Wikipedia

1996–97 Wright State Raiders men's basketball team

The 1996–97 Wright State Raiders men's basketball team represented Wright State University in the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season led by head coach Jim Brown.

1996–97 Wright State Raiders men's basketball
Conference MCC
Record7–20 (5–11 MCC)
Head coach
  • Jim Brown (1st season)
Assistant coaches
  • Jim Ehler
  • Jack Butler
Home arenaNutter Center
Seasons
1996–97 Midwestern Collegiate Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Butler † 12 – 4   .750 23 – 10   .697
Detroit Mercy 11 – 5   .688 16 – 13   .552
Illinois-Chicago 11 – 5   .688 15 – 14   .517
Wisconsin–Green Bay 10 – 6   .625 14 – 14   .500
Loyola–Chicago 7 – 9   .438 12 – 15   .444
Northern Illinois 6 – 10   .375 12 – 15   .444
Cleveland State 6 – 10   .375 9 – 19   .321
Wright State 5 – 11   .313 7 – 20   .259
Wisconsin–Milwaukee 4 – 12   .250 8 – 20   .286
† 1997 MCC tournament winner

Offseason

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Following a disappointing first-round tournament loss, the 1996 offseason was a difficult one for the Raiders program.

Coach Underhill vs. President Flack

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University president Dr. Harley Flack had made his displeasure with head coach Ralph Underhill widely known. This was contemporarily reported to include ultimatums of suspension or firing if the coach received technical fouls, and interference with contract negotiations. [1] [2] Dr. Flack pointedly stopped attending basketball games. [3] His annual briefings to the athletic department called for more diversity, which was understood to be directed at the basketball coaching staff. [4] Coach Underhill later claimed in the press that Flack required athletic director Mike Cusack to interview black basketball players specifically looking for any racial animus. [5]

In coach Underhill’s new contract were specific performance and behavioral expectations. Dr. Flack had made it clear that he expected that the program become a top 50 program [6] and the contract stipulated Wright State should be in the top 150 in RPI within two years.[7] This was an ambitious goal for a fledgling NCAA Division I program in a competitive conference. The fact that if Underhill hadn’t created such a competitive basketball program Flack would never have conceived of that level of success was lost on nobody.

Division I growing pains

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The Raiders program at this time was under particular strain because it did not have a full time strength and conditioning coach or a full time academic advisor, or even a full time secretary. [8] The beautiful new arena lacked dedicated locker room or workout space specifically for the basketball teams, leading to awkward sharing of equipment and space with other teams, other Nutter Center functions, and the student body. Having grown from a Division II program, few administrative adjustments had been made to accommodate the competitive demands of Division I. The coaching staff tried to pick up the slack. [9]

Vitaly Potapenko

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President Flack made an ultimatum to star center Vitaly Potapenko that he would have only one more chance to pass the English as a second language exam or face expulsion. Potapenko had a “B” average and had come very close to passing the exam on his last attempt. [10] Flack had been critical of Potapenko previously, including threatening Potapenko with consequences for perceived academic shortcomings. [11] [12] Potapenko was expected to return for his senior season, [13] but a suspension would have meant missing a year of basketball.

Potapenko entered the NBA draft as an undergraduate and was selected 12th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Players Leaving

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Guard Rick Martinez had left before the end of the previous season, starting a series of roster dominoes. Bilaal Neal had left the team with an illness, and junior college swingman Johnnie Blake again promised to join the roster but did not do so for the second year.

Guard Terrance Cast asked out of his scholarship complaining about lack of playing time.[14] Forward Thad Burton also asked for release, but in the end did not leave the school.[15]

New Recruits

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Recruits included junior college forward Mark Oliver,[16] guard Mike Richardson, guard John Sivesind,[17] forward De'Andre Shepard, forward Lequient Lewis,[18] and forward Ryan Grose.[19]

Walk-ons Steve Yeagle,[20] and Anthony Brown rounded out the recruiting class.

Coaching Change

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On November 11, head coach Ralph Underhill attended the MCC preseason media event in Indianapolis. Upon returning home he was arrested for shoplifting at a local grocery store. [21] Four days later he was fired, an event that quickly became a media circus. [22][23][24][25]

Long time assistant coach Jim Brown took over as head coach to lead the very young Raiders team into what many thought was the most difficult schedule the team had yet faced.

