One-on-one with Marquette transfer forward Zach Wrightsil
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- CBS 58's Darius Joshua sits down with one of the newest members of the Marquette Golden Eagles Basketball team.
Wrightsil is a transfer from Loyola, an NAIA school in New Orleans. The Texas native was the 2021 NAIA player of the year helping lead the Wolfpack to a national title.
They discuss what brought him to Marquette, how he has been adjusting to the team, modeling his game after Dwyane Wade, and what he can bring to the team.
Wrightsil is Loyola's all-time leader in points, rebounds, assists and second in steals.
Marquette men's basketball coach Shaka Smart gave his thoughts on Zach at a recent practice.
"He's a winner. He makes winning plays. He affects winning on the offensive and defensive ends," says Smart. "We need winning contributions, we need competitive character on our team and he definitely brings that."
"I would definitely advise anyone following our team, watch how much better Zach is in November in October. Then, watch how much better he is in December than he was in November, and so on. He's going to keep getting better as he gets accustomed to this level," added Smart.
During the practice, Zach gave a shoutout to his wings, including his roommate, Olivier-Maxence Prosper. They all think they are making each other better.
"He's a guy that's just gonna go out there and give everything he has on both ends. And that's what we need. We need that toughness, that fire," said Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Marquette junior forward. "I feel like he's going to be a big key to our success this year."
"I never wanted to play defense more than when I met Zach," said David Joplin, Marquette sophomore forward. "Having him back there makes you want to guard more, makes you want to press up more, get in your stance more. He's everywhere. He's a defensive anchor for sure."
Marquette opens the season at Fiserv Forum on Monday, Nov. 7 against Radford at 7:30 p.m.
Watch the full interview from a Marquette open practice below.