Villanova's Jay Wright wanted to 'kill' Kyle Lowry on his 1st day

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All-Star guard Kyle Lowry and Villanova head coach Jay Wright have commented many times about how strong their relationship is.

Still, that relationship was strained and put to the test when Lowry first arrived on campus in the summer of 2004.

"He was not great with authority," Wright told SI.com. "On the first day of school when he was supposed to come for orientation, I told him 'do not be late for orientation.' He didn't show up. I was ready to kill him. He was playing in a summer league game and tore his ACL."

Lowry played in 24 games his freshman season, starting three, and averaged 7.5 points and 3.2 rebounds.

"Once he got in there, he's got a heart of gold and he's really intelligent," Wright said. "As soon as he started to see what was going on he realized real quick this is good for me."

Those numbers blossomed his sophomore season to 11 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and a 44.4 percent clip from three, when he decided to declare for the NBA draft after the 2005-06 season.

"When he first went to the NBA he was still a little immature," Wright said about Lowry. Wright thought he need some more time in college before jumping to the pros, "but I still go back, he is one of the smartest guys we've ever had and still is."

After a rocky start to his career in Memphis and Houston, Lowry found a home in Toronto, where he is now a three-time All-Star and won a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics.