UNDATED (AP) — Villanova men’s basketball coach Jay Wright has stepped down after 21 seasons and two national championships.
Wright was 520-197 after taking over the Wildcats program in 2001, leading them to four Final Fours. They won the NCAA title in 2016 and 2018, and reached the national semifinals in 2009 and this year.
He is a six-time Big East Coach of the Year and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sept. 11, 2021.
Kyle Neptune, who served on the Villanova coaching staff before accepting the head coaching position at Fordham University in 2021, replaces Wright.
In other college basketball news:
— Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe says he will return for his senior year with the Wildcats after a breakout season in which he swept national player of the year awards. Tshiebwe led the nation with 15.1 rebounds per game and averaged 17.4 points. He also had 60 steals and 55 blocks.
— Duke’s Paolo Banchero is leaping to the NBA after one season as a candidate to be the No. 1 overall draft pick. The 6-foot-10, 250-pound freshman announced his decision Wednesday, with the school saying he planned to hire an agent. The Associated Press third-team all-American averaged 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds for the Blue Devils.
— All-America center Kofi Cockburn of Illinois has declared for the NBA draft and hired an agent. The 7-foot Jamaican was an Associated Press All-America first-team pick. He was the only player in the nation to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds last season.
— UCLA’s Johnny Juzang is entering the NBA draft. He was one of the stars of the 2021 NCAA Tournament during the Bruins’ run to the Final Four. Juzang averaged 15.6 points and 4.7 rebounds last season.
