Slowly but surely, Chico State men’s basketball standout Kelvin Wright Jr. is getting back into the swing of things and returning to the form that makes him one of the fiercest defenders in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). An injury in the Wildcats’ November 2 exhibition against Cal knocked Wright Jr. out of action for the first nine games of the 2022–23 campaign, but as he demonstrated against Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State East Bay, the Rancho Cucamonga product is back and making important contributions on the hardwood. Wright Jr.’s outstanding play makes him the latest Wildcat of the Week.
In the Wildcats’ 69-63 win over Dominguez Hills and 59-56 victory against East Bay, Wright Jr. scored a combined 15 points (connecting on six of nine field goal attempts) and grabbed 15 rebounds to help Chico State win back-to-back games for only the second time this season, improving to 7-6 overall and moving into a fourth place tie in the CCAA standings with a 5-3 conference mark.
Wright Jr. scored four points and pulled down four rebounds in limited minutes Thursday against Dominguez Hills, but turned in a vintage performance Saturday versus East Bay. In 31 minutes of action, Wright Jr. connected on four of five shots from the field and hit two huge free throws down the stretch on his way to an 11-point, 11-rebound effort, notching the third double-double of his Chico State career.
Wright Jr. and the Wildcats continue their four-game home stand this week at Acker Gym, taking on Cal Poly Pomona Thursday night and Cal State San Bernardino Saturday afternoon.
