Wright State Raiders men's basketball

Summary

The Wright State Raiders men's basketball is the men's college basketball team that represents Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League at the NCAA Division I level. The Raiders won their only national championship in 1983 as an NCAA Division II school. They have made a total of four NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament appearances. The Raiders play their home games at the Nutter Center and are led by head coach Clint Sargent.

Wright State Raiders
2023–24 Wright State Raiders men's basketball team
UniversityWright State University
Head coachClint Sargent (1st season)
ConferenceHorizon League
LocationFairborn, Ohio
ArenaNutter Center
(Capacity: 12,000)
NicknameRaiders
Student sectionRaider Rowdies
ColorsHunter green and vegas gold[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away
Alternate jersey
Team colours
Alternate
NCAA tournament champions
1983*
NCAA tournament Final Four
1983*
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1983*, 1986*
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1983*, 1985*, 1986*
NCAA tournament appearances
1976*, 1979*, 1980*, 1981*, 1982*, 1983*, 1985*, 1986*, 1993, 2007, 2018, 2022
*at Division II level
Conference tournament champions
Mid-Continent Conference
1993
Horizon League
2007, 2018, 2022
Conference regular season champions
Horizon League
2007, 2019, 2020, 2021

History edit

Wright State first sponsored men's basketball in 1970 under the direction of Coach John Ross. Players from the first team included Doug Meeks (Captain), Mark Beilinski, Jerry Butcher, Mark Donahue, Jerry Hecht, John Hildebrand, Chuck Horton, Jim Schellhase, Doug Taylor, Jim Thacker. Mike Zink. Paul Brown, and Gary Webb. Jim Thacker was named the MVP and Chuck Horton, Mark Donahue and John Hildebrand took the foul shooting honors. In 1983, Wright State won the Division II NCAA tournament. Wright State moved to Division I in 1987, and have made NCAA tournament appearances in 1993, 2007, 2018, and 2022.

Marcus Jackson era (1975–1978) edit

Marcus Jackson took over for John Ross in 1975 and led the Raiders to its first 20-win season and first NCAA tournament appearance. Jackson had joined Wright State following highly regarded seasons at Coe College and Dartmouth College. His philosophy was up-tempo and high-scoring: "Basketball is a spectator sport and we aim to entertain the people . . . We will not be robots on the basketball court. We intend to make WSU basketball an exciting sport for all concerned and form a lasting impression on our fans."[2]

After taking some lumps as a young team in 1976–77, by 1977–78 Jackson had his Raiders running hot again, but a losing streak at the end of the season and arguments with the athletic administration brought his tenure to an early end. Jackson's legacy at Wright State was laying a solid foundation that helped to launch the high-flying basketball years that followed. [3]

Ralph Underhill era (1978–1996) edit

Ralph Underhill was the most successful coach in Wright State history, with a career total of 356 wins, including leading the team to an NCAA Division II National Championship in the 1982–83 season.

In 1999–2000 Israel Sheinfeld playing for the Raiders led the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in field goal percentage, at .543, and in rebounds per game, at 7.7.[4] He was named to the 2000 All-MCC first team.[5] In 2000–2001 he led the conference in two-point field goal percentage, at .595.[4]

Paul Biancardi era (2003–2005) edit

On April 8, 2003, Wright State announced that Paul Biancardi would be the new head coach. Before coaching Wright State, Biancardi was an assistant at St. Louis, Boston College and Ohio State where he coached under Jim O'Brien. Recognized nationally, Biancardi was named the No. 1 assistant coach in the country by Hoop Scoop Online. In his first season as coach, Wright State finished with a 14–14 record and finished 5th in the Horizon League Standings with a 10–6 conference record and lost to Loyola (IL) in the first round of the conference tournament. In the 2004–2005 season Wright State would finish with a 15–15 while finishing 6th in the conference standings with an 8–8 record. During the Horizon League tournament the Raiders would beat Butler in the first round but lost to Detroit in the second round. In 2005–2006, Wright State's final record was 13–15, with an 8–8 conference record they would finish 7th in the standings. The Raiders would once again have an early exit from the Horizon League tournament, losing to UIC in the first round. Despite never having a winning season in the three seasons that Biancardi coached at Wright State, it was his recruiting classes that would set the Raiders up for success in the future. Wright State and Biancardi agreed to part after the NCAA barred him from recruiting for violating rules while he was an assistant at Ohio State.[6] Biancardi's final record at Wright State was 42–44.

