You should cross the mountains like a brave man

Chapter 664 The Lobbyist
Villanova Wildcats head coach Jay Wright is fretting over an invitation letter.

He wasn't invited to another college's basketball team—if it was, he wouldn't have to worry about it. How could he have left Villanova for another college? ——It was the Philadelphia 76ers who invited him.

"Coach Wright, we sincerely invite you to join the 76ers Nation. For you, this is a rare opportunity in your career. Only a few coaches have achieved success in the NBA and NCAA at the same time. Isn't this the next major challenge in life? The 76ers have the configuration you need most, and the 'FP' system you are best at will be carried forward in Philadelphia. You will have the right to appoint and dismiss the coaching staff, the right to make trade recommendations for the management team, and the right to directly decide on player exchanges. We are waiting for your reply and looking forward to your arrival."

This invitation letter is not only signed by the 76ers general manager Hinkie, but also signed by Wei Xia.

Seeing "Wish", Wright's thoughts floated.

In a blink of an eye, eight years have passed since that golden March.

After 2005, Wei Xia entered the NBA with the sixth overall pick in the first round, but the Wildcats still retain most of their backbone, and they are confident that they will create another glory.

Unfortunately, Alan Ray, the soul of the team, suffered an eye injury in the 2006 March Championship. His eye almost fell out, and the scene was bloody and horrible.

Without Ray, without a superstar like Wei Xia, the Wildcats were defeated.

That June, Allen Ray, Randy Foye, Jason Frazier, Michael Sumpter, and sophomore guard Kyle Lowry declared for the draft.

The championship team in 2005 and a complete set of starters in 2006 left the team at the same time.

No matter how strong a team is, it cannot withstand this level of turnover.

The following year, the Wildcats won just 22.

In 2008, the Wildcats recruited poorly, and none of the top 2006 high school students in the United States joined.Fortunately, under the leadership of Scottie Reynolds PG, No. 37 in the United States in 77 and Antonio Pena SF, No. 2007 in the United States, and Corey Fisher PG, No. 22 in the U.S. high school in 26, and Corey Stokes, No. 2006 in the United States, they helped the Lakers win Crown, the joy of becoming the first Wildcat to be crowned FMVP in history, played the best season since [-].

In 2009, the Wildcats were 30 wins and 8 losses throughout the year, facing the University of North Carolina, which was almost invincible that year, and lost.

North Carolina's Golden One avenged the 2005 National Finals in place of his predecessors, beating the Wildcats by 14 points.

The only consolation for the Wildcats is that their opponent is the eventual champion.

One more thing, North Carolina was terrible that year. Except for Tyler Hansbrough, No. 1 in North Carolina team history, the team's 17-man roster could only register 12 people per game, and 12 of the 11 players were from the top [-] high school students in the United States at all levels.

Among them, four players are from the top ten high school students in the United States in different age groups.

With a strong lineup and strong talent, he has no rivals in college.

The Wildcats have had their best season since they got back together. Facing such a strong opponent, they can only admit defeat.

In the summer of 2008, Wright exuded endless charm and won all the admissions battles, winning four freshmen of the 2009 TOP100 national high school level.

Two of them rank in the top 20 in the United States.

You know, Wei Xia "only" ranked 16th in the United States that year.

However, not everyone has Wei Xia's talent and speed of progress.Villanova, who won a big admissions victory, went 13 wins and 19 losses in the new season and missed the March Championship.

Wright has never been able to find the right players to activate his four-back lineup. It seems that the success of 2005 was just a matter of luck.

Doubts and criticisms of Wright in college basketball are growing every day.

Villanova was determined to keep Wright, and they gave Wright all the power a coach could have.

Wright continued to play his back four, but the next Wescia was completely absent.

In 2012, the three veterans from 2009 who were still in the team took the lead. However, another 13 wins.

In 2013, this year, nothing has changed, and the Wildcats are still in the shadows.

They missed March Madness again, the veterans of the 2009 class were graduating, Wright's contract expired, and the Wildcats faced yet another rebuild.

Wright's college coaching career came to a crossroads, and for the first time in his life, he doubted himself.

At this time, the invitation letter from the 76ers was sent to him.

Wright knows the 76ers lineup.

