ORLANDO, Fla. - When you're talking the Mt. Rushmore of UCF women's basketball, you better include guard Kay Kay Wright.
- Wright graduated from Jones High School
- Was named AAC Co-Preseason Player of the Year
- Led UCF to 20-10 record in 2019-2020
"I just wanted to go out with a bang, and just leave my legacy any way I could," Wright said. "And that’s what my senior year was about. And I did that.
That’s how a great athlete is remembered. They carry expectations, like earning the 2019-2020 AAC Co-Preseason Player of the Year honor, and then they live up to them by averaging nearly 17 and a half points per game.
"I think just game by game, I didn’t worry about any accolades, I didn’t worry about the Co-Preseason Player of the Year, I just wanted to go out each and every game and go out and just play as if it were my last game," she said.
Wright used that last game mentality to knock on the door of back to back NCAA Tournament runs. But even after the Knights fell to Cincinnati in the AAC semifinals, she expected to hit the floor at least one more time. One of the greatest in program history never got her swan song.
"I think after receiving the news that the NCAA was cut short and we won’t be able to see who makes it to the tournament and who goes to play postseason, I think that’s where it kind of hit me, and I realized that I played my last game back at the Mohegan Sun.
A journey that began in the Jones High School gymnasium comes to a close just miles down the road. Now, the pride of "West Orlando" is ready to take her game from the 407 to the international stage, as she and her agent guage interest outside the United States.
"It will be very cool to just get out and venture out and see new cultures and just embark on new things," she said, adding that she also kept an eye on last week's WNBA Draft.
No matter where she ends up, this homegrown star knows her impact will be felt in Orlando for years to come.
"I think I did a tremendous job in doing what I came here to do," Wright said. "I think I definitely inspired some young women and young men who play the game of basketball to just be great, to never forget where you come from."