New star born - Ollie Bailey picks Wright path

Farragut's Ollie Bailey
At Farragut, a school full of tradition,
Ollie Bailey has become a star in his own right.

Bailey picks Wright path

--3-16-04--
By Frank Rusnak
Under coach Wolf Nelson, Farragut has had its share of stars in its basketball program. Now, he said the list is ready to grow one deeper.

"Last time I got a C was my sophomore year in English, and that was honors actually."

Ollie Bailey
Farragut Center

As Farragut (28-3) gets ready to meet Von Steuben (24-6) in the first game of a supersectional doubleheader tonight at the United Center, Nelson will rely heavily on 6’8” center Ollie Bailey to advance the Admirals to Class AA Elite Eight in Peoria.

“He's finally making his own name,” Nelson said. “When compared to those guys in the past he couldn't hold a candle to them. Before the game started we knew that Michael Wright was going to get 30 points and 16 boards and we knew what Ronnie [Fields] was going to do. And Kevin [Garnett], please. Ollie, we didn't know.”

The Rutgers recruit said the deaths of his two uncles and grandfather last year are part of the reason it has taken him so long to come into his own on the basketball court.

“Junior year was a so-so year,” Bailey said. “I could've had a better year, but there was just too many things going on in my life. I was trying to get over it, but I couldn't. They were so influential in my life.”

After receiving advice and counseling, he has realized basketball is something that can take him far in life. To do so, Bailey has followed the path of Wright, a 1998 Farragut graduate who played at Arizona.

“Ollie patterns himself after Michael Wright because they both come from the same neighborhood,” Nelson said. “Ollie doesn't stay in the projects and Michael did, but they are right down the street from each other. I said when you take care of the books, when your four years are over you'll be able to pick and choose where you want to go. With Michael, he always took care of his grades. It was Michael Wright's plan and he followed that.”

With a 3.5 grade-point average, Bailey had his choice between a list of suitors before deciding on the Scarlet Knights.

“Last time I got a C was my sophomore year in English, and that was honors actually,” said Bailey, who averages 21 points and 12 rebounds. “I take a lot of honors classes.”

The book, however, is not closed on Bailey, as he would like to veer off the road slightly to accomplish something Wright never did on his path to success his senior year: get to the Class AA Elite Eight.

“Senior year you've got to have a really good year,” Bailey said. “It's your last year and you want to be able to lead your team to State and you will remember this for the rest of your life.”