Jay Wright was hurting after a hard-fought victory by the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns against Little Rock.
What many, including his father, didn’t know is how bad it was. In fact the severity of which wasn’t known until after the Cajuns lost to Georgia State on Friday afternoon.
The senior point guard had severely sprained his ankle on Wednesday according to head coach Bob Marlin. “Our trainer told us that if it had been anyone else that isn’t as athletic as Jay or as strong as him in his quads, he would’ve broken his leg.”
That injury along with Bryce Washington needing to rest was a big reason as to why the Cajuns turned down the CollegeInsider.com Tournament invitation on Sunday.
If Wright had informed Marlin of how bad the injury was, the player that had put the team on his back during the win streak might have been cheering on the sidelines. For a competitor like he has been in his final season wearing the vermillion and white, he wasn’t going to end his collegiate career on the bench.
So Jay decided not to tell anyone of the severity of the injury and put together what looked like a typical game for him. In fact, during the win streak, he put up over 20 points in four games and only reached single digits once.
Wright wound up getting 27 points with a sprained ankle. He also had two rebounds, two assists, four steals, and one block. It’s typical of him as he ended up earning Sun Belt defensive player of the year honors, leading the season in steals. Marlin said that his performance against Georgia State showed the kind of intensity he plays with.
Marlin would find out about the injury on Saturday morning when Wright said to him “Coach, I’m really hurt.”
There are several stories about players playing through the pain. It really shows what kind of leader a player is. His collegiate career may have ended on a sour note, but he can hold his head up high because he did it his way, with no regrets.
-Clint Domingue