High Point University men's basketball freshman John-Michael Wright had a memorable first season in the Purple & White. The Fayetteville, N.C. native offered a look back at his rookie year and a glimpse of what the future holds for him at HPU.
 
Wright started all 32 games for the Panthers and averaged a team-leading 32.5 minutes per game while leading the team in scoring with 14.2 points per game. He also chipped in with 5.3 rebounds a game, 34 steals and 11 blocks. He was named Big South Freshman of the Week five times while being named to the Big South All-Freshman Team and was an All-Big South honorable mention selection. 
 
Wright added his name to a number of categories in the program's record book for freshman. He became the fourth player in program history (first freshman) to start in 32 games, the eighth all-freshman honoree and first since 2012-13 (John Brown and Adam Weary). His five freshman of the week selections are tied for the most with Brown and Joe Knight, while he became the sixth freshman to lead the team in scoring and first since Brown did so in 2012-13.
 
His 14.2 ppg were tied for second highest by a freshman in the program's NCAA DI era (1999-present), his 5.3 rpg rank fifth and his 2.2 apg are tied for sixth all-time amongst freshman.
 
 
Q: Why HPU? What made you decide to come to High Point and play basketball for the Panthers?
Wright: High Point University is a great Life Skills University that allows me to become the person that I desire to become in the future. Not only does HPU excel in academics, but the faculty itself is outstanding and they go above and beyond to help you achieve your goals. Having a coaching staff with Tubby Smith, G.G. Smith, Eric Gabriel, and Keith Gatlin, who all help me to excel on the court. It was a no brainer for me to come to High Point.   
 
Q: What was the recruiting process like?
Wright: The recruiting process with High Point was great because they constantly stayed in contact with me and gave me surprise visits at my school. They just showed me love since the first day they recruited me.
 
Q: When did you fall in love with basketball and why?
Wright: I first started playing basketball when I was six, but I didn't really fall in love with it until my 9th grade year. Basketball was a fun sport that I saw, and I wanted to partake in playing but I didn't recognize that I could excel in it until my 9th grade year.
 
Q: Did you play any other sports? If so, when did you focus just on basketball?
Wright: Yes, the other sports I played were baseball and track. When I got to high school, I played baseball for one-year but once I recognized I could excel in basketball I decided to just focus on it and not play any other sports.
 
Q: Now that you have been at HPU for one year, what have you enjoyed most about the University and also the basketball program?
Wright: The thing I've enjoyed the most at High Point is really the students. With it being a small campus, everybody knows everybody, and we all get along well and support each other in sports and academics. As far as basketball, what I have enjoyed most is the travel. The coaching staff has made sure that we play against the best DI opponents, traveling on charter planes and staying in really nice hotels.
 
Q: What are some of the best things about campus?
Wright: Some of the best things about campus are the food, living quarters, and just the scenery of the campus every day. It really inspires you to be extraordinary.
 
Q: What has it been like to play for Coach Tubby Smith? What have you learned from him?
Wright: It has been great playing for Coach Smith. You learn a lot about the history of basketball with him. With him being such a legendary coach, he tells you his stories of his championships and things of that nature. You can learn from them and better yourself. I've learned how to take constructive criticism and apply it to better myself and how to be a better leader on and off the court.
 
Q: You had one of the best rookie seasons in program history. Talk about what the season was like (individually and as a team) and were you surprised with the success you had?
Wright: Individually the season was a learning one and I was able to accomplish a lot for myself, but I did not accomplish enough for the team, which has really motivated me for next season. Although I did have a great freshman year, the season we had is preparing me for the upcoming season on how to help lead the team to more success. As a team we obviously struggled a bit, but we are fully engaged with the High Point system and we are ready to tackle on whatever is thrown at us next year.
 
Q: What was your favorite memory from this past season?
Wright: My favorite memory from this past season was the game we had at Campbell. We were down by as much as 15 in the first half, but we went into the locker room and picked each other up and said let's go get it in the second half, and we came back and won the game. I hit some pretty incredible shots and what made it even more special to me was that there were at least 100 people from Fayetteville who came to support me that game, with it being so close to home.
 
Q: What are your main goals this summer in preparation for your sophomore season?
Wright: The main goal for the summer is to become stronger mentally and physically. Also, preparing the new freshman for their first season in college and prepping them to make sure that they are ready for the new style of play. I want to be sure to give them the experience I had as a freshman and hopefully it will help them with their individual games. Another goal of mine is for us to establish a foundation that we can build on.
 
Q: What are your goals for next season (individually and as a team)?
Wright: Individually, I want to be the best teammate I can be to help be a leader and team goal is to win the Big South Championship.