Villanova’s head coach, Jay Wright, has another reason to be happy these days. Less than 24 hours after the Wildcats knocked off No. 1 Connecticut at the Wachovia Center, Wright inked a contract that will extend his presence on the sideline until the 2012-2013 basketball season. The extension is for seven years; the exact terms of the deal remain undisclosed as per Villanova University policy.

Wright joined the team on March 27, 2001, after having worked as an assistant for Rollie Massimino at Villanova and UNLV. He followed this with a seven-year stint at Hofstra which included two NCAA trips. Thus far in his career at ‘Nova, he has posted a solid record of 95-56 (.629). After bringing the team to the NIT in his first three seasons, Wright managed to lead the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1999.

Over the last four seasons, the team’s record has continually improved from 15-16 in the 2002-2003 season to where the ‘Cats stand now, 20-2. Furthermore, with a 10-1 conference record, they are off to their best Big East start ever and are looking to secure a No. 1 seed come bracket time – a seed that will almost guarantee them games at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.