Michael Wright's death is third to rock Olson's basketball family

In the summer of 1999, Ricky Byrdsong, an assistant basketball coach on Arizona’s 1988 Final Four team,was shot and killed in Skokie, Illinois — a random victim in a hate-crime killing spree. He was 43.

In the summer of 2002, Arizona’s 1991 All-Pac-10 forward Brian Williams (also known as Bison Dele), went missing off the shore of Tahiti. He is believed to have been murdered by his late brother, Miles Dabord. Williams/Dele was 33.

Last week, 35-year-old Michael Wright, a two-time All-Pac-10 power forward, was found dead in an SUV in Brooklyn, N.Y. His death is being investigated as a homicide.

The three tragedies shook Lute Olson’s basketball family. It makes the winning and losing seem insignificant.

“The players called Michael ‘MikeWright,’ as if one word,” remembers Olson’s longtime assistant coach Jim Rosborough. “It really fit. He was so quiet; a man of few words.

“After he made that famous shot at the buzzer to beat No. 1 Stanford (in 2001) we watched game tapes in my hotel room the next day. When we finished, the whole team dog-piled on Michael … he was just lying there, with a big smile on his face. That’s how I’ve remembered him.”

When the UA recruited Wright in Chicago, his mother, Rosa, warned Olson about the dangerous environment where Wright lived. Once, after high school practice, some gang members shot at Wright; the bullet hit his friend in the heel.

Wright chose Arizona over Syracuse and Villanova, although his only recruiting trip was to Tucson.

After leaving Tucson, Wright played all over the map: Spain, France, Turkey, Poland, Iran, South Korea, Israel. He obtained dual citizenship in Turkey and changed his name to Ali Karadeniz. He was well-paid. Over his 13-year pro career, it’s likely Wright/Karadeniz earned a minimum of $300,000 a season.

He never did return to Tucson after the 2001 Final Four season.

“A few years ago, Michael phoned and asked about returning to school and getting his degree,” Rosborough said. “We connected him with the academic support system but he was going to finish his basketball career first.”