After Wright State dropped its third straight home game Monday and winning only one of its last six contests, coach Billy Donlon said a little frustration from his suddenly young team could be a good thing.
Donlon’s squad played without JT Yoho and Steven Davis for the fifth straight game on Monday. It was also the first game after senior guard Kendall Griffin had his career end after taking a concussion against Oakland on Jan. 28.
Six out of Wright State’s eight players who had more than 10 minutes Monday are in their first Division I season. After WSU (11-12, 3-6) took a 71-58 loss at the hands of UW-Green Bay (18-5, 7-2), Donlon talked to his team at length in the locker room.
“A little frustration isn’t bad,” Donlon said. “Failure is how you grow, failure is how you improve. Not a whole lot of people grow from success. Michael Jordan got better because he couldn’t beat the Pistons. He was already phenomenal, but he took it to another level when he failed against the Pistons.”
Donlon wants his squad to use its failure to win in recent weeks as motivation going into March and the postseason.
“Some frustration at times is okay, it is not okay when it leads to lack of team commitment, lack of team togetherness, lack of confidence and those kind of things,” Donlon said.
Wright State senior guard Chrishawn Hopkins said after Monday’s loss that frustration has not been an issue for his younger teammates.
“Everybody is pretty upbeat about continuing being able to play and our record is not really a reflection of who we are,” Hopkins said. “We are still a good team, we still have good players, we just need to keep bringing it every night.”
Davis makes first start
Wright State freshman forward Roderick Davis made his first collegiate start Monday after scoring a career-high 17 points versus Oakland on Jan. 28.
Going against a squad that started three players at 6-foot-7 or taller, Donlon opted to use his 6-foot-8 freshman for 28 minutes of Monday’s contest. Despite only scoring four points Monday, Donlon was pleased with his effort.
“Right now with the depth being what it is, it is not about trust but about putting yourself in the best position to win the game against that opponent,” Donlon said about starting Davis. “I thought he got better. He is still learning how to post up and get position.”
Arceneaux closes in on 1,000
Wright State senior point guard Reggie Arceneaux is six points from scoring his 1,000th career point after the Raiders’ contest versus Green Bay Monday.
Arceneaux is looking to be the first Raider to join the 1,000-point club since Vaughn Duggins did so in 2010. Duggins was the 28th player in program history to score 1,000 points in a WSU uniform.
Arceneaux scored nine points in the Raiders’ loss versus Green Bay. Arceneaux is averaging over six points a game in his final season for Wright State.
Up next for Wright State
The Raiders travel to Cleveland State Saturday looking to win their fourth in a row over the Vikings away from the Nutter Center. The Raiders dropped a 55-50 decision to the Vikings on Jan. 14 in the Nutter Center when Dunbar High School alum Andre Yates hit a 3 in the final minute.
Cleveland State is one of four teams in the Horizon League with just two losses. The Raiders should be the more rested team in Saturday’s contest as Cleveland State hosts Youngstown State this evening.
