NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - COLORADO VS FLORIDA ST.

March 22, 2021

McKinley Wright

Indiana Farmers Coliseum

Colorado Buffaloes

Postgame Media Conference

Florida State 71, Colorado 53

Q. Can you just take us through the day and when you found out about the events in Boulder and what was going through your mind, and was it hard at all to focus on playing a basketball game worried about what was going on back home?

McKINLEY WRIGHT: Man, that's so hard, and I feel bad, so terrible for the families who was affected by what happened in Boulder. You know, today, people get so caught up and even us as players, and playing this game -- and it's a privilege to play this game, but we have to realize that life outside of basketball is real, and, you know, a lot of people lost family members today. Someone coward went in shooting up King Soopers, and that sucks. And for me, where I come from, that happens often, and I see it a lot.

I'm just hurt and devastated for those families who have to experience this. It sucks. It was on my mind a little bit. I thought about my life and growing up and what I've been through and seeing these people. And what they have to go through now, it sucks. I'm so sorry and I'm going to pray for their families.

Basketball is just a game; people lost their lives. That sucks. It's hard to kind of put that in words right now coming off of playing my last game here at CU and that tragedy that went on down in Boulder, it's just terrible.

Q. What was Florida State doing that got you guys? That was probably the worst turnover game of the season. What was affecting you?

McKINLEY WRIGHT: They sped us up, man. They did a good job of denying and pressuring us. I talked to staff after the game, and their game plan was to take me out of the game and keep two on me anytime we inbounded the ball and make somebody else bring it up. Denied me from getting the ball into our action.

We just didn't find a way to slow down tonight, and they executed really well on the defensive end, especially in the second half.

Q. At some point tonight when you had some time to sit down, you pop your phone open, I can only assume that the thousands of texts and Tweets and Instagram messages from so many people that you have touched, just showing appreciation of and you what you've done for this program over the last couple years, and I know this isn't the way that you guys wanted to go out. I know this stings. But is there any consolation knowing the mark you left on the program and the high bar that you and this senior class have set?

McKINLEY WRIGHT: Man, this hurts. I'm trying to hold back my tears again right now. I gave this university everything I had for four years, man. I tried my best to win as many games as possible. That's all I care about is winning. I don't care about status. You know, my recruiting class, we didn't care about status. We just wanted to come in and win, and we created that bond, that love for each other.

And, you know, they mean a lot to me, man. I'm so thankful for Colorado for welcoming me, a small, six-foot skinny point guard from Minneapolis. This university changed my life. It changed my life. I got to the point where I wasn't going home just to avoid any trouble, trying to stay away from my neighborhood, avoid any type of conflict. My teammates, they were real brothers to me. They made me comfortable to the point where I didn't have to go back to Minneapolis. I could just stay here and focus on my craft.

And it hurts, man. It hurts. Not necessarily the loss we took tonight, just the fact that I'm done. I just played my last game here at CU. I'll never get to play with this group of guys again, and especially my recruiting class. We created so many memories over my four years.

I'm just -- I'm sorry. I gave Colorado everything I had in me. It hurts to go out like this. My four years here, I've not had one healthy year. Each year, a different injury, and some we didn't even talk about.

In these last two months, I took a shot, I had a sprained AC joint and took a shot before the game and at halftime every game, and I asked Coach not to tell the media because I didn't want people to know. I gave this university everything, and I'm so thankful for Coach Boyle recruiting me, but I gave it all I had.

Q. Your coach said before you came on that he was about to cry talking about you. What has Coach Boyle meant to you in your life?

McKINLEY WRIGHT: Coach Boyle meant so much to me. Just not even on the basketball court. I've been his -- just me and him and our coaching staff, and we've talked about some of the struggles I've been through, some of the trials and tribulations me and my family has been through. It's been a long run, man.

Coach Boyle, he cares about everybody on the team outside of basketball. He wants the best for us, and he wants us to succeed in life. He's meant a lot for me. He always preaches to me to get my degree because one day the ball is going to stop bouncing, and to create relationships with people, with big-time people, because there are going to be jobs for me when I'm done playing ball.

He talks to my grandma a lot. They text after every game. I just found out about two weeks ago that they text after every game. He truly cares about me and my family. He's meant so much more to me, more than I can put in words, man. He's done a lot for me, and so I'm just so thankful for him. Looking forward to watching him lead the young class, and I'm proud of that class. And he's just meant a lot to me, man. He's my guy.

Q. Wondering if that AC joint was the same one you had surgery on, but along the lines of your career, what are you most proud of?

McKINLEY WRIGHT: Yeah, it's the same shoulder I had my labrum surgery on. So I had to -- we got X-rays on it and everything. Doctor said it wasn't my labrum again. It was just the AC joint again and it would swell after every game. Like I said before, I took a shot before every game about 20 minutes before and at halftime. I was late in every halftime coming to Coach's talk at the half, and I was getting another shot to play through to numb it up so I would be able to play.

The thing I'm most proud of, every win we got, building relationships with my brothers, and I could care less -- I keep saying this: I don't care about individual stats. I've built lifelong relationships with these dudes. Some people, after college, they stop talking to their teammates. We were just talking about it in the locker room, I want to be in all the group chats, Instagram, Twitter. I love every one of these guys, 1 through 18. We built some lifelong relationships. And that's what I'm proud of, building relationships. I've made some of my best friends here at Colorado.

Q. You had mentioned King Soopers as a place, it sounded like you were familiar with it. It seems to be, according to the maps, near the Boulder campus. Is that a place you go to and know or are familiar with? Seems like it's a place you know.

McKINLEY WRIGHT: Yeah, it's right on campus, man. It's literally on campus. We get gold cards and get money to go do some grocery shopping during the week, and that's one of the spots on our gold card list, is King Soopers. I'm very familiar with it. It's a common grocery store. A lot of people go to it. It's probably five minutes from our house where I live, if that. Probably less than a five -- yeah, less than a five-minute drive from my house. I know exact ly where it is.

It's just so sad and devastating that that happened. I'm sorry and just want to send a prayer out to all the families affected by this.

Q. I talked to you at an outdoor event after your sophomore year, and you said your ultimate goal was to get to the Sweet 16. I know you're devastated right now, but to get the program to where it feels like next year and there's positivity ahead, how proud does that make you feel that there's a realistic goal even without you?

McKINLEY WRIGHT: It's so realistic. A lot of people praise me and everything I've done for CU, but it's not possible without my teammates. I get offended by that. It frustrates me that so many people try to give me all the credit for the numbers I put up here, but none of it is possible without my teammates. They put me in position to be successful every day. When I'm down on myself and frustrated with myself, they bring me up. Those are some of the things that go unnoticed, so that frustrates me a lot.

I'm just so thankful for them for being by my side and putting me in position to do some of the things I've done here, and the younger class, they are so talented, like I know for a fact they will get to a Sweet 16 for me and for their senior class. The guys that are coming in and the guys that are here now, Jabari, Tristan, Keeshawn, Luke, you guys don't get to see them play in real games, but I see them every day in practice. I always say that my class was the most talented, but this class is special. They are going to be really good.

So I'm excited for them. I'm going to watch every game that I can next year. They know I'll be there supporting them day-in and day-out, so I'm excited for them.