Jerold Taylor "Jay" Wright Jr. (born December 24, 1961) is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach of Villanova University from 2001 until 2022. Wright led the Villanova to six Big East Conference championships and 16 NCAA tournament appearances in 21 seasons as head coach. Under Wright, Villanova reached four Final Fours (2009, 2016, 2018, 2022) and won two national championships in 2016 and 2018. Wright is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in NCAA history and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the 2021 class. He previously served as head coach at Hofstra University (1994–2001), leading the program to NCAA tournament appearances in both 2000 and 2001. Education Wright is a graduate of Council Rock High School North in Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Bucknell University, in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1983, where he played on the basketball team and became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Coaching career Early coaching career Upon graduating from college, Wright got his first job as an assistant coach at Division III University of Rochester. In 1986, he got his first position in Division I college basketball as an assistant coach at Drexel University. His next job came as an assistant to Rollie Massimino at Villanova, where he remained from 1987 to 1992. In 1992, he moved with Massimino to UNLV, where he remained until 1994. Hofstra (1994–2001) In 1994, Wright was named head coach at Hofstra University, which had struggled through most of the 1980s and early '90s, with only one season of 20 or more wins since 1980, and no NCAA tournament appearances since 1977. Hofstra's athletic director Jim Garvey remarked that Wright was "an outstanding recruiter," something the school was in need of improving. His hiring coincided with Hofstra's move to the North Atlantic Conference. Hofstra went 10–18 in Wright's first season, finishing with the worst conference record in the NAC in the regular season, although they did secure a win over Maine in the conference tournament. Losings seasons followed for the next two years, with Hofstra going 9–18 and 12–15 respectively, although they did improve their finish in the conference each time – to 7th and 4th. Come the 1997–98 season, the Flying Dutchmen secured their first winning season for 12 years. With a roster featuring future NBA players Speedy Claxton and