By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
It’s not often a prep basketball player walks into college with a ready-made offensive skill set and elite playmaking chops. But then again, new Baylor point guard Robert O. Wright III isn’t a typical freshman.
The five-star recruit started out his career at Neumann-Goretti High School in Philadelphia before transferring to play his senior season at Montverde Academy (FL), arguably the top prep basketball program in the country. Featuring six of Florida’s top 10 recruits and five 247Sports Composite five-stars, notably including No. 1 overall recruit Cooper Flagg, the school’s characteristically loaded roster held even more talent than usual.
The Eagles raced through the season to a 33-0 record and a Chipotle Nationals championship, in no small part due to Wright’s contributions. The former Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year was a big-game hunter for Montverde, regularly sizing up opposing teams’ best players and winning big.
Wright played the best of the best for Montverde this season en route to a dominant 33-0 record and a national title. Here he is exploiting a miscommunication to score on AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 player in the class of 2025. pic.twitter.com/LdofFkjDM0
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) October 28, 2024
Montverde’s schedule featured a who’s who of Baylor basketball recruiting, including fellow Baylor freshman guard VJ Edgecombe (No. 4 nationally) and Tre Johnson (No. 5 nationally), who picked Texas over Baylor. He also played a massive role in knocking off Prolific Prep (CA) and Baylor target AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class who is reportedly courting NIL offers upwards of $4 million.
Standing at 6-foot-1, Wright isn’t the biggest guard out there. But his lightning-quick release more than makes up for his stature. After sliding his feet in help defense, even Dybantsa’s best closeout wasn’t enough to bother Wright’s shot from NBA range. He’s a true marksman with picture-perfect form on catch-and-shoot jumpers.
Dybantsa, a rangy Baylor target who stands 6-foot-9 with a wingspan upwards of 7ft, recovered well to contest this shot. But it didn't bother Wright, a lights-out shooter whose quick release more than makes up for his height (6'1) beyond the arc. pic.twitter.com/8AsBuf3baJ
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) October 28, 2024
Wright is adept at finishing around the rim, with stellar body control in midair and great touch off the glass. As clean as the Wilmington, Del. native’s shooting form looks, many of his craziest highlights come at the rim.
https://twitter.com/ByJacksonPosey/status/1851030997090849012
Boosted by his wildly sudden acceleration, Wright is among the fastest prep prospects in the nation. Not many players possess his combination of speed and vision, and virtually none can play at his speed while making high-level reads under pressure.
Athletically, the first thing that pops with Wright is his speed. He's rarely going at full tilt, but when he does, it's really tough to defend. He's one of the fastest HS players I've ever seen.
Check out this 0-60 acceleration, while staying under control for the pocket pass: pic.twitter.com/A7DnrjlXra
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) October 28, 2024
Wright excels at turning speed into playmaking. He's already a true point guard, consistently keeping his eyes up under pressure, which is rare to find in a high school player with such great scoring ability. He's different. pic.twitter.com/o50yKcCB6b
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) October 28, 2024
He’s a real lob threat in transition too, which should pair well with Edgecombe’s explosiveness. Wright has flashed a unique level of passing touch in transition.
Playing under control doesn't stop him from pushing the pace. Here, Wright streaks downcourt, draws in the defense and hits No. 1 recruit Cooper Flagg with a perfect *checks notes* left-handed finger-roll lob?
Yeah, checks out. pic.twitter.com/HgwWvVc7SY
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) October 28, 2024
But as talented as Wright is on the ball, Montverde also featured him in a lot of off-ball sets, spotting up and cutting and generally using his acceleration to cause chaos on the backside of the defense. Those reps will prove invaluable as he continues to grow into a role within head coach Scott Drew’s motion offense.
Playing alongside stars like Flagg afforded Wright the opportunity to get significant off-ball reps, which will pay dividends for his early playing time on a top-10 Baylor team.
Here: a post entry-style inbounds pass, then a perfect looping cut for a score. Beautiful work. pic.twitter.com/0hS2RTpXGQ
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) October 28, 2024
Early on, Wright will probably be tasked with a lot of off-ball responsibilities for a Baylor team with plenty of spacing — and he's ready for it. His perfect shooting form (left) sets up some dangerous close-outs (right), which he's fully capable of exploiting.
This is awesome: pic.twitter.com/d6osZ6eEkB
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) October 28, 2024
In Robert O. Wright III, the Bears have one of the most electrifying freshmen in the country on their hands. His lack of size creates some unavoidable defensive limitations, but if the offense (and general development) are enough to overcome those, watch out. He should open the season receiving significant minutes off the bench behind Duke transfer Jeremy Roach at point guard, and his role should only grow as he gets more comfortable scaling up his game against Big 12-caliber competition.
