By Jamie Thomas
A consistent presence and force for Ben Thomas’ Cheshire Phoenix
side this season, Namon Wright has quietly had a very strong season on his
return to the BBL, plying his trade for the Nix Nation.
One of the league’s leading scorers, Wright and Cheshire are
in a season-best run of form right now and the guard’s performances have been huge
in helping the Phoenix find consistently positive results.
We caught up with the University of Colorado graduate to
find out more about the team’s recent success.
“We’re just getting to know each other better as a unit and
we’re learning to play together as a group more effectively. When we’re playing
good defence like we have been, we can be aggressive in transition and when we
do both of those things every night that means we always have a chance.
“It has been a challenge to contend with our injuries and
some changes on the roster. Larry (Austin Jr) is quite new to the team, Noah
(Dickerson) has missed a few games since, whilst Ben (Mockford), Teddy
(Okereafor) and Mike (Ocheroebia) have all missed games as well, but we’re
gelling now that most of us are back and healthy.
“Everyone is finding their rhythm, we’re sharing the ball a
lot more, picking up the intensity on the defensive end and being more
aggressive. We’ve really found a way of playing that suits us and we’re getting
better on both ends of the floor.”
“We’re out to get them this weekend.”
Wright will welcome his former team, the Leicester Riders,
to Ellesmere Port Sports Village this Sunday as Cheshire face their biggest
test to date in this positive run of form they’re experiencing.
The 6ft 5 guard knows only too well the target that
Leicester perpetually carry on their back as one of the BBL’s most successful
teams in recent times, but he insists he and his new team will be out to prove
a point on Sunday night.
“They were the first game I looked for in the schedule, for
sure. Leicester were my first team professionally, so I’ll always be indebted
to them and everything they did for me. I love everyone at the club, but they
know they have a target on their back being top of the league.
“We’re out to get them this weekend, because we know we’re a
team capable of being higher up the standings, but we’ve got to get results to
achieve that. We can take encouragement from our games against them this year,
we know we have a chance to win if we all come in and do our jobs.
“Our supporters are fantastic, we feel their energy on every
play and we want to fill the arena up again to help us get the win. We’re on a
good run, but this is the biggest test to see where we are as a team. We’re a
really good team but we want to prove it to everybody out there watching us.”
“There’s a lot of joy in the group at the moment.”
Having experienced the culture of Leicester during his time
with the club as a rookie in the BBL, Wright admits he has tried to bring
aspects of the Riders ethos with him to the north-west and that there are
things every club can learn from Rob Paternostro’s side.
The 27-year-old detailed some of those facets of Riders
basketball that he has tried to bring with him to Cheshire, and what in
particular has made the team successful in recent weeks.
“A lot of fans will know me from my time with the Riders and
I have tried to bring some of the aspects of life in Leicester with me, such as
the culture they have there and trying to bring a leadership role with me.
“Preaching winning is important as well, and if we have our
mindset focussed in that way throughout the year and play aggressively in the
right way then we’re always going to have a chance of success.
“There’s a lot of joy in the group at the moment, but that
has been because we’ve been winning and working hard to achieve that, so we’ve
got to continue those things and stay on that same path to make sure we’re as
successful as we want to be for the rest of the season.”
“We’ve not been close to our best, but we’re moving in
the right direction.”
A feature of the Phoenix’s strong play in recent weeks has
been the balanced contributions from across the roster in terms of scoring,
with Wright among a group of players who are putting up strong numbers and
contributing at key times to help Cheshire see out convincing wins.
The guards in particular seem to be flourishing at the
moment, with Teddy Okereafor, Ben Mockford and Larry Austin Jr all contributing
strongly in the recent win against Glen Luss Glasgow Rocks, but Wright feels
there is much more to come from the team moving forward.
“Coach has given me a lot of freedom to express myself, but we
have a good team and it is easy for me to play well with the talent I have
around me. We’ve got smart, athletic, aggressive players, so that makes it a
lot easier for me to fit right in and help the team however I can.
“The biggest strength of our team is that we’re so
well-balanced, I think, and at the guard positions we just have so many options
such as Ben, Larry and Teddy, so when one of us is in a good rhythm and
knocking down shots it is much easier for the rest of us to fit in and get
going too.
“We’ve not been close to our best, I don’t think, but we’re
moving in the right direction. We know this weekend is one of our biggest tests
yet, and how we handle this challenge is going to say a lot about where we’re
at and what we can achieve this year.”