Villanova Univeristy Athletics

Michael Saxe

A decade after completing a standout playing career at Penn, Saxe became the first coach of the Wildcats’ varsity team. He led the ‘Cats for the first six seasons of their existence, posting a 63-31 (.670) record in that span while helping to establish the program as a permanent fixture of campus life. The Wildcats posted a winning record in each of Saxe’s six campaigns, highlighted by a 10-1 effort in 1924-25. Among his standout players were Joey Sheehan, who would go on to play in early professional leagues following his college career, and George “Doc” Jacobs, who would later serve as Wildcats’ head coach.

From the 1925 Belle Aire Yearbook: “Since the establishment of the court game at the college some years ago, Villanova has never had anyone in charge of her court hopes but Mike Saxe, and incidentally has never had the experience of having anything but a team of the best order. This enviable record is due in no little measure to the untiring efforts of Coach Saxe. Whether seasoned or green was at his disposal at the beginning of each season, he never failed to turn out a team that kept the name Villanova well to the fore in cage circles.”

John C. Cashman

After having served one season as an assistant baseball coach at Villanova, the man known as “Rube” Cashman took the helm of the Wildcats basketball program. Cashman led the Wildcats to an 11-7 record in his debut campaign of 1926-27 despite having to replace much of the core of the team from the previous season, including star center George Jacobs.

Cashman’s second and third seasons at the helm were disrupted by the Jan. 28, 1928 fire at College (now Tolentine) Hall that did an estimated $2 million damage. With much of the undergraduate population dorm and classroom space lost, the main gymnasium was converted to laboratory space. The Wildcats were left without an on-campus practice location and scrambled to find alternate sites for its remaining home games. Villanova did not host a game on campus for the rest of Cashman’s tenure, which ended at the close of 1928-29. One of Cashman’s most accomplished players was a guard named Alexander Severance.

George W. Jacobs

The first former Wildcat player to later serve the program as its head coach was George “Doc” Jacobs. During his playing career, Jacobs served as a defensive stalwart for head coach Mike Saxe. Jacobs led Villanova to an 11-6 record in his debut despite playing the season’s final 16 games on the road. The 1931 opening of the Field House created a true home court for the ‘Cats, who posted consecutive winning campaigns in 1932-33 (9-4) and 1933-34 (9-3). The Wildcats were 62-56 under the stewardship of Jacobs, highlighted by a 13-7 season in 1934-35.

Alexander Severance

A multi-sport star as a Villanova undergraduate, this New York City native captained the Wildcats’ basketball team as a senior in 1928-29 and was also class valedictorian. After earning a law degree in 1933, Severance returned to lead his alma mater’s basketball program in 1936. Within three seasons, he had directed Villanova to the first NCAA Final Four (1939) at the Palestra. He would go on to coach 25 seasons, including a remarkable 73-15 stretch from 1948-51.

Among the legends Severance guided were Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Paul Arizin, Larry Hennessy, Bob Schafer, George Raveling and Hubie White. Severance’s 413 career wins stood as a program record from 1940-2018 and he steered VU to 20 or more victories seven times. He was inducted into the Villanova Varsity Club (1974), Philadelphia Big Five (1994) and Philadelphia Sports (2016) Halls of Fame.

Hall of Famer George Raveling (1956-60): “The thing about Coach Severance was that he saw himself more as an extension of each player’s family than he did as a coach. The greatest lessons I learned from him had nothing to do with basketball. He helped me learn to value education and the spoken word.”

Jack Kraft

Jack Kraft came to Villanova in 1961 from nearby Malvern Prep as the successor to Al Severance. In his first season he guided the Wildcats to a 21-7 mark and appearance in the NCAA Tournament – the first of six such appearances VU would make over the course of his tenure. In 12 seasons he recorded a 238-95 mark, a .715 winning percentage.

The Kraft led teams of the 1960s and early ‘70s helped lift Villanova to national prominence, highlighted by a 23-6 campaign that delivered the ‘Cats to the NCAA Final Four in 1971 for the first time since 1939. In the ’71 NCAA Tournament Villanova defeated Saint Joseph’s and Fordham at the Palestra before downing Penn 90-47 in the East Regional final in Raleigh, N.C. The Wildcats then staged an epic duel with Western Kentucky, ultimately prevailing in double overtime 92-89. Villanova then dueled UCLA to the wire in a 68-62 loss.

Kraft coached a litany of Villanova legends including Wali Jones, Jim Washington, Bill Melchionni, Johnny Jones, 1971 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Howard Porter, Chris Ford and Tom Ingelsby. He was a 1987 inductee into the Philadelphia Big Five Hall of Fame.

Bill Melchionni (1962-66): “One of the things about Jack that stands out in my mind is that he played the people he thought gave us the best chance to win. There wasn't any other agenda at work. He was extremely fair and treated everyone the same. I just have great admiration for the man. He allowed me the opportunity to develop as a player and as a person. Over the years you come to appreciate that even more.”

