One of the top New York-area prospects in the Class of 2009 is Mount Vernon shooting guard Sherrod Wright.
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Wright is the next up in a line of recruits to come out of the storied program that lately has included Rutgers freshman Mike Coburn and Rutgers transfer Jonathan Mitchell, as well as West Virginia commit Kevin Jones. He is the No. 27 SG in the Class of 2009 and ranked No. 101 in the Rivals 150.
Mount Vernon coach Bob Cimmino says Xavier, Georgia Tech and Virginia are “working the hardest” to land Wright, with all three schools having offered.
Columbia, Wake Forest, Providence and South Carolina are also in the mix, with the latter two not having offered as of yet. None of the local schools — Rutgers, Seton Hall or St. John’s — are pushing very hard, the coach said.
Wright has been on the Virginia campus, but has not visited any of the other out-of-area schools.
“He’s a slasher who goes very strong to the rim and he has developed quite an accurate 3-point shot,” Cimmino said. “He’s one of those guys that likes to get in the gym at 5, 5:30 in the morning. He’s a gym rat.
“He’s so young, he’s still only 16, he won’t be 17 until August,” Cimmino added. “He’s benching 275 pounds in the weight room. His upside is really there. A lot of people he’s playing against are 2 years older than him. He’s going to do some great things for me next year but I think his best years are ahead of him.
“He’s the best student-athelte that I have right now. He’s got about a 92 average. We’re waiitng to see his May SAT score but I don’t foresee any problems.”
Cimmino said Wright would likely narrow his list to “three or four schools by August, so he could take some good September visits.”
Mount Vernon has some interesting independent games set up for next season: the Les Schwab Invitational in Hillsboro, Ore. (Christmas); Monteverde at the Hall of Fame (Jan. 17); and Trenton Catholic (Feb. 14, Primetime Shootout).
