Coaches Show | Photo by Christian Peters | The Wright State Guardian
For the first time since 2019, the Wright State University (WSU) Basketball Coaches Show returned on Monday, Dec. 6 with a live audience at Club Oceano and was live on the radio on WONE 980 AM.
The show featured interviews with Men’s Basketball Head Coach Scott Nagy and starting center Grant Basile and was hosted by the voice of the raiders, Chris Collins, and former WSU Coach Jim Brown.
The show will return for eight more Mondays from 6-7 p.m. starting Dec. 27 and continuing through Feb. 28. The show will feature appearances from Nagy as well as Women’s Basketball Head Coach Kari Hoffman and select players from both basketball teams.
The show on Dec. 6 saw both Nagy and Basile speak on the team’s defensive struggles and individual players that have stood out for the team so far.
Defensive struggles
While the team has looked better recently on the defensive end, for Nagy there is still a long way to go until the team is where it needs to be.
“We’re not good on defense right now. We’re not even close,” Nagy said. “We have the clear knowledge of what needs to get done, it’s just not in our heart. It’s not who we are yet.”
The Raiders’ 2-6 record so far comes from its defensive struggles. The team is the complete opposite on either half of the court, leading the Horizon League in average points per game (PPG) with 75.3, but sitting dead last out of 12 teams in defense, allowing 80 PPG.
This season’s problems are a surprise given the team’s average success on the defensive end in recent years, allowing the Horizon League’s (HL) lowest average PPG in two out of the last four seasons.
For Nagy, the team just hasn’t been playing physically enough and is giving away too many turnovers.
“You turn over the ball twelve times, it doesn’t matter how good you are,” Nagy said. “We’re giving up easy shots, and we’re not physical around the rim.”
From a coaching perspective, success on the defensive end will be the biggest factor for his team this season.
“We’ve got to limit the layups, play physical at the rim, and not allow easy shots,” Nagy said. “Even when you’re not scoring, you rebound, you play defense, you handle the ball well.”
Standout players
For both Nagy and Basile, junior guard Trey Calvin has had a big standout performance for the team so far this season.
“I really appreciate the way he’s played for us,” Nagy said. “He’s been able to get back and play defense, and he can also score.”
Calvin has averaged 21 PPG so far in league play, scoring 14 points against Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW) and a career-high 28 against Cleveland State (CSU)
“He got to the spot and he made a lot of good plays,” Basile said. “He had a tremendous game against both teams.”
Freshman AJ Braun has been a strong new face for WSU, scoring 17 points in his first-ever start against IPFW to secure Wright State the win.
He has struggled on defense so far, but the strong defense will come from a full team effort.
“AJ will be better if our leaders will be better,” Nagy said. “I don’t expect him to be a great defender yet.”
