Spencer Wright has something to prove.
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The 15-year-old emerging basketball talent may have played limited minutes across Vic Country’s under-16 national championships, but that didn’t limit the Shepparton Gators junior product’s impact.
Wright’s determined attitude towards his basketball reflected the mindset of his Victorian countrymen heading into the Bendigo tournament.
The Vic Country squad knew it would be the underdog on the national stage, but it only drove its motivation further.
Proving a point to the opposition that it shouldn’t be taken lightly was the main driver.
Proving that some country kids could match it against the abundance of metropolitan talent was another.
It’s why Wright grasped every opportunity he was afforded and delivered damage on the court in every minute of action.
“As a country team you’re always pretty underrated going into it, so the goal was to beat a lot of metro teams and give it our best crack,” Wright said.
With a strong record of 5-1 in the pool games, Vic Country’s under-16s lost their first final, but salvaged their next game to claim fifth in the 12-team tournament.
It was in that game for fifth-place that Vic Country knocked off metro side Queensland South, a team the under-16s had not beaten in eight years.
“It was huge for us,” Wright said.
A large contributor to the strong tournament result was due to the team’s three-month training regime, which allowed the squad members to gel and build on-court chemistry heading into the competition.
“Every Sunday we had team training down in Melbourne,” Wright said.
“We had 12 weeks of that once a week training and we had two weekend camps where everyone goes down to Bendigo.”
While Wright’s training routine changed with the additional sessions in Melbourne, the 15-year-old Shepparton product kept his external work simple to ensure he got the best out of himself come the mid-July championships.
“I kept two or three days a week in the gym and tried to get on the court every day,” Wright said.
“I just tried to maintain my strength, you don’t really want to build strength in the lead-up, you just want to maintain what you have to make sure you play the best you can be.”
Playing off the bench as a centre, Wright’s strength and athleticism was key in his role to secure rebounds and spark plays for his team, a role the 190.5cm (6’’3’) teenager relished.
“It was a really fun role to play in, I had a great time doing it,” Wright said.
“Just to come off the bench as the five, fight for rebounds and create for everyone.”
Some of Wright’s box scores might not jump off the page, but take into consideration his minutes, his effectiveness on the court was stellar.
In games Wright scored at least one field goal, the Gators representative averaged a shooting percentage of 63.6, often the highest in the navy blue and white team.
Wright was still afforded a couple of games of high playing time too and he never took the opportunity for granted.
Because for Wright, there is always something to prove.
Wright was instructed that he’d get more playing time in Vic Country’s final pool game heading into the finals.
The opportunity for Wright to make his mark had presented itself and make his mark he did.
The bruising centre dominated the post, recording a 21-point, 21-rebound double-double — a stat line often reserved for star big men.
“Coming into that game, that was our last pool game, so coach said I’d get more of a chance to see what I could prove heading into finals, so I really just had to put it all out there,” Wright said.
Spencer Wright’s top games for Vic Country
21 points (10/14 FG), 21 rebounds, three steals v Northern Territory
12 points (3/5 FG, 5/6 FT), 10 rebounds, two steals v Queensland South
11 points (5/6 FG), 10 rebounds, two blocks v New South Wales Metro
“I always want to play my role and have something to prove.
“There’s always going to be someone in front of you, so you’ve always got to come and try your best.
“Do all that you can to make an impact.”
Now Wright’s attention turns back to VJBL with the North East Bushrangers and rep basketball with Shepparton Gators, where the talented tall is eyeing more tournaments and, hopefully, more success.
But Wright’s greatest challenge will be in a year’s time when he enters trials for Vic Country again, this time as a bottom-ager in the under-18 section.
While he admits his chances are reduced due to being on the younger end of the age bracket, Wright is committed to fighting for a spot and demonstrating he belongs back on the national stage.
“Pretty rarely you see a bottom-ager make that squad,” Wright said.
“But there’s still a chance for me to fight for a spot on that team.”
And if there’s one thing we know about Spencer Wright, it’s that he’s always prepared to prove his worth.