Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Mourn Death Of Hoops Legend Kobe Bryant
January 27, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — One day later, members of the Colorado men's basketball team still found it hard to fathom that basketball legend Kobe Bryant was gone.
Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were among nine people killed Sunday in a helicopter crash in California. The news broke Sunday afternoon, when many of the Buffs were in weekend study hall and were thus together for what was clearly an emotional event.
"I feel like I lost my superhero," a subdued CU point guard McKinley Wright IV said after Monday's practice. "That was my guy, that's who I looked up to, more than anybody. He instilled so much inside of me, did so much for me ... It sucks."
For many of the Buffs, Bryant was the iconic star of their youth, a player who won five NBA titles in seven trips to the NBA finals over his 20-year career.
CU head coach Tad Boyle knew how much Bryant meant to his players.
"Our thought for the day today was to be thankful for every day," Boyle said. "There's no doubt that was appropriate with what went down yesterday with Kobe and his daughter … He's a guy that they idolize, so it was a tough day for them."
Wright said Bryant's career inspired him to play basketball as a youngster, and his legendary work ethic and dedication have continued to influence him as his career has progressed.
"It was a very devastating day," Wright said. "Kobe's the reason I ever picked up a basketball. If it wasn't for him, I don't even know if I'd be here today. I don't know if I'd be chasing my dream still. He's done so much for me … just that mamba mentality, never giving up no matter what the situation is."
Wright even credited Bryant with helping him play through an injury last year, when the CU guard suffered a torn shoulder labrum in January. Wright missed just one game before returning to finish the season, then underwent surgery in the offseason to repair the injury. He referenced a moment in Bryant's career when the superstar suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon — but shot two free throws after the injury before walking off the court under his own power.
"If you can go, go," Wright said of returning to playing so soon after his injury. "I felt like I was able to go. Kobe instilled that in me at a young age."
Coincidentally, the Buffs will play two games in Los Angeles this week — at UCLA on Thursday and at USC on Saturday — where Bryant played his entire career for the Lakers.
"I told our players the two things about Kobe Bryant that were unquestioned were his love for the game and his competitiveness," Boyle said. "If we want to honor him, that's how we have to play — play like we love the game and be thankful that we got a chance to play the game that we love. And then do it at a high level."
Wright echoed those sentiments.
"Play for him, play through him," Wright said. "He's an angel now. Hopefully he's looking down on all the basketball players that want to be as great as he was and aspire to be a champion — not just on the court, but off the court the way he was. He wasn't just a winner on the court. He did so much for people off the court … He'd want people to move on and continue to chase their dream."
But the one thing Wright won't ever be able to do is something he had always dreamed of doing — meet Bryant in person.
"My bucket list was just to meet Kobe Bryant, just to get a handshake or a picture," Wright said. "He's gone right now, so it's hard. I just pray for his family and the rest of his kids, his parents. I can't imagine what they're going through. Guys like myself and Evan (Battey) and Shane (Gatling), we had a very emotional day yesterday. Shed a lot of tears, so I can only imagine what they're going through.
"My body's getting numb as I'm talking about it."
THIS WEEK: Now 16-4 overall and 5-2 in Pac-12 play, the Buffs are just a half-game in the win column behind conference-leading Oregon (17-4, 6-2) in the league standings and tied with USC (16-4, 5-2).
CU plays at UCLA on Thursday (9 p.m., ESPN2), then travels across town Saturday for an 8:30 p.m. meeting with USC at the Galen Center (FS1).
After collecting victories last week over Washington State and Washington, the Buffs moved up in the weekly polls. CU jumped up to 20th in the Associated Press rankings and 21st in the coaches' poll.
Meanwhile, Colorado had also moved up to 17th in the NCAA Evaluation Tool rankings Monday morning and No. 19 in the Kenpom.com rankings, two of the analytics used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.
The Buffs play seven of their remaining 11 regular season games on the road. Their next homestand will come Feb. 6 and Feb. 8, when they host Cal and Stanford.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
