBA experience,” Hahn said on Get Up. “He was a phenomenal college coach. We know this is a championship coach and a championship human being. I don’t believe Jay Wright is somebody that would be looking to do this job. And I don’t know if the Knicks would be looking for him either.”

From 2001-22, Wright went 520-197 at Villanova and won national championships in 2016 and ‘18. During his final season, Villanova went 30-8, won the Big East and made it to the Final Four as a great sendoff for Wright. It didn’t end in a national title, but it was a highly successful season.

Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take recently shared a clip from a previous interview with Wright. It has since gone viral since Wright “admitted” he would coach the Knicks if he went to the NBA.

Wright is 642-197 overall with Vilanova and his first stop at Hofstra between the years of 1994-2022. There’s no guarantee Wright could win an NBA title, but it’d be hard to imagine him not doing a good job in the NBA.

The Knicks improved in nearly every season under Thibodeau’s watch. New York made the playoffs in four of his five seasons on the sideline, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals this season for the first time since 2000. The Knicks were two victories away from advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. Thibodeau led New York to consecutive 50-plus win seasons, something the team had not done since the 90s. His Knicks tenure ends with a 226-174 record and a 2021 NBA Coach of the Year nod.