USC basketball coach Frank Martin struck inside the state again Thursday with an offer to 6-2 PG Jacobi Wright, a native of Fort Mill who attends Legacy Charter in Greenville. Wright emerged on the scene as a sophomore when he averaged better than 25 points per game. He backed that up with a junior season of 17 points and 5 assists per game. Martin and assistant Bruce Shingler have had Wright on their radar for an extended period and made their move Thursday.
“I was very excited about it when I got the call from coach Frank Martin,” Wright said. “I got the call yesterday and we talked a good bit a time and had a great conversation. It was a great feeling. I had somewhat of a feeling (that an offer was coming) because I talk at least twice a week with assistant coach Bruce Shingler. He has a big part in recruiting me. I had a feeling it was coming and it’s just a blessing that it came.”
Wright said the Gamecock coaches have seen him in person quite a bit and have also reviewed his film. They see a guard, he said, they feel would be a perfect fit in what they like to do.
“They say I have a great feel for the game,” Wright said. “They actually watched me play and said I’m a good leader of my team and a real solid point guard who can do a little bit of everything. They said I could fit well in running the team and leading them to where we need to go.”
Wright also has offers from St. John’s, Winthrop, Charlotte, DePaul, Tennessee Tech, the College of Charleston and Elon. USC certainly made a move in his recruiting plans with the offer.
“Definitely towards the top, one of the top schools if not the top school in my recruiting most definitely,” he said. “South Carolina, Winthrop and probably St. John’s. I plan on taking a few visits whenever I can, whenever this virus calms down. I definitely plan on taking one to South Carolina.”
Wright visited USC for the LSU game last season. He said he’s also been there two other times for non-game visits. He does not have a timeline for a decision.
