Jacobi Wright on facing former teammate Jermaine Couisnard: 'It's all business now'
Jacobi Wright knew it as soon as he saw the logo flash on the television screen.
When he saw that South Carolina would be playing Oregon in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, he knew he’d get a chance to play against an old teammate, mentor and friend.
For one season, Wright and Jermaine Couisnard were teammates together at South Carolina when Wright was just a freshman. Now, over two years later, the two friends will cross paths again with Couisnard playing for the Ducks.
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After finding out he’d get to go up against his former team, Couisnard was sure he’d get a text from Wright or Josh Gray, whom he also played with. But Wright shared that he hasn’t reached out yet.
“We talked after they won their conference tournament through text. But we haven’t talked since the selection show,” Wright told GamecockCentral’s Jack Veltri in a Garnet Trust exclusive interview. “We probably won’t talk til after the game. We’re both just locked in. I know how he is, and he knows how I am. We’re competitive and it’s all business now.”
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In their one year together, the Gamecocks went 19-13 and didn’t make it past the second round of the SEC Tournament. As a result, South Carolina fired former head coach Frank Martin after 10 seasons with the program.
Wright averaged just 3.4 points in a little over 15 minutes per game. Meanwhile, Couisnard put up 12 points per game and started 16 games.
Soon after Martin’s dismissal, Couisnard chose to explore other options and transfer to Oregon. Wright opted to stay at South Carolina and see what current head coach Lamont Paris could do.
“During that time, that was one of the toughest decisions I had to make,” Wright said. “I didn’t really know what to do at first. A lot of my guys that was on the team with me left. So we had a few guys left, probably like four or five. I talked to my parents and we just decided to hear out what LP had to say. … I ended up making the decision and I feel like it’s worked out great for me so far.”
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Despite not playing together for very long, Wright still looks back on his freshman year with fond memories. He got to play alongside and learn from guys like Chico Carter, Erik Stevenson and James Reese V, amongst others. But he undoubtedly had a special connection with Couisnard.
“It was great just for me to go up against him in practice every day,” Wright said. “Going against the older guys, somebody who had the experience. I could just watch him every day and just learn from him. Competing against him every day made me extremely better.”
Come Thursday afternoon, the two friends will become rivals. But after that, they’re sure to have a lot to talk about regardless of who comes out on top in the Round of 64.
“I’m always thankful for real, man. That’s like my big brother, man,” Wright said. “We still talk to this day. So that kind of just shows what relationship we made while we were at school together.”
