Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil is a Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer, a former college assistant coach and a legendary figure in Texas basketball circles.
So when she decided in 2000 to create TeamXpress with her husband, Jerald, the ultimate aim had nothing to do with burnishing her own reputation or career. It was all about the kids she intended to impact, on and off the court.
“Look, I’m not trying to make a name off you,” Davis-Wrightsil said, invoking her message to girls who would endeavor to compete with TeamXpress. “I’m not making money off you. No one is trying to get a job. We’re just trying to give back.
“The basic philosophy of the Wrightsils is, we’re blessed to be a blessing. When we’re gone, what have we left behind? We hope we’ve invested in people.”
Some 14 years later, Davis-Wrightsil’s vision has taken root in south Texas, as TeamXpress has become one of the region’s most accomplished basketball programs. And when you seek to determine how to define that success, Davis-Wrightsil makes it clear: It isn’t about the wins and losses.
“If you go to our web site, you’re not going to find on there, ‘We were in the final four in USJN and our record is this and that.’ Because the value and success is in the 85 players who have gotten scholarships over the years,” she said. “Do we want to win? Absolutely. Are we competing to do that? No doubt. We’re going to compete at a high level and we don’t want anybody outworking us or outthinking us.”
What was an 11-team club in its first year now comprises three teams, and that’s due in large part to Davis-Wrightsil’s overriding philosophy. She couldn’t find a staff that size that shared her principles, so Davis-Wrightsil scaled back and chose quality over quantity. These days, those three teams feature a set of players who understand exactly what the former University of Texas All-American wants them to achieve. Which is to say: The development of an athlete from all angles.
“We’re not just developing basketball skills, but we’re talking about balance, and ACL (prevention), and strength, and resistance stuff. We’re doing the whole gamut,” she said.
That approach, Davis-Wrightsil said, creates a player who not only is able to obtain a college scholarship but, more important, is able to achieve success once she reaches the college game.
To do that, she stresses the importance of working diligently in all areas, including conditioning and skills. TeamXPress might not participate in as many tournaments as some clubs, but they aren’t working any less. Quite the contrary. When the team’s season begins in March, practices for the Austin-based team are conducted from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. The next day, there’s another three-hour practice.
Skill development does not take a backseat.
“You’re not going to get better just playing games,” Davis-Wrightsil said. “We’re not going to play tournaments every weekend. When we’re not in July, we’re going to play maybe two tournaments a month but we’re going to be in the gym getting better.”
And no detail is left unexplored. In Davis-Wrightsil’s effort to development a complete player, she emphasizes how the game is played, right down to the specifics of a screen-and-roll, for example.
“We’re teaching them pro movement, pro action. They have playbooks. If it’s screen and roll, we’re going to drill on every way to beat the screen and roll,” she said.
“We run zones, fullcourts, halfcourts, motion offense, screen and roll, quick hitters, continuities, everything. My vision is preparing these girls to get to the next level and be able to perform once they get there.
“You won’t see a TeamXpress team say, ‘OK, you all clear out.’ That’s not realistic. Who’s doing that? You’re not going to be prepared for college. I can’t think of a single program that’s going to let you clear out every single time or let you take 35 shots. It’s all about getting better.
“Look, offensively, we can get you your shots. Because we don’t have to be traditional offensively. If you’re good at coming off screens, I can find you a shot. If you’re a screening person, we can find you a shot. But we’re going to understand spacing and have a system so you aren’t getting in each other’s way. Then everybody can do what they do and we’re all successful. That doesn’t mean two people are successful and the rest of you guys, well, just pay your fee and help these kids. Nah. Success is everybody gets something, whatever that level is, at the end of the day.
“We’re just looking for that commitment. It’s not for everybody. If you’re lazy, you won’t make it.”
Plenty have made it. Davis-Wrightsil draws on her experience as an assistant at Texas and Rutgers to drill an understanding into her players of what college coaches are watching. How do you interact with your teammates, your coaches and the officials? Does the coach need to explain something to you repeatedly? Is your energy level constant?
“The more prepared you are (for college), the easier the transition,” she said. “And then we get a reputation for that. I coached at Texas, I coached at Rutgers, I played (professionally). People know that I’m not going to gas up a player (with), ‘Coach, she can really play.’ I tell players, we’re not lying for you. Whatever you do on a daily basis, that’s who you are. You’re going to determine your recruiting process by what you do. If you’ve got 10 offers from big universities, when you’re a major player. If you’ve got 10 offers from midmajors, that’s what you are. If you don’t like your situation, what are you doing day to day?”
Here’s a look at some of the program’s top prospects:
Kyra Lambert, 2015, point guard, Schertz, Texas (No. 10 in Blue Star’s class rankings): “High character, all-A student, high intellect, plays with a really high motor. She’s just a quality person and is very good at what she does. She leads well. She can pretty much do it all. She can shoot it. She’s strong. She can create for herself and others. She can finish in traffic. She’s a solid defender and a really good leader. There’s not a lot of holes in her game.”
Japreece Dean, 2015, point guard, Cedar Park, Texas: “Another point guard on that team. She can play the one because she can handle it, but we sometimes play her at the 2 because she can absolutely shoot. She’s a combination of a guard who can break you off with multiple handles but she’s got a pure jumpshot. It’s hard to find that. Usually kids are slashers or they’re three-point shooters. She’s got a high motor. Good passer, great vision on the move. Hard to stay in front of either one of those kids.”
Ashley Hearn, 2015, post, UCLA commitment: “She’s a ‘stretch 4,’ that new term. Great body, hands, runs the floor. No one has really seen everything she can do. She’s unlimited. She can come off screens, attack the elbow, step back and hit the shot. But she’s always been the tallest kid on her team, so she’s going to play in the post. But now I’m able to move her around and do some different things. Blocks shots, run the floor, athletic, she can face and finish, and she can run.”
Anja Martin, 2015, forward, San Antonio: “She’s 5-11. She’s had to play the 2, 3, 4 and 5 for us. Last year we were real small, and she had to play the 5. Probably our best defender. Her true position is probably a 3. She can shoot the 3, is a really good runner, heart of a lion. You can put her on the best player against any team. She’s going to get it done.”
Gabby Connally, 2017, point guard, San Antonio: “She’s that next one coming up. She’s the real deal. She’s competing at a high level with Kyra and Japreece. She can shoot it from deep. Has a little runner, can get to the rim. Got a nice strong body already, and she’s quick. She’ll play the combo. She’ll be our 1 next year.”
Kennedi Centers, 2016, post, Schertz, Texas: “I had to tell her, would you please stop diving? I appreciate it but, baby girl, you’ve got to stop diving into that wall. Or bleachers. I don’t want you to end your career out here.’ She’s quick, she’s 6-2, quick enough to run with the guards but she’s strong. She gets off the floor well. The lights come on, and she never turns them off. Her dad played in the NFL. There’s got to be some genetics going on there. She hasn’t scratched the surface. She just goes hard.”
Katrina Pardee, 2015, guard, Cedar Park, Texas: “Flat-out shoot it, off screens, moves well without the ball, shoot off the screen and roll or two-dribble jump shot, and can shoot the three.”
Jordanna Porter, 2015, swing, Kileen, Texas: “She is a 5’11 class 2015 jack of all trades do it all player. Thats why we can her “swiss”…like swiss army knife. She has plays any position we need her to play from 2-5. She shoots the ball from deep, is a crafty finisher around the basket with both hands can pull up the midrange, strong body, high IQ and hardworking player”
