Lebanon
So it wasn’t too surprising when Wright was named NHIAA Division II girls basketball player of the year by the New Hampshire Basketball Coaches Organization on Tuesday, even if the recognition caught the young Raider star with college hoops aspirations off guard.
“I was shocked,” Wright admitted on Thursday in Lebanon’s athletic offices. “Shocked, but definitely excited.”
Wright, a Weathersfield resident, has established herself over the last two seasons as one of the most dominant scorers to come through Lebanon coach Tim Kehoe’s program. She scored double-digit points in each of Lebanon’s 23 games this winter, netting 428 points in all, including a combined 38 in the Raiders’ two state tournament games.
She finished the season averaging 18.6 points per game and entered the offseason sitting near 800 career points in only 48 games.
Wright — who was named to D-II’s all-state first team as a freshman — admitted she considered prep school for a short time last season, but decided against it in favor of committing herself to Lebanon. In turn, Wright’s development has become something of a pet project for Kehoe, the Raiders’ veteran coach.
“She’s got great hands and a great 3-point shot,” Kehoe said on Thursday. “Right now, I think her offensive package is pretty tough. … I think she’s one of the better players I’ve ever coached, especially offensively. I don’t know one team going into a game after Christmas where they didn’t scheme for her specifically.
“I think, in my time, this is the first sophomore I remember winning player of the year,” he added. “She’s earned it. She’s played really hard and put up big numbers this year.”
Wright scored a game-high 23 points in Lebanon’s quarterfinal loss to rival Hanover on March 2, a stinging defeat.
“To be honest, it took a good week (to get over). It still kind of hurts,” Wright said of the loss. “That entire week, I didn’t want to talk about it.”
Wright began playing basketball in third grade at the Weathersfield School before joining the Raiders. She also has played with Windsor AAU, the New England Flames in Nashua, N.H., and now — along with Kimball Union Academy star and Boston College commit Taylor Soule — with the Massachusetts Rivals Basketball Club in Boston. She’s slowly developing a deadly combination of size and skill that she hopes can take her to the next level.
“At first, I didn’t think I would get this far,” Wright said. “It was kind of like, ‘Hey, I’ll just join some other sports.’ But as I started getting better, I thought I actually could go somewhere with this. I just started working on my game. … I think in sixth grade, I kind of said, ‘I think I should continue doing this.’ And then between eighth and ninth (grades), I starting thinking, ‘I could really go to college for this.’ ”
Two years later, Wright has been recognized as one of the best players in the state. It’s a testament to her year-round dedication to the sport, although Wright admitted there are things she’d like to continue to work on — namely, her defense.
“I think improving my game and getting myself out there,” Wright said of taking the next step. “AAU gets me out there in front of colleges; high school builds me as a team person. (At Lebanon), I’m able to work on the things I’ve done wrong; it’s not as fast-paced as AAU.”
In the meantime, she has her eyes set on the AAU season and her junior campaign with the Raiders. College coaches already have started calling, if only to get their school on her radar. But Wright’s biggest challenge may be off the court, transitioning into Lebanon’s vocal team leader.
“I feel like, at my level, I have to become a leader,” she said. “Not just me carrying the team with points, but carrying the team as a team leader. … Getting other people (to be) better, getting their confidence up, being more of a teammate. I feel like I’m already a good teammate, but getting to the point where I’m a great player and a great teammate. I want to carry the team both ways.
“(A loss to Hanover in the playoffs) motivates me to push myself even harder, and to push the team harder, too. It’s hard losing to a rival like that. … We don’t want that to happen again.”
Hanover sophomore Maddie McCorkle also received all-state recognition, named to the second team in D-II. Hanover junior Julia Golder and Lebanon junior Anna Wolke — who missed the last week of the season with an injury — received honorable mentions.
Newport senior Alexis Hurd was named to the D-III second team; Stevens sophomore Sydney Miller received an honorable mention. In D-IV, Woodsville senior Lily Kinder was named first team all-state; teammates Olivia Sarkis (second team) and Molly Clough (honorable mention) also were recognized, as was Mount Royal junior Alexis Matte (honorable mention).
On the boys’ side, Lebanon seniors Chris Nulty (D-II first team), Matt Eylander (D-II second team), Stevens senior Drew Grenier (D-III honorable mention), Woodsville teammates Garrett Olsen (D-IV first team) and Cooper Davidson (D-IV second team), and Mount Royal brothers Alex and Andrew Normandin (both D-IV honorable mention) also received recognition.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.