He’s paid close attention to the fortunes of the Cubs, Bears, Bulls and White Sox.

A fan of all things Chicago except maybe deep dish pizza – “I’m more into beef, like gyros,” he said – the Kansas University sophomore forward looked perplexed when asked what he missed the most about his hometown.

“That’s a tough one … I’d say shopping,” Wright said.

Shopping?

“I didn’t do much of it, but it’s a lot better than shopping in Kansas, no disrespect,” Wright cracked. “Niketown, Downtown, anywhere. Bundle up and go.”

Wright, a 6-foot-8 McDonald’s All-American out of Homewood-Flossmoor High and proud Second Citian, admitted he was curious how he’d be treated by the fans during today’s homecoming game – a 1 p.m. nonconference contest between KU (6-1) and DePaul (2-4) in Allstate Arena in suburban Rosemont, Ill.

“It’s definitely a good thing to play back home. Hopefully I’ll get a good reception from the crowd. Hopefully it won’t be too bad,” Wright said. “DePaul was on my list of schools. They were recruiting me at a time. We’ll see how that goes.

“Kansas travels well,” he quickly added. “Maybe a lot of people will be defending.”

Wright, who is a former summer AAU teammate of DePaul freshman Will Walker, said he had heard “how maybe some Illini (fans) will be there (to jeer him).”

Remember, Wright also considered state school University of Illinois in recruiting.

“Once the game starts you’ve got to have blinders on and only worry about the game,” said Wright, who is averaging 12.9 points and 9.1 boards a game. “I hear a lot of reports about a lot of Illini are not happy about it (his decision to attend KU).

“Every player … we are human beings, we make decisions. We are not fulfilling a fan base’s prophecy. We’re trying to do what is best for us and our family.”

The U of I has lost a lot of in-state products of late, including KU freshman guard Sherron Collins, Michigan State junior Shannon Brown and Shaun Livingston, who committed to Duke as a Peoria, Ill., prep senior, but headed straight to the NBA.

“There are a lot of factors. It’s almost a chain reaction,” Wright said. “A lot of guys are starting to leave their home states and play for other schools. I think staying close to home is not as big a factor as it was in the past.

“I’ve not been big on that in terms of representing your state. You represent your family and the people you know and do what is best for you. DePaul and Illinois were on my list of schools. It’s because I was interested in the schools, coaches and players, not because it was in state.”

Wright said he became comfortable with KU coach Bill Self when Self coached at Illinois and ultimately chose the Jayhawks without even making a campus visit to Lawrence.

“He moved to Kansas, and I started thinking about Kansas as well,” Wright indicated.

Today he is hoping for a victory over Big East Conference school DePaul, which is off to a 2-4 start with wins over Eastern Illinois and Chaminade and losses to Kentucky and Purdue at the Maui Invitaitonal as well as Bradley and Northwestern.

“I’ve seen Chandler play before. He’s really good,” Wright said of 6-8 soph Wilson Chandler, who leads the Demons with a 15.0 scoring average and 6.3 rebound mark. Senior guard Sammie Mejia contributes 13.3 points and 5.8 boards.

“I’m familiar with some of their guys just being around. I watched ’em in Maui. They have a program that has been tested in the Big East. They have played many big games. It’s not like we are going in there and not giving them respect they deserve. They will play good ball and be a good nonconference opponent for us.”

Wright and fellow Chicagoan Collins, a freshman out of Crane High, will have a dozen or more friends and family members in the stands.

“In some respects yes,” coach Self said, asked if Wright and Collins were the reason the game was scheduled. “It’s good they get to go home to play before their families. I’m sure they’ll be very excited. Also it’s good to go play in an area we’ll continue to try to recruit against a strong Big East team. It serves a great purpose to play a home and home with them.”

For Wright and Collins, a victory is vital.

“Gotta get a win. Got to get the ‘W’ back home,” he said.