Men’s Basketball Adds Dion Wright To 2012 Class
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – Dion Wright has signed an athletics grant-in-aid to join the St. Bonaventure men's basketball program, head coach Mark Schmidt announced on Wednesday.
Wright, a 6-foot-7, 207-pound small forward, averaged 19.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game this past year as a senior at Mayfair High School in California. A product of Lakewood, Calif., Wright will have four years of eligibility beginning in the 2012-13 season.
"He's a very talented, versatile player," Schmidt said of Wright. "He's someone we'll be able to use in a variety of ways both in the post and on the perimeter. He's an extremely athletic and skilled player."
Wright led his Mayfair club to a 27-6 record in 2011-12, including a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division 2A championship. For his efforts, the Monsoons' forward was named the CIF Southern Section Division II Player of the Year. Mayfair concluded last year ranked No. 19 in the state.
His high school coach, Tony Davis, said Wright is one of the most talented players he's had on the team in the last 10-15 years, including current NBA player Josh Childress. Childress graduated from Mayfair in 2001 before leaving Stanford a year early and becoming the No. 6 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.
"Dion has become the leader of our program the last few years," said Davis, who coached Wright for three years. "As a freshman he was 6-foot and as he's grown into his body he's become more comfortable and more reliable. His production has increased every year and he's been our go-to guy the past few seasons."
Wright will become the second California native on the Bona roster next year as he joins will-be sophomore Jordan Gathers, who is a native of Los Angeles.
He also becomes the second official commitment to join the defending Atlantic 10 champions next season, as Jean Yves Toupane signed a National Letter of Intent in November.
St. Bonaventure returns three starters from last year's club which advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000.