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November 13, 2024
Joey Wright
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 4/09/68
- Place of Birth: Alton, Illinois (USA)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 191
- Weight (KG): 84
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Drake (1986-1987) / Texas (1988-1991)
- NBL DEBUT: 22/04/95
- AGE AT DEBUT: 26
- LAST NBL GAME: 20/04/96
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 27
- NBL History: Geelong 1995-96
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Wright was born in Alton, Illinois (USA) and enrolled at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa after high school.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Joey Wright made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 26 years of age. He scored 10 points in his first game.
In 1995, Geelong saw imports Everette Stephens and Daren Rowe, along with veterans Vince Hinchen and Ray Borner (to Canberra), exit the team but reloaded the roster with some young talent.
Head coach Jim Calvin, entering his third season, rebuilt the roster with key additions Joey Wright, Jeff Arnold, Andrew Svaldenis (via Adelaide), and David Graham (via South East Melbourne). The returning core included Cecil Exum, Simon Kerle, Jason Joynes, and Justin Cass. Despite the influx of fresh talent and the promise of a more committed unit, the Supercats finished the season with a 9–17 record and missed the playoffs.
The season began with a 102–112 home loss to Canberra, followed by a 117–93 bounce-back win over Adelaide. Geelong then claimed a tight road win over Townsville (87–85) and defeated the Gold Coast Rollers the next night (116–106) to briefly reach 3–1. That momentum stalled with back-to-back losses to Adelaide and Perth in Round 4. Wright and Svaldenis continued to lead the charge during a home win over Hobart (108–97) and a thrilling 112–106 victory over Brisbane.
The second half of the season saw Geelong take wins over Melbourne (116–100) on June 24, Gold Coast (104–94) on July 28, Hobart (90–86) on August 4, and Townsville (127–113) in Round 19. However, those wins were outnumbered by losses as Geelong faded from playoff contention. Close defeats included a two-point loss to Sydney (105–107) on August 12 and a 99–114 home loss to Perth on September 8. The season ended with a heavy 103–129 home defeat to South East Melbourne on September 16.
Joey Wright (22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists) emerged as Geelong’s offensive catalyst across 25 games, blending dynamic scoring with creative playmaking. His most memorable performance came in a 106–112 loss to Melbourne on June 24, where—despite hitting only 2-of-10 from the field—he led the Supercats with 28 points. Wright made history at the free throw line, setting a new NBL record by converting 24-of-25 free throws, surpassing the previous mark of 20 set by Forestville’s Reg Biddings in 1981.
Jeff Arnold (19.1 points and 9.4 rebounds) gave Geelong a reliable interior anchor, consistently pairing scoring with strong rebounding to complement Wright’s perimeter game. Both Wright and Arnold would earn selection to the NBL All-Star Game during the mid-season break.
Other key contributors included Simon Kerle (18.1 points and 3.8 assists), who enjoyed a breakout year and established himself as a dependable scoring guard, while David Graham (15.3 points and 3.6 rebounds) provided versatility and shot-making on the wing. Veteran forward Cecil Exum (10.8 points and 7.8 rebounds) and Andrew Svaldenis (10.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) provided a tough inside presence, and Justin Cass (6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds), Greg Smith (5.6 points), and Jason Joynes (3.8 points and 3.2 rebounds) made valuable contributions from the bench.
Joey Wright capped his season with 39 points against the Magic in the final game and was a clear standout throughout the campaign. Geelong finished the regular season with a 9–17 record, missing the playoffs for a third consecutive year under Jim Calvin.
1996
1996 would see coach Jim Calvin replaced by up-and-coming coach Ian Stacker, with the team overhauling its roster. Major moves included securing Rupert Sapwell (via South East Melbourne) and Matt Scalzi (via Adelaide) to fill the departures of David Graham and Justin Cass, and bringing in powerhouse import Ray Owes to replace Jeff Arnold. Owes was joined by returning guard Joey Wright, who was injured after just two games and replaced by high-scoring Orlando Williams.
Wright’s season was cut short almost as soon as it began, as he featured in just two games before injury ended his campaign. He tallied 14 points and 2 assists in the season opener against Newcastle on April 13, playing 42 minutes, then added 4 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds in 34 minutes against Wollongong on April 20. Despite showing flashes of his veteran leadership and defensive energy, Wright was quickly ruled out and replaced by Orlando Williams, who went on to average (23.5 points) and become one of the league’s top scorers.
Geelong’s season ended with a 6–20 record and the club surrendering its NBL licence due to financial constraints and league restructuring. Wright’s brief return was a small footnote in a turbulent final campaign for the franchise.
Joey Wright played two seasons with the Geelong Supercats. He averaged 21.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 27 NBL games.
