At long last, a high-profile former Villanova coach is joining the New York Knicks. No, Jay Wright is still enjoying his lower stress life hanging out at the Jersey Shore and doing studio work. Per reporting from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, current Saint Joseph’s head coach, and former Villanova and Philadelphia 76ers assistant Billy Lange, will be joining Mike Brown’s staff with the Knicks.
Lange was the lead assistant with the Sixers before leaving to accept the head coaching job with the Hawks in 2019. After initial struggles (Lange’s first two St. Joe’s teams went 6-26 and 5-15), the program improved to go 21-14 in 2023-24 and 22-13 last season, losing in the NIT first round both seasons. While no one expects St. Joe’s to be a perennial powerhouse (part of the reason the 2003-04 team with Jameer Nelson and Delonte West was so magical), not returning the program to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 will certainly be viewed as a failure of Lange’s tenure on Hawk Hill.
While everyone had their laughs at the method of the Knicks’ coaching search following Tom Thibodeau’s surprise firing, there’s no denying Mike Brown is as solid as they come. In addition to Lange, Brown has brought in Chris Jent and Brendan O’Connor, while retaining Rick Brunson (imagine firing Jalen’s dad) and Sixers legend Mo Cheeks. We can argue about New York’s ceiling in the Eastern Conference, but there is certainly a high floor both in terms of the roster and the experience along the bench.
