SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Manual Arts' James Wright
Signs With Colorado--(April 17, 2001)

The University of Colorado, which signed big forward Jason Carter (6'-9" Sr. PF) from Bishop Gorman in Vegas in the fall signing period, has picked up some solid late spring signees, including former Manual Arts point guard James Wright (6'-1" So. JUCO PG).  James originally signed with Long Beach State following his senior season at Manual Arts as he and teammate Curtis Millage led the Toilers to the LA City Section Championship.  But after failing to qualify for freshman eligibility under NCAA rules, James enrolled at Compton City College, where he averaged 17 points per game and seven assists per game this past season.  James picked Colorado over other schools such as Iowa State, Minnesota and USC. 

And Wright was not the only big-name signee for the Buffaloes this past week, as Colorado got a signed National Letter of Intent from David Harrison, who was rumored last fall to be one of the top recruiting priorities at UCLA.   Whether the Bruins turned cold on him or he on them was never clear, but the bottom line is that Harrison will now join his brother, D.J. Harrison, who will be a senior next season.

Here's the official press release issued by the University of Colorado last week.  Hey, better late than never. . . oh yes, and while we agree and have also called Wright the quickest player we've ever seen, we've also never called him "Mookie" nor heard anyone else call him that.  But what do we know. . ..One other note of interest:  The Brentwood Academy at which Harrison prepped is the same Brentwood Academy which was the subject of the recent US Supreme Court decision which held the Tennessee State Athletic Association (the Tenn. equivalent to the CIF here in California) rule regarding "recruiting" to be unconstitutional.  Anyway, here's the release:

Issued April 10, 2001

Buffs Receive Commitments From Prep Center, JuCo Guard CU Hoopsters Sign Pair To NLIs

BOULDER - The University of Colorado men's basketball team received a big boost on Wednesday, April 11, as CU received National Letters of Intent from two basketball recruits.

Seven-foot center David Harrison and 6-2 guard James "Mookie" Wright both cast their lots with the Buffaloes, and along with the fall signing of 6-9 Jason Carter, give CU a strong incoming class to compete in the always-tough Big 12 next season.

"In addition to our core of returning players, the three additions we've made to our team will keep Colorado basketball moving in the right direction," CU Head Coach Ricardo Patton said.

Harrison, perhaps the most highly-regarded CU recruit in program history, comes to CU from Brentwood Academy in Nashville, Tenn., where he was swamped with awards and was the center of a heated recruiting battle between CU, Vanderbilt, Duke and North Carolina. Harrison was a McDonald's All-American and becomes the third player at CU to garner the honor under Ricardo Patton, joining Chauncey Billups and Martice Moore. While in Durham, N.C., for the all-star game, Harrison was honored with the Naismith Sportsmanship Award by his fellow players. The 7-0, 240 lb., post player was also a first-team Parade All-American and was chosen the Gatorade Player of the Year in Tennessee. He averaged 28.5 points, 13.1 rebounds and 5.6 blocks during his senior season and led Brentwood to an impressive 36-18 mark over the past two seasons. In his 26-game senior campaign, Harrison recorded 23 double-doubles and scored 30 or more points in eight games, 40 or more in three contests.

"As with our other signees, we're very excited about bringing David into our Colorado family," Patton said. "He should give us a bigger athletic presence in the middle. He is a true center."

Wright arrives at Colorado from Compton (Calif.) Community College, the same junior college that produced former CU great Jaquay Walls. Wright, who attended Manual Arts High in Los Angeles as a prep, averaged 17 points and seven assist per outing last season for CCC and was tabbed a first-team All-South Coast Conference selection. Wright chose CU over Iowa State, Minnesota and Southern California. A cat-quick playmaker and scorer who can play either guard position, Wright has been called "the quickest player in California" by some recruiting services. As a high school senior, Wright was named the state's Player of the Year and was a first-team All-California pick.

Patton said of Wright, "James is a point guard with a lot of game experience. He is as quick as any guard I've seen in the open court and gives us a second left-hander on the squad."

After signing three players to scholarships for next season, CU still has two more spots left to fill in the remainder of the spring signing period, which runs through May 15.

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