ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS: Michael Wright
by Joe Mazzeo, Arizona Athletic Media Relations
Tough guy Michael Wright. Nice guy Michael Wright. Both descriptions seem to fit Arizona’s junior power forward. On the basketball court, Wright has established himself as one of the toughest and most physical players in the country. Yet, his calm, quiet and polite demeanor off the court make him one of the finest gentleman in college basketball.
"On the court, I like to compete fiercely and give a 100% effort. I’m not afraid to go all out and get a little dirty in the game. But off the court, I’m quieter and more gentle," Wright said.
As a power forward with an emphasis on power, strength and physical play are major assets to Wright’s game. Yet, his quickness is a valuable component to his game that often goes unnoticed.
"The guys have been talking about how much quicker Michael looks this season, and I think that has been obvious in our first four games. He’s much quicker and more agile (than he was last year), and yet he’s at 245 pounds, but he’s a very strong 245. He looks great in terms of his conditioning," head coach Lute Olson said.
Wright has already begun setting records and putting up impressive numbers this season. He was named most valuable player at the Maui Invitational after tallying two double-doubles, scoring 49 points and collecting 41 rebounds. His 19-rebound performance against Chaminade set a Maui Invitational record for rebounds by an individual and served as a personal best as well.
The 6'7" junior prepped at one of the top high school programs in the country, the Farragut Academy in Chicago, Ill. As a high school freshman, he was a teammate of Minnesota Timberwolves’ forward Kevin Garnett. Wright earned a number of accolades during his tenure at Farragut, including an honorable mention All-American selection by USA Today.
The soft-spoken star has competed against top-flight competition throughout his entire career. Most recently, Wright spent the summer as a member of the USA Basketball Select Team which served as a practice squad for the 2000 Olympic Team. He was named to the 1998 USA Basketball Men’s Junior World Championship team that won a gold medal in international competition. In addition to his experience with USA Basketball, Wright played internationally with a team in Germany during his high school days. The forward also attended three consecutive Nike camps.
"I’ve played against some great players over the years and I think that has helped me a lot to continue to improve and helped me to get to where I am today. That has prepared me to play against these other top college players and thankfully I’ve been successful," the junior said.
In 1998-1999, Wright made his debut for the Wildcats and quickly made his presence felt. In his first-ever college game, he scored 13 points in just 18 minutes. He registered his first career double-double in the fifth contest of his freshman year, against UC Irvine in McKale Center. Wright tallied 20 points or more three times and closed the year with a 13.9 points per game scoring average.
The power forward’s sophomore season saw him garner a lengthy list of achievements and honors. After averaging 15.5 points per game and leading the team in rebounding with an average of 8.7 per game, Wright was named to the All-Pac-10 conference first team. He became just the second Arizona sophomore to score 500 points, when he totaled a team-high 526. In last year’s contest at Oregon, Wright set a career high with 28 points.
Wright prefers to let his play speak loudly, rather than boasting about himself and his accomplishments.
"I just go out there and play hard and hopefully my best effort is enough to help us get a victory. I’m not the kind of player who likes to talk about myself a lot or say that I’m the best," Wright said.
