Siena’s Wright points at pro career
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. » Marquis Wright finished his Siena career with 1,546 points and 614 assists. Now that his final season is over, he’s waiting on the right situation to sign a professional contract.
The first step toward his ultimate goal was made possible on Thursday, when he suited up in a Washington Wizards practice uniform and worked out with some of the nation’s top college players, including Iowa’s Peter Jok and Syracuse’s Andrew White.
Wright, from the Washington D.C. area, was excited to show off in front of the hometown team.
He spoke with The Record about his experience, and what he hopes comes next.
Q : How did you get the invitation? How did that all get set up? A : I think my agent (Ronnie Zeidel of RZA sports) did it. He called me one day (late May) and told me that I have a workout with the Wizards. It wasn’t a forsure date yet. He called me back in a week and let me know the exact date. I didn’t know what date it was. I was just preparing for that time. Q : How do you prepare for something like that? A : Doing the things I’ve been doing all year-round. Just working out, lifting and keeping my body in shape. Q : Is this a team you grew up watching? A : I was actually a fan all the way up until Gilbert Arenas. And it kind of died down a little bit. I’m a team fan...I do like (John) Wall. Q : What’s it like playing in that environment, with a lot of established college players? A : It feels good just playing to a higher talented level, and just knowing that I could play with them. You’re always competing. Just a great workout and a great experience. Q : What did they have you do in the workout? A : Nothing that I haven’t seen. As soon as you walk in the gym, you shoot 100 3s. Just had to get used to that. The ball and the NBA line. The workout was cool. Dribbling and passing drills, layup drills. Dribble to the elbow, shoot. Dribble to the 3, shoot. Pass it to the coach in the corner, shoot a 3. In those drills, I started making more shots because I was used to the 3 line and the ball. Then they did oneon-one and three-onthree. Q : Did you come away thinking you did well. A : A lot of coaches, I shook their hand after. They said I did well. I talked to the GM, the president, the vice president after. They asked me a couple of questions, (told me) they were glad I came, and good luck. Q : What kind of question did they ask? A : They asked how I would help if I were to be a Wizard. They asked a couple questions about college and when I started playing basketball and things like that. Q : What was your answer? A : I told them I could get the whole team involved and play defense and extra, because I know they have Wall and (Bradley) Beal to score. I just told him about bringing energy and just getting them open to where they don’t have to work as hard to get open shots. Q : Do you think there’s a legitimate chance that you could make a Summer League NBA team? A : Possibly. I wouldn’t doubt it. Q
: Do you hope to get like?another workout? What’s your future look A : I was trying to get another workout. But since the Draft is Thursday, it would have to either be today or tomorrow. I didn’t hear anything about today. And I didn’t want to press my agent about these things when that’s kind of his job. I’m just being patient and waiting it out. Q : Would you play oversees? A : Of course. I would never turn down money. My agent was talking about sending me nowhere but the highest level of any country. You can’t beat that? Q : Have you researched that? A : We’re just waiting and seeing. Because I go to Las Vegas from July 9-14 for two showcases. And some of those teams will be there. Q : Is it a little emotionally stressful not knowing the immediate future? A : It actually is. In college you have freshman year and then you have three more years. Sophomore year, two more years. It’s a set time, you know what’s going to happen. But now it’s like, ‘Who knows how long it’s going to last?’ So definitely a tougher situation. Q : Do you still keep in contact with the Siena guys? A : (Assistant coach) Abe (Woldeslassie) helped me out a lot. (Jimmy) Patsos gave me the contact of Ronnie, the agent that I signed with. Q : Abe worked you out until you left Albany? A : Yeah, I worked out with Abe a couple of times. He actually gave me about three agents that I had talked to. I was very interested in one. But it came down to two, and I decided to pick Ronnie. Q : Looking back at everything, was it just cool to be a part of? A : I will never forget that. But still the journey continues. Just looking for more.