At a recent post graduate basketball game vs Franklin Prep (we won 106 to 69), Chris Wriedt earned the nickname Sweet Wriedt with a single right hand hook shot.
A native of Sacramento, California, Chris knew about Hargrave in high school from his older brother who played college ball with a HMA alumnus, though he did have to ask his mother where Chatham Virginia was located.
The idea of “military school” was a little scary to the 6’10 Wriedt. He had to move across the country and had to experience having a roommate for the first time. Early morning wake-ups and not having a cell phone for a few weeks took their toll, but like countless other young men, Cadet Wriedt persevered. “Its not easy. You ask yourself if you even like basketball anymore,” Chris remembers, but he adjusted and is glad he made the decision to attend. His roommate is from North Carolina and always brings Chris home with him on open weekends.
“The best team that I have ever been a part of is this team right now,” Chris says. “We just played our rivals the other day, (we beat Fork Union Military Academy 92 to 69) and you could tell that we were a group of brothers and that our opponenents were just some guys playing basketball.”
At Hargrave students and their coaches focus on who a young man is, not just how well he plays basketball. “Everyone knows about the prestige of Hargrave, what they do for their players. Coaches know that Hargrave means that a player is a hard worker, that they know how to adapt and lead.”
But back to the sweet part of the story. Chris has attended public and private schools before, but this is the first one where the head of the school really took an interest in all of the students. “Colonel Brown is always checking in on us and seeing how we are doing,” Chris explains.
“At the game versus Franklin Prep I got in and scored with a right hand hook shot. When I looked over Colonel Brown was jumping up and down.”
A few days later during a school circle meeting. Colonel Brown told the whole Corps (student body) that he had good news. That because of how sweet Chris had made that shot, he would now be called Sweet Wriedt. Now the cadets have shortened it to just Sweet.
Chris is hoping his next step is to move back across the country to play basketball at a West Coast college. This school year he has twice experienced snowfall and is not interested in more. He plans to study business.
“Hargrave is a school for people who want it. It is for people who want to work hard, people who want to be better, people who want to be successful.” – Sweet Wriedt
