SAINT LEO, Fla. - The Saint Leo Department of Athletics launches a student-athlete spotlight, recognizing two student-athletes (one male and one female), who excelled in their respective sport and/or in the classroom, each month. The student-athletes selected for the month of November are Lions baseball outfielder,
Amir Wright, and women's basketball forward,
Alani Gallagher.
Amir Wright hit the ground running at Saint Leo after his transfer from Saint Joseph's College, where he played for current Lions' head coach Rick O'Dette. His passion and work ethic allowed him to be a consistent starter in the Lions outfield and have a high batting average. Wright's attitude to lead the team by the enthusiasm and sheer determination to succeed is why he is our student-athlete spotlight of the month.
This past season was cut short due to the global pandemic as the Green and Gold were riding a four-game win streak into the halt of play. Saint Leo held a 7-21 record at the end of the 2020 season.
Alani Gallagher sets the standards on creating the culture, commitment and structure to the Saint Leo women's basketball program. Being a persistent starter for the Lions across her first three years, her first major breakthrough was receiving Sunshine State Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2019-20. Gallagher is a huge part of the program and looks forward to leading her team into her fourth season in the Green and Gold.
This past year, Gallagher helped charge the Lions 15-15 season with a program best 10 wins in SSC play. The Lions advanced to the SSC tournament where they picked up a 76-55 win over Nova Southeastern at home before falling on the road at Tampa.
- Name: Amir Wright
- Sport: Baseball
- Hometown: Griffith, Indiana
- Major: Communications Management, MBA; Concentration in Marketing
- Year: 2022, anticipated graduation (MBA)
- Get to know more about Amir
- What is your favorite movie? Coach Carter
- If you were stranded on an island, which one of your teammates would you want with you and why? I would want Joey Antonopoulos, because he's skilled at fishing, and he brings positive energy and vibes.
- What is your greatest sports moment? My most significant sporting moment would be making an NCAA tournament my freshman year. It was my last year at Saint Joseph's College, and we put a lot of time, energy, and effort into making that last year memorable. Celebrating the hard work and traveling to an NCAA regional with my teammates will never forget it was indeed a fantastic experience.
- Do you have any words of advice for younger/upcoming student-athletes? I would say to enjoy every moment, from school to your sport. Embrace every day and give it your all. It goes by fast, but do your best to represent this University and your family the best way you possibly can.
- What do you like most about being a student-athlete at Saint Leo University? Honestly, the relationship that you gain with professors. I think that being able to connect with your professors and them being able to see you on campus and recognize you is a nice feeling.
- What song best describes you, or is the sound track to your life? Homecoming by Kanye West
- What do you hope to do after graduating? I hope to get an opportunity to play baseball at the next level. If not, I want to go into car sales, and later on down the road, I eventually want to have my own business.
- Who is your childhood idol, and why? My childhood idol is Kobe Bryant. His will to win in anything he did inspires still to this day.
- If you could change one rule about your sport, what would it be? I honestly don't know. I love the game of baseball the way it is, and I enjoy everything that comes with it.
- A favorite quote that you live by? "There's a thin line between success and failure." My dad always used to say it growing up when I would not succeed or have a bad day, and it has stuck with me.
- Name: Alani Gallagher
- Sport: Basketball
- Hometown: Binghamton, New York
- Major: Sport Business
- Year: 2021, anticipated graduation
- Get to know more about Alani
- What are three things on your 'Bucket list'? Play basketball overseas, Go Skydiving, Become vegan at some point
- What is your greatest sports moment? Winning the Sunshine State Conference Defensive Player of the Year. I know it sounds cheesy, but ever since I committed to Saint Leo, I wanted to leave my mark, which means a lot to me.
- Favorite place to play on the road in the SSC? Either Nova Southeastern University or Florida Tech
- If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Definitely either London, England, or Hermosa Beach, California
- Who is your favorite professional athlete? This is a hard one for me, but I would have to say Shaq. When I finally got into basketball, he was a big body player that I looked up to, and I wanted to mimic his actions on the court.
- If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be, and what would you ask them? I would have loved to meet Michael Jackson or Morgan Freeman! If I sat with Michael Jackson, I would ask him, "if you couldn't write or sing music anymore, what other career would you choose to do?" but if it was Morgan Freeman, I would ask, "what would you say to keep these young actors motivated during these hard times (the pandemic) ?"
- Who/What got you interested in your sport, and when did you start playing? I'm going to be honest, I was not too fond of basketball growing up. My sport was soccer and softball; basketball never crossed my mind till the end of middle school. The only reason it did was because my mom kept telling me to use my height to my advantage and play something that requires it. So I would have to say my mom and I started playing my freshman year of high school.
- What do you do to calm your butterflies while you compete? Some games I don't get butterflies, but sometimes I do, so usually when I do, I talk to my mom. She helps me calm down, and she always watches the game. So she tells me how excited she will be when she watches the team.
- If you could change one rule about your sport, what would it be? I could say so many things about the fouls because I always get them (haha), but I think I would change the three-second violation. Standing in the paint and trying to post up takes more than three seconds, but that would be my one significant change.
- A favorite quote that you live by? "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." – Dr. Seuss
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