Wright State Raiders men's basketball


The Wright State Raiders men's basketball is the men's college basketball team that represents Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League at the NCAA Division I level. The Raiders won their only national championship in 1983 as an NCAA Division II school. Wright State has made a total of four NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament appearances, most recently in 2022. The Raiders play their home games at the Nutter Center and are led by head coach Clint Sargent.
WWW wsuraiders.com/sports/men...𝕏 WSU_MBB

History

Wright State first sponsored men's basketball in 1970 under the direction of Coach John Ross. Players from the first team included Doug Meeks, Mark Beilinski, Jerry Butcher, Mark Donahue, Jerry Hecht, John Hildebrand, Chuck Horton, Jim Schellhase, Doug Taylor, Jim Thacker. Mike Zink. Paul Brown, and Gary Webb. Jim Thacker was named the MVP and Chuck Horton, Mark Donahue and John Hildebrand took the foul shooting honors. In 1983, Wright State won the Division II NCAA tournament. Wright State moved to Division I in 1987, and have made NCAA tournament appearances in 1993, 2007, 2018, and 2022.

Marcus Jackson era (1975–1978)

Marcus Jackson took over for John Ross in 1975 and led the Raiders to its first 20-win season and first NCAA tournament appearance.
Jackson had joined Wright State following highly regarded seasons at Coe College and Dartmouth College. His philosophy was up-tempo and high-scoring: "Basketball is a spectator sport and we aim to entertain the people... We will not be robots on the basketball court. We intend to make WSU basketball an exciting sport for all concerned and form a lasting impression on our fans."
After taking some lumps as a young team in 1976–77, by 1977–78 Jackson had his Raiders running hot again, but a losing streak at the end of the season and arguments with the athletic administration brought his tenure to an early end. Jackson's legacy at Wright State was laying a solid foundation that helped to launch the high-flying basketball years that followed.

Ralph Underhill era (1978–1996)

Ralph Underhill was the most successful coach in Wright State history, with a career total of 356 wins, including leading the team to an NCAA Division II National Championship in the 1982–83 season.
In 1999–2000 Israel Sheinfeld playing for the Raiders led the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in field goal percentage, at.543, and in rebounds per game, at 7.7. He was named to the 2000 All-MCC first team. In 2000–2001 he led the conference in two-point field goal percentage, at.595.

Paul Biancardi era (2003–2005)

On April 8, 2003, Wright State announced that Paul Biancardi would be the new head coach. Before coaching Wright State, Biancardi was an assistant at St. Louis, Boston College and Ohio State where he coached under Jim O'Brien. Recognized nationally, Biancardi was named the No. 1 assistant coach in the country by Hoop Scoop Online. In his first season as coach, Wright State finished with a 14–14 record and finished 5th in the Horizon League Standings with a 10–6 conference record and lost to Loyola in the first round of the conference tournament. In the 2004–2005 season Wright State would finish with a 15–15 while finishing 6th in the conference standings with an 8–8 record. During the Horizon League tournament the Raiders would beat Butler in the first round but lost to Detroit in the second round. In 2005–2006, Wright State's final record was 13–15, with an 8–8 conference record they would finish 7th in the standings. The Raiders would once again have an early exit from the Horizon League tournament, losing to UIC in the first round. Despite never having a winning season in the three seasons that Biancardi coached at Wright State, it was his recruiting classes that would set the Raiders up for success in the future. Wright State and Biancardi agreed to part after the NCAA barred him from recruiting for violating rules while he was an assistant at Ohio State. Biancardi's final record at Wright State was 42–44.

Brad Brownell era (2006–2009)

Brad Brownell left his position with UNC Wilmington to take over the head coaching duties at Wright State beginning in the 2006–2007 basketball season. In his first season, Wright State was the regular season Horizon League Champion, going 23–10 overall, and 13–3 in conference play. Their 3 losses were at Youngstown State, at Butler, and at Milwaukee. In an impressive season, Wright State only lost one home game all season, that was a 3-point loss to Bowling Green. In the Horizon League Championship game, Wright State edged Butler 60–55 at the Nutter Center, and secured an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament. They eventually earned a 14 seed, and lost in the first round to the Pittsburgh Panthers.
The next three seasons were not as successful for Brownell as his first. Wright State finished 3rd, 3rd, and 2nd respectfully over the 2007, 2008, and 2009 seasons. However, Brad did lead Wright State to 20-win seasons in each of his four years with the program. After the conclusion of the 2009–2010 season, Brad Brownell left Wright State to take the head coaching job at Clemson University.
Brownell finished his coaching at Wright State officially 84–45 and 49–21 in conference play in 4 completed seasons. More impressively, Brownell finished 58–10 in home contests over his 4-year tenure.