Brad Brownell era (2006–2009) edit

Brad Brownell left his position with UNC-Wilmington to take over the head coaching duties at Wright State beginning in the 2006–2007 basketball season. In his first season, Wright State was the regular season Horizon League Champion, going 23–10 overall, and 13–3 in conference play. Their 3 losses were at Youngstown State, at Butler, and at Milwaukee. In an impressive season, Wright State only lost one home game all season, that was a 3-point loss to Bowling Green. In the Horizon League Championship game, Wright State edged Butler 60–55 at the Nutter Center, and secured an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament. They eventually earned a 14 seed, and lost in the first round to the Pittsburgh Panthers.

The next three seasons were not as successful for Brownell as his first. Wright State finished 3rd, 3rd, and 2nd respectfully over the 2007, 2008, and 2009 seasons. However, Brad did lead Wright State to 20-win seasons in each of his four years with the program. After the conclusion of the 2009–2010 season, Brad Brownell left Wright State to take the head coaching job at Clemson University.

Brownell finished his coaching at Wright State officially 84–45 and 49–21 in conference play in 4 completed seasons. More impressively, Brownell finished 58–10 in home contests over his 4-year tenure.

Billy Donlon era (2010–2016) edit

Billy Donlon took over the Wright State Men's Basketball program in 2010 after the announcement that Brad Brownell would be leaving for Clemson. In the 2012–2013 season, after being projected to finish last in the league, Wright State finished 3rd in the Horizon League, and earned a first round bye in the Horizon League tournament. Wright State would beat Youngstown State in the second round of the tournament to advance to the conference semi-finals where they would play the defending Horizon League tournament champion Detroit. Miles Dixon hit a baseline jumper from behind the backboard as time expired, lifting Wright State into the Horizon League tournament championship game for the first time since the 2009–2010 season. The team went on to lose to Valparaiso in the Horizon League Championship game by 6 points. Wright State was invited to the College Basketball Invitational where they would make it to the semi-finals before losing to eventual tournament champion Tulsa. Billy Donlon also earned the Horizon League Coach of the Year award for Wright State's performance in the 2012–2013 season.

Over his six seasons he accumulated an overall record 109–94 vs DI and non DI competition.

Scott Nagy era (2016–2024) edit

Following the firing of Billy Donlon after the 2015–2016 season, Wright State hired then South Dakota State University head coach Scott Nagy to head their program. He is the highest paid coach in Raider history with an annual salary of $500k. In Nagy's first season the Raiders went 20–12 and 11–7 in league. The Raiders lost to NKU in the 4/5 match-up in the Horizon League Tournament. The Raiders chose not to participate in postseason play.

In his second season, Nagy's Raiders finished second in the Horizon League regular season (even though they swept #1 seed NKU) with a conference record of 14–4. The Raiders won the Horizon League Tournament and clinched their first NCAA tournament berth since 2007.

His Raiders teams continued to set the standard in the Horizon league reeling off 20 win seasons and returning to the NCAA tournament in 2022. However, his final two seasons were marked by inconsistent play, poor defense and multiple player defections. The frustration seemed to mount with each passing week, culminating with Nagy leaving for the head coaching job at Southern Illinois.

Retired numbers edit

Wright State has retired one jersey number in its history.

Wright State Raiders retired numbers
No. Player Pos. Career Ref.
42 Bill Edwards SF/PF 1989–93 [7]

Facilities edit

The Wright State Raiders currently play their home games at the Ervin J. Nutter Center. Ervin J. Nutter, donated $1.5 million to Wright State University in 1986. Funds from both the state of Ohio and the university contributed an additional $8 million to construction efforts which began in 1988. Completed in 1990, Wright State would host the first event on December 1 where they would defeat Tennessee State 88–66.

Coaches edit

The Raiders have had 10 coaches. Current head coach Clint Sargent was hired in 2024. Scott Nagy was the head coach from 2016 to 2024. Billy Donlon was the head coach from 2010 to 2016 after Brad Brownell was announced as the new Clemson head coach. Brownell was the second coach to take Wright State to the NCAA tournament following the winningest coach in team history, Ralph Underhill. Underhill coached from 1978 to 1996 and accumulated 356 wins at Wright State and an NCAA DII national championship in the 1982–83 season.

