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NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2008
Julian Wright defends the basket during a game against the Chicago Bulls in the New Orleans Arena.Wright scored 14 points and had four rebounds playing 18 minutes in the 108-97 victory.The Hornets have clinched the No.2 seed in the Western Conference.
-1.
Mindy Ricketts/KANSAN
Mindy Ricketts/KANSAN
Mindy Ricketts/KANSA
Wright congratulates Sherron Collins after Kansas won the NCCA Tournament in San Antonio
Mindy Ricketts/KANSA
Wright lines up his shot and prepares to bowl, a hobby he picked up at Jaybowl in the Kansas Union. He said he typically bowled about a 200.
WRIGHT (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
teammates on the plane when he's flying to road games. And the pink Barbie bag? The veterans made him wear it as part of his rookie duties. His bed is unmade, the peach-colored sheets his mom picked out for him in a wrinkled pile.
On the wall is a poster featuring NBA All-Stars Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. He wants to be an All-Star like them someday. His private bath is dominated by a bathtub/spa below windows that overlook the backyard where he grew oranges last year. Two walk-in closets hold his "shoe shrine" and a stockpipe of clothes, including socks, slacks, Yankees hats and a teal and blue Hornets tie and a red and blue Jayhawks tie. He wears the ties on game days as he listens to music. He has 2,000 songs on his iPod.
Wright, who grew up listening to and singing R&B and gospel music, sang Eric Benet's "Want to be Loved" at a Hornets charity function. Someday he hopes to dabble in the music industry, perhaps as a producer. But on this night his biggest concern is watching the Boston Celtics-Houston Rockets game on TV. The Hornets will play the Celtics the following night. He's been looking forward to this game since he got off work the day before.
"I got to have my jams," he said.
AT WORK
It's a Monday, and inside New Orleans Arena the Chicago Bulls warm up at one end and the Hornets at the other. Wright slaps hands with fans at courtside, as he regularly does before games. Pregame music, Pat Benetar "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" blasts from speakers. After the Bulls starters are introduced, the arena lights dim and the court is swallowed by darkness. The Hornets team motto of "Passion, Pride and Purpose" flashes on the video board above mid-court. Four cannons shoot green and blue smoke flares as the Hornets starters
Wright isn't one of them. He has started just once this season. After player introductions, Wright walks to mid-court carrying a microphone and a smile. "How you all doing tonight?" he asks the crowd, who cheer in response. He thanks them for their support and encourages them to stick with the team through the playoffs, which begin this weekend. The Hornets are the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. It was the third time Wright was chosen to greet the crowd before a game, which Hornets players often do. He returns to the bench and watches the Bulls jump out to a nine-point lead. The Hornets need a spark, and coach Byron Scott sends Wright into the game. The move pays off.
are introduced.
After a Bulls miss, he grabs the rebound and fires an outlet pass to
Chris Paul, the team's player, who lobs it to Tyson Chandler for a dunk. The next possession, Wright sinks a shot from just inside the three-point line to give the Hornets a 20-18 lead. The Hornets won the game 108-97.
"He's always at the bowling alley. That's just his second thing to do after basketball, I think it might be his first, actually."
Wright scored 14 points, grabbed four rebounds, made a dunk and hit a three-pointer in 18 minutes of action. Although he's had more playing time lately, for most of the season Wright has been a sellomdown bench player. He averages three points and two rebounds a game. He said going from starting at Kansas to bench duty was an adjustment he wasn't ready for.
Scott said Wright made rookie mistakes on the court, but his progress hadn't gone unnoticed.
"He's just going to continue to get better because he's hungry and he wants to get better," Scott said.
In the locker room after the game, media surround Chris Paul, who scored 37 points and dished out 13 assists and is a candidate for MVP honors. Two lockers down, a few reporters ask Wright about his improved three-point shooting and Paul's performance. Wright's smile, open personality and demeanor have made him a favorite with fans, media and teammates. His high school coach, Roy Condotti, used to call Julian "the Mayor of Flossmoor," because Julian would stop and talk to everyone on his way to class at Homewood-Flossmoor high school.
"It was a big difference because it can wear and tear on you off the court," he said.
HILTON ARMSTRONG New Orleans Hornets forward
Because of injuries to All-Star forward David West and improved play from Wright, coach Scott has put him in the lineup more often.
"He'e's always been the kind of kid everybody was drawn to and that remains constant today," Condotti said.
Condotti has known Wright since he was in junior high,
and they still text message after games. Although Wright averaged only 10 points and six rebounds at KU, his athletic ability and NBA potential had scouts projecting him in the top 10, where a winning lottery ticket awaited him. His father said he wanted Julian to graduate but agreed with his decision to leave, because he would likely be a lottery pick. His high school coach felt the same way.
"When they offer you that kind of money, you have to go," Condotti said.
Wright missed out on KU's NCAA Championship season this year, but he flew to San Antonio and
watched the championship game and was on the podium when the team received the trophy. He even celebrated with them in the locker room afterward. However, Wright said he had no qualms about leaving school early to go pro.
"I live life," he said. "You got to make decisions and you can't have regrets."
After the media have left the locker room and the cameras and tape recorders are gone, Wright walks down the hall and signs autographs for fans. He signs them for free now, but like for other athletes, someday you'll have to pay to go get it, he said. A few minutes later, he exits through the player's entrance and drives away into the darkness. He has dinner plans with his family that night.
The next morning, Wright is up early for practice at the Alario Event Center, the team's practice facility just outside the city in Westwego, La. As a rookie, he has to bring Krispy Kreme doughnuts to every practice. For the final 20 minutes of practice, he plays a half-court game of 5-on-5. Wright said NBA practices were much more difficult than at KU, and he doubted any NBA team practiced as hard as the Hornets. When practice is done, Wright watches teammates shoot jumpers as Chris Paul records a TV promo for his upcoming summer camp. Paul, one of Wright's closest friends on the team, called Julian a great teammate who was just beginning to make his own mark on the team.
"I think he's one of the best examples of how hard work pays off" Paul said.
Wright, meanwhile, heads to the locker room to shower and change. His work is done for the day. He plays video and arcade games in the player's lounge, then exits out the back to the player's parking lot where his SUV is parked.
SEE WRIGHT ON PAGE 5A
Mindy Ricketts/KANSAM
Wright watches the end of the Bulls game with his teammates. Although Wright most of the early part of the season sitting on the bench, he has seen more playing time as the season has progressed.
Mindy Ricketts/NAAM Fans in Wright's designated cheering section, called Juulu's Slam Jum Crew, watch the Hornets-Bulls game. Each Hornets player has a designated cheering section in New Orleans Arena.