Dawn Staley and Jay Wright deliver strikes with first pitch, offer playoff advice for the Phillies

Dawn Staley and Jay Wright admitted they were a bit nervous about throwing out the ceremonial first pitch Monday night before Game 1 of the National League Championship Series between the Phillies and Diamondbacks.

But the two Philly basketball legends looked unfazed as they threw in sync ball together in front of a frenzied Citizens Bank Park crowd.

“It was really nice having Dawn with me,” said Wright, the former Villanova men’s basketball coach. “We both made a living trying to act cool in situations where we’re really fired up, and both of us were standing there on that line getting ready to go out there, I know she was feeling it and I was feeling it, but neither one of us said anything, we were just smiling at each other — it’s nerve-racking.”

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Staley, a Philly native and head coach of the South Carolina women’s basketball team, said she missed practice to come out to Monday’s game, but it was worth it. The Hall of Famer hasn’t coached in Philadelphia in 16 years. Her last stint came in 2008 at Temple.

Staley has become a national icon, leading the Gamecocks to two NCAA championships. Her Philly roots have followed her to South Carolina, where she hasn’t shied away from her sports fandom in “Braves country.”

“I always let them know where I’m from,” Staley said. “I just work here, I’m from North Philly, everybody knows that. … I don’t win as a coach if I didn’t come from right here.”

They know how much a home advantage can impact a game. Wright recalled how the fans shifted the game while coaching the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament at the Wells Fargo Center in 2016.

It was a first-round game against American University. Villanova was down 14 points. But suddenly the atmosphere changed and his team was feeding off the energy of the crowd, leading to a 90-48 victory.

“It really intimidated the opponent and once we got on a run in that place it was over,” said Wright, who won two NCAA titles. “When you play in front of a Philly crowd, you feel it, and you see the other team impacted. It’s like shark to blood, and I think that’s what happened in the Braves [NLDS] series.”

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With both having experience coaching on the highest stage, what advice would they give to the Phillies’ clubhouse?

“You’re going to be the team you’ve been all season long,” Staley said. “It’s gotten them this far, so you can’t add more pressure to the situation.”

Added Wright: “You don’t have to answer to any expectations, you just have to answer to each other. That’s the strongest motivation you can get. It’s not the Diamondbacks, it’s not the World Series. It’s playing hard for each other.”