NBA buzz around Villanova’s Jay Wright, Kris Jenkins and Josh Hart

Let’s be clear — Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins are not “declaring for the NBA draft.”

But their stocks are obviously high, and the two junior Wildcats are testing the waters to see if they could be taken by an NBA team this June fresh off a remarkable run to an NCAA Championship.

“The way the process is set up right now is really helpful to the players and to the coaches because you can really advise them properly,” Nova head coach Jay Wright said. “It’s set up where they can go through the whole process. The NBA, if they invite them [to the combine], you have a good shot. After you go to the camp, they’ll tell you where you are. I just think it’s so beneficial to the players.”

If one or both of the players feel they can accomplish more with another season at The Pavilion with the defending champion Wildcats, they are free to do so under the NCAA’s rules.

Wright is also the subject of NBA rumors, with the Suns looking for a head coach. Why not offer the gig to the 2016 college coach of the year?

“Fresh off NCAA title, Villanova’s Jay Wright has emerged as the top choice of the Phoenix Suns to become their head coach, per NBA sources,” tweetedMitch Lawrence from the NBA’s Sirius Radio Station.

If Wright, a 15-year Nova veteran, would actually skip town seems unlikely but you never know. The NBA is a pretty enticing promotion. He’ll certainly be the subject of several coaching vacancy rumors as the NBA offseason approaches.