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April 13, 2005
Bracey Wright To Enter NBA Draft
Bracey Wright closes his IU career ranked 15th on the school's all-time scoring list.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana guard Bracey Wright intends to forego his senior season with the Hoosiers and enter the NBA draft, IU head coach Mike Davis announced on Wednesday.
“I am excited about the possibility of playing in the NBA and it has always been a dream of mine,” Wright said. “I want to thank Coach Davis and all of the assistant coaches for the things they have taught me. I also want to thank my teammates for being there for me throughout my career.
“I wanted to complete my coursework before I signed with an agent,” Wright continued. “I expect to finish that soon, and at that time I will then turn my focus towards the NBA draft and pre-draft camps.”
Wright, who has yet to sign with an agent, plans to finish his coursework for the spring semester this week and then withdraw from school. He also said the decision was a tough one, but ultimately, he felt it was in his best interest to turn professional.
“This is a decision I reached after talking with a lot of people and receiving a lot of input,” said Wright who will close his IU career ranked 15th among the school’s all-time scoring leaders. “It was a tough decision but I have thought it out very carefully and feel it is the best move for me at this time.”
Wright led the Big Ten with 18.3 points per game in 2004-05, while also averaging 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He became the first Hoosier to win the league’s scoring title since A.J. Guyton captured in 2000 (19.7 ppg). He also shot .413 (150-of-363) from the floor and .783 from the charity stripe.
“I think this is a great opportunity for Bracey and we all wish him the best,” Indiana head coach Mike Davis said. “Bracey has a lot of talent and will be a terrific professional player. We are going to miss him here at Indiana, but at the same time, we are excited about the players who are here and the newcomers next season.”
Earlier in the month, Wright was named as an honorable mention All-America by rivals.com, becoming the first Hoosier to earn the accolade since Jared Jeffries in 2002. He was also tabbed first team All-Big Ten as selected by the media and was voted to the second team by the coaches. It marked the first time Wright was named to the Big Ten’s top team in his three-year career, and was the first Hoosier to earn the honor since Jeffries did so in 2002. His second-team award from the coaches is his second in as many years.
Wright will conclude his IU career with amassing 1,498 points during his career, which places him 15th among Indiana’s all-time leading scorers. He also ranks in a tie for third in school history with 186 career three pointers, while his six Big Ten Player of the Week honors are among the top seven in league history. Wright was also named to the NABC First Team All-District earlier this season.
This past season alone, Wright has 10 games where he has scored 20 or more points, seven of which he accounted for 25 or more. He had three games this season where he poured in 30 or more points, including a season-high 32 points, hitting 9-of-9 free throws, in 42 minutes of action in the overtime win over No. 9/10 Michigan State on Feb. 27. Throughout his stellar career, he has accumulated 32 games scoring 20 or more points and 16 times accounting for 25 or more.
Coach Davis and Wright consider the matter closed and will not comment further until the NBA Draft on June 28th.
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Originally Posted by ATLien
