Loyola Basketball
Zach Wrightsil wasted little time establishing himself as a star upon his arrival at Loyola University in 2018. As a freshman point guard, he averaged 18.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game on route to being named first-team all-conference and an honorable mention All-American. Partnering with classmate Myles Burns, Wrightsil and the Wolf Pack won 22 games, advancing to the second round of the NAIA Men’s Basketball Championship.
James J. Corbett Awards
Wrightsil and Burns would continue to improve each year, as did the Wolf Pack. That improvement culminated with Loyola winning the NAIA National Championship, its first in 77 years.
In addition to the team accomplishments, the 6-7 Wrightsil was recognized as the NAIA National Player of the Year and a First-Team All-American after averaging 18.7 points (on 62 percent shooting), 8.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He is also the first Loyola athlete to earn the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s Corbett Award as the top amateur athlete in the state of Louisiana.
"I'm honored to receive such a prestigious award,” Wrightsil said. “This year has been a roller coaster and I'm happy to see all of the hard work pay off. I would like to thank my family and friends for supporting me all year and the Allstate Sugar Bowl for considering me for this award.”
“This speaks to what a high character young man that Zach Wrightsil is,” said Brett Simpson, the director of athletics at Loyola. “He was a leader on the court and in the classroom for us. It was special to watch Zach and his teammates walk across the stage as champions and receive their degrees from Loyola. From our department's perspective, our student athletes, coaches, and staff live the Jesuit ideal of ‘pursuing excellence’ every day. It’s our mantra. They have achieved so much that many people probably thought would never happen at Loyola and they deserve a ton of credit for that. I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to work with them every day.”
Wrightsil was named SSAC Player of the Week six times this season, while also earning SSAC Player of the Year and First-Team All-Conference honors. He set the Loyola record for most points (709) and rebounds (334) in a single-season and he also completed his career as Loyola’s all-time leader in points (2,104), rebounds (1,065) and assists (480) while ranking second in steals and fifth in blocks. A Texas product, Wrightsil scored a team-high 19 points (on 8-of-12 shooting) to go with 12 rebounds, four assists and five steals in the NAIA National Championship game.
“It feels incredible [to bring a national championship to Loyola and New Orleans],” Wrightsil told WDSU-TV after the monumental victory. “It feels like we cemented ourselves in history forever. Seventy-plus years in the making, this is an incredible moment. I’m going to remember this for the rest of my life.
“It was incredible to trust our work, trust ourselves, and focus on our goal that we set on day one – to come out here and win a championship.”
Prior to winning the championship game, Loyola coach Stacy Hollowell told Nola.com, “For me personally it would be a culmination of a vision I had four years ago when I brought those two guys [Wrightsil and Burns] here. I remember working as a red coat (volunteer official) at the (NAIA) national tournament in 2017-2018 and showing one of (my fellow coaches) a video and saying, ‘These two guys are going to change our program.’ And they did.”
Wrightsil will close out his collegiate eligibility in 2022-23 playing for Marquette University.
Corbett Award Candidates, 2021-22