Coach Career Overall record Winning %
John Ross 1970–71 to 1974–75 65–54 .546
Marcus Jackson 1975–76 to 1977–78 45–37 .549
Ralph Underhill 1978–79 to 1995–96 356–162 .687
Jim Brown 1996–97 7–20 .259
Ed Schilling 1997–98 to 2002–03 75–93 .446
Paul Biancardi 2003–04 to 2005–06 42–44 .488
Brad Brownell 2006–07 to 2009–10 84–45 .651
Billy Donlon 2010–11 to 2015–16 108–94 .535
Scott Nagy 2016–17 to 2023-24 167–90 .650
Clint Sargent 2024–25 to Present 0–0
NCAA DII Record (1970–1986): 321–145 .689
NCAA DI Record (1987–present): 571–451 .559
Overall Record: 892-596 .579

Current coaching staff edit

Name Position
Clint Sargent Head coach
Dan Beré Assistant coach
Travis Trice Assistant coach
Nick Goff Director of Operations
Tae Gibbs Director of Player Development

Seasons edit

WSU's records season by season during their Division II tenure.

Season Head coach Overall record Conf. Record Standing Postseason
Division II Independent
1970–71 John Ross 7–17
1971–72 John Ross 9–14
1972–73 John Ross 17–5
1973–74 John Ross 17–8
1974–75 John Ross 15–10
1975–76 Marcus Jackson 20–8 NCAA D-II Regional
1976–77 Marcus Jackson 11–16
1977–78 Marcus Jackson 14–13
1978–79 Ralph Underhill 20–8 NCAA D-II Regional
1979–80 Ralph Underhill 25–3 NCAA D-II Regional
1980–81 Ralph Underhill 25–4 NCAA D-II Regional
1981–82 Ralph Underhill 22–7 NCAA D-II Regional
1982–83 Ralph Underhill 28–4 NCAA D-II National champions
1983–84 Ralph Underhill 19–9
1984–85 Ralph Underhill 22–7 NCAA D-II Regional
1985–86 Ralph Underhill 28–3 NCAA D-II Quarterfinals
1986–87 Ralph Underhill 20–8

WSU's records season by season since joining Division I in 1987.

Season Head coach Overall record Conf. Record Standing Postseason
Division I Independent
1987–88 Ralph Underhill 16–11
1988–89 Ralph Underhill 17–11
1989–90 Ralph Underhill 21–7
1990–91 Ralph Underhill 19–9
Mid-Continent Conference
1991–92 Ralph Underhill 15–13 9–7 T–4th
1992–93 Ralph Underhill 20–10 10–6 T–2nd NCAA 1st Round
1993–94 Ralph Underhill 12–18 9–9 T–4th
Midwestern Collegiate Conference
1994–95 Ralph Underhill 13–17 6–8 8th
1995–96 Ralph Underhill 14–13 8–8 T–4th
1996–97 Jim Brown 7–20 5–11 8th
1997–98 Ed Schilling 10–18 3–11 7th
1998–99 Ed Schilling 9–18 4–10 7th
1999–2000 Ed Schilling 11–17 6–8 T–4th
2000–01 Ed Schilling 18–11 8–6 4th
Horizon League
2001–02 Ed Schilling 17–11 8–6 T–4th
2002–03 Ed Schilling 10–18 4–12 T–6th
2003–04 Paul Biancardi 14–14 10–6 T–4th
2004–05 Paul Biancardi 15–15 8–8 T–4th
2005–06 Paul Biancardi 13–15 8–8 T–3rd
2006–07 Brad Brownell 23–10 13–3 T–1st NCAA 1st Round
2007–08 Brad Brownell 21–10 12–6 T–2nd
2008–09 Brad Brownell 20–13 12–6 T–3rd
2009–10 Brad Brownell 20–12 12–6 2nd
2010–11 Billy Donlon 19–14 10–8 T–5th
2011–12 Billy Donlon 13–19 7–11 8th
2012–13 Billy Donlon 21–12 10–6 T–3rd CBI Semi-Finals
2013–14 Billy Donlon 21–15 10–6 3rd CIT 2nd Round
2014–15 Billy Donlon 11–20 3–13 8th
2015–16 Billy Donlon 22–13 13–5 T–2nd
2016–17 Scott Nagy 20–12 11–7 5th
2017–18 Scott Nagy 25–9 14–4 2nd NCAA 1st Round
2018–19 Scott Nagy 21–13 13–5 T–1st NIT 1st Round
2019–20 Scott Nagy 25–7 15–3 1st NIT[a]
2020–21 Scott Nagy 18–6 16–4 T–1st
2021–22 Scott Nagy 22–14 15–7 T–3rd NCAA 1st Round
2022–23 Scott Nagy 18–15 10–10 T–6th
2023–24 Scott Nagy 18–14 13–7 T–3rd
2023–24 Clint Sargent
Notes
  1. ^ No tournaments held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Record vs. Horizon League opponents edit

