Kedar Wright of Edmund Campion Commits To UBC T-Birds
We as scouts are constantly talking about the player that brings it game in and game out, the player that despises losing and plays with a chip on his shoulder; that player is 2013 combo guard Kedar Wright. He has finished his final season with the St. Edmund Campion Bears (Brampton) after making a run at OFSAA where his Bears were eliminated by a strong Holy Trinity team out of Oakville).
Now, Wright looks to take the next step in his basketball career by joining the UBC Thunderbirds of the Canada West conference.
Other teams that were in the mix included; the York Lions, Laurentian Voyageurs and University of Toronto Blues.
It was in December that Head Coach of the T-Birds, Kevin Hanson locked in on recruiting the explosive and athletic guard from Brampton, Ontario. Hanson made the trip to Ontario to attend the prestigious Xavier Rim Rocker, where the feature combo guard did not disappoint. He posted 20+ points a game and strapped up every guard that went up against him.
“I feel like I’m going to come in and be an asset on the defensive end, being able to lock up on guards and I’ve improved my jump shot so that I have that and the drive. Defense is the main asset though. If I score 25 and the guy I’m guarding scores 25 it’s like I haven’t done anything.”
Accountability, this is a rare and valuable trait that Wright has and thanks his high school coach Omar Miles for having a positive impact on his life and teaching him life lessons that he will be using in basketball as well.
“Coach Miles, played a big role in my transformation from grade 11 to grade 12, he made me really tough mentally and reminded me to always be accountable for my actions,” expressed the UBC commit.
Wright is graduating from St. Edmund Campion to join a Thunderbirds squad that has won four Canada West championships in the last decade, two silvers and a bronze in the CIS Final 8 Championships since the 2008-2009 season.
The scenic allure of British Columbia also played a role in his decision to attend UBC.
“It’s beautiful out there, it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before, all signs were telling me that I belonged there. I felt very welcomed when I met the team and knew that I would fit in well.”
UBC graduates two key contributing guards in Doug Plumb and O’Brian Wallace, both who averaged double digit scoring with 16 and 10 points respectively.
As a result, it will provide Wright an opportunity to step in and earn minutes as a freshman, especially when you take into consideration his relentless work ethic.
“I have a ‘MJ’ story on him; in grade nine I had him on my taxi squad. He cried and said ‘I’m not a taxi squad player.’ He remembered that and always worked hard…he’s always been the hardest working guy with the team and individually,” explained Campion Head Coach Omar Miles, who has witnessed Kedar’s growth.
The freshman will learn all about structure and build a new life, not just in basketball, but also in the classroom where he will be studying engineering. However, one thing that will remain consistent in his life is winning.
“I’m really happy for him,” said Miles. “He enters a great program, top ten program every year…a great coach [in Kevin Hanson] who I’ve played against. For a player like Kedar who works on his game quite often, he is going to excel not only as an individual but also as a teammate.”