Billy Donlon era (2010–2016)

Billy Donlon took over the Wright State Men's Basketball program in 2010 after the announcement that Brad Brownell would be leaving for Clemson. In the 2012–2013 season, after being projected to finish last in the league, Wright State finished 3rd in the Horizon League, and earned a first round bye in the Horizon League tournament. Wright State would beat Youngstown State in the second round of the tournament to advance to the conference semi-finals where they would play the defending Horizon League tournament champion Detroit. Miles Dixon hit a baseline jumper from behind the backboard as time expired, lifting Wright State into the Horizon League tournament championship game for the first time since the 2009–2010 season. The team went on to lose to Valparaiso in the Horizon League Championship game by 6 points. Wright State was invited to the College Basketball Invitational where they would make it to the semi-finals before losing to eventual tournament champion Tulsa. Billy Donlon also earned the Horizon League Coach of the Year award for Wright State's performance in the 2012–2013 season.
Over his six seasons he accumulated an overall record 109–94 vs DI and non DI competition.

Scott Nagy era (2016–2024)

Following the firing of Billy Donlon after the 2015–2016 season, Wright State hired then South Dakota State University head coach Scott Nagy to head their program. He was the highest paid coach in Raider history with an annual salary of $500k. In Nagy's first season the Raiders went 20–12 and 11–7 in league. The Raiders lost to NKU in the 4/5 match-up in the Horizon League Tournament. The Raiders chose not to participate in postseason play.
In his second season, Nagy's Raiders finished second in the Horizon League regular season with a conference record of 14–4. The Raiders won the Horizon League Tournament and clinched their first NCAA tournament berth since 2007.
His Raiders teams continued to set the standard in the Horizon League reeling off 20 win seasons and returning to the NCAA tournament in 2022. However, his final two seasons were marked by inconsistent play, poor defense and multiple player defections. The frustration seemed to mount with each passing week, culminating with Nagy leaving for the head coaching job at Southern Illinois.

Retired numbers

Wright State has retired one jersey number in its history.

Facilities

The Wright State Raiders currently play their home games at the Ervin J. Nutter Center. Ervin J. Nutter, donated $1.5 million to Wright State University in 1986. Funds from both the state of Ohio and the university contributed an additional $8 million to construction efforts which began in 1988. Completed in 1990, Wright State would host the first event on December 1 where they would defeat Tennessee State 88–66.

Coaches

The Raiders have had 10 coaches. Current head coach Clint Sargent was hired in 2024. Scott Nagy was the head coach from 2016 to 2024. Billy Donlon was the head coach from 2010 to 2016 after Brad Brownell was announced as the new Clemson head coach. Brownell was the second coach to take Wright State to the NCAA tournament following the winningest coach in team history, Ralph Underhill. Underhill coached from 1978 to 1996 and accumulated 356 wins at Wright State and an NCAA DII national championship in the 1982–83 season.

Current coaching staff

Source

Season-by-season records

WSU's records season by season during their Division II tenure.
WSU's records season by season since joining Division I in 1987.
;Notes:

Record vs. Horizon League opponents

Source

Rivalries

Dayton

The Wright State University and University of Dayton series is known as the Gem City Jam. The two universities are located in Dayton, Ohio, only 10 miles apart from each other. Although the two schools no longer compete head to head in men's basketball, they still compete against each other in other sports. The series currently favors Dayton at 5–3. The last meeting was held at the University of Dayton on December 13, 1997; Dayton won 94–63.
DateLocationResult
March 5, 1988DaytonL 71–89
January 6, 1990DaytonW 101–99
December 11, 1993DaytonL 56–83
January 8, 1994Wright StateW 77–65
December 12, 1994Wright StateW 74–53
December 9, 1995DaytonL 80–98
January 9, 1997Wright StateL 63–72
December 13, 1997DaytonL 63–94

Northern Kentucky

The Wright State and Northern Kentucky series began in 1972 where both schools would routinely compete against each other up until 1987 when Wright State moved to division 1. The series would be reignited in 2015 when Northern Kentucky joined the Horizon League. Wright State currently leads the series 32–18.

