Wright set to lead Cavs

By Jay Jenkins

Published: August 22, 2008

Monica Wright does not need to be told.

The standout on the Virginia women’s basketball team is well aware that record-setting point guard Sharnee Zoll has completed her eligibility.

Wright, an All-America candidate, had a daily reminder this summer. Every pick-up game had to be scheduled. Team dinners needed to be planned. Countless text messages, serving as reminders, had to be sent out.

Whether she likes it or not, Wright suddenly finds herself learning how to be a team leader.

“Sharnee left big shoes to fill. It’s going to take time to learn exactly how to lead, but this summer helped and it got me some experience for what the rest of the year will be like,” Wright said. “I try to keep things organized but Sharnee had her own little style.

“She had a different style and a different approach to things. I still talk to her sometimes and ask, ‘What do I do in certain situations?’

Reliable, dependable and outspoken, Zoll’s impact extended past her grooming of Wright. Eight players in the program are entering their final or next to last season as a Cavalier.

“Even though Sharnee is not here physically, she is there in a way,” Wright said. “She left a legacy that we are all holding on to. With her not here, we could easily slack off on running the floor.

“We know if she was here she would be screaming and now we hold ourselves to the same standards that she held us to. She doesn’t realize it, but she left a lasting impression on all of us.”

The summer itself, Wright said, was near perfect. The four rookies, focused from the onset, added a newfound level of athleticism. More importantly, they are constantly longing to take part in basketball activities.

Wright said the team’s veterans have learned not to come out of pickup games for fear of being forced to watch for a lengthy span.

“Nobody wants to come out,” she chuckled. “You have to tell them that if you let me in for a few points that I will let you come back in after two or three points.”

That scoring turnaround has been quick at times with the addition of point guard Arianna Moorer. The Virginia native pushes the tempo at a whizzing pace.

Wright and forward Lyndra Littles would have it no other way.

“I can already see Arianna’s ability to run the floor,” Wright said. “I can see her ability to look up and see people who are open. Lyndra and I love to run and when Arianna gets the ball from out of bounds, she is just gone.

“Arianna loves to run the entire time and she is not afraid to make that long-distance pass. I enjoy it. Of course I am going to be running the floor like crazy.”

Britny and Whitny Edwards, twins from Charlotte, N.C., have also made a positive impression with their eagerness to learn.

“At the rate they are going and the way that they are improving on the floor and in the weight room, I feel like by the time the season comes that they will be ready to go,” Wright said. “They are both extremely focused.”

The most polished player in the bunch, forward Chelsea Shine, has proven to be a quick learner.

“You tell her one thing and it can be during the heat of a pick-up game and right away she will get it,” Wright said. “And she will then do it exactly like you said to do it the very next time down court.

“Lyndra told me that she asked Chelsea to help defensively on Aisha … and she did it exactly how she told her to do it on the very next play.”

With the new weapons in place, Wright is happy her role merely involves providing Zoll-like leadership. Figuring out playing rotations could be a tricky task for Virginia coach Debbie Ryan.

“Coach Ryan knows us like the back of her hand,” Wright said. “She knows how to utilize each of us and she finds a way to push us to our fullest potential.

“We are going to play for her. If you don’t, she will find a place for you.”

That “place” would be on the deepest bench the team has enjoyed in years.