T1B

A&M's Wright declares for NBA draft
04:02 PM CDT on Tuesday, April 5, 2005

By RACHEL COHEN / The Dallas Morning News

As expected, Texas A&M junior men's basketball star Antoine Wright made official his intentions to declare for the NBA draft without hiring an agent. Not hiring an agent allows him to withdraw from the draft by June 21 if he believes he will not be a high enough pick.

"It's been a win-win situation for all of us," Wright said in a statement. "I have grown to love this university and what it has done to help me grow as a basketball player and, more importantly, as a person. That made my decision extremely hard. I will earn my degree from Texas A&M. That has been a goal and will remain a goal until it's completed.

"I'll really miss my teammates. They have been special to me."

Coach Billy Gillispie, who has said having a player in the NBA will help the A&M program in the long run, voiced support for Wright.

"He's a special one and we'll miss him as a person as much as a player," Gillispie said in a statement. "Antoine has our full blessing to live his dreams and he knows there is always a place here for him, now and forever."

Not hiring an agent allows him to withdraw from the draft by June 21 if he believes he will not be a high enough pick.

Looking for Mr. Wright?

Versatile small forward from Texas A&M impresses Bickerstaff

RICK BONNELL
Staff Writer

The question with Antoine Wright might be less, do the Charlotte Bobcats want him at No. 13? and more, will he last that long?

Wright, a 6-foot-7 small forward from Texas A&M, is the sort of long, athletic wing player that Bobcats coach-general manager Bernie Bickerstaff prefers. He was one of three players at the Bobcats' first pre-draft workout Thursday.

"He'll be early lottery if he keeps playing like that," Bickerstaff said, after Wright showed off a variety of skills.

Wright averaged 17.5 points last season, shooting 51 percent from the field. But he says his strength is versatility.

"I'm just a basketball player. There's no one thing," that serves as his specialty, Wright said. "I don't just score the basketball, I play defense."

And he doesn't lack for confidence: "I'd definitely be able to help," Wright said.

That's probably true, considering the Bobcats have only four players under guaranteed contract for next season, and none is a wing player. The Bobcats hope to re-sign free agents Gerald Wallace and Kareem Rush, but Wright probably would play steadily as a rookie.

"It's definitely important to get minutes -- to have a chance to play" as a rookie, Wright said. "You've got to make mistakes in games to get the experience," to learn to do it right.

The Bobcats might think about using their higher pick -- fifth overall -- on Wright, but Bickerstaff will strongly consider taking a point guard at that spot.