Aftermath

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Coach Jim Brown and his staff were let go at the end of the season. [26]

Coach Brown had been with the program since it began varsity play in 1970. The University of Dayton grad had become a Raider and was inducted into the Raider’s Hall of Fame in 2009.[27] Brown became the Northmont high school basketball coach in 1997 had a very successful 16 season tenure. Following this he joined the Wright State Raiders radio broadcast team as color commentator. [28]

Roster

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1996–97 Wright State Raiders men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 20 Rob Welch 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Sr Wayne Trace Haviland, OH
F 40 Mike Conner 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Malden Boston, MA
G 23 Eric Ramsey 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Carroll Dayton, OH
G 24 Derek Watkins 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Valley View Germantown, OH
F 33 Mark Oliver 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Central (KS) CC Orlando, FL
F 43 Thad Burton 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr St. Charles Prep Columbus, OH
F 44 Steno Kos 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr St. Catherine JC Klosterneuburg
G 1 Keion Brooks 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 160 lb (73 kg) So North Side Ft. Wayne, IN
F 31 Anthony Brown 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Beavercreek Beavercreek, OH
G 22 Mike Richardson 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Fr Scott County High Georgetown, KY
F 25 Steve Yeagle 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Minford Minford, OH
G 32 John Sivesind 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Roosevelt Sioux Falls, SD
F 34 De'Andre Shepard 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Oak Park Oak Park, MI
F 35 Lequient Lewis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Pershing Detroit, MI
F 45 Ryan Grose   6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Norwalk Norwalk, OH
Head coach
  • Jim Brown
Assistant coach(es)

Jim Ehler, Jack Butler

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

[29]

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
Nov 30, 1996*
 Thomas More W 97-59  1–0
 Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Dec 9, 1996*
 at No. 6 Kentucky L 62–90  1–1
 Rupp Arena (23,127)
Lexington, Kentucky
Dec 11, 1996*
 Bowling Green L 63-90  1-2
 Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Dec 14, 1996*
 Miami (OH) L 58-89  1–3
 Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH 
Dec 16, 1996*
 at No. 18 Louisville L 57-65  1–4
 Freedom Hall 
Louisville, Kentucky
Dec 18, 1996*
 at Ohio L 59-74  1–5
 Convocation Center 
Athens, Ohio
Dec 21, 1996*
 Toledo L 71-74  1–6
 Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Dec 28, 1996*
 Western Michigan W 68-58  2–6
 Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH 
Dec 30, 1996*
 at Youngstown State L 63-69  2-7
 Beeghly Center 
Youngstown, Ohio
Jan 2, 1997
 at Detroit Mercy L 62–73  2-8
(0–1) 		Calihan Hall 
Detroit, MI
Jan 4, 1997
 at Cleveland State L 76-79  2-9
(0–2) 		CSU Convocation Center 
Cleveland, OH
Jan 6, 1997
 Wisconsin–Green Bay W 79-72  3-9
(1–2) 		Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Jan 9, 1997*
 Dayton
Gem City Jam 		L 63-72  3-10
 Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Jan 11, 1997
 Northern Illinois L 55-56  3-11
(1–3) 		Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Jan 16, 1997
 Illinois-Chicago L 56-64  3-12
(1–4) 		Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Jan 18, 1997
 at Wisconsin–Milwaukee L 60-61  3-13
(1–5) 		MECCA Arena 
Milwaukee, WI
Jan 23, 1997
 at Loyola–Chicago L 72-91  3-14
(1–6) 		Gentile Event Center 
Chicago, IL
Jan 25, 1997
 Butler W 65-62  4–14
(2–6) 		Nutter Center (5,367)
Fairborn, OH
Jan 30, 1997
 Detroit Mercy L 63–65  4-15
(2–7) 		Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Feb 1, 1997
 Cleveland State L 71-74  4-16
(2–8) 		Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Feb 4, 1997
 at Illinois-Chicago L 59-66  4-17
(2–9) 		UIC Pavilion 
Chicago, IL
Feb 8, 1997
 at Northern Illinois W 77-73  5-17
(3–9) 		Chick Evans Field House 
DeKalb, IL
Feb 13, 1997
 Wisconsin–Milwaukee W 75-55  6-17
(4–9) 		Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Feb 20, 1997
 at Wisconsin–Green Bay L 49-69  6-18
(4–10) 		Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena 
Green Bay, WI
Feb 22, 1997
 at Butler L 57-75  6-19
(4–11) 		Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,036)
Indianapolis, IN
Feb 24, 1997
 Loyola–Chicago W 56-54  7-19
(5–11) 		Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Midwestern Collegiate Tournament
Feb 28, 1997
 (8) (9) Wisconsin–Milwaukee
First Round 		L 70-81  7-20
 Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.

