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Chris Wright is entering a senior season that will cap one of the most memorable careers in a Dayton uniform. Already 32nd in career scoring at UD with 1,127 points in just 87 games, he is also the school career record holder in dunks (133) and is fourth in blocked shots (111, 28 away from Sean Finn's 139). Wright was a member of USA Basketball's Men's Select Team this summer and is a two-time member of the John Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 List. Wright is one of eight players on the 2010-11 list who was also included on last season's Wooden Preseason Squad. Also repeating this season are Corey Fisher (Villanova), Jeremy Hazell (Seton Hall), Robbie Hummel (Purdue), Kalin Lucas (Michigan State), Kyle Singler (Duke), Isaiah Thomas (Washington) and Kemba Walker (Connecticut). A two-time NABC All-District selection, Dick Vitale named him a Third Team Preseason All-American heading into 2010-11. People who watch him play talk about the highlight-reel dunks, his elite athleticism and will to win. While great talent and tremendous physical gifts (including a 43-inch vertical leap) could make a player approach the game with a "me-first" attitude, Wright goes out of his way to approach everything he does "we-first." 2009-10 Chris Wright had a dynamic 2009-2010 basketball season for the Flyers, which included a First Team All Atlantic 10 selection. Wright was also selected to the NABC Division I All-District Second Team and was selected as the team recipient of the White-Allen Most Valuable Player Award. He also captured his third straight "Shorty" Sharpenter Memorial Trophy as the team's top rebounder. Only two other Flyers, Ryan Perryman and Keith Waleskowski, earned the Sharpenter Award in their freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. On the court, Wright led the Flyers in points (13.7), rebounds (7.3), blocks (1.4) and minutes (28.6) per game. He also ranked second in steals (1.0), third in field goal percentage (.501) and fourth in free throw percentage (.676). He set the single-season Flyer record for blocks in a season with 53, which shattered Sean Finn's old mark of 46 from the 2001-2002 season. In addition, his blocks per game average of 1.4 ranks tied for fifth in UD history. Wright also shattered his own record for dunks in a season with 66. His previous high came the season before when he threw down 54 dunks. Wright is the Flyer all-time leader in career dunks with 134. He started all 37 games for the Flyers and led the team in total points (507), rebounds (269), free throws made (125), free throws attempted (185), field goals made (187), minutes played (1058) double-doubles (7) and scored in double figures in 29 of the Flyers' 37 games. In addition, Wright led UD in scoring in 14 games, and led the team in rebounding in 17 games. Wright started the season with a 25-point, eight-rebound performance in the victory over Creighton. He recorded a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds against Kansas State and 20 points on a career-high 10 free throws against Towson. He recorded another double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds against Lehigh, and one against Old Dominion with 16 points and 12 rebounds. He netted 19 points and eight rebounds on 8-of-10 shooting against Boston. He tallied 16 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks in the home victory over Duquesne, and recorded 14 points and 12 rebounds against George Washington. At Saint Joseph's, Wright scored 28 points on 12-of-20 shooting and recorded two blocks. In the home victory over rival, Xavier, Wright earned the Blackburn/McCafferty MVP award for his performance of 17 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. It was the second time in his career that he earned the Blackburn/McCafferty MVP award. In the following game against Charlotte, he scored a career-high of 30 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field. Wright recorded his 1,000th career point in the game at Duquesne. He became the 42nd player in Flyer history to reach that feat. He finished that game with 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting. In the game at Temple, Chris tallied his seventh and final double-double of the season as he scored 12 points and hauled in 13 rebounds. In the A-10 quarterfinal match-up against Xavier, Wright tallied 17 points and swatted a career-high four blocks. Against Ole Miss in the NIT semifinals, he had nine points, 11 rebounds and a career-high five assists. In the NIT Championship game victory over North Carolina, Wright scored 14 points, hauled in nine rebounds and dished out three assists. 