When coaching at a men’s basketball program that regularly participates in the Final Four, job security is typically not a huge concern. But when coaching at the mid-major level, survival can be difficult.
Wright State head coach Billy Donlon has seen this first hand all in the last year. After the Raiders reached their second straight Horizon League title game a year ago, the rumor mill swirled about Donlon making the leap to a major program like his predecessor Brad Brownell did in 2010.
However, after WSU had an 11-20 record, the rumors started again, this time whether Donlon would be let go after five years as head coach at WSU. Now that the dust has settled from the 2014-15 season, it appears Donlon will be back to coach his sixth season with the Raiders.
“This last year was heartbreaking,” Donlon said. “As players, as coaches, we have to start all over now. We have to rebuild confidence in all those other things with our kids.
“There have been people who haven’t wanted me to be coach for a couple years now,” Donlon added. “You go to back-to-back championship games for the first time in your school’s history, you win 44 games, which is tied for the most in school history and the other time you were the assistant for it, but when you have a season like we had, you’re going to have people who don’t want you to be coach.”
While three elite basketball programs, whose coaches have been at their post for a combined 71 years, are trying to figure out a way to beat Kentucky this weekend in the Final Four, Donlon is out on the recruiting trail.
It is a trail that allows Donlon to look towards the future rather than dwell on he past. The Raiders were among the first teams in the nation to have their season end over three weeks ago.
“This will be the easiest season I have ever been associated with, coach or player, to put behind me,” Donlon said. “We didn’t have a good year because we were injured.”
In retrospective, the season had two notable downturns, according to Donlon.
“The first was Oakland on the road with Kendall (Griffin’s) season ending (concussion),” Donlon said about the Raiders’ overtime loss after WSU led by double figures. “None of the top teams went to Oakland and won. There was no doubt in my mine we were going to win.
“Then we had three straight home games and then we had a car accident with Joe Thomasson and Chrishawn Hopkins,” Donlon added, as both players missed a few games with a head injury from the accident. “The only guy who had any experience was Reggie. That home stand was going to be significant on whether we could finish fourth or fifth or finish where we did.”
Despite going 11-20 during the season, the NCAA Tournament is a reminder of the promise the season began with for the Raiders. WSU twice beat Belmont in the non-conference. Belmont went on to win the Ohio Valley Conference and came close to upsetting Virginia in its tournament opener.
With summer approaching, WSU’s focus not only shifts into recruiting and developing talent, but putting together a non-conference schedule. Donlon said this is once again going to be a challenge as the Raiders were only able to draw three Division I home games into the Nutter Center last year during the non-conference.
Currently, WSU has two games scheduled out of the Horizon League in the Nutter Center this fall. The Raiders will host Bowling Green and Charleston Southern. Donlon is hoping to add a few more opponents to the home part of the non-conference.
Highlighting the 2015-16 schedule will be a visit to Rupp Arena, as the Raiders will take on Kentucky.
