Chase Coleman wants to get into coaching… wouldn’t surprise me to see him on staff at some point.
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Did not know the Medved-Dick Bennett connection. Very intriguing name in that case
From the Villanova Mod:
“Jay is not retiring because his wife, Patty is sick - that is not the case. He is retiring because the grind of the job wore him down over time. The portal and the NIL stuff on top of what he already had to do was enough that he made the decision to retire before the Final 4. He will have an office and some kind of role at Villanova going forward.”
Interesting that he decided to retire before the final 4 but still tried to convince the 2021 recruits to stay. Shows how committed he is to the Villanova program. Also him having an office and still being there as a mentor (like Roy and K at their schools) doesn’t give me hopes for the mass exodus LOL.
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An interesting point from one of their posters: College coaches are paid way more today than decades past. And the job, even before NIL and portal, was 24/7. A lot more coaches being vocal about just retiring after 60 with their “little” nest egg retirement fund.
Also there is some smoke to the “wife is sick” just not the reason for the actual retirement.
His coaching chops haven’t even gotten him a gig with AU or GW. I’m sorry but UVa 2022 shouldn’t be gifting the head job to anyone who hasn’t stepped out and put their ass on the line as a HC. Sanchez hasn’t yet set the world on fire at Charlotte but taking and succeeding at a job like that should be a minimal prerequisite to getting the UVa job. We’re not Dook or UNC.
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I think this is absolutely NIL and transfer portal related. And I’m sorry to say that the same will drive Tony out of the game far earlier than we would like.
Hubert Davis just took UNC to the national title game.
Just cause a coach does good somewhere else doesn’t mean they would do god here. And college basketball is changing very rapidly.
Im willing to put $50 on it Tony retires 2026-2027 and he picks Williford as his successor.
Williford has immense experience coaching at the D1 level
Is extremely well respected in the recruiting world.
I dont even care about the sentimental aspect as I was 10000% against Dex as our football coach lol. But he does get what UVA is being both a former player and an assistant head coach for longer than his playing days.
Williford seems like he would be one to accept NIL and the portal head on/not afraid to adapt whatsoever. I also just want to see a UVA team full of DC kids for shits and giggles. We would get a 5 star here and there.
Whose to say he hardcore interviewed for those spots as well?
The Dook and UNC situations aren’t remotely similar, and UVa enjoys almost none of their advantages. Williford at this point is no more qualified than Dex was. Limiting yourself because of sentiment (Willy wouldn’t even be considered for another ACC job) is asinine. Also, while he has the associate HC in name, I dont think Tony has ever relied on him like he did Ritchie or Sanchez.
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Lol this is where you lose me cause that is wrong on just so many levels. Dex has been anything more than a position coach and “co-defensive” coordinator.
Williford has been on Tony’s staff as an assistant for 13 years, and associate headcoach for 5 years.
I know you may be frustrated and that’s okay, but I think accepting the fact that Tony will most likely recommend Williford for the job if he retires in the next 3-4 years saves a lot of emotional investment in other candidates.
And we do have the resources; it’s just whether or not Tony wants to play ball like that. Williford definitely will I think.
Anyways thats all I have to say no more arguments on the Jay Wright thread lol
I don’t think he will recommend him. I think he’d give his blessing, but that’s entirely different.
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That’s fair.
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This one is puzzling to me. Jason has as much experience as Hubert and the Duke guy and is much more experienced in real recruiting. You may be right but seems an unbased assumption here unless is something about Jay Willy you see differently
Example: Jeff Capel had lots of experience and now at Pitt…?
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Well as a UVa fan I liked both Dook and UNC’s hires, because they’d have been much scarier going outside the family. Imagine Muss and Scott Drew or Tommy Lloyd at Dook and UNC. Unlike us, they can get away with hiring guys no one else wanted because they acquire enough talent to paper over any coaching deficits. Yes, Hubert made the title game, but they also vastly achieved in the regular season, and were a couple of injured Baylor players from being knocked out in the R32. The idea that HD, Lebo, Frederick and May will out-coach any decent staff is hard to fathom. Only the best developmental/in-game/ eye-for-talent coaches will even close to maintain our accustomed level of winning. Medved’s CV and Otzelberger’s insane one year turnaround from a 2 win ISU team are decent shouts. Hell I’d even go back to the well and take a hard look at Kyle Smith.
For Williford to deserve the job, he needs to get an offer, bet on himself and have significant success. Capel was terrible at OU but for Blake Griffin. He had decent success at VCU, which was eclipsed by the succeeding 2 coaches. Thank goodness Page and Oliver didn’t listen to the UVa fanbase and hire him back in 2009.
Understood. Thanks for the response/ explanation
Those are two really good candidates. But do you think they would be able to handle where college basketball is headed? If Tony is stepping away in our hypothetical, would these guys not do the same? That’s why Im more inclined towards Williford. Someone who can handle where the game is headed (wherever that may be).
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Williford wouldn’t be a splash hire, but it wouldn’t be the first time an assistant got promoted. Jeff Jones took over, with less experience than Williford, when the ACC was second to none. That was a hell of a hire, it didn’t work out in the end, but he started off very very well. If Bennett endorses him, I’d have no problem giving him a shot.
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Very very very well even
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LOL… well said!
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