2008-09 Wright was First Team All-NABC All-District, Second Team All-Atlantic 10 and the MVP of the Chicago Invitational Challenge in 2008-09, his first full season in a Dayton uniform. After missing 19 games with a fractured ankle as a freshman, Wright came back to lead UD in scoring (13.3), rebounding (6.6) free throws made (121), dunks (a then-school-record 54), double-doubles (6) and SportsCenter Top Ten Plays (3). The high-flying Wright seemed to save his best efforts for the best competition. Three of his six double-doubles came against BCS schools, including 13 & 13 in November against No. 15 Marquette to lead UD to the Chicago Invitational Challenge championship, and a career-high 27 & 10 in the Flyer win over West Virginia in the NCAA tournament. He also earned the Blackburn/McCafferty MVP award the first time Dayton & Xavier met. Wright recorded his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds versus Mercer. He added two more double-doubles with 10 points and 14 rebounds in an overtime win over Auburn, and again with 13 points and 13 rebounds to go with a career-high four assists in a win over No. 15 Marquette. Named the Atlantic 10 co-Player of the Week on November 30, Wright scored 17 of his game-high 19 points in the second half against No. 14 Xavier. He recorded his fifth double-double with game highs of 17 points and 10 rebounds against Richmond, and scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor at Rhode Island. Chris had 20 points and five rebounds versus Temple. Chris contributed 10 points, three blocks and nine rebounds in 28 minutes of play against Kansas in the NCAA second round. 2007-08 Wright played in 15 games and led the team in rebounding (5.7), and field goal percentage (.602) and was second in scoring (10.4) and free throw percentage (.804). The Flyers certainly missed the presence of Wright after he broke his ankle midway through the season. UD was 13-1 before his injury and 9-9 after. After 13 games Wright had four Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors. He first earned the award on Nov. 11 after netting the first double-double in a Flyer freshman debut with 22 points and 13 rebounds against East Tennessee State. He was the only A-10 player to have won the award outright four times in 2007-08. After recovering from the fracture, Wright was finally cleared to play in time for the second round of the NIT. He averaged double figures in the tournament. He had nine points, three rebounds and two blocks in 10 minutes of action at Illinois State in the NIT Second Round, and 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field at Ohio State in the quarterfinals. Wright was the fifth Dayton player to be selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team. Tony Stanley (1997), Brooks Hall (2000), Keith Waleskowski (2001) and Brian Roberts (2005) were the other UD selections. Wright's eight minutes of conference action is likely the fewest of any previous A-10 All-Rookie Team selection. The last player to be chosen A-10 Rookie of the Week four times in the first six weeks of the season was Jameer Nelson. High School Wright was the main part of what three respected ranking services - HoopScoop, Rivals.com and Scout.com - called the best group of incoming freshmen in the Atlantic 10 in 2007-08. Wright has all the stats and awards to back that up, but that's not the only reason people were talking about his joining the University of Dayton basketball program. Named the top incoming freshman in the Atlantic 10, by most of the experts, Wright's above-the-rim game turned heads during practice sessions for the 2007 Jordan Brand All-America Game and during the game itself at Madison Square Garden where he turned in a 10-point, 10-rebound performance. ESPN analyst Steve Lavin, who called the Dayton recruit "electrifying," said he could play at any program in the nation. Ranked as high as the 18th-best prospect in the country, Wright averaged 19.2 points and 12.8 rebounds for Trotwood-Madison High School while earning First Team All-Ohio Division I honors. The Rams were 22-2 and ranked second in the state heading into the OHSAA tournament. Wright was Third Team All-Ohio as a junior after leading Trotwood-Madison to a 22-6 overall record and the state championship game, where they lost to perennial powerhouse and 28-time state champion Canton McKinley. He averaged 17.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 5.2 blocks a game. As a sophomore, he averaged 15.0 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He is the second member of his family to play at UD. His uncle on his mother's side, J.D. Grigsby, played at UD from 1971 - 1973 and once had a "20-20" game for the Red & Blue. He scored 21 points and grabbed 21 rebounds against Notre Dame at the end of the 1971-72 season. Personal Data Full Name: Charles Christian Wright Nickname: Flyght, C-Dub Son of: Ernestine Grigsby Siblings: Willie (34), Demetrius (33), Mark (28), Charelle (24), Nicki (19), Nicholas (17), Bam (14) Birthday: September 30, 1988 Major: General Studies High School Coach: Ike Thornton, Larry Ham AAU Team: Queen City Prophets Career Goal: NBA Why I Chose UD: It's home and it's the best situation for my family and me Career Statistics Dayton Career Highs Points: 30, Charlotte (2/10/10) Rebounds: 14, Auburn (11/28/08) Assists: 5 Ole Miss (3/30/10) Steals: 3, Seven Times FGs Made: 12, at Saint Joseph's (1/23/10) Blocks: 4, vs Xavier (3/12/10) A-10 Tournament FT Made: 10, Towson (11/28/09) Minutes: 41, at Saint Louis (2/13/10) Flyer 33's... Tom Frericks (1950-51), Don Miller (1951-52), Larry Pedicord (1952-54), Bob Jones (1958-59), Paul Winterhalter (1960-62), Bill Cassidy (1962-64), Dan Sadlier (1966-69), Pat Murnen (1969-72), Joe Fisher (1972-75), Mike Byrd (1979-83), Anthony Grant (1983-87), Ken Branch (1987-91), Chris Daniels (1991-96), Brooks Hall (1999-2003), Jimmy Binnie (2004-08) |
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