McKinley Wright IV becomes Colorado's all-time assist leader

BOULDER — McKinley Wright IV placed his name into the Colorado Buffaloes record books with a mark that will remain for years to come.

On Thursday afternoon, Wright passed Jay Humphries to become the Buffs’ all-time leader in assists. Coming into the week, Wright needed just four assists to tie the record and five to surpass it.

The assist came on a dump-off to Evan Battey in the post after Wright had drawn a second defender on a drive, giving him 563 assists, the most of any Buffalo ever.

Humphries’ record had stood since 1984, showcasing the two main traits a player needs to achieve this mark: skill and longevity.

McKinley Wright is making a case to be the best in both of these areas.

As just a three-star recruit out of high school, Wright has made an impact for the program every year. His progression has lifted the ceiling of the Buffs, while simultaneously giving them a solid floor to be competitive on a night-in, night-out basis.

At the conclusion of his career, he will not only smash the career assists mark but will likely also climb the top-10 list in career scoring. In fact, he is on-pace to become the first player in program history to score 1,600 points with 600 rebounds and 600 assists.

His statistics speak for themselves but his legacy stretches farther than the box score.

McKinley Wright has played a pivotal role in establishing Boulder as a premiere basketball destination in the west. Yes, Tad Boyle has done his part on the recruiting front, but Wright’s on-court impact is giving Boyle and his staff something to sell.

Since Wright’s freshman year in 2017-2018, the Buffs have continued to increase their win percentage and climb in the final conference standings year in and year out. This season, Wright has arguably the most talented roster around him.

Still, there is much to prove for this Buffaloes roster in 2021.

But for their star senior guard, the only thing left for Wright is to secure some post-season wins, a challenge that this roster seems more than up for.