New GCHS boys’ basketball head coach Mark Wright knows a thing or two about winning.
Before spending the 2021-22 season as the head coach at Brookwood, Wright served as an assistant coach under Larry Thompson at Wheeler High School. He helped the Wildcats win back-to-back state titles in his four-year tenure.
Now, Wright is ready to take on another challenge as the Tigers’ new head coach.
He said his previous relationship with current GCHS athletic director and acting principal Eddie Hood helped land him the job.
“I’ve known Eddie (Hood) for quite some time, so we already had a rapport with one another,” Wright said. “Unfortunately, things didn’t work out here at Brookwood.”
Wright, who currently lives in Lawrenceville, Ga., joked he had to look on a map to figure out where Greensboro was.
“Once I looked, I saw where my drive to work was going to be a little bit of a trek,” Wright said. “Even so, Eddie (Hood) told me where he was coming from, and where the girls’ basketball and football coaches were coming from, and I knew I couldn’t complain about the distance. I was just going to have to make it happen.”
Wright said he did the long drive from Lawrenceville to Marietta every day when he coached at Wheeler, adding that he was accustomed to the lengthy commutes.
“I decided to look into it and I am fortunate that Eddie (Hood) reached out to me,” Wright said. “I said ‘hey, let’s give it a shot.’ He and I tried to do something in the past, and it didn’t work out. So, this time, it lined up perfectly. He recently (within the last year) took the reigns over at Greene County and then I became available. I’m happy he asked me to come along.”
Wright took over a Brookwood squad that had four wins in 2020-21. Despite losing their final 11 games of the season and finishing last in the Region 4-7A standings, the Broncos doubled their win total to eight with Wright at the helm.
Wright said it was best for both parties to part ways after the 2021-22 season ended.
“It was a mutual agreement and we decided to go our separate ways,” he said. “As soon as that happened, Eddie reached out to me and asked if I would be interested. I am glad that I took him up on this fantastic opportunity.”
Wright said he is still appreciative that Brookwood athletic director Jason Dopson and principal Bo Ford gave him the chance to become the Broncos’ head coach.
“They entrusted their program to me and I will forever be thankful for that belief that they had in me as a coach,” Wright said. “ … I want to thank the wonderful parents and community of Brookwood for allowing me to be a small part of their children’s growth in academics as well as basketball in their lives.”
Wright is currently transitioning from the highest to lowest classification in GHSA. He acknowledged that while
He acknowledged that while he was deciding on what would be his next move, he factored in that Greene County has had recent success in the past on the court.
Wright added that once he visited the school, he saw a lot of potential in the athletes, which helped him accept the job during the decision-making process.
“Greene (County) has athletes, but they just need some development,” Wright said. “I am a developmental coach, so it’s like one hand washes the other.”
Wright said the other thing that attracted him to GCHS is its size and enrollment.
“It’s a smaller-niche school,” Wright said. “I feel like I need something small right now to call my own. I also liked the fact that I’ve got a clean slate. I have an opportunity to showcase what I can do, development-wise and coaching-wise. I am super excited and I can’t wait to get these kids in the gym.”
He’s already had a chance to meet with some of the players and liked what he saw. “I think it’s a win-win situa
“I think it’s a win-win situation,” Wright said.
Wright stated that he intends to come in and develop his players from day one.
“I am going to figure out what is already here and what is needed,” Wright said. “Next, I will build a program around their strength and weaknesses. Any time I go into a new situation, I observe and see what is already available. Based on this, I can put a magnifying glass on all the positive things they do, and then we can hide their weaknesses until they become strengths.”
Outside of coaching, Wright operates S.R. Fit Basketball Training Academy, which handles athletes and trains them out of its Gwinnett County facility. He was born in Los Angeles
He was born in Los Angeles and has played basketball his entire life.
Wright also lived in Washington D.C. and Chicago while growing up. He attended Whitney Young High School, which is where he won a state championship as a player alongside former NBA standout Quentin Richardson.
Wright played college basketball at Northeastern and Alabama before playing professionally overseas. He spent a decade playing in nine different countries.
He highlighted that his time spent playing at different levels, both collegiately and professionally, has helped shape him into the coach he is today.
Wright also stressed that he’s ready to implement his own system and culture at GCHS.
“The kids at (Greene County) are already eager and showing a sense of urgency to get back out there,” Wright said. “That’s one of the main things that I like to pull from the kids. To say, ‘let’s get excited about basketball again, let’s get excited about rebuilding this program to its old winning ways.’ So, helping them understand that sense of urgency, and getting that sensibility of success going again, I think that is going to be huge for these kids.”