Joey Wright

Joey Wright (born September 4, 1968)^[1] is a retired American professional basketball player. He is currently the head coach of the Adelaide 36ers who play in the Australian based National Basketball League. He previously was the NBL championship winning coach of the now defunct Brisbane Bullets, and also the similarly defunct Gold Coast Blaze.

College career

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.

Professional basketball career

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.

Wright played for the Geelong Supercats during the 1995 and 1996 NBL seasons.

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 until 2008. 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. He is a two time NBL Coach of the Year, and was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.

After the Blaze folded at the end of the 2011-12 NBL season, Wright sat out 2012-13 before being signed as head coach of the Adelaide 36ers for the 2013–14 NBL season.^[4] The 36ers, who had finished last in three of the previous four NBL seasons, are currently sitting second on the NBL ladder going into the Christmas break, with Joey Wright named the NBL's Coach of the Month for November after leading the 36ers to a 5-0 record for the month which included a 91-86 home win at the Adelaide Arena over the previously undefeated Perth Wildcats on 22 November.

Personal life

Joey Wright later pursued a career outside of sports in the Texas real estate industry.^[5] He operates two businesses at his home in Austin, Texas but spends his time overseas in Australia as a basketball coach.^[5] Wright is married to wife Kim. He has four children.

References

External links

• Profile at Eurobasket.com