Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Prep basketball star transfers to Cheyenne

Michael Cutright

Heather Cory

Akeem Ogaldez, left, covers Michael Cutright, right, during a Cimarron-Memorial basketball practice last year. Cutright, a Northwestern State University recruit, recently transferred to Cheyenne.

Mike Cutright

One of the leading scorers in the city last year, Michael Cutright, right, transferred to Cheyenne from Cimarron-Memorial last week. Launch slideshow »

One of Southern Nevada's top basketball players now calls a different gym home.

Mike Cutright, who led Southern Nevada with 28.8 points a game for Cimarron-Memorial as a junior last season, has transferred to Cheyenne.

Cutright's first day of school at Cheyenne was Nov. 17 and he has already started practicing with the Desert Shields. Earlier this month, he signed a letter of intent to play for Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La., next year.

Cutright, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound shooting guard, said he changed high schools because of Cheyenne's academic programs and at the request of his mother.

"A lot of people will think I'm doing it for basketball, but I already have a college scholarship," Cutright said. "It doesn't have anything to do with basketball. It was my mom's decision. She was like 'I think you should go to Cheyenne,' and I was like 'Okay.' She set everything up.'"

Cutright said another perk of joining Cheyenne was the opportunity to play with his friend, Cheyenne guard Elijah Johnson, who has signed to play for Kansas.

"I'm not trying to come in and take anyone's spot, but I will still be a leader because that's what I am naturally," he said. "Everyone is picking us as a top team coming in, but there is more we have to do before we get there. We've been working really hard in practice to get everything we need done."

Cutright, who did not change living addresses, believes he will be eligible to play for Cheyenne immediately because Cheyenne is an Empowerment School.

Cheyenne is the first Empowerment School in Southern Nevada. Empowerment Schools have additional funds and programs that typical public schools don't have and school administrators have more freedom in determining curriculum, District Athletic Director Ray Mathis said.

However, Mathis said the athletic eligibility requirements regarding students transferring to Empowerment Schools are still being debated, and he wasn't positive of Cutright's eligibility at Cheyenne as of Tuesday.

"No determination has been made from the athletic office," Mathis said. "I do know through the grapevine this particular student has transferred. But any time a student athlete transfers from one school to another, there has to be transfer eligibility paperwork if he is to play. But to my knowledge, we've received no paperwork from either the receiving school or the previous school."

Cutright previously lived in Zwolle, La., with his father Michael Cutright, a former professional player with the Denver Nuggets. But when the family's home was ravaged by Hurricane Rita along with the rest of the small town, Cutright relocated to Las Vegas to live with mother prior to his sophomore year. He was named an all-state selection last season.

Christopher Drexel can be reached at 990-8929 or [email protected].

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy