• Wright Deserves Head Coaching Shot

    James Wright told me when I saw him at a track meet Tuesday that he is the "winningest dude in Wisconsin." If you think about it, he's right.

    Who else can boast that they have been on multiple championship teams? No one. Being a part of one championship team is an accoplishment for any athlete participating in a team sport.

    If you go to the Vincent gym, Wright is on three straight boys championship teams as a player and three straight girls teams as an assistant coach. Don't forget the Horizon League titles as a player at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which included a trip to the Sweet Sixteen under Bruce Pearl.

    With all this championship experience under Wright's belt, why aren't high schools who have vacancies for boys head coaching positions considering him and giving him a shot?

    It's hard to imagine Wright coaching under Marquis Hines, who was the girls head coach before going to Homestead to coach the boys for two years, and now under Derick Jenkins, who was promoted to girls coach after Hines left. Now Hines is back to take over the reins on the boys side. Wright won't worry about why he didn't get either job.

    The situation at Vincent was no different than any other school in who has a say in the individuals that school administrators, athletic directors or parents want to coach their young men and women in every sport.

    If the decision to bypass Wright for the head boys job this year and the head girls job before that was unfair, then I have a feeling that he won't stay at Vincent if something opens up at another school.

    Here's a thought: Since Homestead has a coaching vacancy, why not give Wright a shot there? He deserves a chance. Wright is no-nonsense and is a stickler to the athletes he coaches in basketball and track. He expects them to get their business done in the classroom as well.

    So until that time comes for Wright, he will remain coaching the girls at Vincent. And he won't suck up to anyone just to get a head coaching job. His work speaks for itself. He doesn't need to prove to any AD that he can get the job done.
    Comments 1 Comment
    1. Jimmy Lemke's Avatar
      Jimmy Lemke -
      West Allis Hale, my alma mater, should get it done. Were I AD there, he'd be my choice. In a heartbeat.