It was Fulton’s 21st trip to the state basketball tournament under Wright; 10th title game, 5th title

Being a part of championship teams started early for Caryville native Jody Wright.  The Caryville Cardinals (above) finished 16 & 0 and won the 1973 Campbell County Elementary School Basketball Tournament. (First row left to right) 13 Lee Lowe, 32 Tony Simpson, 20 Dennis Money, 8 Walter Asbury, 22 Jody Wright, 4 Johnny Seal, 10 Jeff Newport (Second row left to right) Coach Len Pierce, Manager Greg Lawson, 30 Ricky Kennedy, 12 Eddie Hatmaker, 34 Terry Petree, 14 Phillip Rogers, 21 Gary Smith, Manager Wade Lawson  (PHOTO COURTESY OF CARYVILLE FIRE CHIEF EDDIE HATMAKER)

MURFREESBORO, TN (WLAF) – Saturday night at MTSU’s Murphy Center, the Fulton Falcons repeated as 3-A state basketball champions, the second time the Falcons have done so under the leadership of Coach Jody Wright. The last time back-to-back was in 2008 and 2009.

Fulton defeated Memphis Ridgeway 68-47 all the while posting the most wins in school history, 35. That’s against two losses.

There are some things that are negotiable and some that are non-negotiable for the players on Wright’s Fulton teams. Some of the negotiables include what color jerseys the team wore during its latest state tourney run. “We were the visiting team all the way through, and they said they wanted to wear our black jerseys,” said the coach.

So, what’s the secret? “There’s no secret; just hard work,” said Wright not long after his team brought the school’s 5th gold basketball back to North Broadway. Wright credits his stubbornness. “That comes from my dad, Gene,” said Wright. Gene coached basketball at Powell Valley, Jacksboro (his alma mater), Lake City and Knoxville Rule.

Jody Wright shouts to his players during Saturday’s 3-A championship game.

That stubbornness drives Wright’s teams to do it his way. “It’s “a standard.” That standard takes care of the wins and losses. There’s an expectation to meet the standard, and expectations don’t change. We never talk about wins and losses. Our players understand the process and buy in,” said the coach.

“Coaches will ask what it is we do. I’ll explain our defensive drill to them, and they say “we do the same drill.” Then I tell them that we just don’t check a box and move on to the next drill. We do that drill with more attention to detail, more intensity and with a purpose. That repetition, repetition is part of our DNA. To do that, you have to have coachable kids. We pride ourselves on toughness,” said Wright.

Damaturi Smith (left) and his pal Benton Reno cheer on Dematuri’s brother, Falcon Derrick Smith.

When a coach asks what Wright does with a player with a bad attitude, he simply answers, they don’t come to Fulton. “They go somewhere else, and if they do come here, they don’t last, because they won’t work hard and improve their attitude. I coach some great kids, and they know what they’re getting in to” said Wright.

Late night tip offs made for a hard week last week at the state tourney. “I told the team they’ll (Ridgeway) run us out of the gym if we don’t show up. Ridgeway, with bigs and quick guards, played a tough Memphis schedule, and they played the best opponents and was a very good team,” said Wright.

Here comes the gold basketball for the Fulton Falcons.

The Big Three, as Wright calls them, seniors Tyler Lee in the front court and the Kimber twins, Denaj and Taj, in the backcourt are also the most popular kids in school. “They’re superstars, known statewide, but they don’t play the superstar card. It all goes back to their parents. The Big Three loves to work, and they’re gym rats,” said the coach.

This latest championship team has been a group of the most likeable guys that was talented and fun to coach, according to Wright. They didn’t mind being pushed and held accountable, he adds. “I’ve been at Fulton almost 40 years, and this is as well a liked team as I’ve had. It’s common to get a phone call, letter, text or email expressing just how classy these young men are, and that’s who they are. That makes it even more satisfying and gratifying to see them go out this way, on the biggest stage. Their legacy will be cemented,” said the Wright.

Coach Jody Wright talks about his team’s win on this post game TV interview at Murphy Center.

It may take Wright and the Falcons a while to catch their breath. The month-long post season is a grind, very intense, according to Wright. “After Easter, we’ll begin spring workouts,” said the coach confirming that there’s not really an end to basketball season.

A season of hard work paid a huge dividend on Saturday for the Fulton Falcons.

The last time Fulton won back-to-back state championships, the team featured Jalan Steele. Steele’s cousins, the Kimber twins, were a key part in this second run of two straight championships for Fulton. “That’s the only family in Knoxville that went back-to-back twice,” said Wright. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 03/18/2024-6AM)

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