Rollie Massimino

From 1973 to 1992, Coach Rollie Massimino guided the Wildcats to 357 victories, including 20 in the NCAA Tournament (with only 10 losses). On April 1, 1985, in a game that would come to be defined as one of the most monumental upsets in NCAA history, the Wildcats connected on .786 of their field goal attempts to stun No. 1 ranked Georgetown 66-64, capping an improbable six-game march to the title as a No. 8 seed.

In addition to the magical 1985 run, the Wildcats under Massimino advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in 1978, 1982, 1983 and 1988. Villanova posted 10 seasons of 20 victories or more in Massimino’s tenure and he was the 1982 BIG EAST Coach of the Year. He was inducted into the Villanova Varsity Club (1996), Philadelphia Big Five (2010) and Collegiate Basketball Halls of Fame (2013).

During his near two-decade stint on the Main Line, Massimino built a program founded on family. Each of the players recruited to Villanova by Massimino who spent four years in the program earned his degree. Through the years he remained in close contact with his former Wildcat players, many of whom credit him with helping mold them into the people they are today.

Ed Pinckney (1981-85): “Coach Mass was a fantastic leader. The fact that most of his former players stay together is a tribute to him. We have a group text chain with the ’85 team and we’ve all got our favorite Coach quotes. This is my 16th year in coaching and that puts me in a lot of different venues at clinics and camps. Whenever I see guys who coached with or against Coach, they all say the same thing: he was a coach’s coach.”

Steve Lappas

One year after serving as the head coach at Truman High School in the Bronx, N.Y., Steve Lappas was part of the staff of Coach Rollie Massimino when the Wildcats shocked America by knocking off No. 1 Georgetown to claim the 1985 NCAA Tournament title. Lappas ultimately left Villanova in 1988 to become head coach at Manhattan College, where he steered the Jaspers to new heights. In 1992, he was tabbed head coach at Villanova.

Lappas guided the Wildcats to a 174-110 mark (.613) in nine seasons at the program’s helm. In 1994, Villanova captured its first National Invitation Tournament title with a victory over Vanderbilt at Madison Square Garden. A year later, the Wildcats rolled to the first BIG EAST Tournament title in program history led by first team All-American Kerry Kittles. In a three year stretch from 1995-97, Villanova won 75 games and climbed as high as No. 2 in the national polls.

Villanova won 97 BIG EAST games in Lappas’ tenure and produced a lineup of standouts that featured Kittles, Jonathan Haynes, Jason Lawson, Alvin Williams and Malik Allen. Michael Bradley earned All-American status in 2000-01. Lappas was inducted into the Villanova Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2016.

Malik Allen (1996-2000): “I thought Coach Lappas was great – he was tough but fair. He knows the game at a high level. I thought I was a good worker when I came to Villanova but then I saw how hard guys like Alvin (Williams), Jason (Lawson) and Chuck (Kornegay) got after it every day in practice, and knew I had to work harder. That atmosphere under Coach Lappas was an important stepping-stone to my NBA career.”

Jay Wright

This former Rollie Massimino assistant (1987-92) returned to Villanova as head coach in 2001, after lifting Hofstra to the top of the America East Conference. His first full recruiting class in 2002 included future Wildcat All-Americans Randy Foye and Allan Ray. Villanova returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2005 after a five season absence, kicking off a period that included four NCAA Sweet 16 appearances, two NCAA Elite Eight trips and a berth in the 2009 NCAA Final Four, clinched when Scottie Reynolds scored in the final seconds to lead the ‘Cats past Pitt 78-76.

Another thrilling chapter began in 2013-14. The Wildcats reeled off five BIG EAST regular season and four tournament titles. Villanova rose to the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press regular season poll for the first time in February 2016 and two months later, earned its second NCAA national championship with a 77-74 victory over North Carolina. In 2017-18, Villanova posted a 36-4 mark behind the play of consensus National Player of the Year Jalen Brunson. Every one of its six NCAA Tournament victories was by 10 or more points, capped by a 79-62 triumph over Michigan in the NCAA Final in San Antonio.

Wright enters the 2019-20 campaign win with 448 Villanova victories, the most in program history. He is a seven-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year and two-time Naismith National Coach of the Year winner. Among the other Wildcats’ stars he has mentored are Kyle Lowry, Darrun Hilliard, Ryan Arcidiacono, Daniel Ochefu, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges.

Ryan Arcidiacono (2012-16): “Playing for Coach Wright was an awesome experience. I loved it. Knowing how much he would push you for the betterment of the team and your own game, really made you appreciate his love for you, the team, and the University. He instilled the confidence in you to go out and play your game for the team. It was as good a feeling as a college basketball player can have.”