CAREER RANKINGS:
– 41st in assists per game.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 28 | Geelong | 6-20 (13) | 2 | 77 | 18 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 19 | 37% | 1 | 7 | 14% | 3 | 8 | 38% | 39% | 39% | 14 |
| 1995 | 27 | Geelong | 9-17 (11) | 25 | 1,095 | 556 | 140 | 146 | 53 | 87 | 46 | 6 | 110 | 86 | 169 | 381 | 44% | 55 | 137 | 40% | 163 | 195 | 84% | 59% | 52% | 39 | Totals | 27 | 1172 | 574 | 143 | 152 | 53 | 90 | 46 | 6 | 116 | 89 | 176 | 400 | 44.0% | 56 | 144 | 38.9% | 166 | 203 | 81.8% | 59% | 51% | 39 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 28 | Geelong | 6-20 (13) | 2 | 38.5 | 9.0 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 9.5 | 37% | 0.5 | 3.5 | 14% | 1.5 | 4.0 | 38% | 39% | 39% | 14 |
| 1995 | 27 | Geelong | 9-17 (11) | 25 | 43.8 | 22.2 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 2.1 | 3.5 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 6.8 | 15.2 | 44% | 2.2 | 5.5 | 40% | 6.5 | 7.8 | 84% | 59% | 52% | 39 | Total | 27 | 43.4 | 21.3 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 6.5 | 14.8 | 44.0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 38.9% | 2.1 | 5.3 | 81.8% | 59% | 51% | 39 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 39 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
|---|
NBA EXPERIENCE
Joey Wright was drafted by the Phoenix Suns with pick #50 in the 1991 NBA Draft.
Wright played games in the NBA. He averaged 0 points, 0 rebounds, and 0 assists per game over his NBA career.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Philippines - Presto Ice Cream Kings (1992) | Cyprus - APOEL B.C. (1993–1994)
Wright joined the Presto Ice Cream Kings for the 1992 Philippine Basketball Association season, playing his first season in the Philippines.
Wright arrived during the Third Conference as an import replacement for Jerome Harmon and debuted on October 4, 1992 with 52 points in a 139–135 overtime win over San Miguel, playing alongside Allan Caidic on a Presto team coached that conference by Tommy Manotoc.
His PBA stint ended after five games when an injury cut short his run, and after he was hurt in an October 11 loss to Shell he was replaced by Eldridge Recasner in Presto’s next match as the franchise closed out its final season in the league.
Wright then joined APOEL B.C. for the 1993–1994 seasons in Cyprus, playing in the Cypriot Division A with the Nicosia-based club.
COLLEGE
Wright began his NCAA career at Drake, suiting up for the Bulldogs during the 1986-87 season but receiving little playing time on the court, and Sports-Reference credits him with 16 appearances (0 starts) while averaging 7.4 minutes per game and posting 2.4 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 0.3 steals per game on 51.7% shooting from the field (15-for-29), 20.0% from three (1-for-5), and 63.6% at the line (7-for-11).
On the year at Drake, Wright’s totals from those 16 games were 38 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 steals, and 12 turnovers, and his main backcourt and frontcourt teammates included senior guard David Miller (14.7 points per game), junior guard Glenn Martin (9.4 points, 3.1 assists), and senior center Michael Morgan (15.4 points, 8.4 rebounds).
Wright transferred after his freshman year to the University of Texas for a chance to play with the school's prestigious Longhorns basketball team, and after sitting out as a redshirt sophomore in 1987-88, Wright was selected as the Longhorn's point guard from 1988 through 1991.
In his first playing season at Texas in 1988-89, Wright stepped into a major role and is credited with averages of 15.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, beginning a three-year run as a primary perimeter scorer while sharing the floor with key teammates including Lance Blanks and Travis Mays.
Wright and teammates' Lance Blanks and Travis Mays stellar offensive performance dubbed the trio as the "BMW Scoring Machine" during the 1989-90 basketball season, and Texas later documented that Blanks (651 points), Mays (772 points), and Wright (644 points) became the first threesome in Southwest Conference history to score 600-plus points each in the same season, while each also topped 300 points in SWC games.
Wright was particularly known for his hustling and effective jump shots that greatly helped contribute to the "Scoring Machine", and one of his signature NCAA moments came on December 30, 1989 when he poured in 46 points in a 102-82 road win at Stetson, a total that ranks as the third-highest single-game scoring performance in Texas men’s basketball history and the second-highest such total in a road contest for the program.
The Longhorn team won the Southwest Conference tournament that season and advanced to the Elite Eight in the 1990 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, and during that run the BMW trio’s production regularly drove the outcome, including a Sweet 16 win over Xavier on March 23, 1990 when Texas won 102-89 and Blanks, Mays, and Wright combined for 86 points.
Wright completed his Texas career across the 1988-89 through 1990-91 seasons, and his 1,819 career points rank seventh on the Longhorns’ all-time scoring list, with his name also appearing in Texas record summaries tied to both his place among the program’s top career scorers and his 46-point outburst at Stetson as one of the highest single-game totals in school history.
