| Joey Wright | |
|---|---|
| College | Texas |
| Conference | SWC |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Position | Point Guard |
| Jersey # | 12 |
| Major | Speech Communications |
| Nickname | J |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Nationality | USA |
| Born | September 4, 1968 Alton, Illinois |
| High school | Gavit High School, Hammond, Indiana |
| Former school(s) | Drake University |
| Career highlights | |
| Awards | |
| 1991 All-SWC Team Lan Hewlett Award (1991) |
|
| Tournaments | |
| 1990 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament - Elite Eight | |
Joey Wright (born September 4, 1968)[1] is a retired American professional basketball player and current head coach of the Gold Coast Blaze.
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Joey Wright was born in Alton, Illinois and enrolled at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa after high school.[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 stellar offensive performance dubbed the trio as the "BMW Scoring Machine" during the 1989-90 basketball season.[2] Wright was particularly known for his hustling and effective jump shots that greatly helped contribute to the "Scoring Machine".[2] The Longhorn team won the Southwest Conference tournament that season and advanced to the Elite Eight in the 1990 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
Wright spent the spring of 1991 at the Chicago NBA tryout camp, where he showcased a high field goal percentage and averaged nearly ten points a game.[2] He even caught the eye of the Boston Celtics, who expressed an interest in Joey Wright during the tryouts.[3] However the Celtics eventually passed up on Wright, whose lack in quickness and size were looked down upon.[3] Wright was nonetheless projected to be drafted in either the late 1st or early 2nd round of the 1991 NBA Draft.[3] Several weeks later he was selected at the tail end of the 2nd round as the 50th pick of the NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. Friends and Longhorn teammates celebrated the announcement at Joey Wright's apartment; but despite all the excitement the former University of Texas basketball star was much concerned with his low draft pick.[3] Joey 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.
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 recent years. He is currently the head coach of the Gold Coast Blaze. 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.
Joey Wright later pursued a career outside of sports in the Texas real estate industry.[4] He operates two businesses at his home in Austin, Texas but spends his time overseas in Australia as a basketball coach.[4] Wright is married to wife Kim. He has four children. />
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ian Stacker Al Westover |
NBL Coach of the Year 2004 2007 |
Succeeded by Adrian Hurley Brian Goorjian |
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