Source[30]

Awards and honors

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Keion Brooks MVP
Rob Welch Raider Award
Keion Brooks First Team MCC

[30]

Statistics

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Number Name Games Average Points Assists Rebounds
21 Keion Brooks 27 14.6 393 125 127
32 John Sivesind 27 10.3 278 54 85
33 Mark Oliver 25 8.8 221 27 108
20 Rob Welch 25 7.4 184 74 56
22 Mike Richardson 27 6.6 178 43 37
44 Steno Kos 27 5.6 151 10 73
43 Thad Burton 23 5.3 123 11 102
35 Lequient Lewis 23 3.5 92 13 73
40 Mike Conner 13 4.0 52 5 35
25 Steve Yeagle 19 2.1 39 9 24
34 De'Andre Shepard 14 1.5 21 1 26
23 Eric Ramsey 8 1.4 11 3 5
24 Derek Watkins 4 3.5 10 0 0
31 Anthony Brown 12 2.8 10 6 5

Source[31]

References

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  1. ^ Simms, Greg; Marvez, Alex (February 10, 1996). "WSU edict: No technicals". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 153. Cox Media. p. A1.
  2. ^ Marvez, Alex; Ludwig, Chick (February 11, 1996). "Off-court pressure: WSU president was urged to cut a deal with coach". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 154. Cox Media. p. A1.
  3. ^ Archdeacon, Tom (February 4, 1996). "Underhill deserves better from Wright State". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 150. Cox Media. p. D1.
  4. ^ Albers, Bucky (November 16, 1996). "Interim coach gets chance, but outside search likely". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 120, no. 63. Cox Media. p. 1C.
  5. ^ Archdeacon, Tom (January 15, 1997). "Ex-coach breaks silence". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 120, no. 123. Cox Media. p. A1.
  6. ^ Ludwig, Chick (March 9, 1996). "Raiders have 2-years to climb". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 184. Cox Media. p. 7D.
  7. ^ Katz, Marc (April 10, 1997). "Schilling's deal revealed". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 120, no. 207. Cox Media. p. C6.
  8. ^ Ludwig, Chick (March 19, 1997). "New 'vision' at WSU". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 120, no. 185. Cox Media. p. D1.
  9. ^ "Wright State University Retirees Association Oral History Project". Wright State University Archives. January 26, 2018.
  10. ^ "Wright State University Retirees Association Oral History Project". Wright State University Archives. January 26, 2018.
  11. ^ Archdeacon, Tom (January 15, 1997). "Ex-coach breaks silence". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 120, no. 123. Cox Media. p. A1.
  12. ^ Crane, Misti (January 17, 1997). "Underhill asks $1.78 million". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 120, no. 125. Cox Media. p. D1.
  13. ^ Ludwig, Chick (March 9, 1996). "Raiders have 2-years to climb". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 184. Cox Media. p. 7D.
  14. ^ Ludwig, Chick (April 30, 1996). "Disappointed Cass leaves WSU". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 233. Cox Media. p. D1.
  15. ^ Ludwig, Chick (May 17, 1996). "Burton 4th player to quit team". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 250. Cox Media. p. 3D.
  16. ^ Ludwig, Chick (June 8, 1996). "Raiders sign forward". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 271. Cox Media. p. 5D.
  17. ^ Ludwig, Chick (November 16, 1995). "Pre basketball star signs with WSU". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 70. Cox Media.
  18. ^ "2 Detroit players commit". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 317. Cox Media. July 27, 1996. p. 7D.
  19. ^ Ludwig, Chick (March 26, 1996). "Norwalk High star picks Wright State". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 198. Cox Media. p. 3D.
  20. ^ Ludwig, Chick (May 18, 1996). "WSU walk-on was all-state". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 251. Cox Media. p. 5D.
  21. ^ Ludwig, Chick; Crane, Misti (November 13, 1996). "Source: Coach to be suspended". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 120, no. 60. Cox Media. p. 1A.
  22. ^ Ludwig, Chick (November 16, 1996). "Source: WSU fires coach". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 120, no. 63. Cox Media. p. 1A.
  23. ^ Ludwig, Chick (November 18, 1996). "Source: School defends firing". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 120, no. 65. Cox Media. p. 2c.
  24. ^ "Wright State University Retirees Association Oral History Project". Wright State University Archives. January 26, 2018.
  25. ^ Ludwig, Chick (November 17, 1996). "Attorney: WSU's handling of situation 'an absolute massacre'". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 120, no. 64. Cox Media. p. d1.
  26. ^ Ludwig, Chick (March 19, 1997). "New 'vision' at WSU". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 120, no. 185. Cox Media. p. D1.
  27. ^ "Mary & Al Schwarz Hall of Fame". Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  28. ^ "Wright State University Retirees Association Oral History Project". Wright State University Archives. January 26, 2018.
  29. ^ "Wright State University Basketball Media Guide 1996-1997". Athletics Publications. Wright State University Athletics. 14 November 1996. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  30. ^ a b "Wright State Record Book" (PDF). Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  31. ^ "Wright State Basketball Statistics" (PDF). Retrieved February 29, 2024.
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