McKinley Wright IV

McKinley Wright IV (born October 25, 1998) is an American college basketball player for the Colorado Buffaloes of the Pac-12 Conference.

McKinley Wright IV
Wright in November 2017
No. 25 – Colorado Buffaloes
PositionPoint guard
LeaguePac-12 Conference
Personal information
Born (1998-10-25) October 25, 1998
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight196 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High schoolChamplin Park
(Champlin, Minnesota)
CollegeColorado (2017–present)
Career highlights and awards

Early life and high school career

Wright is the son of McKinley Wright III and grew up in Champlin, Minnesota. The elder Wright was arrested in December 2005 for trafficking crack cocaine and was imprisoned until 2017.[1] Wright attended Champlin Park High School and averaged 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game in his senior season.[2] He led the team to a 31-1 record and the 4A title game, losing to Apple Valley High School. Wright had 30 points in a state quarterfinal victory over Chaska High School. He was named 2017 Minnesota Mr. Basketball. He initially committed to Dayton but reopened his recruiting after coach Archie Miller was hired by Indiana.[3] In April 2017, Wright committed to Colorado.[4]

College career

On December 15, 2017, Wright set career highs in points (30) and assists (11) as the Buffaloes defeated South Dakota State 112–103 in double overtime.[5] As a freshman, Wright averaged 14.2 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game on a team that finished 17-15. Wright was named to the Pac-12 Conference All-Freshman Team while earning honorable mention to both the All-Pac-12 Team and All-Defensive Team.[6] His 175 assists broke Chauncey Billups' record of 143 assists for a freshman. After the season, he worked out will Billups to improve his jump shot.[7] As a sophomore, Wright was named first-team All-Pac-12.[8] Wright averaged 13 points and 4.8 assists per game despite nursing a left shoulder so tender that he slept on his back to keep it from being painful. He had corrective surgery after the season to fix a torn labrum.[9] Wright had a season-high 29 points in a 78–76 overtime win over Dayton, receiving jeers from fans of the school he originally signed with out of high school.[10] At the conclusion of the regular season, Wright was named to the All-Pac-12 first team and the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team.[11] Wright averaged 14.4 points and 5.0 assists per game.[12] After the season, Wright declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[13]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Colorado 323132.6.451.304.7704.75.51.0.414.2
2018–19 Colorado 353532.4.494.365.8074.94.81.1.213.0
2019–20 Colorado 323234.9.448.336.7925.75.01.1.314.4
Career 999833.2.463.337.7895.15.11.1.313.8

References
  1. Kiszla, Mark (November 27, 2019). "Kiszla: A story of love, basketball and how Buffs point guard McKinley Wright IV refused to abandon a father in prison". The Denver Post. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  2. Fuller, Marcus (April 10, 2017). "McKinley Wright, Minnesota's Mr. Basketball, reopens recruitment". Star Tribune. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  3. Stavenhagen, Cody (March 26, 2017). "Champlin Park's McKinley Wright named Mr. Minnesota Basketball". Star Tribune. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  4. Boyle, John (April 28, 2017). "Former Dayton Flyers recruit commits to Colorado". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  5. "Colorado gets past South Dakota State in 2 OT". Reuters. December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  6. Shapiro, Jake (November 8, 2018). "'This isn't just the McKinley Wright show:' CU Hoops primer". 247 Sports. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  7. Graham, Pat (October 26, 2018). "Wright works out with Buffs standout Billups to improve game". Associated Press. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  8. Bennett, Brian (October 29, 2019). "Think a bum shoulder was going to bother Colorado's McKinley Wright IV? He has experienced far worse pain". The Athletic. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  9. Graham, Pat (October 25, 2019). "Led By McKinley Wright IV, Colorado Buffaloes Enter Season With Lofty Prospects". CBS. Associated Press. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  10. "Schwartz nails 3 at buzzer, Colorado beats Dayton in OT". ESPN. Associated Press. December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  11. "Pac-12 announces 2019-20 Men's Basketball annual major awards". pac-12.com. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  12. Crawford, Kirkland (March 16, 2020). "The 2020 NCAA tournament that could have been: South region". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  13. Howell, Chase (March 24, 2020). "Wright and Bey to Test NBA Draft Process". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
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