McKinley Wright has waited four years to dance in the NCAA Tournament.

For the senior Colorado guard, who grew up idolizing college basketball players like UConn’s Kemba Walker and Michigan’s Trey Burke as they helped their teams to the Final Four in 2011 and 2013, the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament has evaded him his entire career — until now. It’s a moment he’s dreamt of and returned to Boulder for, in hopes of creating his own “One Shining Moment.”

“This was something I always wanted to be a part of,” Wright said Wednesday. “It’s every kid’s dream to be able to play in the Big Dance.”

The NCAA Tournament often brings out the best in players like McKinley, who describes his four years at Colorado as “storybook.” That story has been well-documented, from being a late addition in the 2017 class, to breaking several school and conference records, to helping the Buffaloes reach their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016 after he decided to put the NBA on hold. He’ll go down as one of the greatest players in school history, not only on the court but also off it, where he’s become the program’s most influential player these last four years.

But his story isn’t finished. At 10:15 a.m. Saturday in Indianapolis when the fifth-seeded Buffaloes (22-8) take on Georgetown (13-12) — who claim to not know who Wright is — the beginning of his final chapter at Colorado will be written. And if it’s up to him, that chapter won’t be finished until April 5, the date of the national championship game.

“This opportunity’s here and I’m not going to take it for granted. I’m going to leave it all out there,” said Wright, who’s averaging 15.5 points, 5.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game this season. “This is my last ride with this program, with these teammates probably for the rest of my life. … I’ve just got to go out there and make the most of it.”

Wright may be a stranger to the NCAA Tournament, but he isn’t a stranger to the big stage.

At Champlin Park High School in Minnesota, Wright was a standout player from the moment he stepped on campus. He was the sixth man his freshman year and starting point guard the following three years at one of the top high school basketball programs in the state.

“For me, there’s no nerves or jitters. I’m accustomed to playing in big games,” Wright said. “I like playing in big games. It’s nothing really new for me. I was kind of thrown into that spotlight at a young age, playing in state championships and conference championships and stuff like that.”

There was no bigger example of this than Feb. 23, 2017, his senior year, when he led 4A No. 1 Champlin Park to a 87-77 win over 3A No. 1 DeLaSalle High School, scoring 46 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

“It was an Oscar Robertson-like performance,” said Dave Thorson, the former DeLaSalle coach and now Colorado State basketball assistant. “In the prep world of Minnesota, I’ve seen from John Thomas all the way to Tyus (Jones) — I’ve seen almost three decades of players. That is single-handedly one of the greatest high school performances ever in that state.”

In his senior year at Champlin Park, he was named Minnesota’s Mr. Basketball, averaging 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Similar to his time at Colorado, he finished his career as one of the greatest players in school history, owning school records in points (1,864), rebounds (769) and assists (577).

He also helped Champlin Park to two state title games, which it lost both of to Apple Valley High School, home of  NBA players Tyus Jones and Gary Trent Jr.

“He played on some great teams at Champlin Park and against some great players, too,” Champlin Park coach Mark Tuchscherer said. “When it comes to being a special basketball player, and person for that matter, McKinley’s at the top there. And we’ve had some great players.”

Wright was originally committed to Dayton out of high school, but after the Flyers’ coach Archie Miller left for Indiana, he decided to look elsewhere. And Colorado, which was in desperate need of a point guard, found a hidden gem.

Colorado coach Tad Boyle was actually on a family vacation in Mexico when Wright got on his radar. He called Wright from the beach and said he’d be on a plane tomorrow if Wright was serious about attending CU. Wright of course said yes and Boyle flew to Minnesota.

Little did Boyle know he had just secured one of the best players in program history.

“I didn’t know much about him,” Boyle said. “I remember I had a posted note on my desk and we had a couple JUCO guys on that list, we had a couple of grad transfer guys on that list, a couple of high school players that were still available and then at the bottom was McKinley Wright.

“We were lucky to get McKinley. There’s no doubt about it. I think it’s certainly been a win-win situation for both of us. He’s obviously had a great career. But I had no idea what we were getting or who we were getting.”

What Colorado and Boyle got was a four-year starting point guard, the school’s all-time leader in assists (669), sixth all-time leading scorer (1,835) and a three-time all-Pac-12 first-team selection, joining Cliff Meely (1968-71) and Wilky Gilmore (1958-60, ’61-62) as the three Buffaloes to earn three such honors.

“For me, I’m just so thankful for the teammates I’ve had in my four years and this coaching staff for believing in me — a small, 6-foot, skinny point guard out of Minneapolis who they had never seen play before,” Wright said. “I’m forever thankful and grateful to be in this position.”

But more than that, they got one of the best leaders off the court that Boyle has had in his 11 seasons at Colorado.

“It’s hard for me to explain in words what McKinley means to me and my family, our program, our assistant coaches,” Boyle said. “He’s going to go down as one of the all-time greatest players in Colorado basketball history and you don’t get to say that about too many players you coach. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, he’s a once-in-a-lifetime player that you get to coach.”

Wright almost didn’t have his well-deserved farewell tour, though.

After the tournament was canceled last season, Wright explored entering the NBA draft. He went as far as hiring an NCAA-approved agent to help him decide if leaving early was right for him. But in the end, one thing kept bringing him back to Boulder.

The chance to play in the NCAA Tournament.

“The thing about McKinley is he knows what college basketball is all about. He’d spent three years in our program, so it wasn’t me selling him coming back,” Boyle said. “He came back because he wanted this opportunity, he wanted another year with his teammates and he realized that college basketball is really a special time in my life. And professional basketball will always be there. It’ll be there for him next year, there’s no doubt about that.”

And one can bet he’s going to make the most of it.

“It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he became a star these next couple weeks,” Tuchscherer said. “Why? Because I’ve seen it. He’s big shot maker, a big game player. And it doesn’t get bigger than this.”

College basketball legends are born in March and while those in Colorado and Minnesota certainly know his name, don’t be surprised if Wright is one of the stars of this year’s March Madness. 

“For the people who don’t know me,” Wright said, “they’ll know me soon.”