Jay Wright, one of the best college basketball coaches in the country, announced his retirement as coach of the Villanova Wildcats on Wednesday night.

“Over the past 21 seasons, I have had the opportunity to live out a professional dream as the head coach at Villanova,” Wright wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. “Patty and I have been blessed to work with young men who allowed us to coach them and brought us unmatched joy. We cannot overstate out gratitude to the players, coaches, and administrators who have been with us on this path. It has been an honor and a privilege to work at Villanova and under Father Peter and Mark Jackson.”

Wright, 60, is widely considered in the pantheon of college hoops coaches since the turn of the century. He coached Villanova to national titles in 2016 and 2018, and made two additional Final Fours.

“Now, though, it’s time for us to enter a new era of Villanova basketball,” he wrote. “After 35 years in coaching, I am proud and excited to hand over the reins to Villanova’s next coach. I am excited to remain a part of Villanova and look forward to working with Father Peter, Mark, and the rest of the leadership team.

“Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat.”

As for who Wright will hand those reins to, Villanova wasted little time announcing Fordham coach Kyle Neptune as the successor.

“When looking for a successor, we wanted a candidate who could navigate the changing landscape of collegiate athletics and keep Villanova in a position of strength—now and in the future,” said Jackson, the Director of Athletics at Villanova. “After meeting with several exceptional candidates, we found all those attributes and more in Kyle Neptune. Kyle quickly stood out for his basketball knowledge, recruiting savvy and natural ability to connect with student-athletes and coaches.”

Neptune helped lead the Wildcats to six Big East regular season title and four league tournament championships as a former member of Wright’s staff.

Wright was an assistant coach at Rochester, Drexel, Villanova and UNLV before becoming head coach of Hofstra in 1994 and later taking over the Villanova program in 2001. His record as a head coach was 520–197 — a 72.5 percent winning percentage.

Wright was rumored to be a candidate for the Knicks job in 2020, but they ultimately hired Tom Thibodeau.

Even though he is 60 years old, the news that Wright is retiring seemingly popped up out of nowhere. Schools and NBA teams will likely test his resolve, as he will be highly sought after for years to come.

“It never gets old,” Wright said this past March, after Villanova reached its fourth Final Four of his tenure. “It is a dream of every player and coach in college basketball. It’s the ultimate.”

For the time being at least, Wright does not seem to desire to return to the bench in any capacity.

“There’s been significant NBA interest in Jay Wright through the years, but sources tell ESPN that his intention is to retire from coaching — not only Villanova,” ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted. “Those who’ve talked to Wright don’t believe the NBA holds appeal to him — not now, or in future.”

Added CBS college basketball analyst Seth Davis: “This is shocking news and a huge loss for college basketball.”

Wright’s retirement comes in the same offseason in which legendary Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who won five national titles, also stepped down. There is an enormous void in the sport as it continues its transition to the NIL era in which athletes can be sponsored and also enter the transfer portal without having to sit out for a season.