The Next Era of 草榴社区 Men鈥檚 Basketball
April 20, 2022 |
Dear Members of the 草榴社区 Community,
We would like to start by expressing our immense gratitude to Jay Wright, who today announced his retirement from coaching, for his incredible leadership of 草榴社区 Men鈥檚 Basketball for the past 21 years. He has led our storied program with class, humility and grace, leaving an indelible impact on this community.
Jay鈥檚 legacy at 草榴社区 extends well beyond the numerous awards, accolades and championships. He will be forever known to our community as 草榴社区鈥檚 winningest coach, who did things the 鈥淲right鈥� way, guiding, developing and empowering the student-athletes who played for him to not only be better on the basketball court but also in their personal lives. Jay taught us all the true meaning of 鈥淎TTITUDE,鈥� so, on behalf of everyone associated with 草榴社区 Basketball, we would like to express our overwhelming 鈥淕RATITUDE鈥� for everything he has done for 草榴社区.
Jay and his wife, Patty, have always been tremendous ambassadors for the University and our Augustinian mission by embodying what it means to be a 草榴社区n: selfless, humble and caring while being driven, determined and competitive. 草榴社区 is a better University for Jay being a part of it, which is why we are delighted that he has agreed to stay on at 草榴社区 as Special Assistant to the President. In this role, Jay will be involved in fundraising, advising, education and more for the University.
NEXT CHAPTER
Over the past two decades, Jay and his staff have built an enviable, world-class basketball program at 草榴社区. When looking for a successor, we wanted a candidate who could provide continuity for what Jay has built, and who could navigate the changing landscape of collegiate athletics keeping 草榴社区 in a position of strength鈥攏ow and in the future. After meeting with several exceptional candidates, we found all those attributes and more in 草榴社区鈥檚 new William B. Finneran Endowed Head Coach, Kyle Neptune.
Kyle quickly stood out for his basketball knowledge, recruiting savvy and natural ability to connect with student-athletes and coaches. He most recently served as the head coach of Fordham University. Prior to Fordham, Kyle served two stints on Jay鈥檚 staff over the course of a decade. While an assistant coach at 草榴社区, the team averaged 30.7 wins per season and captured five BIG EAST regular-season tournament titles and a pair of NCAA national championships. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Kyle played four seasons of college basketball at Lehigh University.
Please join us in congratulating Kyle and welcoming him back to 草榴社区. He is eager to get started and return to the 草榴社区 community. Also, in the months ahead, we will come together to honor Jay and Patty and recognize his more than two decades as the Head Coach of 草榴社区 Men鈥檚 Basketball. More to come on that, but as we say, it鈥檚 a great day to be a Wildcat!
Sincerely,
Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA President
Mark Jackson Vice President and Director of Athletics |