Leicester Riders today announce the signing of American guard Ethan Wright for the 2024-25 season.
Wright signs following his first professional season in Romania, where he suited up for CSM Târgu Jiu. He averaged 12.1 points on 45/37/90 shooting splits, and pulled down 3.1 rebounds per game.
Prior to his rookie year, the Massachusetts native played four seasons of NCAA D1 basketball, initially for Princeton University alongside British forward Tosan Evbuomwan, currently of the Detroit Pistons in the NBA.
Wright helped lead the Tigers to the 2022 Ivy League regular season championship. He was named to the 2022 All-Ivy League and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Second Team, and was three-time Ivy League Player of the Week in the 2021-22 season. Wright was also named to the NABC Honours Court in 2022.
In Wright’s final year in Princeton, he was his team’s third leading scorer with 14.7 points per game. His 50% shooting from the field and 39.5% shooting from three ranked third in his conference, and his 6.9 rebounds per game was fourth best among all Ivy League players.
His final collegiate season was spent at the University of Colorado for the Buffaloes. Wright was one of four Buffs to feature in all 35 games, and ranked third on the team in three-pointers made with 29, while hitting 34.9% beyond the arc.
Wright commented: “It feels great to sign in Leicester. I’m really excited to be a part of a club and city with so much sporting history, and my goal is to be a big part of continuing that history.
“I’ve always wanted to visit the UK, so it is a dream come true to be able to play for Leicester. I’m ready to do whatever it takes to succeed as a group and I can’t wait to get started!”
Wright is Head Coach Rob Paternostro’s second American signing ahead of the 2024-25 season, following the addition of Jaylin Hunter last week.
He commented: “Ethan is someone we feel fortunate to pick up. He has one year of pro experience in Romania already, and we’re impressed by his all around play. He plays on both ends with intelligence, and we feel he will fit into our programme very well.
“When you look back at his career so far, he’s a very effective shooter, but there’s more to his game than that. He has good athleticism and a great IQ and feel for the game.”
