Back in November, when Silverdale Baptist Academy senior Brett Wright signed to play college basketball for Trevecca Nazarene, his high school head coach said something that has come to fruition.
With more than 1,900 career points, the 6-foot-5 Wright has solidified his status as one of the best players to ever suit up for the Seahawks.
"We have had some really good players come out of Silverdale. Guys like Spencer Mossburg, Brannon Walls and Wil Amos," Seahawks coach Slater Belew said. "But I told everyone at Brett's signing that if he continued to progress throughout this season, he had the chance to become one of the best basketball players to ever come through here.
"He is definitely one of them now. I am super excited for him and all of our guys for all the history they have made and hopefully will continue to make."
Wright could have as many as two games left with the Seahawks — and if both of those are victories, he will have something that eluded all of the Silverdale stars who preceded him: a state championship.
With the TSSAA Division II-A bracket down to four teams, the top-ranked Seahawks (30-3) are set for a semifinal against No. 2 First Assembly Christian School (25-3) at 6 p.m. Eastern on Friday at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville.
Silverdale has gone 6-0 this postseason while winning the program's first district and region tournament championships. Kennedy Okpara has been a monster this postseason, with the 6-7 junior forward averaging 23 points and 10 rebounds per game for the Seahawks.
Wright is one of Chattanooga's top offensive prospects, as he can shoot beyond the arc at a high level and also has the height and athleticism to compete above the rim against anyone. The star guard averages nearly 18 points per game and leads Silverdale with 66 3-pointers and 109 free throws made this season. He set season highs in points (34) and 3-pointers (six) in a win over Collegedale Academy, one of a dozen games for Wright with at least three 3-pointers.
"God really has blessed me and helped make so many of my dreams come true," said Wright, who chose Nashville's Trevecca Nazarene but also had an offer from another Division II program, Lee University in nearby Cleveland. "Our four seniors have really put in so much time to this sport, and our hard work has really paid off.
"To bring a gold ball back to Chattanooga would be super special. It hasn't been done in a long time, and this is a spot our program has never been close to before. To be able to win a state championship would be so special to us all and our community. It would be something we cherish forever."
Houston Holland, Caden McGran and ElyJah Richardson are Wright's fellow seniors trying to help Silverdale become the first boys' basketball program from the Chattanooga area to win a TSSAA state title since Tennessee Temple was the Class A champion in 2007. Multiple area programs have made respectable runs since then, and in the past several years, some have fallen just short with the state runners-up including Brainerd (Class AA in 2016), McCallie (Division II-AA in 2017), Baylor (DII-AA in 2018) and Notre Dame (DII-A in 2023).
On top of that, Cleveland was one of the favorites entering the 2020 Class AAA state tournament that was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
On Thursday, the Seahawks were given a special send-off by Silverdale's softball team — the Lady Seahawks are DII-A's reigning state champions — with that group delivering goodie bags for the trip to Cookeville and offering words of encouragement. Wright and his teammates then had a late afternoon practice at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's McKenzie Arena, getting a feel for a big gym setting before hitting the road.
Silverdale's semifinal opponent, First Assembly Christian School, has per-game averages of 66 points scored and 52.6 allowed this season.
"They are quick and they pressure the ball," Belew said of the Crusaders. "We have to take care of the ball and just enjoy the moment. At the end of the day, there are a lot of teams that would want to be in our position. I want my guys to just go out there and have fun. I believe in this group and know they will represent the Silverdale community extremely well."
Friday's other semifinal pairs Evangelical Christian School (17-10) — like FACS, the Eagles are from Cordova, near Memphis — and Murfreesboro's Providence Christian (28-4) at 2:30 p.m. Eastern. The winners will meet Saturday night at Tennessee Tech.
"Before the season started, we talked about how we believed we could get to the state tournament," Wright said of what was then an unprecedented feat for the Seahawks. "This is just a testament to all the time we have put in toward making this dream become a reality."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.