Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week: Loyd Wright - Offensive architect

Tony Altobelli

It’s been all “thumbs-up” for Newport Harbor High boys volleyball

standout Loyd Wright.

After missing most of last year with a broken thumb, Wright has shown

a Fonzie-like command of the court this season.

With senior outside hitter Blake Tippett confined to crutches on the

bench with a sprained ankle, Wright helped generate the offense to a

number of different weapons as the Sailors knocked off Foothill, 10-15,

15-6, 15-10, in the title game of the Orange County Championships.

Wright was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player as the Sailors

pulled off big wins over Mater Dei (15-8, 10-15, 15-12) in the

quarterfinals and Marina (15-13, 13-15, 15-11) in the semifinals.

The 6-foot-1 Daily Pilot of the Week choice compiled 53 assists

against the Monarchs, 43 against the Vikings and 26 against the Knights.

“I knew I had to be one of the guys to step up in Blake’s absence,”

Wright said of the title game. “Different guys like the ball in different

positions, so I made sure I knew who I was setting and where to put the

ball every time.”

According to Wright’s coach, Dan Glenn, it’s his attitude and his

willingness to learn that helps him excel.

“He’s got a great attitude and that’s a big key to helping our team

hang in those tough matches,” Glenn said. “He’s probably our second-best

digger on our team (behind Tippett) and is a very good server, so he does

a bunch of things well.”

Wright is one of only three full-time volleyball players on Glenn’s

starting rotation, which takes some time to get used to as a setter.

“We’ve got basketball players and football players,” he said. “I try

to help them out by telling them where to go on the court and what plays

we’re going to run. I think it’s a matter of us just playing together and

the more we know about each other, the better we’ll be as a team.”

Wright began playing volleyball at the age of 7 for longtime local

coach Charlie Brande, following the footsteps of his older brother, Rob,

who played at the University of Hawaii.

“I was an outside hitter until my freshman year at Santa Margarita

High,” Wright said. “I wasn’t as tall or could I jump as high as some of

the other players, so I moved to setter. When I came to Newport, I stayed

at setter.”

According to Glenn, Wright has an abundance of talent, but still sees

a better player down the road.

“I’d like to see him be more aggressive out there,” Glenn said. “He’s

only a junior and being a leader is a growing process, which he his

starting to learn.”

When not on the volleyball court, Wright tries to tame the ski slops

or attempts to tackle the golf links.

“Most of the time, I’m a mid-80s golfer,” Wright said. “I just need to

get out and play more.”

Join the club.