Kyle Neptune sounds like Elroy Jetson's best friend

Jay Wright retiring wasn't the college basketball news I expected to see today. The gulf between Self and everyone else just got even larger.

He only has one year of eligibility left and if he transfers again he has to sit out a year. He's going to be on the team unless he decides to stop playing.

I think it makes more sense than people want to believe. Wright built his program on solid 4 year guys with a dash of high recruits here and there. With NIL and the portal, winning with culture just isn't a reality anymore. To be a top team you have to be recruiting well AND be competing on the transfer portal AND working out big NIL deals. Kansas gets Remy and UK gets Oscar and other elite teams keep adding new guys every year to just reload. That's never been Novas style. Kansas has an entire department dedicated to getting NIL stuff and promoting guys. It doesn't surprise me if he just thought to himself that this isn't the same game I coached even 5 years ago and I don't want a part in it.

Coaching at that level comes with an obscene amount of pressure. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he just had enough. He built fantastic teams, won a pair of championships, is highly regarded and respected, and positively impacted hundreds of players and coaches, plus thousands/millions of fans.

It also wouldn't surprise me to see him back in coaching or in a booth commenting on the game. Guys like that, with that level of passion and drive and love for the game & team, never truly walk away. He'll probably author some books on teamwork, leadership, and his experience(s).

For now, I hope he takes some time off and relaxes. He has earned it. Good for him. Jay Wright is a helluva coach and a genuinely likable guy.

Someone on Phog mentioned that the Villanova boards are speculating that his wife has health issues. That would probably make the most sense as to why he would retire now, IMO.

Even though I hated playing Nova and especially when we lost to them, I have a lot of respect for Wright. He's always been a class act from what I've seen. He even had some nice things to say about KU in this year's FF.

He's the opposite of coach K.

Wright has always had good things to say about Self and KU.

Yeah, Jay Wright is a hell of a coach. Not a douche either, which is actually kinda rare for great coaches. Never really bothered me to see him have so much success (even at our expense on occasion).

If Self sticks around and doesn’t have any significant issues (which seems likely with NIL), he could absolutely win a couple more titles over the next decade. Wouldn’t shock me at all.

Self is the best in the game by a mile. Who’s the closest right now? Maybe Bennett, Drew, Beard, Izzo, Few? In some order.

It's Few or Drew I think.

I was leaning Few, but it’s really hard to say.

The gap between 1 and 2 is probably larger than the gap between 2 and 5.

I'd like it to be Drew. I used to hold him in pretty high disdain, but I've softened on that in recent years. I just don't care for Few, though I'm not that sure why.

Tom Izzo.

Eight FFs and a natty. Just alot of bad teams.

Calipari.

Rick Pitino.

Drew I think is not a very good coach on game day, But he has gotten substantially better.

All that being said, in aggregate, the job he’s done at Baylor after the program had been carpet bombed out of existence by ****ing murder, he stepped in and has done a pretty masterful job.

Regardless of whatever happens barring some Briles-esque allegations or whatever you think of the team and staff, drew deserves respect. That job was dead end and he won a ship. I don’t like it but I have to respect the job he’s done there.

Half of your teams can't be bad if you're gonna be the #2 coach in college basketball behind Self.

Calipari has no idea how to properly in-game coach or develop a consistent successful program from year to year. Without Nike money, he's nothing.

Pitino, sure, if you're giving a career achievement award.

Pitino is the next best behind Self and he's stuck at Iona.

This is a good opportunity for a period of KU domination.