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Missouri Tigers: Is Namon Wright’s Big Night Sign Of Things To Come?

By Derek Franks

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The Missouri Tigers win on Tuesday night over the Florida Gators was one about staggering numbers.

Like 47.

That’s the number of days since Mizzou had last won a game. Part of a 13-game losing streak. That, by the way, is a record number for futility for the Tigers basketball program.

His 28 points were the most by a Tiger player in a game this season and the most by a Mizzou freshman in over 15 years.

How about 1? That was the previous number of conference wins for the Tigers. So, in case there was any doubt left, things were going very, very wrong in 2015.

But on Tuesday night, for the first time in a month and a half, something finally went right—or shall we say Wright. (C’mon, we had to work it in there at least once.)

28. That’s the number of points that the Freshman guard Namon Wright posted during a shooting frenzy that almost single-handedly won the game for the Tigers.

Mizzou (8-20, 2-13 SEC) has been waiting for a breakout performance like this one.

The team has struggled mightily to produce offense in any way in 2015. And no single player has had a game that stands out among the rest.

Many were waiting for the likes of a better-known player like Jonathan Williams III to have a huge scoring night—he’s come close. But alas, it was first-year player Wright who had the game of his life to help Mizzou escape its losing ways.

His 28 points were the most by a Tiger player in a game this season and the most by a Mizzou freshman in over 15 years. Wright went 10 of 13 from the field, including 6 of 8 from 3-point range. It was one of the more dominating games from a freshman in the history of Missouri Tigers basketball. When watching this unfold, it felt like Wright didn’t miss all night.

Missouri Tigers’ Namon Wright. Mandatory Credit: Dak Dillon-USA TODAY Sports

With that performance, Write joins only two other Tiger freshman—Derrick Chievous in 1984 and Kareem Rush in 2000—to ever score 28 or more points in a game.

Wright was a star on Tuesday night. There’s no questioning that. And he was a star when Mizzou was in dire straights, desperate for someone to score, desperate for anything positive.

What was great about this game was that Wright’s mojo seemed to rub off on the rest of the team.

Despite his 12 first-half points, the Gators actually led by 5 going into the locker room at half time. But Wright lit a spark under his teammates. The Missouri Tigers couldn’t be stopped on the offensive side in the second-half. (Did I just write that?)

21-6. That’s the number of points Mizzou outscored Florida to close the game. Considering the way this season has gone, that is an answer to Mizzou fans’ prayers to the sports gods.

As Mizzou gained momentum from the scoring during the second half, the team started making plays on the other end. The offensive show was balanced by great defense. The Tigers held Florida to without a field goal for a earth-shattering 7 minutes and four seconds.

Where has this been all year?

Well, we’ve been waiting for good news for Mizzou. And we finally got it from Namon Wright.

Now, we never want to use a single game as some sort of proof of super stardom. But it still brings up some interesting talking points.

Wright, a Los Angeles native, was considered a big time steal when he was recruited away from offers from programs like UCLA, Utah, Arizona State and Gonzaga. Considered a four-star recruit by some, the Tigers landed something they had been seriously lacking in recent years: a shear scorer.

Missouri Tigers
Missouri Tigers /

Missouri Tigers

Count Wright as among one of the very few wins Mizzou had in its 2014 recruiting class. And he’s, for the most part, played a solid season for a freshman. But like any young player, he’s used the season as a learning experience. Add that to the fact that this team is extremely inexperienced, undersized and is coached by a first-year coach in his first season as a division-1 head coach and to say this team has had “growing pains” would be a dramatic understatement.

So, it’s no surprise that no player has really broken out in 2014-15. Still, there are hopes that someone will be the big name to rise out of the ashes. Thus, we’re always looking for signs that one player might be that guy.

Wright is a longer player for a guard. He can both knock down a set up shot out of the pick n’ roll and hit an off-balance fade away. He can drive and he can drop in a short shot ala Tony Parker. And he can certainly shoot from long distances. He did all of these things Tuesday night.

Of course, he doesn’t show this every night, or even most nights. But when things are going this bad for a team collectively, who does? The better question is, can he—or someone on this team—get into a groove where it’s a frequent occurance?

This is what Mizzou needs and hope can improve in the years to come. If Wright can use this game as a benchmark, he can definitely develop into the kind of player the Tigers so desperately need.

Obviously, we aren’t suggesting that this one game means that Wright is the next super star. But just seeing that one of these band of misfits has it in him is a promising sign. We need something to give us hope for the future after all.

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So what do you think? Does Wright have the right stuff to be a future star?

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