Boys basketball: DuPage County All-Area captain Wright makes everyone better, guides Benet to second in state
The job of a high school point guard has many requirements.
Regarded as the quarterback of the team, a quality point guard excels in many areas — ballhandling, passing, shooting, leadership, helping make others around him better.
Jayden Wright checked every box for Benet Academy this season.
The 5-foot, 10-inch senior helped lead the Redwings to a second-place Class 4A finish in last weekend’s state basketball tournament in Champaign.
After scoring 15 points and grabbing 7 rebounds in Benet’s 55-54 state championship victory (first in school history) over Warren a year ago, Wright earned the AC Williamson Award following a 14-point, 6-assist effort as the Redwings captured the prestigious Pontiac Holiday Tournament title for the first time last December.
“It’s the best of the holiday tournaments,” said Wright, who topped the 1,000-point mark for his career during Benet’s 52-43 title win over DePaul Prep at Pontiac. “Great competition. I always looked forward to it.”
A week earlier, Wright earned Most Valuable Player honors as the Redwings claimed the Jacobs Hinkle Holiday Classic title.
The 3-year varsity starter guided Benet to 33 consecutive victories on the way to a 36-2 finish this season.
For his efforts, Wright has been selected as the captain of the Daily Herald’s 2025-2026 DuPage All-Area boys basketball team.
Wright finished the season averaging 12.5 points and 5 assists per game while shooting 47% from the field (171 of 363), including 34% from beyond the 3-point arc (54 of 158) and 79% from the free-throw line (77 of 98).
“Last year, Jayden played more of a combo guard for us since we had Blake (Fagbemi — now playing at Illinois),” said Benet coach Gene Heidkamp. “We had two pretty good point guards, and it worked out well for us.
“This season, his role changed by default. He was a marked man all year as our primary ballhandler. His assists were up, creating for our bug guys and other shooters, while he took less shots.”
“Winning the state championship (last season) helped us a lot,” said Wright. “Obviously, we were a target for opposing teams. We had high expectations and tried to block out the outside noise, focusing on ourselves.”
Playing alongside 7-foot senior center Colin Stack and 6-8 junior forward Edvardas Stasys, Wright had plenty of opportunities to feed lob passes that turned into momentum-building slam dunks.
“Watching guys play over the rim was fun,” said Wright. “We would feed off those dunks. They excited everybody.”
“Jayden developed a good rapport with Colin and Ed,” said Heidkamp. “Colin’s field goal percentage was just under 80%. He was a legitimate 40% 3-point shooter.
“Jayden had a tremendous senior season. He was the Player of the Year in our conference. He was MVP at the Hinkle tournament and earned the AC Williamson Award at Pontiac.”
Wright, Stack, and Stasys all averaged double-figure scoring, as the Redwings featured a balanced attack.
“They’re all team-first players who enjoyed playing together,” said Heidkamp. “The most important stat for us was efficiency.”
Focusing on lock-down defense, the Redwings had the ability to get up and down the floor, but often relied on a halfcourt approach.
“We wanted to make teams work 25 seconds or more to get off a shot,” said the coach.
“We were all unselfish,” said Wright. “We all just wanted to win.”
Early in the season, the Redwings returned from Pennsylvania with a 3-0 mark facing some of Philadelphia’s top teams, including a 49-46 victory over state-ranked Roman Catholic.
“That was a cool experience,” said Wright, who contributed 12 points and 7 assists against Roman Catholic. “It was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had.”
Next season, Wright will play Division 1 ball at Eastern Illinois.
“I’ll play point guard or wherever they want me to play,” he said. “I’ll do whatever is best for the team.”
“Jayden’s a point guard who can score the ball,” said Heidkamp. “Shooting is a valued commodity. He’ll be taking another huge step.”
Wright is a proven winner.
During his 3-year varsity career, the Redwings posted a record of 96-13 — an 88% win clip.
“Jayden is a complete player who plays both ends of the floor,” said Heidkamp. “He led us to a lot of success. He has been a driving force for us.
“We’ll miss him.”
Ironically, Wright figures to pass the point guard torch to junior teammate Blair Fagbemi, Blake’s younger brother, next season.
“Blair played with and against these guys the past two seasons,” said the coach. “There is plenty of value on those 80 practices versus Jayden.”
Wright cherished every moment playing basketball at Benet Academy.
“It has been a great four years in the program,” he said. “I’ve made so many friends and learned so much playing for the coaches. I think Coach Heidkamp is the best coach in the state. He’s a great leader with a great basketball mind.
“I have great memories.”