Opponent Wins Losses Pct. Streak
Cleveland State 42 35 .545 WSU 1
Detroit 36 27 .571 WSU 5
Green Bay 34 33 .507 WSU 2
IUPUI 17 3 .850 WSU 7
Milwaukee 35 31 .530 MIL 1
Northern Kentucky 27 13 .675 WSU 1
Oakland 16 8 .667 OAK 1
UIC 34 30 .531 WSU 2
Youngstown State 49 14 .778 WSU 1

Rivalries edit

Dayton edit

The Wright State University and University of Dayton series is known as the Gem City Jam. The two universities are located in Dayton, Ohio, only 10 miles apart from each other. Although the two schools no longer compete head to head in men's basketball, they still compete against each other in other sports. The series currently favors Dayton at 5–3. The last meeting was held at the University of Dayton on December 13, 1997; Dayton won 94–63.

Date Location Result
March 5, 1988 Dayton L 71–89
January 6, 1990 Dayton W 101–99
December 11, 1993 Dayton L 56–83
January 8, 1994 Wright State W 77–65
December 12, 1994 Wright State W 74–53
December 9, 1995 Dayton L 80–98
January 9, 1997 Wright State L 63–72
December 13, 1997 Dayton L 63–94

Northern Kentucky edit

The Wright State and Northern Kentucky series began in 1972 where both schools would routinely compete against each other up until 1987 when Wright State moved to division 1. The series would be reignited in 2015 when Northern Kentucky joined the Horizon League. Wright State currently leads the series 31–17.

Other rivals edit

Although it may not be considered a rivalry, Wright State and Miami (OH) have played a total of 39 times since 1972, with Miami leading the series 21–18. The Raiders and the RedHawks have played each other most seasons since 1999.

All-time statistical leaders edit

Career leaders edit

Points Scored: Bill Edwards 2,303
Assists: Mark Woods 744
Rebounds: Loudon Love 1,101
Steals: Mark Woods 314

Single-season leaders edit

Points Scored: Bill Edwards 757 (1992)
Assists: Lenny Lyons 259 (1985)
Rebounds: Loudon Love 341 (2018)
Steals: Mark Woods 109 (1992)

Single-game leaders edit

Points Scored: Bill Edwards 45 (1992)
Assists: Lenny Lyons 15 (1986)
Rebounds: Thad Burton 22 (1997)
Steals: Mark Woods 8 (1992)

Postseason edit

NCAA Division I Tournament history edit

Wright State has made four appearances in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, with the Raiders going 1–4.

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1993 No. 16 First round No. 1 Indiana L 54–97
2007 No. 14 First round No. 3 Pittsburgh L 58–79
2018 No. 14 First round No. 3 Tennessee L 47–73
2022 No. 16 First Four
First round
No. 16 Bryant
No. 1 Arizona
W 93–82
L 70–87

NCAA Division II tournament results edit

The Raiders have appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament eight times. Their combined record is 12–8. They were the 1983 National Champions.

Year Round Opponent Result
1976 Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Evansville
Saint Joseph's (IN)
L 75–85
W 72–68
1979 Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Northern Michigan
Saint Joseph's (IN)
L 66–75
L 68–73
1980 Regional semifinals
Regional 3rd-place game
Eastern Illinois
Southern Indiana
L 63–74
W 88–85
1981 Regional semifinals
Regional 3rd-place game
Northern Michigan
Southern Indiana
L 69–70
W 96–89
1982 Regional semifinals
Regional 3rd-place game
Kentucky Wesleyan
Bellarmine
L 71–76 OT
W 87–86
1983 Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Elite Eight
Final Four
National Championship
Lewis
Kentucky Wesleyan
Bloomsburg
Cal State Bakersfield
District of Columbia
W 71–57
W 69–67
W 73–53
W 57–50
W 92–73
1985 Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Lewis
Kentucky Wesleyan
W 61–53
L 72–84
1986 Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Elite Eight
Kentucky Wesleyan
SIU Edwardsville
Cheyney
W 94–84
W 77–73
L 75–78

NIT results edit

The Raiders have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) one time. Their record is 0–1.

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
2019 No. 7 First round No. 2 Clemson L 69–75

CBI results edit

The Raiders have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Their record is 2–1.

