Joey Wright

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Joey Wright (born September 4, 1968) [1] is a former professional basketball player and current head coach of the Australian NBL team the Brisbane Bullets.

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[edit] College career

Joey Wright was born in Alton, Illinois and enrolled at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. [1] He played on the Drake Bulldogs basketball squad during the 1986-87 NCAA season but received little playing time on the court. Wright transferred after his freshman year to the University of Texas for a chance to play with the school's prestigious Longhorns basketball team. [1] After sitting out as a redshirt freshman in 1987-88, Wright was selected as the Longhorn's point guard from 1988 through 1991. [1] Wright and teammates Lance Blanks and Travis Mays were known as the "BMW Scoring Machine" during the 1989-90 basketball season. That Longhorn team won the Southwest Conference tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight in the 1990 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.

Wright was selected in the 2nd round of the 1991 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. Wright was released by the Suns prior to the 1991-92 NBA season. Although Wright played overseas for several years, he never appeared in an NBA game.

[edit] Coaching career

Drawing upon previous coaching experience with the Austin Cyclones in the Southwest Basketball League (USA) as well as other US teams, Wright sought a coaching contract in the NBL. He was appointed as the Brisbane Bullets' head coach midway through the 2002/2003 season; a position which he has upheld to the present day. During this time Wright has led the team to great heights including a 16-win improvement in the following 2003/2004 season, successive finals appearances and a stellar 2006/2007 season featuring a minor premiership, a 21 NBL game winning streak and a championship.

[edit] Personal life

Joey Wright later pursued a career outside of sports in the Texas real estate industry. [2] He operates two businesses at his home in Austin, Texas but spends his time overseas in Australia as a basketball coach. [2] Wright is married to wife Kim and the two have three children. [2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Joey Wright. TheDraftReview. Retrieved on 2008-06-11.
  2. ^ a b c Crutcher, Michael. "Joey calls shots and Bullets jump", Courier Mail, 2004-01-16, p. 13. Retrieved on 2008-06-11.