Senior Marques Warrick is on the verge of becoming the all-time leading men’s basketball scorer at Northern Kentucky University. With 2,027 points, he needs 40 more to break Drew McDonald’s record of 2,066 set in 2019.
When he breaks the record, Warrick still won’t be the most well-known person in his family.
If Warrick scores just above his season average of 19 points per game over the next two contests against Oakland and Detroit, he’ll give himself a chance to break the record on Saturday at home in front of friends, family, fans and McDonald, who calls Norse games on radio.
Because of radio, Warrick will be NKU’s all-time leading scorer and he won’t be the most popular man in his family, especially in Belize. No slight intended. Warrick takes it as a compliment.
That’s because Warrick’s grandfather is Tony Wright, a widely recognized KREM radio and television personality in Belize City. He’s known throughout the land as “The Loveable Mr. T.” He hosts three of the top shows on Belize radio including Belizean Beat. He’s the founder and president of the Association for Belizean Artists First, which promotes Belizean roots culture.
Tony Wright’s KREM biography calls him “a singer, songwriter, radio disc jockey, community worker, storyteller and poet.” In 2005, he was honored by the Lord Rhaburn Music Awards for having 39 years of service in the Belize music industry.
When Warrick signed with NKU in 2020, the local newspaper in Belize ran the headline: “Tony Wright’s grandson, Marques Warrick committed to University of Northern Kentucky.”
“He was a DJ in his younger days,” Warrick said. “Now, he’s the top radio host in Belize.”
Warrick’s mother was born in Belize, a small country on the northeastern coast of Central America. Belize is slightly smaller than the state of Massachusetts with a population of about 400,000. It’s the only Central American country with English as the official language, which is why Warrick’s grandfather is so popular with English music listeners outside the country.
Warrick, a Belizean-American, loves going there. He lived in Belize for a year with his mother. It’s like a second home. In his most recent visit in May and in prior visits, he has run basketball clinics at Trinity Methodist Primary School in Kings Park. He has helped with a camp for Belize’s elite U-18 basketball players.
“Mom and dad divorced and I lived there for a year as a baby,” Warrick said. “She’s from Belize but when she was 24, she moved to the U.S. I go back every now and then.”
Warrick’s mother, Therese Wright, is an ordained pastor in Kentucky. Warrick went to high school at Henry Clay, where he’s the all-time leading scorer with 1,909 points.
While Warrick’s mother was growing up, her Belizean-born father was a singer with the Calypso-tinged Joeffrey Gillett and his Cosmonauts. His next gigs were with Morgan and the Impressions and a band called Los Dinners. Wright recorded several singles and albums, including a gospel album and a greatest hits package, and has written many songs for other artists. He has performed at the New York Park Fest. He was the opening act for the Manhattans’ Mother’s Day Concert in Belize City almost 20 years ago.
Because of his heritage on his mother’s side, Warrick has become increasingly more aware of other important people from Belize, including its most famous athletes. This past spring he did a deep dive into Belizean history.
Among the more important athletes with Belizean ancestry are gymnast Simone Biles, the first Belizean player in the history of Major League Baseball Chito Martínez, cyclist Trevon Salazar and Marion Jones, the world champion track and field star and former professional basketball player in the WNBA. Historically, Warrick might be right there with them. It’s thought that he’s the first Belizean college athlete to have signed an NIL (name, image and likeness) endorsement deal.
Warrick was particularly interested in Milt Palacio, a Belizean-American professional basketball player. He played with five teams in seven years in the NBA from 1999 to 2006 and averaged 4.8 points per game in his career.
Right there was proof that a Belizean-American man just like Warrick can achieve the ultimate dream for an aspirational professional basketball player. Palacio was a 6-foot-3 guard during his NBA days. Warrick is a 6-2 guard.
“I think the sky’s the limit for me,” Warrick said. “As long as I put in the work, I can get to the next level. Whatever the best opportunity is, whether it’s here or somewhere else, I’ll take it because of the level of the game.”
And for the love of the game.
Warrick loves playing basketball. He wants to play as long as he can. He knows how hard that’s going to be. McDonald, NKU’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, didn’t pursue a professional basketball career. Just in case, Warrick is majoring in Integrated Studies.
“I think my best skills are I’m a good person, a good friend and a good teammate,” Warrick said. “I’m a winner-above-all person and winning the Horizon League tournament is on the top of my list. I like to think of others first.”
Which is probably why he doesn’t have an awesome nickname like his grandfather. Warrick isn’t the type of person who sits around trying to come up with good nicknames for himself. He’s too busy studying and trying to make his team better. They call him “Ques” but that’s just a shortened version of his first name. The best his teammates have been able to do with nicknames are “Big Shot” and “Quesident” which Warrick is starting to like.
It doesn’t take a memorable nickname to get your name in the record books. It requires an outstanding performance. Warrick’s name is already all over the NKU record books. But he’s about to etch his name at the top of the Norse all-time scoring list, the most hallowed spot in the books. It’s a monumental feat with a great backstory.
Next up: The Loveable Mr. T.
Warrick may never overtake his grandfather in terms of popularity. But he adds to an already rich legacy.
All bets are off if Warrick makes the NBA.