Year Round Opponent Result
2013 First round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Tulsa
Richmond
Santa Clara
W 72–52
W 57–51
L 69–81

CIT results edit

The Raiders have appeared in one CollegeInsider.com Postseason tournament (CIT). Their record is 1–1.

Year Round Opponent Result
2014 First round
Second Round
East Carolina
Ohio
W 73–59
L 54–56

National championships edit

Wright State has won one national championship (Division II).

Year Coach Opponent Result Record
1983 Ralph Underhill District of Columbia 92–73 28–4
1982 NCAA DII Tournament Results
Round Opponent Score
Regional semifinals Lewis 71–57
Regional Finals Kentucky Wesleyan 69–67
Quarterfinals Bloomsburg State 73–53
Final Four Cal State Bakersfield 57–50
Championship District of Columbia 92–73

Conference championships edit

Tournament championships edit

Wright State has four conference tournament championships, most recently in 2022 under coach Scott Nagy. The first championship came in the 1992–93 season under Ralph Underhill. The Raiders have appeared in 8 Horizon League/Midwestern Collegiate championship games, most recently was in 2022. Wright State's first and only appearance in the Mid-Continent Conference championship game resulted in a 94–88 victory over UIC.

Season Coach Conference Opponent Score Overall Record Conference Record
1992–93 Ralph Underhill Mid-Continent Conference UIC 94–88 20–10 10–6
2006–07 Brad Brownell Horizon League Butler 60–55 23–10 13–3
2017–18 Scott Nagy Horizon League Cleveland State 74–57 25–9 14–4
2021–22 Scott Nagy Horizon League Northern Kentucky 72–71 22–14 15–7

Regular season championships edit

Season Coach Overall Record Conference Record
2006–07 Brad Brownell 23–10 13–3
2018–19 Scott Nagy 21–14 13–5
2019–20 Scott Nagy 25–7 15–3
2020–21 Scott Nagy 18–6 16–4

Awards edit

AP All-Americans edit

(*) Denotes Honorable Mention

Division II All-Americans edit

  • Bob Grote – 1976
  • Rodney Benson – 1981
  • Roman Welch – 1981
  • Gary Monroe – 1983
  • Fred Moore – 1984
  • Andy Warner – 1985
  • Grant Marion – 1986
  • Mark Vest – 1986

Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year edit

Horizon League Player of the Year edit

Horizon League Coach of the Year edit

First-Team All-Mid-Continent Conference edit

  • Bill Edwards (1992, 1993)
  • Mark Woods (1993)
  • Mike Nahar (1994)

First-Team Horizon League edit

Raiders in the NBA edit

Two Wright State alumni have gone on to play in the NBA. They are:

Raiders in NBA G League edit

Raiders in international leagues edit

  • Israel Sheinfeld (born 1976) – Israeli basketball player who played in the Israel Basketball Premier League and on the Israeli national basketball team.
  • DaShaun Wood (Germany, France), Vaughn Duggins (France), N’Gai Evans (Macedonia), Cooper Land (Norway), Jesse Deister (Germany), Mike Nahar (Holland), Vernard Hollins (France), Todd Brown (Austria), Cory Cooperwood (Finland), Scottie Wilson (Latvia), Zach Williams (France), Thad Burton (France), Delme Herriman (England), Inus Norville (Cyprus), Cain Doliboa (France), Bruno Petersons (Latvia), Seth Doliboa (Developmental League), Matt Vest(Germany), Cole Darling (Sweeden), AJ Pacher (Italy), Michael Karena (Spain).[9]

References edit

  1. ^ Wright State Athletics Brandbook (PDF). July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  2. ^ "Wright State University Basketball Press Book 1975-76". Wright State University Athletics. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  3. ^ "Archdeacon: Marcus Jackson, first coach to lead Wright State to 20-win season, NCAA tourney, dies at 82". Dayton Daily News. 5 September 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Israel Sheinfeld College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  5. ^ "Chad Angeli Named to the All-MCC Men's Basketball First Team". Milwaukee Athletics. March 1, 2000.
  6. ^ "Biancardi departs Wright State by 'mutual agreement'". Sports.espn.go.com. March 14, 2006. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  7. ^ Edwards bio at Wright State
  8. ^ "Horizon League Unveils 2022-23 #HLMBB All-League Awards". Horizon League. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  9. ^ "Wright State Record Book" (PDF). Wright State Athletics. Retrieved September 22, 2023.

External links edit

  • Official website