Basketball season came to a close March 3 for senior guard Alex Wright and his teammates against Point Loma in the Pac-West semifinals. For many players, another season would come. For Wright, though, it was the end of his collegiate basketball career. 

Wright scored 1,000 career points while placing in the top 10 in the PacWest conference for points, rebounds, assists, minutes and field goal percentage during his time at Biola. Wright’s college journey, however, started from humble beginnings.

ADJUSTMENTS AT CAL BAPTIST

Coming out of high school, Wright was skinny, measuring 6’5” and weighing 165 pounds.  His small stature required a learning curve in adapting his game, especially when he was asked by Cal Baptist to redshirt so he could match the speed and physicality of the game later.  

Things would change again for Wright when he decided to transfer to another college. Prior to his commitment to Cal Baptist, Biola had been the only college on his radar.

“As things began to fall in line, it really seemed that God directed my path [to Biola].” Wright said.

THE PROCESS OF COLLEGE BALL

Reflecting on his career, Alex Wright talked about how for him much of it is trusting the process, whether that includes his socks,  warmups, stretches, or just having a “routine for everything.” Wright explained that “the process is trying to keep a good mindset. There’s power in what you believe and what you say and being able to control your emotions.” 

Wright’s ability to control his emotions and remain steady and calm is an attribute that his younger teammates admire. On top of being levelheaded, Wright is friendly and dependable, according to freshman guard Nate Medina. 

“To me, [Wright] reminds me of a rock,” Medina said, then added, “he’s a personable guy who wants to get to know you.”

Not only is Wright acknowledged as a player who learns to work with all of his teammates, but his game represents this in a way in that he would say that his game was more mixed and that “tried to take whatever is open, anything that works, and pride myself in being an all-around player”.   

Wright admitted he would not label himself solely as a scorer but he would be willing to play any role needed to produce a win for his team. Wright has the talent to make the players around him better through his play and is willing to do what is required of him in any given game. Junior Kevin Stone attests to Wright’s character: he “has many strengths and is the swiss army knife of the team.”

 While keeping the team balanced, Wright has also had some more special moments, like the sequence in a match against Dominican where he scored 11 points in the last minute and nine seconds of the game to lift the Eagles back from down double digits.

MR. BIOLA

Wright’s five years at Biola have also been special with not only his contribution to the basketball team, but also his involvement with chapel and musical versatility.

“The chapel program has been a great place for me to give this to [God] as it has given me a chance to sow into the Biola community,” Wright said.