Justin Wright-Foreman selected by Utah Jazz in NBA Draft

Justin Wright-Foreman’s NBA dreams were realized as Hofstra star was drafted by Utah Jazz. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

In his first year at Hofstra University, Justin Wright-Foreman sat behind Juan’ya Green on a Colonial Athletic Association regular-season championship team, waiting for his own opportunity to lead the Pride to similar success. And in an era where too many disgruntled student-athletes transfer far too often and far too soon in search of instant gratification, Wright-Foreman was a throwback of sorts, remaining in Hempstead and honing his craft, working to improve the likelihood of his dream becoming a reality.

As a Thursday night turned to Friday morning at Barclays Center, where Wright-Foreman competed as a sophomore when Hofstra faced Kentucky in December of 2016, the hours of dedication from the Queens native reached a crescendo in the 53rd overall selection of the 2019 NBA Draft, when NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum announced Wright-Foreman as the newest member of the Utah Jazz.

Wright-Foreman, Hofstra’s second-all-time leading scorer behind Charles Jenkins, becomes the Pride’s first draft choice since Jenkins, who was a second-round selection of the Golden State Warriors in 2011. The Jazz also made history for the CAA in the process, as Wright-Foreman and Charleston’s Jarrell Brantley — who was taken three spots prior, also by Utah — marked the first time the CAA had two players drafted in the same year since 1992.

“I heard my name and it was crazy,” Wright-Foreman told Zach Braziller of the New York Post as he recounted the delirium surrounding his nascent professional career. “It’s an emotional moment. Nobody knows what I’ve been through, all the late nights in the gym, staying there until 1 a.m., staying there until 2 a.m. To see it pay off is so relieving, but I know I have more to do.”

“Waiting for this all night!!!!!” Hofstra assistant coach Speedy Claxton tweeted shortly after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news of Wright-Foreman’s impending selection. The former Christ the King standout and first-round draft pick after leading Hofstra to the NCAA Tournament in 2000 has served as Wright-Foreman’s recruiter and mentor over the years, and his protege spoke in reverent tones of Claxton’s impact when he passed his predecessor at the point guard position on Hofstra’s career scoring list.

With 2,327 career points in his tenure on Long Island, Wright-Foreman brings an unparalleled knack to score at will to a Jazz backcourt that will afford him an instant opportunity to learn from two of the game’s best in Donovan Mitchell and recently acquired Mike Conley, Jr. Wright-Foreman is equally adept at rebounding the basketball for his position, and makes just as noticeable an impact without the ball in his hands as a facilitator on both ends of the floor.

“He’s just a marvelous, marvelous basketball player who — every game, every day — does something to make you just say, ‘wow,’ Hofstra head coach Joe Mihalich exclaimed after Wright-Foreman drained a 34-foot three-pointer at the buzzer to cap off a 42-point effort against eventual CAA champion Northeastern on January 5. His finest hour came weeks later, when Wright-Foreman tied a program record with 48 points in a victory over William & Mary on February 9, a performance Mihalich praised by saying, “as you’re coaching, you’re trying not to also be in awe.”

Wright-Foreman is also Mihalich’s first-ever player to become a draft pick during his head coaching career. The twelfth Hofstra player to be drafted in program history, his career-ending streak of 88 consecutive double-figure scoring games was not only a school record, but the seventh-longest string in Division I history.