Ford in mix, Wright says not interested
The Sixers and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced this morning that they have completed six interviews for their vacant head coaching position. Until this release, the number was thought to be four: Eddie Jordan, Dwane Casey, Kurt Rambis, and Tom Thibodeau.
Ford in mix, Wright says not interested
The Sixers and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced this morning that they have completed six interviews for their vacant head coaching position. Until this release, the number was thought to be four: Eddie Jordan, Dwane Casey, Kurt Rambis, and Tom Thibodeau.
That makes the question: Who were the two candidates interviewed that weren't known? A source has confirmed that one was internal candidate Chris Ford, who has been the head coach of the Boston Celtics as well as a short stint with the Sixers. The second was Jay Wright, currently coaching the Villanova Wildcats. Villanova PR has confirmed that Stefanski reached out to Wright and that Wright said he is not interested in moving from Villanova to the Wachovia Center. A press release is expected confirming that Wright will remain at Villanova.
Here are Wright's comments:
“Last week, Ed reached out to me to see if I would be willing to speak to him about the Sixers’ coaching position,” stated Wright. “He is a longtime friend of mine whom I have great respect for and is someone I talk to often. We had a lively conversation about the vision Ed has for the Sixers organization. As a lifelong Sixers fan, I was honored to be part of the process.
“Following our meeting, I called Ed to thank him and requested that he remove me from consideration. I love Villanova and it is where I want to be. I am grateful to the Sixers for including me in the process. There is a lot to look forward to for Sixer fans like me with the young talent they have put together and the leadership of Ed Stefanski.”
In the release, Stefanski said the following:
"In the past week, I have completed interviews with six candidates, all of whom are exceptionally qualified, have an impressive knowledge of the game and are very well-respected within the basketball community.
"I truly appreciate that they took time out of their schedules to meet with me regarding this position. Along with my staff, we will continue our due diligence – including further interviews, extensive research and in-depth background checks – before a final selection is made.
"As I have said before, the qualities I am looking for in our next head coach include excellent communication and leadership skills, will stress the importance of accountability while also developing our players and will be a strong tactician.
"As such, due to the number of candidates still involved in the process, there is no timetable set for when this very important decision regarding the future direction of the franchise will be made."
--Kate
chris ford is the man for the job— whopper- the unknown better be avery johnson
- "Eddie Jordan, Dwane Casey, Kurt Rambis, and Tom Thibodeau." terrible choices for a terrible team.— Guy Incognito
- CHRIS FORD?? Didn't he try this already? What reason would he have for coming back to this zoo? I guess some people are gluttons for punishment. I hope Avery Johnson gets a call.....
- CHRIS FORD???????? CHRIS FORD???????? CHRIS FREAKIN FORD??????? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????? What a complete joke this organization is.— brmorgen81
- I've seen Chris Ford work out and shower with his teams, and he is no Rodney Green. This team needs a big spark, and no Villanova alum (or coach) can provide that.— Frank Lucas
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- Chris Ford would do a great job. He, unlike Eddie Jordan and Doug Collins, was a winning coach in Boston.— 76er
- Comment removed.
- Actually. Chris Ford did a good job here; he should have been retained, but Billy King, in his infinite widsom, wanted a new face. As for selecting our new coach, I'm still a strong Tom Tibodeau supporter. Everywhere he has coached he has gotten rave reviews, and his track record is outstanding,(top 10 defensively 15 times). We would very smart to scoop this guy up, he's a winner.
- Allen Iverson, player-coach. No practice.— bmac821
- jay wright is the smartest man alive for turning the job down. and he obviously didn't want that nice dark hair of his to a) fall out or b) go gray.— nmb327
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
Keith Pompey has been an Inquirer reporter since September 2004. He takes over the Sixers beat after covering the Temple men’s basketball team for the past three years and Temple football the past two seasons. Pompey also previously covered the Penn and Drexel men’s basketball team and Villanova football team after initially focusing on high school sports.
Pompey is a native Philadelphian and a University of Pittsburgh. Follow him on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers or reach Keith at kpompey@phillynews.com.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