Other rivals

Although it may not be considered a rivalry, Wright State and Miami (OH) have played a total of 41 times since 1972, with Miami leading the series 22–19.

Postseason

NCAA Division I Tournament history

Wright State has made four appearances in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, with the Raiders going 1–4.
1993No. 16First roundNo. 1 [1992–93 1992–93 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team|Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team|Indiana]L 54–97
2007No. 14First roundNo. 3 PittsburghL 58–79
2018No. 14First roundNo. 3 TennesseeL 47–73
2022No. 16First Four
First round		No. 16 Bryant
No. 1 Arizona		W 93–82
L 70–87

NCAA Division II tournament results

The Raiders have appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament eight times. Their combined record is 12–8. They were the 1983 National Champions.
1976Regional semifinals
Regional Finals		Evansville
Saint Joseph's 		L 75–85
W 72–68
1979Regional semifinals
Regional Finals		Northern Michigan
Saint Joseph's 		L 66–75
L 68–73
1980Regional semifinals
Regional 3rd-place game		Eastern Illinois
Southern Indiana		L 63–74
W 88–85
1981Regional semifinals
Regional 3rd-place game		Northern Michigan
Southern Indiana		L 69–70
W 96–89
1982Regional semifinals
Regional 3rd-place game		Kentucky Wesleyan
Bellarmine		L 71–76 OT
W 87–86
1983Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Elite Eight
Final Four
National Championship		Lewis
Kentucky Wesleyan
Bloomsburg
Cal State Bakersfield
District of Columbia		W 71–57
W 69–67
W 73–53
W 57–50
W 92–73
1985Regional semifinals
Regional Finals		Lewis
Kentucky Wesleyan		W 61–53
L 72–84
1986Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Elite Eight		Kentucky Wesleyan
SIU Edwardsville
Cheyney		W 94–84
W 77–73
L 75–78

NIT results

The Raiders have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament one time. Their record is 0–1.
2019No. 7First roundNo. 2 ClemsonL 69–75

CBI results

The Raiders have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational. Their record is 2–1.
2013First round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals		Tulsa
Richmond
Santa Clara		W 72–52
W 57–51
L 69–81

CIT results

The Raiders have appeared in one CollegeInsider.com Postseason tournament. Their record is 1–1.
2014First round
Second Round		East Carolina
Ohio		W 73–59
L 54–56

National championships

Wright State has won one national championship.
1983Ralph UnderhillDistrict of Columbia92–7328–4

RoundOpponentScore
Regional semifinalsLewis71–57
Regional FinalsKentucky Wesleyan69–67
QuarterfinalsBloomsburg State73–53
Final FourCal State Bakersfield57–50
ChampionshipDistrict of Columbia92–73

Conference championships

Tournament championships

Wright State has four conference tournament championships, most recently in 2022 under coach Scott Nagy. The first championship came in the 1992–93 season under Ralph Underhill. The Raiders have appeared in 8 Horizon League/Midwestern Collegiate championship games, most recently was in 2022. Wright State's first and only appearance in the Mid-Continent Conference championship game resulted in a 94–88 victory over UIC.
1992–93Ralph UnderhillMid-Continent ConferenceUIC94–8820–1010–6
2006–07Brad BrownellHorizon LeagueButler60–5523–1013–3
2017–18Scott NagyHorizon LeagueCleveland State74–5725–914–4
2021–22Scott NagyHorizon LeagueNorthern Kentucky72–7122–1415–7

Awards

AP All-Americans

Denotes Honorable Mention

Division II All-Americans

  • Bob Grote – 1976
  • Rodney Benson – 1981
  • Roman Welch – 1981
  • Gary Monroe – 1983
  • Fred Moore – 1984
  • Andy Warner – 1985
  • Grant Marion – 1986
  • Mark Vest – 1986

Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year

Horizon League Player of the Year

Horizon League Coach of the Year

First-Team All-Mid-Continent Conference

First-Team Horizon League

Raiders in the NBA

Two Wright State alumni have gone on to play in the NBA. They are:

Raiders in NBA G League

Raiders in international leagues