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Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 | News worth knowing
Wright State Guardian

202212-MensBBall12_30-47

Men’s Basketball Prepares for Davidson

Men's Basketball recap vs. UIC | Photo by Christian Peters | The Wright State Guardian


After a program-defining 2021-22 season, Wright State men’s basketball will try to do it all again with a new roster facing off against the Davidson Wildcats on Nov. 9.

Preseason preparation

Head coach Scott Nagy explained that the team has been working since the summer, bringing in transfer players and providing a chance to mesh with the older players. The Horizon League preseason poll placed the returning champions third, making the team even hungrier for success. 

“There's a level of desperation coming off a pretty good year last year and how it finished. It would be easy to be satisfied, but I think there's a pretty good level of hunger and desperation that I like to see from our team,” Nagy said.

New faces

After the team’s success in the HL and the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, several Raiders transferred up to bigger schools. Nagy reached out to previously contacted players, filling out the roster with talent from other schools.

“A couple guys transferred from last year, so people are kind of writing us off this year. So, our job this year is to prove people wrong and be the best that we can be,” Amari Davis, a transfer from the University of Missouri, said.

Davis attended Trotwood-Madison High School in the Dayton area, leading the local school to a state championship. Davis has played against Wright State while playing for fellow HL school Green Bay but will now play much closer to home.

“Just to be in the backyard, it feels good. I’m gonna have a lot of people in the stands rooting for me and the team,” Davis said.

Davis fills the spot that guard Tanner Holden left after transferring to Ohio State University. The head coach commented on Davis’s abilities on the court.

“He’s a tremendous mid-range player,” Nagy said, “I mean, there aren't really many guys that can shoot the percentage he shoots from the floor with as many mid-range jump shots as he takes, but he's very good at it.”

Nagy also brought in a 6-foot-9 transfer from Evansville, Blake Sisley, who was on the Missouri Valley’s all-freshman team. When paired along with C.J. Wilbourn and Brandon Noel, Sisley gives the Raiders options in the paint.

“We have a lot of guys this year, a lot of good options. We're all competing for the same spot ultimately, but we work well together, and we have great chemistry,” Sisley said.

Finally getting to play

In Nagy’s opinion, one of the most talented players on the roster could be forward Noel, despite having never played any college basketball. Injuries and redshirts kept Noel out of the game for two years. The forward can play a personal first game in November.

“He’s in an unusual situation of being a junior in college and a freshman in college basketball who hasn't played a minute, but you know, might be the most talented guy on our team and doesn't really know it yet,” Nagy said.

For Noel, watching players like Loudon Love and Grant Basile in those redshirted two years has provided learning opportunities about the mental parts of the game and how to translate that into a personal style of play.

“It's interesting though, to see the two years of me sitting out how much I can learn,” Noel said. “I can translate that physically because I know more, I know what I’m supposed to do.”

The first few games will be nerve-racking for Noel after having to wait so long to play, but the redshirt freshman will trust the process.

“And it's going to be a learning process, you know, especially when I put that jersey on for the first time. I think I've had a lot of time to prepare for this, and we still have more time together,” Noel said.

With size and talent, Noel could be a big asset for the Raiders in and outside the paint.

“We're trying to convince him of that, but you know, he's 6-foot-8, 235 [pounds], moves like a guard and can shoot it and I mean, there's really not much he can't do. I think the big deal for him is going to be confidence,” Nagy said.

The first Raider basketball game is at home in the Nutter Center on Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. Viewers can also stream the game on ESPN+.



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