Denny Wright
Tradition, BR basketball bring Wright to Plaquemine
When the Plaquemine High School boys' basketball coaching position came open in the spring of 2001, Denny Wright knew immediately that the Green Devils offered what he was looking for in a high school program.
"Tradition and Baton Rouge basketball were the two things that really interested me," Wright said. "I knew of Plaquemine's tradition back from my playing days at USL and my recruiting visits."
To help him get the post, Wright solicited the advice of Woodlawn coach Kenny Almond, a friend from Wright's recruiting days in nearly two decades as an assistant in the college ranks.
"I told Kenny that if I had a chance to come back to Baton Rouge to coach basketball, I asked him to put in a word for me," Wright said. "He called me when the position came open, and things fell the right way."
And events have continued to fall the right way for the Green Devils (19-6, 6-0), who have a two-game lead in District 7-4A and are ranked ninth in this week's Louisiana Sportswriters Association Class 4A poll.
"The gym has been packed the last couple of home games, and there's a lot of interest on this campus right now," Wright said. "We just have to keep doing our job and getting better."
Wright, an Illinois native, was a standout at Lafayette High, where he led the Mighty Lions to the Class 3A semifinals in 1969, then played on two NCAA tournament teams at USL with two-time All-American Dwight "Bo" Lamar.
"We had a legitimate shot at the Final Four my senior year (in 1973), and it was a great experience," Wright said. "Being around great players like Bo Lamar was truly outstanding."Long before his experience at USL, Wright knew the career path he wanted to take.
"(USL coach) Beryl Shipley taught me about toughness and defensive play," Wright said. "But even before that, all I ever wanted to do since I was in the eighth grade was to be a basketball coach."
Wright got his start in coaching at USL, helping restart the Cajuns program after the NCAA's death penalty forced Shipley to resign and the program to disband for one year.
After earning his degree from USL, Wright joined Steve Welch's staff at McNeese State for five seasons starting in 1975.
Wright went to Mississippi State for the 1980-81 season under Jim Hatfield. That year's State club featured future NBA all-star Jeff Malone and a pair of future LSU assistant coaches, Kermit Davis Jr. and Butch Pierre.
"Our guys were young, and we had things going the right way, but it didn't work out for Jim," Wright said. "The SEC was a great league, it was a great experience, and there was something to really be taken away from that experience."Wright returned to McNeese in 1984, at a time when the Cowboys featured Joe Dumars, the future Detroit Pistons star.
"I recruited Joe at Mississippi State and coached him at McNeese, and he was a great player and a great person," Wright said. "It was a great run."Wright was reunited with Welch at South Alabama in 1987, and in seven years at USA, the Jaguars won a pair of Sun Belt Conference championships and beat Alabama in an NCAA Tournament game in 1989. By the mid-1990s, Wright's oldest son was playing for St. Thomas More in Lafayette, and another brush with scandal forced Wright to rethink his career.
"I was set to go to Baylor, but Baylor got in trouble when I was in transition," Wright said. "I ended up back in Lafayette, and decided that after all these years on the road, to be at home, be around my boys."In 1997, Wright got his first experience in Baton Rouge, starting a two-year tenure as an assistant football coach at Glen Oaks. Wright commuted to Glen Oaks from Lafayette, but the position allowed him to see his sons play basketball and do some scouting for NBA guru Marty Blake. Wright returned for one year to Lake Charles as the coach of Sam Houston before finding his way to Plaquemine.
As is usually the case with a new coach, there was an adjustment period for Wright and the Green Devils.
"You've got to believe in what you do, and those guys bought into it as the year went along," Wright said. "Donald Ray Johnson (the District 7-4A MVP) turned out to be a great leader, and the team maxed out their ability."
With five seniors leading this year's charge to a district championship and a large group of underclassmen, Wright is bullish on the Green Devils' future.
"The system has started to develop, and as a whole, everyone understands what we do," Wright said. "We feel good about it, and this area is as good as any around."
2003
Advocate story by:
DAVID STEINLE
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