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Wright ready to go, says he feels 'no pressure'
Friday, October 12, 2007
DAYTON — Trotwood-Madison High School product Chris Wright may be the most hyped recruit for the Dayton Flyers in at least a couple of decades, but he doesn't plan to burden himself by trying to live up to that billing.
"There's no pressure," he said on the eve of the team's first practice. "Basketball is what I've been doing since I was a kid.
Extras
"There's a lot of people who are expecting me to do this or that ... I'm going to worry about the expectations within this team before I worry about any expectations outside of us."
The likeable 6-foot-8 forward attended media day Thursday with a heavy heart, still reeling from the death of 14-year-old Trotwood-Madison freshman Lamar Davis Jr., who died suddenly Saturday.
Wright had been mentoring the 6-5, 210-pound Davis, who was considered one of the top prospects in Ohio in his class.
"I went to some of his middle school games, and I just remember him trying to dunk on people," Wright said. "I was thinking, 'This kid is going to have a bright future.'
"That was really tough for me because this was a kid I knew. To have him call me a couple days before that, just to be gone all of a sudden, it was a real shock. I'll just try to honor him by playing hard every day."
UD coach Brian Gregory had been following Davis' development.
"He had a 'physicalness' at that age already and an ability to shoot the ball," Gregory said. "There's a lot of good players in the next few years in the area, and he was going to be one of them, no doubt about it."
Plane ride special
After the Celebration of Flyer Basketball on Tuesday night, Gregory rode on a private jet with former coach Don Donoher to drop keynote speaker Bob Knight off in Lubbock, Texas, and then take emcee Jay Bilas to Charlotte.
Gregory and Donoher landed back in Dayton about 4 a.m.
"That was an unbelievable thrill," Gregory said. "I sat there and listened to stories upon stories.
"The knowledge of the game between those two guys (Donoher and Knight) is overshadowed only by their knowledge of dealing with people. I thought, I may never get an opportunity like that again. I just asked questions and listened."
No Midnight Madness
The Flyers would have staged another Midnight Madness-type event to launch preseason practice if UD students didn't begin fall break Thursday.
Gregory is considering adding some fanfare to an intrasquad scrimmage instead.
Cordeiro OK
Junior forward Thiago Cordeiro tore a ligament in his right (shooting) hand during drills Monday against center Kurt Huelsman. But the 6-9 forward said that wouldn't hinder him in practice.
| Name | Ht. | Class | Ppg |
| Brian Roberts | 6-2 | Sr. | 18.5 |
| Third-leading scorer in A-10 and second-best free-throw shooter (.899) | |||
| Charles Little | 6-6 | Jr. | 10.5 |
| Rugged forward was A-10 sixth man of the year | |||
| Marcus Johnson | 6-3 | So. | 6.6 |
| Slowed by injuries but top-notch defensive player | |||
| Andres Sandoval | 6-4 | Sr. | 5.9 |
| Play improved late in year as turnovers decreased | |||
| Jimmy Binnie | 6-7 | Sr. | 4.3 |
| Versatile forward is one of Flyers' few zone-busters | |||
| Kurt Huelsman | 6-10 | So. | 3.8 |
| Tepid scorer but coaches like his defensive tenacity | |||
| London Warren | 6-0 | So. | 2.4 |
| Quick point guard finished second on team with 79 assists | |||
| 2007-08 Newcomers | |||
| Chris Wright | 6-8 | Fr. | 19.2 * |
| Coveted recruit is known for soaring dunks, should make instant impact | |||
| Mickey Perry | 6-2 | So. | 20.0 * |
| Wisconsin transfer will be eligible in mid-December | |||
| Devin Searcy | 6-10 | Fr. | 12.3* |
| Needs to add bulk but could contribute right away | |||
| Stephen Thomas | 6-1 | Fr. | 18.6 * |
| Savvy point guard fared well in UD's summer pick-up games | |||
| Thiago Cordeiro | 6-9 | Jr. | 11.6 ** |
| Brazilian led junior-college ranks with 4.3 blocks per game last year | |||
| * High school averages | |||
| ** Average at Barton (Kansas) Community College last year | |||
