Megan Turner
Videos by OutKick
Former Marquette hoops coach Tom Crean had some epic hardwood battles with former Villanova coach Jay Wright, and on Thursday’s Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich, the former coach came on to talk about Wright’s retirement and the history the two share.
Crean said told Dakich that the first time he matched up against a Jay Wright team was in a Conference USA contest in Madison Square Garden the year Marquette reached the 2003 NCAA Final Four.
JAY WRIGHT OFFICIALLY RETIRES AS VILLANOVA COACH
“I was scared to death,” Crean said. “We played them in the Garden. It was a great game, we won the game … it was the springboard for our season.”
Crean said once Marquette got into the Big East, he and Wright had three straight years of going at each other. “It was fantastic,” he said.
RETIRED VILLANOVA HC JAY WRIGHT EYEING BROADCASTING CAREER
“The preparation for playing against him was so strong,” Crean said. “It wasn’t the complexity, it was the simplicity of how good they were at what they did.”
Crean said Wright evolved in many ways as a coach, but one thing that stood out was Wright’s team fundamentals and the toughness displayed. Here’s what Crean and Dakitch discussed:
Catch Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich every Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. across OutKick.com and OutKick’s social media.
Follow Meg Turner on Twitter @Megnturner_ and Instagram @Megnturner
New PointsBet Sportsbook users can make their first bets risk-free up to $2,000. If the bet loses, PointsBet will refund you in site credit. New users can lock in this offer NOW by clicking this link.
New DraftKings users can get up to a $1000 deposit bonus and receive a 20% first deposit match up to $1,000 when they sign up. New users can lock in this offer NOW by clicking this link.
