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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - As a college basketball player with professional aspirations, Northern Kentucky University’s Steven Wright enjoyed the opportunity to compete against some of the nation’s top performers Friday night during the NABC/NCAA Division II All-Star Game. “It’s an all-star game, so I just wanted to come out, have fun and compete against some really talented players,” Wright said. And Wright did all of that for the West squad, which rallied for a 97-92 win over the East at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Wright, the first NKU basketball player ever selected to participate in the NABC event, finished with 13 points, four rebounds and three steals in 22 minutes of action. The West trailed by 14 points (55-41) at halftime as the East made 52 percent of its shots from the field. But Wright said he was confident the West would get back into the game in the second half. “Everybody here can play, and (the East) shot 52 percent in the first half, but I knew we would make a run at them,” he said. “In the second half, we turned it up on defense, and that’s why we won.” The West, in fact, limited the East to just 28.3 percent shooting from the field in the second half. Humboldt State’s Kevin Johnson scored 18 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked four shots en route to earning most valuable player honors for the West team. “Kevin is a talented guy and a good teammate, and he played very well,” Wright said. “I could have played better, but it was a fun experience.” As expected, and much to the fans’ delight, the game included a variety of powerful, rim-rattling dunks from both squads. So, how many did Wright - one of the nation’s most exciting dunk artists - throw down during the wide-open, who-cares-about-defense contest? At least two or three, right? Wrong.
“I didn’t get any dunks in this one,” laughed Wright, a 6-foot-3 leaper who finished with 37 dunks this season, the second-highest total in school history and the most ever by a guard. He did, however, bury a pair of 3-point field goals during the first half and scored eight points before the break. He finished with a trio of 3-pointers for the game. “It was a great experience being here, I made a lot of new friendships, and it was fun hanging around the other players,” Wright said. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Wright earned Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year honors this season. He averaged 16.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this season as NKU posted a 24-9 record and advanced to the regional championship game. Earlier this week, Wright was named to the NABC/NCAA Division II All-Great Lakes Region first team. He also earned All-Great Lakes Region honors from Daktronics, Inc., this season. Wright also led the team in steals with 54 and dished out 106 assists. Wright was 62-for-179 from 3-point range and made 46.1 percent of his shots from the field. The Dayton Colonel White High School product also made 77.6 percent of his free throws. Wright, arguably the best all-around player in NKU history, will now explore his professional basketball options. “I’m taking my time right now signing with an agent, and just weighing all my options,” he said. “I am just working on my game and staying in shape.” Wright played three years at Bowling Green State before transferring to NKU this season. He scored a combined 1,293 points during his college career.
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