A persistent, painful journey
Injuries didn't stall his basketball dream
Mar. 8, 2013 2:01 AM


Wright ranks 24th on the school's career scoring list with 1,267 points, is first in steals with 193, third in assists with 468 and is tied with Steve Logan for second in games played with 135. The Enquirer/Joseph Fuqua II / The Cincinnati Enquirer

Written by
Bill Koch

As a freshman coming from a small town in Georgia to the University of Cincinnati’s urban campus, there were a lot of things Cashmere Wright was concerned about when he arrived in the summer of 2008. Dealing with injuries was not one of them. Wright had always been remarkably free of injury, never having suffered as much as a sprained ankle.

But that changed in a hurry. On his first official day of practice, Wright tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and missed his freshman year after undergoing surgery. It was such a psychological shock to a kid for whom everything had come so easily that he broke down in tears, called his parents in Savannah, Ga., and told them he wanted to come home.

“My whole dream was to get to college and play Division I basketball,” Wright said. “As soon as I got here, for me to be injured like that, it kind of derailed my whole plan.”

For the next five years, Wright would deal with the aftermath of that injury and others – including a left shoulder subluxation and a sprained right knee that set him back again this year just when he was playing the best basketball of his career.

But it would be inaccurate to say that injuries have defined Wright’s career. Rather, his career has been defined by the perseverance he displayed to place his name prominently in the UC record book. When he walks onto the Fifth Third Arena floor for the last time Saturday on Senior Day with his father, Gene; his mother, Patricia; his brother, Antonio; his 3-year-old daughter, Aubri; and his fiancé, Sydney, he will be the only player in UC history with at least 1,200 points, 450 assists and 190 steals.

He ranks 24th on the school’s career scoring list with 1,267 points, first in steals with 193, third in assists with 468, and is tied with Steve Logan for second in games played with 135. He needs three more games to pass his former teammate, Dion Dixon, who set the record last year with 137.

None of that would have been possible if Wright’s parents hadn’t shown up on his doorstep at UC the day after he tore his ACL to provide moral support and urge him not to give up. They stayed for two weeks to help him get his head on straight. Wright took it from there.

Wright’s full name is Cashmere A’keem Wright. For years, his father referred to him by his middle name, and still does at times. Wright prefers “Cashmere,” because it reminds him of how much he has grown up during his time at UC.

“I’m a grown version of Cashmere,” Wright said. “When I got here, I was more A’keem , a young kid just thinking about basketball, thinking I’m going to the NBA the next year or whenever that comes. Now I’m a father, so I look at things different. I think more about the future than just about everything that happens in the present. I think about things before I do things now.”

UC coach Mick Cronin remembers the young Cashmere as an immature kid who had trouble getting out of bed in the morning and had to learn to fend for himself far from home.

“If ever there was a guy who had to deal with things the way he thought it wasn’t going to be it was Cash,” Cronin said. “He had been in a world that revolved around him. He was always the best baseball player, the best basketball player. I can’t stress to you how great his parents are. Being on his own, he had to learn to take care of himself where everything wasn’t done for him. He had to grow up in every way, off the court as well as on the court.”


'He is a picture of what college is supposed to be about,' Bearcats coach Mick Cronin says of Wright, his fifth-year senior. The Enquirer/ Joseph Fuqua II

After he recovered from his surgery, Wright began his college basketball career a year later than expected, but Cronin said it took until his sophomore year for him to regain his confidence. He had a second surgery to clean out the knee after that season.

While he was learning to deal with his injuries, Wright also had to learn a new role. He played at a small high school where he averaged 32.3 points over four years, but when he arrived at UC, he was asked to balance his scoring with running the offense as a true point guard. It was a difficult adjustment for a player who had always viewed himself as a scorer first.

“Now you learn that you’ve got to be thinking about your teammates and how they feel and try to figure out a way to integrate everybody in your team,” Wright said.

Wright reinjured his shoulder against Oregon last November in Las Vegas. He played through that, learning to pop the shoulder back into place during games so he could keep playing. Then he sprained his right knee at DePaul on Jan. 15 in a game in which he seemed headed for a career-high in points. He had scored 20 on 8-of-11 shooting when he went down with 15:12 left in the game and did not return.

Again, his parents were there for him.

“He was like, every time I get started something will happen,” Gene Wright said. “I said, A’keem, the Lord’s got your back. You’re all right. Just keep believing and keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll be all right. Just keep doing your best and everything will work out. It always does.”

Wright missed UC’s next game, but has played in every game since. His production has dipped, but his spirit has not. He doesn’t like to talk about his latest injury because he says it casts a cloud over his teammates, but it’s obvious that it has affected his play.

“I just keep playing,” Wright said. “The knee injury must have happened for a reason. If you believe in God, it happened for a reason. People really don’t understand how it feels. Everybody expects you to just jump back out on the court and play how you were before you left. With the people expecting so much it becomes kind of depressing, but I feel like I’m getting it back now.”

Cronin says UC fans will never fully comprehend how much Wright has gone through physically the past five years just to get on the court. Like Wright, the UC coach wonders what his point guard could have accomplished without the injuries. The two have grown very close to the point where Wright says after he plays a few years professionally, he would love to return to UC as an assistant coach under Cronin.

Wright is on schedule to graduate this spring with a degree in criminal justice. From his father’s perspective, that’s the best indication that his college career has been successful.

“I’m proud of the way he ended,” Gene Wright said, “carrying himself and being a man. Finishing school is what I’m most proud of because a lot of guys don’t finish school. I’m just so proud that he stuck it out.”

Wright, who makes the sign of the cross just before tipoff of every game, said he couldn’t have made it this far without a lot of help from his family, the UC coaching and training staffs and his teammates.

He has also leaned heavily on his faith to sustain him through the tough times.

“People kept praying for me and telling me everything is going to be OK.” Wright said. “ ‘just keep pushing,’ they said. ‘Just because something happened don’t mean that everything is over and you can’t do nothing while you’re here.’ And it kind of came true. I look back four years ago and I never thought I’d be in this position right now. There’s only one way I could have made it through all this and still be able to play. You have to keep the faith.”

Wright said he hasn’t thought about how he wants to be remembered by UC fans. But Cronin has.

“He is the picture of what college is supposed to be about,” Cronin said. “You get your education, but at the same time you learn how to survive on your own and make your own way in the world. He has grown from a guy that struggled to get himself out of bed to a highly responsible young adult. If he can lead his team to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, that should be his legacy.”

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130...RONTPAGE|p

I cover University of Cincinnati athletics – the news, games and personalities who attract fans to Fifth Third Arena and Nippert Stadium year after year. Reach me at bkoch@enquirer.com

Excellent article by Bill.

I will give credit where credit is due. One of Koch's best articles.

Yes. Very well done; informative and a compelling read. Thanks Bill Koch.

The sad thing is, he can be a good writer when he wants to be. Ashame he doesn't do it more often. Thankfully he's no longer covering football.

I'm probably one of the biggest critics of the Cincy media on here. Bill did a good job. I enjoyed the article.

damn great article Bil

Bill never understood that UC can compete and win big in football, still doesn't.

bill koch probably hired a ghost writer for that article

(03-08-2013 05:48 AM)BJUnklFkr Wrote:  Excellent article by Bill.

You're just asking for trouble, mister!

I agree though!

Coop, really, I had to double-check before I typed that

Top 25 in points. Top 3 in assists. First in steals and games played. That is a hell of a career for Cash. Its a shame he had to deal with so many injuries, and were sure as hell going to miss him next year. I don't know who will start at the guard positions next year, but if they're half as tough as Cash and JaQuon are UC will be fine.