Jan. 2 — All Wright was in eighth grade the last time Valparaiso beat Missouri State in a men’s basketball game. Now he’s a freshman for the Beacons and helped them outlast the Bears 73-72 on Wednesday night at Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Missouri.
This was Valpo’s first win against MSU since March 2020.
Wright went on a spree in a span of three minutes, scoring or assisting on 13 straight points for Valpo (8-6, 1-2 MVC) to take a 46-40 lead for a 59-50 advantage.
“It was amazing. Especially getting our first conference win right here in Springfield, close to my hometown,” Wright said. “It means a lot. I feel like I was able to show myself in front of my audience.
“I was just taking what the defense gave me. The first half was a little slow for me, but I came out in the second half, stayed ready, the shots came my way and I just knocked them down. “
That’s what he did. The former Joplin Eagle shot 6 of 8 overall in the game and 4 of 5 in the second half. He knocked down his only 3-point attempt and was 1-for-2 on free throws.
Wright was on the court for almost two minutes of the second half as head coach Roger Powell Jr. showed the confidence he has in his point guard in a game that was tight from start to finish.
“I gave it to him. He earned it. He’s a leader. He’s going to be a staple in our program. He’s going to be a special player in The Valley (Missouri Valley Conference) and he’s going to be a special player in Valpo ” Powell said. “I see it in him. He has that type of confidence. One of my things as a coach is to allow your players to be great. I know he’s young, but he’s way ahead of his time. age.”
Part of what Powell talks about “giving” to Wright is the ability for the freshman to lead groups during downtime. Wright could be seen speaking vehemently to his teammates after a timeout. More than once he expressed his thoughts on what the team should do.
“My guys trust me and I really believe in my guys, so I just try to give them every little detail that I see. You know, they give me feedback too. It’s just being part of a team,” Wright said. “This group is very close. One of the closest groups I’ve ever been a part of.”
Wright’s second-half run stretched from 15:13 to 12:05 of the second half. He hadn’t shot in the second half, but caught a pass in the corner around the 3-point line, dribbled and rose up for an open jumper at the baseline. He buried the shot and the Beacons went up 48-40.
On the next possession, he responded by attacking his man one-on-one and passing him for a reverse layup to make it 50-42. Leading 50-43, Wright had a chance to go down for another layup, but used the separation to step back and drill a 3-pointer to make it 53-43.
He later picked up his third steal of the game and was fouled on a breakaway layup and converted 1 of 2 free throws. The next time on offense, he correctly read the defense on a pick-and-pop play with teammate Cooper Schwieger and returned the ball to the 6-foot-10 forward for a 3-pointer to bring the score to 57-47. Wright converted a scoop layup to end the 13-point run and give the Beacons a 59-50 lead.
“He grew a lot in this area. He could really succeed in high school and prep school and one of the things I told him is ‘we need to get you to be a facilitator’ and he really grew in that area,” Powell said. “He’s learning how to get guys involved. He’s making the right reads on ball screens and it’s fun to watch him grow and learn to do both.”
He finished with 14 points, three steals, two assists, two rebounds and just one turnover.
It was still a battle to the end, but that run played a big role in the visiting team from Valparaiso, Indiana, winning on the road in a key conference game.
MSU cut the score to 73-71 with two minutes left in the game, but only scored one more point in the final moments of the game after Tyler Schmidt was cautioned for a foul on a 3-point shot Zaxton King points. King made just one of three free throws allowing the Beacons to hang on for the win.
“This is a special group. I’m excited to see us grow,” Powell said. “It’s great. It’s another league win. It’s tough. This conference is tough. We’ve played three games and we could have won two of them.”
With this victory, the Beacons left the cellar of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bears and Southern Illinois are now the only two MVC teams without a conference win.
Valpo hosts Northern Iowa (9-5, 3-0 MVC) Saturday at 3 p.m. in an effort to start a series of conference games. Its two losses are each by six points against Drake (12-1, 2-1 MVC) and Bradley (12-2, 3-0 MVC) in double overtime.
“We are turning this program around. I really believe in our head coach, Coach Roger (Powell) and his plan for me,” Wright said. “We just have to keep building… It’s definitely the start of something big here at Valpo. That’s one of our mottos: to get better every day and just take game by game and go 1-0 .”
NEW VALPO
Valparaiso hadn’t beaten Missouri State in its last nine tries and was losing the all-time series 28-10 heading into Wednesday’s game. They now have bragging rights until they meet again on February 19.
Powell is now 1-2 against the Bears. The Beacons had lost the last four meetings in Springfield and the last victory dates back to January 2019.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE VALLEY
On Wednesday, Wright ranked ninth in free throw percentage at 81.8% and he was 1 of 2 on Wednesday. He is second with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.17. He had two assists to go with just one turnover against the Bears.
Wright doesn’t care that he’s just a freshman. He expects these kinds of figures from him.
“It’s just part of my job as a leader. I don’t really consider myself a freshman, I consider myself a leader for this team,” he said. “That’s part of the point guard’s job: directing traffic, not turning the ball over and getting guys open shots.”
The team leads the conference with 79.9% on charity.
RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR
For the first time since 1945, Valpo won a match on New Year’s Day. This was only the third match of the new year since this victory. The Beacons lost in 2011 and 2023.
START STRONG
Wright was able to participate in the best non-conference start since 2017 (9-4, .692) for Valparaiso. They went 7-4 (.636) in non-league play this year.
A BEACON, NOT A BEAR
Wright was not recruited by the Bears while he was in high school in Joplin or at Link Academy prep school in Branson. But current head coach Cuonzo Martin was not with the Bears during that time.
Either way, Powell is glad he didn’t recruit him.
“I have a lot of respect for Cuonzo (Martin). He’s someone I look up to. Kind of like a mentor to me. Obviously (Martin) wasn’t there (Missouri State) but I’m happy that “They didn’t recruit him (Wright),” Powell said.
