Villanova University

Oct. 3, 2008

The Nova Notebook, by Villanova director of media relations Mike Sheridan, appears weekly during the fall and into the basketball season and periodically from May through August. In this entry we catch up with the Wildcats newly minted assistant coach, Jason Donnelly.

His office door is no located no more than five feet from his former workspace. When the games begin, he will be attired in the same kinds of suits he has sported for the past three years, seated less than 12 inches from where he was in the past. And, each morning, he encounters the very same Villanova people he was gotten to know since coming to campus in the summer of 2005.

And yet Jason Donnelly's new world as an assistant coach is a marked contrast to his old one as the manager of basketball operations.

"This is exactly what I have always wanted to do," states Donnelly, a 1999 Muhlenberg University graduate who came on board Jay Wright's staff after a six year stint at the top assistant to Joe Wootten at national prep powerhouse Bishop O'Connell High School. "It's probably closer to what I was doing when I was coaching at Muhlenberg and O'Connell. It's been great.

"The way I viewed my old position is that it was my responsibility to take care of any detail that didn't relate to coaching and recruiting. So everything else was under that umbrella. In this case, all you are doing is coaching and recruiting. You are out there traveling up and down 95 non-stop, building relationships. You check in with all these great coaches and programs with great players."

Donnelly's elevation to his new slot came in September, roughly one month after longtime Wright lieutenant Brett Gunning moved on to the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association. Patrick Chambers was elevated to associate head coach to fill that void, leaving an opening that did not go unnoticed in the coaching fraternity. Calls and resumes poured into Wright's phone and email boxes. As part of the university's national search, Wright spoke to a number of candidates with impressive credentials.

"The way I looked at it," he says, "is that Coach Wright was going to do what was best for program. Once Brett left, I assumed the responsibilities of an assistant coach but I understood that didn't assure me of being selected. My attitude was to do the best job I could with whatever my assignment was."

In the final week of September, a formal announcement was made that Donnelly would indeed fill the vacant assistant coaching slot going forward. Former administrative intern/video coordinator Keith Urgo became the new operations manager with ex-Lehigh player Kyle Neptune joining the staff in Urgo's old post.

Among those who reached out to Donnelly, was Gunning.

"One of the things Brett told me before I even got out on the road to recruit is that the Villanova name commands such great respect when you walk into a gym," Donnelly states. "There is so much appreciation and respect for what Villanova Basketball is all about. So when you walk in, people are very positive about Coach Wright, the players and the success of the program.

"There are a lot of great things about wearing a shirt with that V on your chest."

The first month of his new gig was something of a whirlwind. September is a month where NCAA rules permit coaches to be on the road, evaluating and, in some cases, conducting visits with prospects. Donnelly was behind the wheel of his sport utility vehicle most days and had barely enough time on campus to move his belongings into his new Davis Center office.

Over his first three seasons, Donnelly paid close attention to his colleagues. He absorbed all that he could but there were limits. By definition, the operations role requires the individual to be on campus, tending to the day-to-day business of the program. Therer is contact with university officials, professors and student groups. Now his considerable organizational skills, such an asset in his previous job, are applied in a different framework.

"I have a tremendous level of respect for what Pat and Doug (West), Brett, and Eddie (Pinckney) were doing these last few years," he says. "To see how they did what they did and how they were so successful is really impressive. You have to be very disciplined and efficient in your planning."

Since taking on his new role, Donnelly has not been shy about consulting Chambers, West and Gunning. He frequently leans on them for advice about the need to be organized in time and travel management. At the same time, he has patiently counseled Urgo about the many ins and outs of the operations role.

"Keith is a very energetic and positive guy," states Donnelly. "The people on campus - professors, administrators and students - who are just now getting to know him are going to be very impressed. His relationship with our players is awesome and he'll do a phenomenal job."

Donnelly is grateful for his 37 months in the operations role. He knows that Wright first got a feel for the scope of program operations when he performed similar tasks for coach Rollie Massimino when he first joined the Villanova staff in 1987. Chambers spent a year in the role too under Wright, succeeding Billy Lange, Wright's first ops director, who now is the head coach at Navy.

"As coaches we all hope to some day run our own programs," Donnelly states, "and that job teaches you all the different aspects that go into running a successful program. I am so glad I had the opportunity to learn this from the ground up."

While the lessons are invaluable for a young coach, the period can also be challenging. Most coaches yearn to instruct on the court and that is not an option for the operations person. They must focus their energies elsewhere and it's not always easy. Donnelly handled it as well as anyone in Wright's tenure as head coach has.

When the Wildcats officially begin practice on Oct. 17, Donnelly will be on the hardwood again. It's one more reason why he is excitedly looking ahead.

"The thing I'm looking forward to is Oct. 17 when the ball goes up and you are really in practice," he states. "To be able to work out the guys, be there instructing them on the court is very exciting. It's kind of like riding a bike - once you get on, everything comes back to you. You are kind of just brushing up on what you do. I love the interaction with players and the best part for a coach is that we have guys who want to learn, want to get better. It's nice to be able to put that knowledge to work.

"It's just completely different from what I was doing before."

Sometimes a few feet in carpeted office space represents far more than it would appear to the naked eye.