Wright clears three to win dunk contest

At the California Preps site (a Rivals sub is required), an article is up on Chico State signee Ryan Wright winning a dunk contest at the Battle of the Valley matchup.

In the preliminary round, both [Marquis] Salmon and Wright were awarded perfect scores of 50 from the panel of judges to advance to the final.

In the final, Salmon enlisted the help of a volunteer from the audience, scoring another 50 by leaping over a young man who appeared to be of middle school age, much to the delight of the crowd.

But Wright upped the ante, enlisting the aid of teammate Troy Hammel (Valencia), opponent Chass Bryan (Oaks Christian) and his coach Tray Meeks (Alemany), who led the East squad in the game.

Then the 6-5 wing leaped over that trio, only to miss the dunk attempt.

However, under the rules of the contest, he was allowed one more chance, and the second time he not only again cleared the three figures in front of the basket but this time managed to get the ball into the basket.

He was awarded a perfect 50 score, and the panel of judges gave him the championship by acclamation.

Ryan Wright signs with Chico State

Choosing brevity, Chico State has landed a good one.

Expounding on that, "a good one" is Ryan Wright a 6-foot-6, 210 pound high wire act out of Palmdale High in southern California, the same school as graduating Wildcat senior Josh Jackson. Wright averaged 16 points and nine boards for a team that went 20-7 overall, 13-1 in league play this season.

So why Chico for the young man?

"I chose Chico State because I loved the people and the basketball program," Wright explained. "During my visit, I felt really comfortable. I'm easy to get along with and felt a bond from the get-go with the players. It felt like being around brothers."

It was a rotation of Chico coaches and players alongside Wright during his time on campus, a full court press if you will, and that helped create this feeling of a second home.

So what will he bring to the court?

Wright describes his best skill as "my athleticism. I like to run up and down the court and play above the rim."

Palmdale Coach Ryan Frazer offered this on his protege, "It's been a joy and privilege coaching Ryan. He is everything any coach could ask for, a leader on and off the floor. Whether he is going up against someone 6-foot-5 or 6-foot-8, you can't tell any difference, it's go time."

Asked about his best moment or time on the court, Wright responded with a sequence of plays coming against a rival Palmdale school: "I took a shot and a teammate tip dunked it so I got back and blocked a shot off the backboard, ran back down the court, got a pass and dunked it."

This from someone who didn't really start playing until age 11.

From talking with Chico Coach Greg Clink, Wright believes he will start out positioned at the four spot with plans to also spend time at the two and three as his game develops.

He is looking to at either psychology or "some type of veterinary studies" as his major. "I love animals," he offered, adding "I don't think there's too many 6-foot-6 black veterinarians around."

Wright particularly wanted to thank "my Lord Jesus Christ, my mother who has done an amazing job raising me to be the person I am today, Coach Frazer, and family, friends and fans."

He also had a message for his newly adopted town -- "Tell Chico it's Showtime" -- his nickname on the court.