Bright Lives Up to Name

Reality isn’t lost on Donta Bright, who gave up a little to gain a lot.

Bright knows what’s expected of him by the Massachusetts basketball team, so that’s all he does, although he said he’s capable of much more. He understands why his teammate, All-American junior center Marcus Camby, does everything he wants to, so Bright gives him the space to get it done.

And Bright concedes that Camby is usually the story for top-ranked Massachusetts, which is just fine with him. Bright, being bright, has made life much easier for himself--and the Minutemen as well.

Massachusetts (35-1) plays Kentucky (32-2) in a Final Four semifinal game Saturday at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. Bright helped the Minutemen reach this point by realizing that sacrifice has its merits--and rewards.

“I know what I can do, but I [also] know what’s going on,” said Bright, a versatile forward. “I just listen to the coaching staff and play my role. You have to understand, I understand the situation.”

The situation is this: Camby is probably the best player in the country and the rest of the Minutemen play supporting roles. Camby dominates with his scoring and shot blocking, and Massachusetts thrives because of his considerable skills.

But egos and individual NBA hoop dreams have toppled rising teams before. No such problems with the Minutemen, they said, especially Bright.

“Marcus is the marquee player on this team,” Bright said. “He’s the one who’s bringing the fans into the arenas. He’s one of the candidates for player of the year and I’ve got great respect for him.

“But Marcus has great respect for me and all his teammates, so we have to support him and just let him do his thing.”

Spoken like a senior co-captain, which Bright happens to be. Bright sees the bigger picture and makes sure his teammates do too.

“Look, if anybody has a problem with Marcus, that’s just tough,” Bright said. “We have a great player on our team who gets all the attention, so you just have to deal with it, live with it and be part of it. [Life] is a learning process and sometimes you have to make sacrifices.”

Bright speaks from experience.

He was among the nation’s top college prospects five years ago, having been selected to almost every prep All-American team. He was a playground legend in Baltimore, where he played at Dunbar High. Dunbar has produced such NBA players as Reggie Williams and Muggsy Bogues. Maryland forward Keith Booth is Bright’s cousin and they played together at Dunbar.

Bright was the first sophomore to be selected player of the year by the Baltimore Sun, and he won the award again as a senior. He was the highest-rated high school player to sign with Massachusetts.

“When I first signed, my friends were giving me a hard time,” Bright said. “Nobody knew where UMass was or what UMass was.”

Obviously, that has changed. And Bright’s presence has helped.

“He’s been one of their real unsung heroes all season,” said Dick Vitale, college basketball commentator for ESPN and ABC. “He gets so much done without getting a lot of attention for it.”

Bright is second to Camby on the team in scoring, averaging 14.5 points. He is third in rebounding behind Camby and senior forward Dana Dingle, his fellow co-captain, at 5.6. Bright joined Camby on the All-Atlantic 10 first-team.

Bright, at 6 feet 6 and 220 pounds, has the size, strength and quickness to play several positions. How he uses his talents is what impresses Vitale.

“He’s so active for them defensively,” Vitale said. “He’s great in transition because he always finishes strong.”

As with Bright, Dingle has had to restructure his game around Camby’s. Dingle admires how Bright has handled himself, and said the Minutemen follow his best friend’s lead.

“His leadership is so important,” Dingle said. “He’s a warrior and he never backs down, and that helps other players to know because he can go talk to them. In tough situations, he’s fearless.”

That became especially important for the Minutemen in mid-January. Camby collapsed Jan. 14, for the second time this season, before a game with St. Bonaventure.

Facing four games in nine days without their star, the Minutemen had questions. Bright was the answer.

He averaged 26 points and 6.8 rebounds as Massachusetts went undefeated. He turned in his best performance in a 77-71 victory over Rhode Island on Jan. 17, scoring a career-high 32 points with nine rebounds. He was perfect in 14 attempts from the free-throw line, part of a school and conference record 40 consecutive free throws he made this season.

“It would be selfish of us if we weren’t prepared and we expected Marcus to carry us all the time,” Bright said. “It just isn’t fair to put all the pressure on Marcus to do everything.”

Minutemen Coach John Calipari said Bright has excelled in the NCAA tournament, and the numbers back him up.

Bright scored 14 points in Massachusetts’ 79-74 victory over Stanford in the second round, making a key jump shot in the final minute. Then in the East Regional final Saturday in Atlanta against Georgetown, Bright had 17 points and seven rebounds. His defense helped Massachusetts’ starting front line outscore Georgetown’s, 49-24.

“Donta has played well all season,” Calipari said. “Our whole team is the same way.”

Coincidence? Camby thinks not.

“Donta does a lot to help this team win,” Camby said. “And I don’t just mean with his great defense and his offensive rebounding skills, I mean, he means a lot to us.”