VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova head coach Jay Wright connected with media in the Delaware Valley on Wednesday afternoon via a video conference. In the session he addressed a range of topics impacting the 2019-20 Wildcats and the abbreviated end to the campaign due to the coronavirus pandemic.
 
Wright opening statement: "We're really grateful to the caregivers and those people that are vulnerable at this time. That's the biggest issue.
 
"We've said this to our players: basketball is our life but it's so minimal in the grand scheme. It's kind of crazy for us to be talking about it right now. I think we've all set the tone that what's most important is what's going in our country. We're thinking of those who are ill and vulnerable – and our health care providers. Those are the true heroes and courageous people in our country right now.
 
"Now we talk about our little world of basketball and sports. Missing the NCAA Tournament is obviously tough for our guys. I feel fortunate that our only senior is Tim Saunders. I do feel for Tim. But he's such a great kid, he gets it.
 
"We felt like we were playing great basketball, really coming on before this. All the local media on this have heard me say it, we always want to be playing our best basketball at the end of the season. We felt we were. But this is what it is, and I think our guys get that.
 
"This time right now – we don't know how long it will go – is actually an important rest time for us. We spend a lot of time talking to our guys about rest. The time that we spend together is so intense the rest is really valuable and productive. If we're lazy in our time together, then rest isn't really productive.
 
"This is an important rest time for us. We had a crazy summer (of 2019) because we knew that I was going to the World Cup (with USA Basketball). We really worked hard in June and July. And then our staff worked really hard with the guys when they came back in August. The way our (Villanova) schedule was, we didn't have a bye week. The (rest) is good. We're trying to find positives in this.
 
"I also think for the guys, the time spent home with their families and loved ones is found time. We know as athletes and coaches, we're kind of crazy. We get caught up with what we're doing and miss time with our loved ones. We're trying to take advantage of this opportunity.
 
"The other thing is the guys are now working online for their classes. Arleshia Davidson, Marissa Paffas, Jenn Brophy are doing a great job with our guys. So far, they are doing a great job. We have a group text and we communicate with them all the time.
 
"We just had an Athletics video staff meeting (this morning). Our AD, Mark Jackson, is doing an incredible job through this ,as has Father Peter, our President."
 
Q: It's very early and there is a lot to be determined on the NBA and its early entry process, but what are your thoughts on Saddiq (Bey) and Jeremiah (Robinson-Earl) possibly not being around next year?
 
Wright: It's really a relevant question right now, maybe more so than it would have been in a normal spring.
 
Saddiq is back home in D.C. and Jeremiah lives here with his mom. The NBA is still on hold. They don't have a plan yet for what they're going to do with the pre-draft process or the draft. So Saddiq and Jeremiah, who will probably both go through that process when we find out what it is, are waiting, counting on us for information. We're trying to get them as much information as possible.
 
Saddiq is really having a tough time finding a place to work out in D.C. He found a gym to get into, but he still can't find a place to lift. That's O.K. for now – I want him to rest. Jeremiah is trying to find a place around here where he can into a gym to shoot. But I'm O.K. with him not finding one for now so he can get more rest.
 
Q: Is your communication with the team a daily thing?
 
Wright:  It is. I worry about bombarding them sometimes.
 
We have a group text that I communicate with the guys on through the season. I'm probably hitting them every other day now. Our academic people are communicating with the players every day, Monday through Friday. And then our assistants are in touch with them every day.
 
I'm really trying to convince the players not to do any kind of workouts just yet. I realize some of them probably are. The rest is important. It's something we battle with them on this time of year when they're here. We lock them out of the gym during this time. We really need that rest, physically and mentally.
 
Mostly now it's about academics and how their families are doing. Everybody's good, no symptoms from anybody. Everybody's family is healthy.
 
Q: What is the impact of the 2020 Olympics being postponed?
 
Wright: The impact is felt on a lot of levels. I think it's the right decision. I feel bad for all of the athletes who prepare to do this once every four years, for whom it may be a once in a lifetime kind of deal. For basketball guys, it's not as difficult. I talked with Pop (USA Head Coach Gregg Popovich) and Sean Ford (USA Basketball Director) Tuesday. It's postponed, not cancelled, until next spring or summer. There's a lot of questions there.
 
If they did held the Olympics in late spring (2021), you might not have NBA players. If they did it in summer, you might have NBA players. We have to wait for the IOC to make those decisions. We had a plan in place for our (Villanova) workouts to work around my schedule this summer that we had spent a lot of time developing. But now that doesn't even matter.
 
Q: For you, how untethered do you feel right now? Usually this time of year you've got something going on.
 
Wright: It's a great example of the mantra we use of 'attitude.' This is the best example that you don't have control over what happens to you in life. What you have control of is what your response is, and how you approach each day, each challenge. I'm really trying to live that myself.
 
What's the positive in this?
 
Well, the time spent with my family is the big thing. We're all quarantined here. We're enjoying that time together. I'm really trying to test myself on what else is there in me besides basketball.
 
I don't know if there's ever been a March where I wasn't in it, watching it or recruiting during it. Back in the days at Hofstra when you weren't in the (NCAA) tournament, you felt like you were catching up because the teams that were playing were busy. In recruiting you felt like you had to double or triple down to make up for not being in the tournament.
 
I'm trying to be a better husband, be a better father, spending more time with the kids watching movies. Reading more and being more worldly. I can't say I'm good at it, but I'm really trying to test myself.
 
Q: How impressed have you been your team's reaction to the news that there wasn't going to be an NCAA Tournament?
 
Wright: I was very impressed with our guys reacting to the news that the NCAA Tournament was cancelled. I could see they were very dejected. I could see it in Saddiq. He was really pushing himself to carry this team. I think he is very intelligent and understands he is going to have a decision to make this spring or early summer.
 
We talked in the locker room that day (March 12) that this is the time to really be respectful of other peoples' lives. The Villanova Nursing School has all these graduates out there working on this. Let's look at what they're doing. Let's look at what our families do all the time to support us. Now we can be at home to support them. I think our guys are really taking it seriously and enjoying the time with their families.
 
It's been a couple of weeks now and Patty reminds me that no one in this house plays for me and no one in this house works for me. They're not assistants, they're not players. I'm not in charge of everything. But it's a good experience for all of us. It's humbling.
 
The 2019-20 season – Villanova's 100^th college basketball campaign – is presented by Hartford Funds and Coca-Cola.