Kat Wright was introduced as โthe shooterโ when she transferred to the University of Arizona from Florida Atlantic in June.
And why not? She averaged 11.7 points and shot 40 percent from the 3-point line in her final season at FAU. On Jan. 30, 2016, Wright lit it up, hitting 11 three-pointers โ the second-best single 3-point performance in NCAA history.
Yet Wright has developed into more than just a shooting star. The fifth-year senior was named one of three captains this season, along with senior JaLea Bennett and freshman Sam Thomas.
On the court, Wright is stealing passes, collecting rebounds and disrupting shooters. Off it, she soaks up all the basketball knowledge she can โ fitting for someone who wants to coach after college.
โThis is who Iโve always been,โ said Wright, whose Wildcats will visit Stanford on Sunday. โIโve never been a prolific scorer. I pride myself on my defense more than shooting.
โI like to take charges and I had three (in last weekโs win over Colorado). I love that. I donโt think itโs a coincidence that the two go hand in hand; my defense fuels my offense.
โYouโve got to get the stops. A lot of what I do doesnโt show up in the stat sheet and if thatโs what it takes to get a win, Iโm down for it.โ
The stats arenโt bad, either: Wright is averaging 7.8 points per game and hits 30 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. An even 60 percent of Wrightโs shot attempts are 3-pointers.
Wright knows that good performances donโt happen on their own. Those extra passes that opened up the offensive flow helped her put up 16 points against Colorado. Wright dished out assists during the game and after, praising her teammatesโ play.
Wright missed all of last season due to an injury, and admits she hasnโt been fully healthy this year, either. The oldest player on the UA roster wonโt give specifics about her ailment; sheโll only joke that it is โold age.โ Nevertheless, Wright is averaging 32 minutes per game.
โSheโs tough; I like her mentality,โ coach Adia Barnes said. โShe is unselfish. For some, everything is predicated on scoring. With Kat, itโs the little things when sheโs not getting her shot; thatโs why she is still on the floor playing. A lot of players, when they are not scoring, they are not effective.
โI love coaching her; she gets the big picture. Some players I have to push. Not Kat, I have to rein her in. She works her butt off. She never gives less than 100 percent and is fun to coach. I wish I had coached her for all four years.โ
Wright may join Barnes on the bench someday. Wright has been picked to participate in the Womenโs Basketball Coaches Associationโs annual โSo You Want To Be A Coachโ Program, a three-day workshop held during this yearโs womenโs Final Four. She is one of just two players from the Pac-12 to be picked; Dominique Williams from UCLA is the other.
For now, Wright is focusing on finishing strong. Maybe she has another 11 3-pointer game in her.
Speaking of which, how did that happen? Wright doesnโt like talking about it.
โWe lost that game, and for players, a loss is a loss,โ said Wright. โItโs bittersweet. I was shooting without a conscience. I went 2 for 8 in the first half and came out and kept shooting and went 9 of 10. My coach said โKeep shooting, we need you to keep shooting.โโ
And then Wright begins talking about her teammates โ again.
โOne thing about the game was that my coach drew up plays for me and my teammates set screens,โ she said. โIt was a team effort to get me the ball after I hit four.โ
