City of Basketball Love

Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33)
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The last game of the last two seasons for Robert Wright III ended in the same place but in different circumstances.

He closed out his sophomore season in a manner that was befitting of so many heralded Neumann-Goretti players that came before him by winning both the Philadelphia Catholic League and PIAA Class 4A title at the GIANT Center. He embraced head coach Carl Arrigale after receiving his state championship medal and held the PIAA trophy in his hands after a route of Quaker Valley. His junior season saw he and the Saints come up short to Lincoln Park in the 4A final as he had to be helped up off the floor by teammates from both sides as he was overcome with emotion at not being able to win a second straight state crown. That would be his last moment and game in a Neumann-Goretti uniform.

Wright formally announced on his Twitter account on Monday that he will transfer to powerhouse Montverde Academy (Fla.) for his final high school. He is the latest big name from the Philadelphia Catholic League to make the jump to a program that has won six championships at GEICO Nationals joining Detroit Pistons forward Jalen Duren and Justice Williams, who is currently in the transfer portal after playing two seasons at LSU.

The 6-foot junior guard, who averaged 23.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists while making 67 three-pointers this season, is already committed to Scott Drew and Baylor, and this move is solely based on preparing himself to be ready to play at the next level from day one and potentially beyond.

“They have a lot of pros like RJ Barrett, D'Angelo Russell, Cade Cunningham, and Scottie Barnes,” Wright said. “They had Jalen Hood-Schifino, who played at Indiana this year. They produce good talent, and all their kids are coachable. They look like they learn the game the right way, which helps them in the long run.”

He was a two-time First Team All-Catholic selection while at Neumann-Goretti with consecutive appearances in both the Philadelphia Catholic League and PIAA 4A title game, and he will be making his way to a campus that is about a half hour outside of Orlando. Since Kevin Boyle took over in 2011, Montverde Academy has catapulted into one of the premiere high school programs in the country producing the likes of Ben Simmons (Brooklyn Nets), Moses Moody (Golden State Warriors), Caleb Houstan (Orlando Magic), and Precious Achiuwa (Toronto Raptors). Sixers center Joel Embiid even attended the school briefly.

The track record at Montverde Academy in developing players to take on the rigors and lifestyle of a Division I student-athlete at the most elite programs in the nation. It has surpassed former powers like Oak Hill Academy (Va.) as the coveted program to join. Wright’s transition will not only allow him to continue to progress as a score-first point guard who possesses elite vision and body control but also give him the opportunity to compete daily against top prospects who will play alongside him during the season.

“That’s really the biggest thing is getting ready for college and playing against bigger defenders,” Wright said. “My focus is on getting better and working on my game. I’m accepting a new challenge and taking that on in playing against bigger and better competition.”

He noted that “Coach Boyle has talked to me about next year and being ready to win a GEICO National Championship.” The Eagles regularly have those aspirations when boasting transcendent talent in 6-9 center Derik Queen (No. 8 in the 2024 class according to 247Sports’ composite rankings), 6-7 forward Liam McNeeley (No. 14), 6-9 forward Asa Nowell (No. 20), and 6-2 guard Curtis Givens III (No. 88). 

McNeeley, who has offers from Kansas, Alabama, and Texas, led Montverde Academy in scoring last season at 12.4 ppg and Queen, who holds offers from Arizona, Indiana, and LSU, was second at 11.7 as the Eagles finished 23-3 overall and won the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) with another appearance at GEICO Nationals. One more alluring prospect on the roster is 6-8 sophomore forward Cooper Flagg, who is the No.2 player in the class of 2025 with offers from Duke, Michigan, and UCLA already to his name.

This is who Wright, the 2021-22 Pa. All-State Class 4A Player of the Year and 2022-23 Gatorade Pa. Player of the Year, will be competing against in practice as well as throwing lobs to on gameday. He was able to get a certain level of intensity at Neumann-Goretti under one of the best high school coaches in Philadelphia history in Arrigale, a coach with 577 careers win, 12 Philadelphia Catholic League, nine PIAA state titles and a litany of players who went on to play at the Division I level.

After averaging 21.8 ppg during the postseason as a sophomore and winning all three available championships, including the city title, Wright’s name became a household one and his recruitment skyrocketed, leading to Drew making a trip to South Philadelphia. He became the hottest prospect to come out of Neumann-Goretti since Quade Green, who committed to Kentucky then later played at Washington. Arrigale wants Wright and his family to do what they feel is best for his career.

“His résumé speaks for itself,” Arrigale said. “He did a great job and if he didn’t have to deal with the COVID-19 year, he’d probably have a few more points to his name. He made it to two Catholic League finals and a couple state finals. He was MVP of the Iolani Classic and Gatorade Player of the Year. He did a lot during his time at Neumann-Goretti.”

Arrigale is not known for playing freshmen with fears of thwarting their development, but he played Wright in his first varsity game in his first possible appearance and all the young guard did was score the game-winner at the buzzer to beat La Salle. He scored 22 points to down Archbishop Ryan in the 2022 Philadelphia Catholic League final then had 16 points against Kentucky guard Adou Thiero and Quaker Valley in the 4A title game. 

This season, he scored a Neumann-Goretti playoff record 36 points against Archbishop Carroll in the league quarterfinals then followed that up by pouring in a single-game program-record 43 points versus Overbrook in the District 12-4A title, surpassing the previous mark set by Billy Oakes (1961) who had 40 against Bishop Egan.

He finished his Neumann-Goretti career with 1,213 points, just behind former Syracuse forward Rick Jackson and ahead of Lamarr "Fresh" Kimble, Zane Martin, and D.J. Rivera on the Saints all-time list. Having those notable accomplishments is a testament to what Wright, who recently took part in the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Minicamp at the 2023 Men’s Final Four in Houston, did in three seasons and he knows he’s leaving behind a storied career.

“It feels crazy because I’ve been there for so long and I truly thank Neumann-Goretti for the platform I was given,” Wright said. “I really enjoyed my time there.”

Wright continues a trend that started when Duren and Williams chose to transfer to Montverde Academy with local players moving to different programs in hopes of advancing their development for the future. Moses Hipps left Archbishop Carroll to join perennial power McEachern (Ga.) last year and Toby Ojukwu left Roman Catholic to play at Norcross (Ga.). The season prior, St. Joe’s signee Anthony Finkley left West Catholic for Huntington Prep (W. Va.) before returning to the City of Brotherly Love and winning a league title with the Cahillites, and Chase Coleman transferred out of the Patriots program to join The Patrick School (N.J.) and is now playing at Plymouth Whitemarsh.

This move to Montverde Academy has nothing to do with eligibility for Wright. While he did play in 14 games at Sanford School (Del.) as an eighth grader, Wright was eligible for next season after Neumann-Goretti athletic director Pat Devenney confirmed with the PIAA after the season and it was determined no hearing was needed. Wright’s prime objective in joining the Eagles is shaping his body to be able to withstand what the college game will throw at him on a daily basis.

“I think it’s going to help me across the board with living without my family and getting stronger,” Wright said. “I’ll be practicing and working out more.”

Players like Green and Tony Chennault remained at Neumann-Goretti for all four years with their expansive recruitments but in an ever-changing landscape at the Division I level where the NCAA transfer portal is as robust as it has ever been and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) has become much more prevalent, high school players are looking for new opportunities to find ways to better prepare for the ensuing stage in their careers and Arrigale understands why Wright and his family made this decision.

“Hopefully he gets what he wants out of this move, and I wish nothing but the best for the kid,” Arrigale said. “He gave us everything he had in the time he was here, and he was a great player. Moving to this chapter, I hope it helps him down the road.”