Wright has offers from Sam Houston State, Illinois and Kansas State
McKinley Wright, a 6-foot, 164-pound junior guard from Champlin Park (MN) High, helped lead the Rebels to a 31-1 record as they finished runner-up to Apple Valley in the Class AAAA finals, losing 64-61 this spring.
Wright had 17 points and six rebounds in their opening state tournament win over St. Francis, 10 points versus Shakopee in the semifinals and 17 points and six rebounds in the title game.
Wright averaged 13.8 points and led the Rebels in rebounds and assists as a sophomore. Big 12 school Kansas State offered him this week to go along with an offer from Illinois and Sam Houston State.
Wright, who is considered one of the state’s top guards in the Class of 2017, caught up with Gopher Hole at the Hardwood Elite League in Minneapolis.
Gopher Hole: How many offers are you up to right now?
McKinley Wright: Two. Illinois and Sam Houston State. (He has since received an offer from Kansas State)
Gopher Hole: How pleased were you with how things turned out for you guys this summer AAU-wise?
McKinley Wright: It was a great season. We are looking to come back even stronger next year. This summer, we did pretty good. We went down to the Under Armour finals and went to the Final Four, so it was a good season. We didn’t finish how we wanted, but we had fun.
Gopher Hole: You are starting school this week. What is it going to be like being a junior?
McKinley Wright: It is going to feel good to be an upperclassmen. Time is flying by. I am going to enjoy it while I can. Have another fun high school season and hopefully go back to state and be playing in the state championship again and have a better outcome.
Gopher Hole: Does it sound weird to say that you are a junior, though?
McKinley Wright: No, it doesn’t really sound weird. It is shocking, like it is going by fast
Gopher Hole: You got a chance to play with your Champlin Park teammates in the Bracket Buster recently. You are going to have a much different role, a bigger role without some of the graduated seniors. Is that something that you are looking forward to?
McKinley Wright: Yes. I enjoy it. It is a little bit more pressure, but I like pressure, so I am going to have fun with it and take on a bigger role and lead my team.
Gopher Hole: Is that something you have talked to (teammate and fellow junior) Theo (John) about as well?
McKinley Wright: Yes. We talked about it quite often. Me and him have a big role this year. Losing J.T. (Gibson), Marty (Hill), Jeremy (Johnson), Datrice (Mulsumo), Jonathan (Johnson) and Nick (Hayes). A whole bunch of seniors. We lost a lot of good guys, so me and Theo will have a bigger role this year.
Gopher Hole: You had a great season last year, but came up a little bit short, which I know was disappointing after going undefeated into the championship game. Was that something that you carry with you even to this day?
McKinley Wright: I use it as motivation at times. I am kind of past it now, but at the time, it was really tough. Now, going into this high school season, I use it as motivation.
Gopher Hole: What other schools are you hearing from besides the two offers?
McKinley Wright: Kansas State, Marquette, Virginia Tech, Dayton, Iowa State, DePaul, UNI, Arizona State, Texas Tech, Minnesota, Drake and Miami of Ohio.
Gopher Hole: You also played recently at the Minnesota team camp. What was that experience like?
McKinley Wright: It was fun. I got to play against a lot of people that I know. I played with my AAU team there and my high school team, so we had fun. It was a good experience.
Gopher Hole: Are you hearing much from Minnesota?
McKinley Wright: Yes. I talk to them. I talk to Coach Johnson. Pitino, a few times. Trying to get me down for a football game. It will be fun.
Gopher Hole: I sometimes think that when you get a big-time offer from a power conference school that maybe gets other teams to get involved as well. Is that something that you have noticed that since the Illinois offer, other teams that didn’t know about you or were just talking to you, are now stepping it up?
McKinley Wright: Yes. I noticed that a few schools have done that. They were talking to me, but now they are talking to me heavy ever since the Illinois offer.
Gopher Hole: What things have you really been working on to continue to improve yourself as a player?
McKinley Wright: I am working on my jump shot a lot. My first step is pretty quick and I get to the basket, pretty much at will, but my jump shot can improve and that is what I am working on.
Gopher Hole: You mentioned about possibly going to a Gopher football game. Have you talked to any other coaches about maybe going to some other football games or try to visit some schools?
McKinley Wright: Yes. I am trying to get down to Kansas State and Illinois right now and also Sam Houston State. I have been talking to them about when I can make it down sometime this fall.
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to maybe have the opportunity to play Division I basketball?
McKinley Wright: It is a blessing. It is a dream come true. A lot of people want to be able to play Division I basketball and I am blessed to be able to hopefully play there.
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to have a chance to play for the hometown school?
McKinley Wright: It would be great. A lot of family would get to watch every game or pretty much every home game, so it would be great to play for my hometown.