John-Michael Wright to Return to OSU Basketball in 2023-24

What the composition of the 2023-24 OSU basketball roster will look like very much remains a question, but at least one answer appears to be resolved in the backcourt with senior John-Michael Wright telling CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein on Tuesday that he plans to run it back with the Cowboys next season. Wright averaged 9.8 points per game in his first season in Stillwater and finished second on the team in total minutes played.

Wright joined OSU last offseason via the transfer portal after three successful seasons at High Point where he twice earned All-Big South honors as one of the league’s most illustrious scorers. Across three seasons he averaged 17.4 points and shot 34.6% from 3-point range, bringing with him to OSU an appealing skill set for a team in need of depth and scoring.

OSU finished the season as the worst 3-point shooting team in the Big 12 and near the bottom of the ranks across the Division I spectrum, but Wright was one of the few bright spots on that front. Among qualifying Cowboys he finished third on the team in 3-point shooting percentage at 34%; he also rated out in the 79th percentile as a spot-up shooter, according to Synergy data.

Wright saved some of his best performances last season for some of the biggest games, and another year at the high-major level should only help him and OSU as he gets more comfortable. Last season he turned in a season-high 19 points on the road in games vs. both Kansas and Iowa State — a close loss and a crucial win — and also had 18-point outings vs. Texas and later against Kansas.

The makeup of OSU’s backcourt next season still looks a little cloudy and it wouldn’t surprise if OSU added a name or two out of the portal to try and improve playmaking and shooting, but the return of Wright gives Mike Boynton and his staff a veteran presence who has shown he can produce well at the high-major level. Wright will serve as a nice building block leading into the offseason on which the staff can start to formulate the 2023-24 roster.

“Losing definitely motivates you,” said Wright after OSU’s NIT loss to North Texas. “I wanted to go to March Madness — never been. That’s something I want to be able to say I’ve experienced in my college career. So, thankful that I still have an opportunity to do that.”