It’s very rare, especially under Frank Martin to see a freshman playing heavy minutes at point guard, let alone starting.
There have been few and far between to not only play point guard his first year of college basketball but be tasked with operating the offense from the literal jump.
Jacobi Wright is one of those, anchoring the team and holding his own after being pressed into starting duties over the last month.
“I‘ve played with veteran guards who are sophomores and juniors then I’ve played with freshmen. I’ve seen a lot. Cobi, to me, he’s emerging to me as a solid point guard for the team,” Erik Stevenson said.
“He’s way ahead of schedule. Most freshmen can’t come in and run a team. The best thing Cobi does is listen. He deals with Frank in a good way. He listens to me and (James) Reese and other guys who are older trying to help him out.”
Wright was a rotational piece at point guard through the first six games of the season, averaging 2.5 points and 1.5 assists to 0.8 turnovers in 16.8 minutes per game.
But, when Jermaine Couisnard went out with a groin injury followed by one to his ankle, it was Wright’s number getting called to play point.
The former top 150 player nationally, who himself didn’t expect to start this early, was going to have to buoy the team with a third-year starter out.
“Shoot, I’d say that’d be a blessing if (I was starting). Back then I probably wouldn’t believe it,” Wright said. “When my name was called, I had to step up.”
Since then, he’s started the last six games where South Carolina’s gone 4-2, averaging 6.7 points per game and 2.5 assists to 2.0 turnovers per game in over eight more minutes per game.
Over his last six he’s shooting 38.9 percent from three, up from 11.1 percent his first six. He’s plus-40 against Division I opponents this season, plus-27 since taking over as a starter.
He’s already played over 240 minutes this year, just the fifth time a freshman guard has played that much through the team’s first 12 games under Martin (AJ Lawson, PJ Dozier, Marcus Stroman, Sindarius Thornwell).
Of those, only three started games—Lawson, Dozier and Thornwell—with Dozier the lone point guard.
“Frank, he expects the best out of you every day so you have to be an every day guy. You have come in every day and work hard in weights, the classroom, on the court. That’s tough” Wright said. “As a point guard you have to know your position and everyone else’s position. You have to lead and be vocal. There’s a lot you have to do every single day.”
When South Carolina opens up SEC play Tuesday night against Auburn (6:30 p.m., SEC Network) it will likely be Wright starting again with Jermaine Couisnard still coming back from his injuries.
Time will tell if Wright holds the position down for the thick of league conference but he showed the ability over the last month to execute despite learning on the fly.
“I still have a lot to work on with being vocal, helping the team, getting the guys together in game and talking. It’s a big step,” he said. “It’s only going to get tougher, competition is only going to get tougher. I have to keep growing to help this team and lead when I’m in there.”
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