Herbie Wright’s drive to succeed paying dividends at Prosser | Prep Sports

PROSSER – No one has given Prosser’s Herbie Wright a key to the gym yet, but she always knows how to find someone willing to open it for her.

Coach Jessica Huntington said the standout sophomore puts up at least 1,000 shots outside of regular practices each week while working out with various coaches. She’s also finding more shots so far this season for the Mustangs while averaging a CWAC-best 21.3 points per game, up from 17.3 as a freshman.

“She’s getting a lot more shots but her field goal percentage is really good, especially from inside the 3-point line,” Huntington said. “She has earned every single thing she’s gotten because she puts in more work than anybody.”

Recent highlights included a 35-point outburst to lead Prosser to a 67-61 win over Colony (Alaska) in Phoenix over Christmas Break, and less than a week later she put up 30 in a 63-39 win over Toppenish. Wright’s reached double figures in 11 of 12 games and she’s also shown the ability to create for her teammates, averaging nearly four assists per game.

A broken shooting wrist last season forced Wright to put in extra work to regain her form, and she said weightlifting with boys basketball coach Toby Cox added the ability to finish better through contact. When possible, Wright travels to Yakima two or three times a week for workouts with Yakima Valley College men’s coach London Wilson, who she credits with improving her post game as well as her shot.

“Last season it was really hard coming back from breaking my (wrist) to just getting the shot back and the form back and stuff,” Wright said. “So that’s definitely been different. It’s something I worked on a lot.”

Staying committed

Cox said even that costly injury couldn’t derail Wright’s constant drive to keep improving.

He recalled guiding her through band work and running with a parachute before games when she couldn’t leave the bench. Along with on-court drills during the offseason — when WIAA rules prohibit the Mustangs’ girls coaches from working with Wright — Cox also leads her through weightlifting, agility and pool workouts whenever they can find the time, often with Prosser junior Deidra Phillips.

Huntington said those two push each other more than anyone else on the team, constantly partnering up and giving each other constructive criticism at practice. Wright’s taken on more of a vocal leadership role this season, encouraging others to hold themselves to the same high standards she tries to reach.

“Lay’lee (Dixon) and Adriana (Milanez) are our captains, but a lot of times they bring Herbie into it if they need to have a conversation with the team about something because she does have a natural ability to lead people,” Huntington said. “She’s very vocal on the court, but also just in team meetings and stuff like that she’s one that steps up and says a lot.”

Cox and his assistants frequently receive texts from Wright asking them to open the gym, where they’ll meet her for extra workouts. During one recent session before this season started, Cox recalled Wright going through 58 minutes of dribbling drills and various shooting movements without taking so much as a water break.

“She puts tons of work in and it’s not really the work she puts in, it’s how hard she goes at it and wants to finish everything,” Cox said. “She just works at a different level when you’re doing the workouts.”

Playing inside and out

Huntington said college coaches love Wright’s versatility, and she’s eager to do whatever gives her team the best chance to win.

The Mustangs’ roster lists the 5-foot-11 sophomore as both a guard and forward, and she goes back-and-forth between the two position groups during what Huntington calls “skill time” at practice. Wright’s most comfortable as a guard, since that’s where she plays for the Spokane-based Northwest Blazers during the summer and where she’ll most likely end up at the college level.

But since she’s typically going up against shorter guards in the CWAC, Prosser’s coaches often encourage Wright to go into the post. Huntington’s seen significant growth in Wright’s footwork and post move, as well as her ability to turn offensive rebounds into points.

That’s one of two ways she can score even when drawing extra attention from defenses, along with turning steals into transition points. Wright’s often asked to guard the opponent’s best player and she averages four steals per game, highlighted by 10 in her 30-point performance against Toppenish on Jan. 3.

Wright also understands she can still make considerable contributions when she’s not scoring, whether that’s because of defenses designed to stop her or simply an off night. She’s happy to focus her efforts elsewhere while giving the ball to other capable scorers such as Phillips and Dixon, who have helped the Mustangs average a CWAC-best 70.2 points per game.

“It’s really important because if I want to play at the next level, I know that it’s not all about the scoring and coaches watch the little stuff,” Wright said. “The rebounding, the steals, the defense, all that kind of stuff.”

Leaving a legacy

Wright took on an integral role for one of the CWAC’s best programs from the moment she joined her high school teammates for summer basketball in 2023, so it’s no surprise her name comes up in discussions of school records.

Huntington said Wright and Dixon, who put up a career-high 37 points in a win over Ephrata earlier this season, talk frequently about Prosser’s single-season scoring record of 44 points. That’s held by Katie Hoefer, who also set the 33-year-old school record of 468 regular-season points, and Wright’s already eyeing the career record of 1,930 set by Tamara Jones, an assistant on Huntington’s staff.

With her current pace and the likelihood of several extra games again this year, Wright should easily surpass 1,000 points as a junior. She’ll likely need to carry a heavier scoring load following the graduation of Dixon and Milanez this spring, a challenge Huntington’s confident Wright could take on right now if needed.

She’s intent on playing college basketball, although she prefers to keep any ongoing discussions with coaches to herself. Huntington said added maturity should contribute to more growth and Wright’s work ethic will ensure continued improvement.

“She will be special and there have been a lot of really great players and people that have come through here, but I think she’ll be one that people will definitely remember,” Huntington said. “Athletically, yes, she’s great, but I think people will remember her because she’s not only great athletically, but because she treats people really well.”