One year ago, Justin Wright-Foreman was a little-known freshman bench player who couldn’t crack head coach Joe Mihalich’s rotation. Now, he’s Hofstra’s brightest young basketball star.
On Feb. 4, Hofstra found themselves down by 10 points against Drexel with under a minute left to play. The Pride closed the last minute out with an improbable 12-0 run to stun Drexel, capped by a stellar shot from Wright-Foreman.
The sophomore guard caught the ball just beyond the right corner three point line, faked a drive with a nifty dribble move that sent his defender flying to the floor and then calmly stepping back, sinking the game winning three.
Just like that, a star was born.
“I want to say I’ve hit at least three or four game winners in my life, but that was probably the biggest shot I’ve hit so far,” Wright-Foreman said.
Wright-Foreman has gone from seldom-used benchwarmer to the focal point of the Pride offensive attack in under a year, due to his silky-smooth three point-shot, crafty handle and a deft ability to make difficult layups seem easy.
He’s gone from averaging 1.6 points in a measly four minutes per game last year to being Hofstra’s leading scorer, putting up 16.4 points in 26 minutes per contest. His averages should only increase as he’s on a recent offensive tear, having scored 20 or more in the past six games.
Although Wright-Foreman’s offensive numbers stand out, it’s his defense that he really takes pride in.
“One of my goals is to become the CAA [Colonial Athletic Association] Defensive Player of the Year,” he said. “That’s something I still have to get better at, obviously.”
Wright-Foreman’s confidence in his game is apparent at this point, but it wasn’t always so easy for the 6-foot guard from Queens.
“Towards the beginning of the season, I guess you could say I had the jitters. I was kind of nervous and I didn’t let the game come to me, but now everything is starting to come to fruition.”
Wright-Foreman says he lost his confidence along the way, but with the help of his teammate and friend Desure Buie – also a native of New York City – Wright-Foreman got the swagger back in his game that has lead to his recent scoring spree.
“Me and my roommate Desure, we had a conversation about confidence and letting the game come to me and he really helped me to get that confidence back. My coaches believe in me and tell me to take these shots, my teammates believe in me by passing me the ball; I’m grateful for them.”
Hofstra needed someone to step up this season and take control of the offense after four seniors graduated last year. Senior Brian Bernardi and Junior Rokas Gustys were the obvious candidates to fill the void left by graduates such as Ameen Tanksley and Juan’ya Green. But it’s been Wright-Foreman who has stepped into the limelight and seized the opportunity presented to him.
“Justin probably should have played more last year,” head coach Joe Mihalich told GoHofstra.com. “But honestly that lineup was tough to crack and we were winning almost every game.”
Though Justin Wright-Foreman is on track to be the next great Hofstra basketball player, he hasn’t let it go to his head and still maintains a humble demeanor that he credits to his upbringing and his foundation in basketball.
“My grandfather and my mother really pushed me to play basketball because when I was younger I was fat. They just wanted me to be active,” he said.
Wright-Foreman played basketball at the High School for Construction in South Ozone Park, Queens and says that his family and friends often show up to his games.
“It feels good to play so close to home. Having the support from my parents and friends and having them coming to games to see me doing what I’m doing now is just a blessing.”
Wright-Foreman’s family, friends, teammates and coaches all supported him when he was getting hardly any playing time. That solid foundation of dependable people who believe in him instilled what is now an unwavering aura of swagger that permeates throughout his team every time he steps on the court.
This newfound attitude is a reflection of all the hard work Foreman has put in until this point, and it shows in the goals that he’s set for himself.
“I want to be CAA player of the year. I want to be first team All-CAA, but that will all come with the hard work that I put in,” he said.
“I would say I’m pretty close.”
