THE WRIGHT STUFF: Hun School boys’ basketball player Sam Wright heads to the hoop for a layup in a game earlier this season. Last Monday, postgraduate Wright scored 14 points as Hun fell 92-67 to the Perkiomen School (Pa.). The Raiders, now 8-12, will be playing at Pennington on February 8 in a Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) tournament play-in game with the victor advancing to the semis on February 10 at Hun. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Sam Wright has been keeping busy athletically doing his post-graduate year at the Hun School.

“I am doing baseball and basketball all year round,” said Wright, a star pitcher on the diamond and Quinnipiac baseball commit who has emerged as a star guard this winter for the Hun boys’ hoops team. “I am excited for baseball, but I am really focused on basketball right now.”

Last Monday as Hun hosted the Perkiomen School (Pa.) and held its annual Senior Night celebration, Wright displayed his focus on the court.

Wright scored nine points in the first quarter as Hun hung in with powerhouse Perkiomen, trailing 25-18.

“It was great energy, we played a really good team,” said Wright, noting that it was his second Senior Night as he previously played at Lower Merion (Pa.) High before coming to Hun. “I had a little extra juice. I was looking to attack and I was getting to the bucket and scoring. It was good.”

In the second quarter, Hun found itself under attack as the Panthers outscored the Raiders 24-8 to go up 49-26 at halftime.

“They were being really physical and we wanted to send a message back in the third quarter,” said Wright. 

“I think we did a good job of that. They were tough and we just had to be tougher in the second half.”

In the third quarter, Wright tallied three points to help Hun outscore Perkiomen 24-18. The Raiders narrowed the gap to 67-52 early in the fourth quarter but could get no closer as Perkiomen pulled away to a 92-67 victory.

“I think that was our best quarter of the season, we brought the energy we haven’t really had,” said Wright, referring to the third quarter rally. “That was a really good lesson for our team going into playoffs. This is awesome, this is a great team. I think we are going to see a couple of teams very similar to them in the MAPL (Mid-Atlantic Prep League) playoffs.”

The Raiders, who dropped to 8-12 with the loss, will be playing at Pennington on February 8 in a MAPL tournament play-in game with the victor advancing to the semis on February 10 at Hun.

With the Raiders having lost 75-69 to Pennington in a regular season meeting on January 4, Wright and his teammates are looking forward to the rematch with the Red Hawks.

“I am really excited to play them again, we just have to be tougher,” said Wright, who ended up with 14 points against Perkiomen. “They outrebounded us in our first matchup. They are a great team. We give them a lot of respect, but we just have to bring the energy.”

As the season has unfolded, Wright has looked to bring more offense and leadership to the court for Hun.

“I have been touching around with my role,” said Wright. “I think come playoffs, I need to be a guy who is going to score the basketball. I have been in that role before so stepping into that role is not too bad. I think I bring a lot of leadership to this team. I am trying to help the less experienced guys grow as much as they can as players.”

While Wright has been stepping up in hoops this winter, he has made time to hone his baseball skills.

“I have been throwing, hitting, keeping my speed up when I can, lifting, doing everything,” said Wright.

Hun head coach Jon Stone liked what Wright did Monday against Perkiomen.

“He came out really, really well,” said Stone. “He is a terrific basketball player — he could play college basketball if he wanted to.”

Stone credited his Class of ’24 with making a terrific contribution to the program.

“It is a great senior group,” said Stone, whose crew of seniors includes Mac Kelly, Markus Brown, and Derrick Melvin along with Wright. “They are awesome kids, I am so lucky to be able to coach them.”

With his group trailing 49-26 at halftime, Stone was looking for his players to raise their intensity after the break.

“The refs were letting us play, we had to compete a little more,” said Stone.

Senior guard Kelly competed very hard for the Raiders, pouring in 32 points on the night, including 22 in the second half.

“Mac doesn’t back down from anybody,” said Stone. “He likes to compete.”

While Hun didn’t get the result it wanted against Perkiomen, Stone believes that battling a team like that will steel the Raiders for the MAPL tourney.

“That is as good a team as we are going to face, hopefully we will be prepared for Thursday,” said Stone.

“Playoff time is such an exciting time — we are just excited to get out and play.”

Wright, for his part, is prepared to play hard to the end as he wraps up his hoops career.

“I want to win everything; I am going to try and inspire the guys as much as I can,” said Wright. “This is my last go. I want to do everything I can to help the team.”