To Suit Up Or Not? Even Villanova’s Jay Wright Keeping It Casual At Final Four

NEW ORLEANS — For as long as sports fans can remember, basketball coaches have dressed for success. From three-piece suits to the slightly more casual blazer and slacks look, the image of a coach on the sideline in a suit next to his profusely sweating players has been etched in our memories. 

COVID-19 changed all that, allowing coaches to dress in a more casual manner. Athletic pants and three-quarter zips are the norm of the day, giving a more uniform look to the sidelines. 

Quite frankly, it makes sense. Why should coaches be forced to sweat in a full suit coaching a game that requires shorts and no sleeves? Baseball managers wear uniforms, and football coaches wear athletic wear. So, why can’t basketball coaches also be comfortable?

Now, there are going to be those who miss the days of college coaches in suits — who think it sets a good example — especially at the college level — for coaches to “dress for success” in front of their young and impressionable players. But while the professional look can be appreciated — put me in a suit and I feel like a million bucks — don’t expect the business attire to return to the sideline anytime soon. 

Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright is as dapper as they come, known for his classy pinstripe suits throughout the years, but even the Wildcats head coach will be keeping it casual on the sidelines in New Orleans. 

”I actually had to call our sports information director as I was packing to ask, do I need a suit?” Wright said at his Friday press conference. “Are there any events I need to go to? And he said, ‘I don’t think so.'”

“So, no. I don’t think I’m going to wear a suit because I don’t have one,” Wright continued. “But it was nice. It’s easy packing. The hardest thing for me is we all dress the same so we have the same shirt … they send me a picture of what to wear. I can’t tell the colors. I’m always nervous I match up the right gear. It’s difficult. When you wear a suit I just pick up whatever I want. That’s been challenging for me this year.”

Kansas Head Coach Bill Self echoed Wright’s thoughts, saying that the Big 12 voted unanimously to wear casual clothes while coaching. 

“Coaching against Jay [Wright], I’m very happy that there’s no wardrobe, suits, because nobody could compete with him in that regard,” Self told reporters on Friday. “But I kind of like the way we’re doing it. I do. I hope it stays casual moving forward. I think our leagues will probably have a lot to do with what the coaches do, because in our league we voted unanimously to do this. And so we are kind of bound by that. I guess it could be year to year. I like the direction it’s moving. And it’s certainly a little bit more comfortable. And you save money on dry cleaning.”

“Athleisure” has become commonplace in America, making the days of coaches prowling the sidelines in thousand dollar suits a distant memory. Maybe one day it will return, but don’t expect it in New Orleans.   

Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].

The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.