Villanova head coach Jay Wright hosted an end of season conference call with reporters Wednesday afternoon, discussing a wide range of topics. We’re going to break down the call into a few different posts so we can give each topic the space and time it deserves.

We’ll start with the most important thing right now, which is the situation our country, and the world, is going through. Wright’s comments make it clear that he’s using the current circumstances as a teaching tool, that he’s hoping to use it as a period of growth both for him and his players, and that he hopes the current crisis can serve to put things in perspective.

“Most important is what’s going on in our country and as I said, the people who are ill and the people who are vulnerable, and just great respect for all our healthcare providers, I think those people are the true heroes and the courageous people in our country right now,” Wright said.

Interestingly, the current circumstances serve as a perfect opportunity to preach the “attitude” mantra that is a staple of Wright’s program.

“We always, it’s a great example of our mantra which is ‘Attitude’, we try to teach our players and we’ve talked to our team about this, that, this is the greatest example of ‘you don’t have control of what happens to you’, what you have control of is what your response to what happens to you is and how you approach each day and each challenge what’s your attitude.”

Wright is also taking the time to make sure he’s practicing what he preaches.

“I’m really trying to live that myself, I’m saying ‘ok, what’s the positive in this?’ Obviously, time spent with my family, we’ve got all the kids home, girlfriends, I don’t know how many people we have in here but thank God we didn’t downsize. But we’re enjoying that time together. I’m really trying to test myself on what else is there in me besides basketball because this time of year, I don’t know if there’s ever been a march where I wasn’t in it, watching it, or recruiting during it. I’m just testing myself on what else is there in me and trying to get our players to do the same. You know, being a better father, being a better husband, spend more time with the kids, watching movies, reading, being more worldly. I can’t say I’m good at it, but I’m trying to test myself.”

Wright said he and his family are scheduling time in their home gym, trying to play some tennis, are taking walks together, have found a spot to watch sunsets, are taking turns cooking meals, and are playing a lot of games. One thing you won’t be seeing is Wright on Tik Tok. “I don’t want that out, viral, me dancing anywhere," he joked.

As for his players, Wright is trying to be there for them, help them navigate these uncharted waters, and helping them see the bigger picture.

“As we talked about it, talked about attitude and this opportunity in life. We’re basketball guys, this is what we do, we have to be respectful of other people’s lives and we talked about that, that this is a time to be respectful of other people’s lives. The nursing school at Villanova has all these nurses out here working, let’s look at what these people are doing, let’s look at what our family is doing all the time to support us, let’s be at home and support them. And as I talked to our guys, I think they’re really taking it seriously, I think they’re really enjoying their time with their family.”