Justin Wright-Foreman is Hofstra Pride Next NBA Guard | 26.8 PPG | Next Ones

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Justin Wright-Foreman aims to follow NBA path of another Hofstra legend ...
Justin Wright-Foreman was starstruck. His idol, Craig “Speedy” Claxton, was a few feet in front of him, coaching at Christ the King high school’s basketball camp.
Eight years later, the roles were somewhat reversed. Claxton was the one in awe, at how far Wright-Foreman had come, honored at his role in the metamorphosis of one of the country’s premier scorers.
“It’s just kind of neat they both did the same thing,” Hofstra coach Joe Mihalich said recently after Wright-Foreman - the nation’s second-leading scorer at 26.6 points per game - led another come-from-behind victory for the first-place Pride. “Justin’s doing what Speedy did.”
It wouldn’t have been possible without Claxton, the 10-year NBA veteran, Hofstra legend and current assistant coach. Their relationship goes far beyond player and coach. Claxton, 40, is an older-brother figure to Wright-Foreman, who likely will repeat as the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year.
When he’s not giving his best effort, Claxton is the one to get in his face, telling him “you’re playing like sh-.” During a disappointing freshman season when Wright-Foreman scored a grand total of 44 points and seriously considered transferring, it was Claxton who instilled in him the need to work even harder, be patient and get in the gym with him at odd hours.
This wasn’t just any coach demanding more. It was someone who had taken the path Wright-Foreman wanted to follow, from Christ the King to Hofstra, then the NBA. Claxton knew what it took to realize such a long-shot dream.
“He’s walking motivation for us,” said junior guard Desure Buie, Wright-Foreman’s close friend.
After that meeting at the Christ the King camp, Wright-Foreman and Claxton remained in touch, and when Wright-Foreman transferred from the Catholic school to Queens High School for Construction following his sophomore year, Claxton was at his first varsity game. He was waiting afterward with a scholarship offer to Hofstra.
They grew closer over the next year, communicating almost daily. When Wright-Foreman committed to Hofstra in October of his senior year, he cited Claxton as the leading factor.
“He wanted to follow in his footsteps,” said Janice Wright, Wright-Foreman’s mother.
Through the years, his mother and Claxton worked together to guide Wright-Foreman in the right direction. When Wright-Foreman’s SAT scores were lacking, they agreed it was Claxton’s idea he begin taking SAT prep courses. In reality, it was his mother’s plan. During the trying freshman year at Hofstra, Claxton and Wright would speak frequently about separate conversations they had with Wright-Foreman relating to his frustration. The message about patience came at him from two very different avenues: his mother and his mentor.
Claxton would often get Wright-Foreman on the court on his own for extra work that season. There would be late-night workout sessions or Sunday morning training. They would get up shots together before and after practice.
“Just him preaching to me patience and waiting my turn was everything. I wanted everything to happen right now instead of waiting my turn,” recalled the 6-foot-2 southpaw who is fourth on the all-time Hofstra scoring list with 2,150 points. “He helped me grow more as a person.”
“Speedy probably went above and beyond what he was supposed to do as a coach,” Wright said.
Claxton saw a lot of himself in Wright-Foreman, from their local upbringing to their intense on-court desire to both winding up at Hofstra after being under-recruited. Their games are different. Claxton was more of a facilitator while Wright-Foreman is a pure scorer. Claxton was the better defender, Wright-Foreman the better shooter.
Claxton does see one distinct similarity - their seniors seasons and NBA draft stock. Just as Wright-Foreman is battling St. John’s guard Shamorie Ponds for the Haggerty Award, given to the area’s top player, Claxton had St. John’s star and his Christ the King teammate Erick Barkley to contend with.
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