COACHING HISTORY
Wright began coaching in the United States following the end of his playing career. He coached the Austin Cyclones in the Southwest Basketball League from 1997 to 1998, later coached at the Regents School of Austin in 2001/02 and worked as an assistant coach at St. Edward's University in 2002/03 before returning to Australia.
Wright was appointed head coach of the Brisbane Bullets in November 2002, replacing Richard Orlick eight games into the 2002/03 NBL season. Brisbane finished the season 6–24 and last on the ladder, but Wright oversaw a major turnaround the following year as the Bullets went 22–11, finished fourth and reached the semi-finals. Wright was named the 2003/04 NBL Coach of the Year.
Brisbane remained a regular playoff team under Wright, finishing 17–15 and reaching the semi-finals in 2004/05 before again going 17–15 and reaching the playoffs in 2005/06. The Bullets then produced one of the most dominant seasons in NBL history in 2006/07. Brisbane finished first with a 28–5 record, won its final 18 regular-season games and extended that run to an NBL-record 21 consecutive victories through the playoffs. The Bullets swept the Sydney Kings in the semi-finals before defeating the Melbourne Tigers 3–1 in the Grand Final series to win Brisbane's first championship since 1987. Wright was named NBL Coach of the Year for the second time.
The Bullets followed the championship season with a 20–10 record and third-place finish in 2007/08 before reaching the semi-finals. Brisbane subsequently withdrew from the NBL after ownership and financial problems, ending Wright's first NBL coaching tenure.
During 2008, Wright had a brief coaching stint in Cyprus with Seastar APOEL before returning to Australia. In May 2009, he was appointed head coach of the Gold Coast Blaze, replacing Brendan Joyce.
Gold Coast improved from an 8–22 wooden-spoon season before Wright's arrival to 16–12 and fourth place in 2009/10, reaching the semi-finals before losing the series 2–0 to eventual champion Perth. The Blaze finished 13–15 and sixth in 2010/11, then rebounded to 17–11 and third place in 2011/12. Gold Coast defeated Townsville in the opening round of the 2012 playoffs before losing its semi-final series 2–1 to Perth. The Blaze folded in July 2012, leaving Wright without an NBL team for the 2012/13 season.
Wright was appointed head coach of the Adelaide 36ers ahead of the 2013/14 season, taking over a club that had finished last with an 8–20 record. In his first season, Adelaide improved to 18–10 and second place, reached the Grand Final and took Perth to a deciding third game before losing the championship series 2–1. The 10-win improvement returned the 36ers to the postseason after three consecutive seasons outside the finals.
Adelaide remained a contender in 2014/15, finishing 17–11 and third before its season ended in the semi-finals against eventual champion New Zealand. The 36ers finished 14–14 and fifth in 2015/16, missing the playoffs.
After beginning the 2016/17 season with three wins from their first nine games, Wright guided Adelaide to 14 wins from its next 15 games. The 36ers finished 17–11 and first on the ladder to claim the club's first regular-season championship since 1999/00. Adelaide won Game 1 of its semi-final against Illawarra before the Hawks won the next two games to take the series 2–1. Wright was named the 2016/17 NBL Coach of the Year, becoming a three-time winner of the award.
In 2017/18, Wright led Adelaide to an 18–10 record and second place. The 36ers reached the Grand Final series for the second time in five seasons under Wright and pushed Melbourne United to a deciding Game 5. The home team won each game of the series, with Melbourne taking the championship 3–2 after winning the decider 100–82.
Adelaide finished 14–14 and fifth in 2018/19 and missed the playoffs, then went 12–16 and finished seventh in 2019/20. Wright's seven-season tenure with the 36ers ended following the season.
Player development became a significant part of Wright's coaching reputation during his Adelaide tenure. He recruited NBA-bound teenager Terrance Ferguson to Adelaide in 2016/17 in a move that helped establish the pathway later formalised by the NBL as the Next Stars program. Players coached by Wright in Adelaide earned a number of major league honours, including Jerome Randle winning the 2017 NBL MVP, Nathan Sobey winning Most Improved Player in 2017, Anthony Drmic winning Rookie of the Year in 2017, Ramone Moore winning Best Sixth Man in 2018 and Harry Froling winning Rookie of the Year in 2019. Daniel Johnson, Brock Motum, Randle, Sobey, Mitch Creek and Jamar Wilson also earned All-NBL selections during Wright's time with the club.
Wright finished his NBL head-coaching career with exactly 500 games coached and a 284–216 record. He became the third coach in NBL history to reach 500 games, behind Lindsay Gaze and Brian Goorjian, and remains a one-time NBL championship coach and three-time NBL Coach of the Year, winning the award in 2004, 2007 and 2017.
Following his departure from Adelaide, Wright remained in South Australia and founded Transition Sports Adelaide in 2020. As Head Coach and Director, he has continued coaching and developing junior players through academies, camps, clinics, individual sessions and group programs. In 2022, when the Brisbane Bullets head-coaching position became vacant, Wright said he was happy continuing his work with Transition Sports rather than returning to the NBL.
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