Bashing Wright is wrong

NEWARK, N.J. - The NCAA tournament's East Regional is just up the New Jersey Turnpike in Newark this weekend. Though it's a short drive to North Jersey, you're probably aware Villanova didn't fold its kids into a giant wood-paneled station wagon and make the trip. Jay Wright's Wildcats failed to reach the Sweet 16 for the second straight year. Some of you seem pretty pleased about that.

V is for Villanova, but it's also for vitriol. Openly disliking the Cats - or at least enjoying their struggles - is fashionable again. So much for the hate hiatus from two years ago, when even some Temple and St. Joe's fans gave Villanova credit for an impressive run to the Final Four.

I caught the back end of the Wildcats' awful loss to unimpressive George Mason at a bar not far from my pad. When I got there, Villanova was in the process of blowing a six-point lead with two minutes to go. Two fans wearing 'Nova gear - one appeared to be of college age, the other was old enough to be his father - watched the horror unfold. Some of that horror was seated directly next to them.

A handful of loud local knuckleheads cheered each time the Patriots made a shot or the Cats missed one. When 'Nova was finally bounced from the tournament in the first round (or the second or whatever the NCAA is billing that opening-weekend game as these days), the anti-Cats crowd roared while the two Villanova fans shuffled off to commiserate and possibly seek safety.

It's one thing to delight in the Wildcats' failures - that's been a local hobby for hoops heads for a long time - it's something else to question the coach and the program. That's happened quite a bit over the last week.

Given the unsolicited opinions sent my way via e-mail and in Page 2's weekly online chat, some people apparently think Villanova is overrated and/or in decline, while others didn't hesitate to blame the Wildcats' season-ending, six-game losing streak on Wright. Some of those malcontents professed to be 'Nova supporters. One self-proclaimed Cats fan even wondered whether it's time to talk about Wright's job - as in whether he should have one on the Main Line.

Even by the admittedly low standards required for electronic correspondence, that particular position struck me as impossibly mindless. If you're one of the ninnies questioning Wright or 'Nova's place in college hoops, you should stop sucking your thumb long enough to consider everything the coach and the program have accomplished.

Wright has coached the Cats for 10 seasons. For the last seven, Villanova has reached the NCAA tournament. That's an incredible accomplishment for any school, particularly one that plays in a conference known for happily cannibalizing its own. (Pitt is the only other Big East school that's reached the NCAA tourney each of the last seven years.)

The detractors would note here that 'Nova lost in the second round last year and got booted without winning a game this year. That's true, but it's also a myopic look at Villanova's history. If everything is relative, then Wright's run makes him one of the best - if not the best - coach in Cats history.

For his career at Villanova, Wright is 224-111 (.669 winning percentage). During that stretch, he's reached the NCAA tournament seven times, advancing to four Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights, and a Final Four. Those numbers certainly trump his predecessor's: In nine years, Steve Lappas was 174-110 (.613), made the Big Dance just four times, and won just one tournament game.

Wright's record also compares favorably with Rollie Massimino's. In 19 seasons, Massimino was 357-241 (.597). His teams reached five Elite Eights and failed to win a game after reaching the tournament just once. And, of course, there was the magic and implausible national championship. That title, however, came in Massimino's 12th year on the Main Line.

If you look at Massimino's first decade at Villanova - he was 184-115 (.615), with five tournament appearances and three Elite Eights - Wright has a higher winning percentage, more tournament berths, and more tournament wins. That doesn't necessarily mean Wright is a better coach, but it does mean that you could make a case for him doing just as much - if not more - with the program as Massimino did during the first 10 years of their respective careers.

But a good year for Temple or St. Joe's or La Salle - the latter still has a basketball program despite evidence to the contrary - is often a disappointment for 'Nova. The expectations, particularly after making the Final Four two years ago, are out of control. That the Cats failed to win a game in the tournament this year was unacceptable to some and a real delight to others. That's fine. Watching the elite stumble and face-plant - and gag a little on their silver spoons - can make for a grand time. Just don't ignore the truth: Despite the last two tournament losses, 'Nova's program has been excellent with Wright around.