Wright ready to tackle issues with player coalition
Wright, along with Duke’s Wendell Moore and UNC’s Armando Bacot, selected for 11-member panel
Rodd Baxley
The Fayetteville Observer
John-Michael Wright wasn’t sure about the power of his voice until he got a call from the National Association of Basketball Coaches earlier this month.
That’s when the Fayetteville native, a rising sophomore at High Point University, realized he had a chance to be louder than ever before as part of a coalition of players that will provide feedback on a variety of issues in college basketball.
“Wow, people actually think my voice is valuable,” Wright said, reflecting on the phone call he received from the NABC while visiting family in Texas.
“That really opened my eyes to see what kind of voice, not only just me, but college athletes have. It was a wake-up call. Let me use my voice to impact change, not just my situation.”
NABC executive director Craig Robinson said that the Player Development Coalition will meet quarterly and address the organization’s board of directors and NCAA committees. The coalition also will provide coaches and other NABC members with their own experiences in professional and personal development opportunities.
'Our priority as coaches is to support student-athlete development both on and off the court,' Robinson said in an emailed statement.
'As the NABC continues its advocacy and policy work on issues impacting our game, it's vital that input from student- athletes be central to those efforts. Whether it's NIL, transfer parameters, social justice, COVID-19 or a host of other important topics currently impacting college basketball, we will make sure student-athletes' voices are heard. We will also structure the Player Development Coalition to be an impactful
experience that benefits these young men well beyond their college years.'
Wright is one of three players representing North Carolina on the coalition roster. Duke’s Wendell Moore, a Charlotte native, and UNC forward Armando Bacot also are among the 11 members.
“My first time meeting them was actually when I got to be a part of this group. … We’re just trying to build that relationship and trust with one another,” Wright said of Bacot and Moore.
Now, Wright continued, the trio talks almost every day, whether it’s about issues concerning the coalition or just to check up on each other.
“It’s a real honor, especially since it’s three of us in one state,” Wright said.
“It shows that they (NABC) have that much trust in us to be able to speak for every college basketball player in America. It’s a real honor and a privilege. We take it seriously; it’s not a game for us. Every meeting we have, it’s all about business. We really want to make consistent change for now and for the future for all of college basketball, whether it’s DI, DIII, all of that.”
So far, Wright said the conversations have centered around transfer legislation, dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, and player rights as it relates to name, image and likeness.
“Just being able to take that and give input, that really drove me to be a part of it,” Wright said of his reason for wanting to be a part of the group.
Despite concerns surrounding the virus, Wright was adamant that he and his teammates want to play this season, even if it’s in a bubble setting similar to the NBA.
“Everybody I know, especially on my team, we want to play,” he said. “I really want to play … I wouldn’t want to sit out a whole season. … I’m all for let’s play, the money can wait.”
Wright, who helped Fayetteville Academy win the NCISAA 2-A state title in 2019, carried that success with him to High Point as the first freshman in program history to start all 32 games for the Panthers.
A member of the All-Freshman team in the Big South Conference, Wright averaged a team-leading 32.5 minutes per game while leading the team in scoring at 14.2 points per contest. His 14.2 points per game were tied for the second highest by a freshman in the program's NCAA Division I era.
He hopes to have a similar influence off the court as a member of the initial coalition and the lone representative from a low-major program. That made him want to do even more“homework”aheadofthe first meeting with the group.
“It’s not just about the Power Five,” Wright said. “That puts another chip on my shoulder. … It’s a real honor to be the only low-major.”
For Moore, the conversation about joining the coalition started with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.
“Coach approached me with the opportunity. He figured this would be something that I would be good at and something really just for me to improve my leadership skills and use my voice to be heard throughout the country,” Moore said on Wednesday during a Zoom call with reporters.
After organizing a march against racism and social injustice in Concord in June, Moore gained even more confidence as a leader.
“The march was definitely a start to something special that I wanted to do,” he said.
“Having this opportunity really allows me to continue using that platform. With the group that we have in that committee, we’re just doing everything we can to make things easier and better for all athletes in the NCAA.”
As he and Wright enter the start of their part in the coalition, Moore is confident this is the beginning of “something special” in college athletics.
“We’re kind of the experiment group of guys to hopefully have this become a larger thing and hopefully map it out to be kind of like the NBA Players Union,” he said.
“We want to just have an input in everything that goes in with college basketball, whether it’s how we play our games, how many games we play, the money that goes into it, what happens to the players, what happens to everything – we just want the players to get treated fairly so they don’t feel like they lose interest in their sport early that way. You see guys going to the G League and things like that. We just want to have the opportunity to keep guys in college, because college is obviously a once-ina- lifetime experience and we want to make it that way for all athletes.” Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
Wright, along with Duke’s Wendell Moore and UNC’s Armando Bacot, selected for 11-member panel
Rodd Baxley
The Fayetteville Observer
John-Michael Wright wasn’t sure about the power of his voice until he got a call from the National Association of Basketball Coaches earlier this month.
