Taking advantage of his 6’6″ height, senior Chris Wright has been playing on the boy’s varsity basketball team since he was a junior, using his leadership skills and basketball knowledge to boost team morale.

Wright first started playing in 3rd grade: “I had always loved the sport and I was always really tall. I would always shoot it over people and that made it fun early on. But as people started to catch up, it just became kinda my sport,” Wright said. “My friends and I would always play during lunch.”

Varsity basketball coach Steven Dyer appreciates Wright’s commitment. “He really does a good job of trying to bring his leadership every day to practice. It’s his 2nd year on varsity so he kind of knows what varsity basketball is like. I think he’s gotten tougher; not just physical toughness, but mental toughness also,” he said.

Dyer also praised Wright’s progress. “He’s gotten better every week, which is what we ask, and I continue to think he will improve as the season goes on,” Dyer said. “And, he’s our tallest player. Height’s a big thing in basketball, but it’s not just about being tall, it’s how you use your height. So he does a good job of using his height for sure.”

Senior Tom Caprio, a fellow captain, is one of Wright’s close friends. Caprio said, “Chris is a player who, when he gets his head right, is very dangerous because he brings a lot of skill to the game. He’s a smart guy and he puts all that together and he becomes a real force for us on the court.”

Caprio commended Wright’s abilities to boost team spirit. “He’s good at rallying [the team] up, getting them focused, reminding them what the goal is for the game. And I think it’s really important for us to remember throughout the year,” he said.

However, Wright says that he couldn’t have made it this far without his team. “We have great chemistry. Everybody likes each other and it’s really fun. It’s a good team.” He added, “I think the season’s a lot better than last year because last year we kind of had some trouble finding out rotations and what works for us, but Steven Dyer’s done a really good job kind of understanding who we are as a team and minimizing our weaknesses.”

“We’re looking to win league and go to postseason strong,” Wright said.