“It has been a complete whirlwind,” Wright said. “I never expected this a week ago. Now I’m here and it’s ‘let’s get started.’ ”
Wright replaces Maria Fantanarosa, who was fired after Miami slumped down the stretch to finish 19-13 and third in the MAC East. In 11 years at Gannon, Wright went 233-100, including a 31-5 mark this past season with an appearance in the Division II Elite Eight.
After 11 seasons, Wright admits it was not easy to leave the Erie, Pa., school.
“I talked to my players last night and there were a lot of tears,” Wright said. “I told them to remember what we had talked about after the postseason. Just because I will not be here to win a national championship, it has not taken that goal away from them.”
In the meantime, Wright will help with the transition at Gannon while acclimating to Miami.
“It is going to be a bit of a juggling point,” Wright said. “I don’t want to do something that would hurt a program that the players have built. I want to get to know the players a little bit and then put together the best staff I can.”
Wright prefers to push the ball up the floor and work for the best shot early in the shot clock. The post players will play a significant role in the offense, getting a lot of touches to help open up the guards.
Though championships are the goal, Wright is going to concentrate on building a strong foundation and not as much on the record in his first campaign.
“It comes down to focus,” Wright said. “You can’t look at wins and losses when you are focusing on the foundation. It would be like building a house and worrying about what the roof looks like before the basement is finished.”
“Whether we win or lose, we have to look back at the foundation and see what we want done as a program is being taught and if the players are picking it up.”
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