Ex-Wildcat Josh Hart drops his reaction to Jay Wright’s reported links to Knicks job

Josh Hart and the New York Knicks’ dream of playing in the NBA Finals was foiled by the Indiana Pacers. After the Eastern Conference finals loss, the Knicks front office fired head coach Tom Thibodeau.

Since then, there has been a lot of chatter around the potential name for the top coaching position in New York. One of the names that quickly started floating around was former Villanova Wildcats coach Jay Wright, who retired in 2022 after 21 seasons with the program.

However, the news quickly died down after Knicks reporter Ian Begley dismissed the possibility. Begley reported that Wright was “very happy as a retiree” and wasn’t interested in returning as a coach.

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On Saturday, Josh Hart, who played for Wright at Villanova, reacted to Begley's post on X/Twitter.

"Man Thank You. Stay retired! 😂 @CoachJayWright," he wrote.

Hart played four years of his collegiate career with the Wildcats under Wright.

Josh Hart takes blame for Knicks' elimination in ECF

Since last season, Josh Hart has been a big part of the New York Knicks' identity. Hart isn't an elite scorer, and he isn't a high-frequency shot blocker. However, he controls a lot of what happens when the Knicks need a few extra second-chance shots and someone to do some dirty work.

However, the Eastern Conference finals weren't a series that Hart would like to remember. After two games, Tom Thibodeau decided to bring him off the bench, although his minutes never took a cut. Moreover, he didn't seem his best self in the series.

Although Hart was just a small portion of what went wrong with the Knicks, he took a large part of the blame for the series loss.

"I failed the team," Hart said on May 31, according to New York Post's Jared Schwartz. "I didn’t bring it the way I should have, especially in this series. If I played better, it could’ve been a different situation."

In the conference finals, Hart averaged 8.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

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About the author

Nandjee Ranjan

Nandjee Ranjan is a journalist covering the NBA and WNBA at Sportskeeda whose passion for basketball dates back to his childhood when he enjoyed playing the sport in school.

Nandjee finds his heart divided between two NBA powerhouses: the LA Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. He idolizes LeBron James and his leadership, while he appreciates the Warriors' dynamic and team-oriented style of play.
Basketball, for Nandjee, isn't just a sport but a holistic approach to fitness and well-being. He's been drawn to team sports, finding fulfillment in the physical engagement basketball offers.

With years of following basketball, Nandjee contextualizes historical events and player performances. He believes in conducting thorough research before writing, only taking information from reliable sources. He doesn’t mind taking more time to write an articles, as long as it is 100% accurate for his readers’ benefit.

During his leisure hours, Nandjee finds relaxation by reading books.

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