Greene County boys basketball head coach Mark Wright believes his team has the potential for another deep playoff run this year, but hopes his players can come together before the postseason begins next month.
The Tigers’ 5-14 overall record might seem misleading to outsiders, but they’ve faced adversity this season, with players missing multiple games for various reasons. The talent is there, though Wright has had his entire roster for only a few games, and he wishes his guys would stop playing selfishly and go from “me to we.”
“It’s all contingent on how bad they want to go from me to we,” Wright said. “If it’s about me, then it’s going to take a longer period of time. If it’s about we, then it’s going to shorten that time frame. I feel like it’s a decision that you have to make, like making the extra pass when you’re being trapped, and keeping your head up to get it to the open man. To take a charge, to box out, and rebound. We’re asking them to do the essential, mandatory, and fundamental things it takes to win basketball games. That’s where we are right now.”
Wright has also seen inconsistency in his team’s play throughout the season. His players don’t have a problem rising to the occasion against a quality opponent like Towns County, but they’ve also overlooked inferior opponents like Lincoln County. Wright wants them to take every opponent seriously, no matter the record.
The Tigers knocked off Towns County last week with a 72-69 win, but fell to Lincoln County 55-54.
“Beating Towns was a big accomplishment for us because we know that they’re always going to be tough every time we see them,” Wright said. “It’s a battle of the minds from the coaching staff on down to the players. We also know that Lincoln is a resilient team. They played extremely hard and never quit. You can’t look at their schedule; you’ve got to look at their team and how hard they play. I think our players may have looked at their schedule instead of what they brought to the table, and that allowed them to get the win.”
Going into Tuesday’s game against Warren County, a ranked team Greene County had already beaten this season, Wright had no doubt his players would step up.
He knew they would take the Screaming Devils seriously.
As the season winds down in the next few weeks, Wright is waiting for his guys to play to their full potential.
“It’s not an issue of talent. It’s more an issue of chemistry, effort, and energy,” the head coach of the Tigers said. “It’s also a sense of urgency, playing with a chip on your shoulder and understanding that this isn’t the same team as last year. We have a lot of adjustments to make. Our guys need to dial in on watching game film to understand who we are as a team and as a culture. And so if they realize that, by accepting and humbling ourselves to that fact, we’ll have the foundation to move forward and be a really good basketball team.”