Colorado University Athletics
New Buffs Recruit Wright Ready For Opportunity To Contribute Immediately
May 03, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Ask point guard McKinley Wright about his game, and the answer is always the same:
His biggest asset? "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to win."
What will Colorado fans see next year from the final addition to what is being touted as the best recruiting class in the Tad Boyle era? "The passing, the willingness to do whatever it takes to win. I think they'll see I'm going to play my heart out every game."
What do his teammates appreciate about him the most? "I think they like that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to win. I don't have to score — I can if need be, but that's not important to me. What's important is that we win."
Why will he fit in at Colorado? "My competitiveness. My willingness to do whatever it takes to win basketball games. Also, the fast pace, getting up and down the floor. I think I fit perfectly in that system."
You get the picture. The Champlin Park point guard, who was named Mr. Basketball this year in Minnesota and the Star Tribune's Metro Player of the Year, is willing to go the extra mile in order to produce the desired results. It's why he gets up every morning at 5:30 a.m. to get in a before-school workout. It's why he takes pride in his defense, rebounding and assists.
And it's why Champlin Park coach Mark Tuscherer called Wright "a phenomenal player."
"He can do a little bit of everything or a lot of one thing, if needed," Tuscherer told the Star Tribune. "He can do a lot of everything if it's needed. The thing is, he puts the team first. He's a really, really good leader."
Wright can score. He averaged 23 points per game this year for the Rebels, who completed the regular season undefeated before falling in the 4A state title game. He also averaged 8 rebounds — "He's probably the best rebounding guard I've ever seen," Tuscherer said — and he handed out more than seven assists per game.
Those are the kinds of numbers Boyle and his staff would love to see from their point guard, especially in the rebounding and assists department. Not coincidentally, point guard is also a position in need of some stability as the Buffs head into next season — which is also one very big reason Wright chose Colorado.
"The campus was amazing — beautiful place," McKinley said Tuesday. "The relationship I felt with the coaching staff and players was good for me right away. But the opportunity to come in and play as a freshman was huge. Those three things were what decided it for me."
Wright, part of a class that is being ranked as a top 25 group by some recruiting services, will no doubt get that opportunity next year. CU senior Dominique Collier has played point guard — he was the regular starter there two seasons ago — but became more of an off-guard last season as senior Derrick White stepped into the role at the point.
Now, with White gone, the 6-0, 185-pound Wright should have the chance right away to prove he's ready to step in and play at the next level — a challenge he relishes, especially in the Pac-12.
"I can't wait," Wright said. "Teams like Oregon, Arizona, UCLA — they're all great programs and they have great recruits every year. I'm looking forward to playing against those guys and being competitive against them."
Wright won't be alone in his quest to gain significant playing time as a freshman. He is part of a class that also includes highly ranked prep stars Evan Battey, D'Shawn Schwartz and Tyler Bey, along with Serbian standout Lazar Nikolic. While Boyle has never been overly eager to depend too heavily on freshmen, he also acknowledges that he'll be expecting some of his youngsters to step into significant roles next year.
That's fine with Wright. He's already talked several times with his future teammates, and even had the opportunity to play a little pickup ball with Schwartz.
"I think Coach Boyle did a great job in getting all the pieces," Wright said. "We're coming in together and I think we have a chance to be great. I've been talking to the guys and our goal is to help CU win games and get deep into the tournament. Everybody in the nation always wants to make the Final Four, and I really think that's our goal coming in. We want to learn a lot in our freshman year and see how far we can go for four straight years."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
