Horizon League Championships | Photo by Noah Kindig | The Wright State Guardian
From a 2-7 start to lifting a Horizon League (HL) Trophy in Indianapolis and a slot in March Madness, the 2021-2022 season has been a rollercoaster for Wright State University (WSU) Men’s Basketball.
The Raiders suffered losses off the court and on the court throughout the season, but when needed most, they were able to bounce back with incredible 20-0 and 14-0 runs to win it all.
In the Championship win over the Northern Kentucky Norse (NKU), it came down to a final shot that clanged off the rim for the Norse, with the Raiders taking the championship by one point, 72-71.
“You dream of moments like that, of being in the final possession and being ready to go to the NCAA Tournament,” Tanner Holden, a guard for WSU, said, “I’ve thought about that for years and years and years.”
Calm under pressure
In both the quarterfinal and final game of the HL tournament, the Raiders were losing at halftime, and down by 14 points or more during the second half.
But, the Raiders’ big four of Holden, Tournament MVP Grant Basile, Trey Calvin and Tim Finke were able to trust each other and stay calm during those games, because of the experience they have in high-pressure situations with one another.
“They’ve played a lot of games together, and I would say definitely that’s very valuable, particularly on a night like tonight where they could have panicked and they didn’t,” Scott Nagy, WSU head coach, said.
The four juniors put in 68 of WSU’s 72 points to beat NKU, with Calvin leading the team with 21. Holden and Basile were close behind, sharing the scoring with 19 and 18, respectively.
“We have some really good basketball players,” Basile said, “And we love each other, so sharing the ball like that, it just makes it easier.”
Calvin’s impact was felt throughout the game, not only scoring 15 of WSU’s 32 points in the first half to keep the team within seven at halftime but scoring the final shot of the game to put the Raiders up by one.
“We all know if it wasn’t for him in the first half, we’d be toast,” Nagy said. “We could tell when the game started, he was downhill immediately. He was aggressive.”
Making a team
Early in WSU’s season, the Raiders struggled immensely against their opponents, because of issues both on and off the court.
Several team members, including Nagy, Holden, and Basile lost loved ones during this season. But, the team was able to pull together through those losses to create a championship team.
“[There’s] some sadness, if I were to be honest. Like my dad not being here, Grant’s grandpa, Tanner’s grandpa, AJ’s dad, my son’s grandpa, James’s grandmother, people that were so instrumental in our lives that we didn’t get to share this with,” Nagy said.
For Nagy, the way this team pulled together was because they were always there for each other, even when the play on the court was rough early in the season.
“I watched these guys when we were 2-7, and what they went through,” Nagy said, “They were doing that then.”
The Raiders now await selection Sunday, March 13 to decide who their first opponent in the NCAA Tournament will be.
