After Georgetown’s resounding 103-90 victory over Villanova, sophomore Greg Monroe declared of this Hoyas squad, “We’re as good as we want to be.” Based on how the season has gone so far, it might have been more accurate to say the Hoyas are as good as Chris Wright wants to be.
Monroe is probably the team’s most valuable player, and Austin Freeman its go-to scorer, but Wright is Georgetown’s bellwether, the player whose individual performance most closely correlates with the team’s fortunes.
Often charged with running the point for the Hoyas, Wright has the responsibility of facilitating Coach John Thompson III’s modified Princeton offense. But the 6-foot-1-inch junior is also a prolific scoring threat. It’s an oft-quoted statistic but it bears repeating: when Wright scores in double figures Georgetown is 16-0, and just 2-5 when he doesn’t.
The Hoyas’ win against Villanova, in which Wright scored just seven points before fouling out, raised questions about the validity of the double-figure rule. But the fact remains that Wright must find a balance between equitably distributing the ball and looking for his own shot.
Hilary Nakasone
“I think my role both in terms of scoring and getting my teammates the ball is very important,” Wright said. “My role on this team is evident. I have to be a leader.”
Wright is at his best when he can lead by example, like he did Tuesday night against Providence.
The Hoyas trailed by as much as eight in the second half, but with 12 minutes to play, Wright drove to the basket, drew a foul, and converted the three-point play, scoring his magic tenth point and giving Georgetown a one-point lead. That sparked a Wright scoring break-out en route to a 21 point game.
“Chris has always been very skilled offensively and defensively,” sophomore backcourt mate Jason Clark said. “I think the thing that he’s really developed is his leadership. He has been a leader to everybody on the team. I think he could have been that leader a while ago but—I don’t know what pulled it out of him, but he’s become a very, very good leader and a lot of people look up to him on the team.”
The difference between this season and last for Wright is the way his teammates view him. Last year Wright was a sophomore who had never played a Big East regular season game due to injury. This year, Wright is one of the Hoyas’ most experienced players, and he has embraced the responsibilities of being a veteran.
Wright knows he has to hold himself to a higher standard. Providence marked a welcome turnaround for Wright after two lackluster performances. And while his foul-limited performance against Villanova did not prevent Georgetown from winning, he said he was disappointed with his performance in last week’s loss to South Florida.
“I think [against USF] offensively I wasn’t there,” Wright said. “And defensively I played OK. It just wasn’t a game I should have played.”
Wright’s teammates have taken notice of the pressure he puts on himself.
“He works really hard off the court,” junior forward Julian Vaughn said. “Even when he has a good game he’ll be in the gym, getting extra shots and stuff to stay hot, stay ready.”
Even with a trip to lowly Rutgers coming up next, Wright is surely hitting the gym just as hard as he will be for a visit from Syracuse next week. Losses like the one to USF have reinforced the fact that no team can be overlooked, and Wright knows his teammates are watching and listening to him.
“He’s probably the most vocal leader we have at this point,” Vaughn said. “I’m real proud of him. He’s really stepped up his game from last year to this point.”
As far as Wright has come, there will still be moments when his game is off, when his shots aren’t falling. And as we head through February into March, every decision he makes with the ball in hand becomes increasingly critical. But with plenty of experience now, Wright knows his task is simple.
“Just read the defense,” Wright said. “I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again. It’s not anything [where] I have to reinvent the whole wheel.”