There are Holiday, Nash, Wesha, and Weaver on the back line, Hayward on the flanks, and sufficient inside personnel. They reached the Eastern Conference finals last year, and they may be only one chance away from entering the final big stage.

They need a head coach who can bring out all their strengths.

The invitation of the 76ers is undoubtedly tempting, but it is difficult for Wright to make up his mind.

Because he doesn't know if he's the right fit.

Until Wei Xia's arrival.

With Kobe as a lesson from the past, Weisha vowed that he must use the most appropriate wording and the most beautiful words to lobby Wright.

Of course it can't be like Kobe's "you have to do this if you are a man" and "let me teach you how to win the championship".

That's aggressive and offensive language.

Wei Xia's sudden appearance is by no means for reminiscing about the past, and Wright knows this.

The Wildcats' summer training is in progress, and the old students all come to say hello when they see Wei Xia.

Not only for Wei Xia's achievements in the NBA, but also because he is a legend of the Wildcats.

The 2005 championship is different from the 1985 upset defeat of Georgetown University to create a Cinderella fairy tale.That season, the Wildcats won the championship with all victories, Weixia played a legendary final, swept all the individual awards that year, and left completely as a ruler.

No one doubts that if Wechat stayed and played for four full years like the rest of the Wildcats, the Wildcats would be favorites for the next few years.

"Coach, these young people look good." Wei Xia said modestly, "It's much better than when we first joined the team."

Wright smiled wryly, this year's wildcats' enrollment is not bad.

They recruited two of the top 2013 high school students of the [-] class.

However, the Wildcats have never been known for their strong enrollment. No matter how strong the freshmen are, they must start from the bench. This is the consistent tradition of the team.

It wasn't recruiting that got this team astray.

"It's just good." Wright sighed softly, "Felix, I've been trying to find the next you among the freshmen, but after eight years, I feel more and more that you are unique."

Being praised by others is no surprise to Wei Xia.

But for Wright, he has absolute respect and humility: "Coach, everyone is unique."

Wright said convolutedly: "But only your 'unique' can make the Wildcats 'unique'."

Wei Xia told a cold joke: "I really want to retire and go back to school to play for a few more years, but the league probably won't agree."

"So you did the opposite and asked me to leave Villanova and join the 76ers?" Wright asked suddenly, bringing the topic that they knew but didn't know how to speak to the surface.

Wei Xia shook his head and said: "No, coach, I don't want you to make a decision. I just want you to take a look at our game, and our summer league. The 76ers are a different team. I think you are the most suitable coach for us, but I think that only you are qualified to draw this conclusion. So, before you make a final decision, I hope you can understand the 76ers well enough."

"Why me? Felix, although I have many years of coaching experience, the NBA and the NCAA play completely different basketball. I am just a rookie in the NBA, and you were only one step away from the finals last year. Why don't you find a more experienced coach?"

Wright voiced his doubts.

"I'm sure there is no more experienced coach than you on the market. Moreover, the so-called experience is not worth mentioning in front of talent. You said that the NBA and the NCAA are different basketballs. I disagree. There may be differences in the rules, but the size of the ball, the height of the basket, and the basic rules are the same." Wei Xia suddenly said what he had prepared for a long time.

Wei Xia's simple words touched Wright's heart.

How does a 35-second attack turn differ from a 24-second attack turn?To put it simply, it is the speed of the rhythm; to put it complicatedly, it is the complexity of tactics.

Because you have a 35-second attack, you can play long and dirty plays.

The core purpose of Wright's 4-back system is to speed up the pace.

From the point of view of play, this runs counter to the rules pursued by the NCAA.

In the NBA, which pays more and more attention to three-pointers, and in professional games where space is becoming more and more important, Jay Wright's concept of 4 guards is actually at the forefront of the times⑴.

This is a huge change. Wright's desire and ambition were provoked by Wei Xia.

He began to wonder how his tactics would play out in the NBA.

Will he fail and return to college like those famous coaches who have been successful in the NCAA but failed in the NBA, or will they, like Larry Brown, prove that a coach who succeeds in college can still succeed in professional basketball?

(2016) After the popularity of small balls, during the 18-[-] period, Villanova won two championships in three years.

(End of this chapter)