That’s when the Fayetteville native, a rising sophomore at High Point University, realized he had a chance to be louder than ever before as part of a coalition of players that will provide feedback on a variety of issues in college basketball.
“Wow, people actually think my voice is valuable,” Wright said, reflecting on the phone call he received from the NABC while visiting family in Texas.
“That really opened my eyes to see what kind of voice, not only just me, but college athletes have. It was a wake-up call. Let me use my voice to impact change, not just my situation.”
NABC executive director Craig Robinson said that the Player Development Coalition will meet quarterly and address the organization’s board of directors and NCAA committees. The coalition also will provide coaches and other NABC members with their own experiences in professional and personal development opportunities.
'Our priority as coaches is to support student-athlete development both on and off the court,' Robinson said in an emailed statement.
'As the NABC continues its advocacy and policy work on issues impacting our game, it's vital that input from student- athletes be central to those efforts. Whether it's NIL, transfer parameters, social justice, COVID-19 or a host of other important topics currently impacting college basketball, we will make sure student-athletes' voices are heard. We will also structure the Player Development Coalition to be an impactful
experience that benefits these young men well beyond their college years.'
Wright is one of three players representing North Carolina on the coalition roster. Duke’s Wendell Moore, a Charlotte native, and UNC forward Armando Bacot also are among the 11 members.
“My first time meeting them was actually when I got to be a part of this group. … We’re just trying to build that relationship and trust with one another,” Wright said of Bacot and Moore.
Now, Wright continued, the trio talks almost every day, whether it’s about issues concerning the coalition or just to check up on each other.
“It’s a real honor, especially since it’s three of us in one state,” Wright said.
“It shows that they (NABC) have that much trust in us to be able to speak for every college basketball player in America. It’s a real honor and a privilege. We take it seriously; it’s not a game for us. Every meeting we have, it’s all about business. We really want to make consistent change for now and for the future for all of college basketball, whether it’s DI, DIII, all of that.”
So far, Wright said the conversations have centered around transfer legislation, dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, and player rights as it relates to name, image and likeness.
“Just being able to take that and give input, that really drove me to be a part of it,” Wright said of his reason for wanting to be a part of the group.
Despite concerns surrounding the virus, Wright was adamant that he and his teammates want to play this season, even if it’s in a bubble setting similar to the NBA.
“Everybody I know, especially on my team, we want to play,” he said. “I really want to play … I wouldn’t want to sit out a whole season. … I’m all for let’s play, the money can wait.”
Wright, who helped Fayetteville Academy win the NCISAA 2-A state title in 2019, carried that success with him to High Point as the first freshman in program history to start all 32 games for the Panthers.
A member of the All-Freshman team in the Big South Conference, Wright averaged a team-leading 32.5 minutes per game while leading the team in scoring at 14.2 points per contest. His 14.2 points per game were tied for the second highest by a freshman in the program's NCAA Division I era.
He hopes to have a similar influence off the court as a member of the initial coalition and the lone representative from a low-major program. That made him want to do even more“homework”aheadofthe first meeting with the group.
“It’s not just about the Power Five,” Wright said. “That puts another chip on my shoulder. … It’s a real honor to be the only low-major.”
For Moore, the conversation about joining the coalition started with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.
“Coach approached me with the opportunity. He figured this would be something that I would be good at and something really just for me to improve my leadership skills and use my voice to be heard throughout the country,” Moore said on Wednesday during a Zoom call with reporters.
After organizing a march against racism and social injustice in Concord in June, Moore gained even more confidence as a leader.
“The march was definitely a start to something special that I wanted to do,” he said.
“Having this opportunity really allows me to continue using that platform. With the group that we have in that committee, we’re just doing everything we can to make things easier and better for all athletes in the NCAA.”
As he and Wright enter the start of their part in the coalition, Moore is confident this is the beginning of “something special” in college athletics.
“We’re kind of the experiment group of guys to hopefully have this become a larger thing and hopefully map it out to be kind of like the NBA Players Union,” he said.
“We want to just have an input in everything that goes in with college basketball, whether it’s how we play our games, how many games we play, the money that goes into it, what happens to the players, what happens to everything – we just want the players to get treated fairly so they don’t feel like they lose interest in their sport early that way. You see guys going to the G League and things like that. We just want to have the opportunity to keep guys in college, because college is obviously a once-ina- lifetime experience and we want to make it that way for all athletes.” Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
