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1995–96 Wright State Raiders men's basketball team

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1995–96 Wright State Raiders men's basketball
ConferenceMCC
Record14-13 (8-8 MCC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Jim Brown
  • Jim Ehler
  • Jack Butler
Home arenaNutter Center
Seasons
1995–96 Midwestern Collegiate Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Green Bay 16 – 0   1.000 25 – 4   .862
Butler 12 – 4   .750 19 – 8   .704
Northern Illinois † 12 – 4   .750 19 – 8   .704
Wright State 8 – 8   .500 14 – 13   .519
Detroit 8 – 8   .500 18 – 11   .621
Milwaukee 5 – 11   .313 9 – 18   .333
UIC 5 – 11   .313 10 – 18   .357
Loyola (IL) 5 – 11   .313 8 – 19   .296
Cleveland State 3 – 13   .188 5 – 21   .192
† 1996 MCC tournament winner
As of March 5, 1996
Rankings from AP poll

The 1995–96 Wright State Raiders men's basketball team represented Wright State University in the 1995–96 NCAA NCAA Division I men's basketball season led by head coach Ralph Underhill.

Season summary

The second season in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference was also the second with future first-round NBA selection Vitaly Potapenko. It was a season of heightened expectations followed by competitive but often disappointing results. After an encouraging non-conference season, the MCC season began 0–4. The Raiders fought back and finished the season 8–4 to earn a 4th seed in the tournament, which they hosted. An early exit to 5th-seeded Detroit Mercy seemed a fitting end to a good season, yet one with missed opportunities.

The Season Behind the Season

When Wright State moved up to Division I, men’s basketball was competitive on the floor from the start, and remained so in 1995-96. Off the floor, the program was not yet at the Division I level. They lacked a full time strength coach. They lacked a full time academic advisor, which resulted in losing athletes to academic issues. One secretary was supporting several athletic teams. The head coach didn’t have a multi-year contract. It wasn’t a lack of commitment to sports, but rather that the school was slow to shift fully from what had been a strong Division II program to the support required in Division I. [1] [2]

Even before the previous season had ended following their upset of Xavier in the MCC tournament, [3] the local media had begun calling for head coach Ralph Underhill to be awarded an extended contract. [4] Reporters argued that the highly successful coach was undercompensated compared to neighboring Division I head coaches. [5] In response to this Mike Cusack began negotiations for what was expected to be a three-year contract deal.

The offseason had the ups and downs of college athletics. Star center Vitaly Potapenko was coming back and expected to play two more seasons. [6] New recruit Keion Brooks and junior college transfer Johnnie Blake were cause for excitement. [7] But on the down side Rob Welsh broke his ankle, Jason Smith was lost due to academic issues and Blake hadn’t joined the team at the start of the season. [8] Potapenko, who was apparently a good student maintaining a “B” average, had yet to pass the required English as a second language exam as required by the University. His English language skills were noticeably a work in progress. [9]

The most profound change, however, was the new university president, Dr. Harley Flack. Flack was a polymath with a quiet, academic demeaner. He was also described as having a "strong capacity for moral indignation." [10] The new boss couldn’t have posed a more profound contrast to the passionate head coach. Their apparent feud would play out in the press and alter the trajectory of Wright State basketball.

Underhill routinely scheduled top-tier programs, and always coached like he expected to win. He was known to ride the referees, and notably when hosting Wisconsin in December of 1995 he earned a technical foul that helped secure Wisconsin’s comeback win. [11] For this he was soundly criticized in the local media. [12] Just four days later, Underhill found himself at cross-town rival University of Dayton with his star center Vitaly Poptapenko running a fever and playing like it. The frustration of the day got the best of the veteran coach and he earned two technical fouls, which is an automatic ejection from the game. [13]

President Dr. Harley Flack was embarrassed by these events. First he suspended the talk of a new three-year contract, details of which were already appearing in the press. [14] He then demanded that Coach Underhill be put on notice that further technical fouls would lead to suspension and any additional ejections to termination. [15] Dr. Flack also stopped going to the basketball games as a public rebuke of his coach, explaining that coaches must be “worthy ambassadors of Wright State.” [16] In a statement to the press, Dr. Flack outlined his subjective four-point plan for evaluating Underhill after the season: Building athlete character and citizenship, academic achievement, coach’s character, won loss record. [17]

Athletic Director Mike Cusack prevailed upon the president to rescind the probationary status after just six games, pointing out that Underhill and only been ejected once before in 17 years. Flack announced that contract talks would then be suspended until the off season.[18] Guard Rick Martinez quit the team about the same time, adding further stress to the team and staff. [19]

After pressure came from the university board of directors Flack eventually permitted Cusack and Underhill to resume contract negotiations.[20] A two year contract was agreed to on February 9[21] and signed by Flack on February 12th. [22] The team celebrated by upsetting Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse that evening.

Roster

1995–96 Wright State Raiders men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 32 Delme Herriman 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Sr Claymont Manchester, England
F 41 Bilaal Neal 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Westark JC Warren, AR
G 20 Rob Welch Current redshirt 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Wayne Trace Haviland, OH
G 22 Rick Martinez 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Ambassador Christian Fontana, CA
G 23 Eric Ramsey Current redshirt 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Carroll Dayton, OH
G 30 Terrance Cast 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) 150 lb (68 kg) Jr Lake Land JC Gary, IN
F 40 Mike Conner 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Malden Boston, MA
F/C 52 Vitaly Potapenko 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 310 lb (141 kg) Jr Kiev State University of Physical Culture Kiev, Ukraine
G 24 Derek Watkins 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Valley View Germantown, OH
F 33 Antuan Johnson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Scott Toledo, OH
F 43 Thad Burton 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So St. Charles Prep Columbus, OH
F 44 Steno Kos 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So St. Catherine JC Klosterneuburg
G 1 Keion Brooks 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr North Side Ft. Wayne, IN
F 31 Anthony Brown 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Beavercreek Beavercreek, OH
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Jim Brown, Jim Ehler, Jack Butler

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

[23] [24]

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
Nov 25, 1995*
 Wilmington W 102-53  1–0
 Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Dec 2, 1995*
 Eastern Kentucky W 76-64  2-0
 Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Dec 5, 1995*
 Wisconsin L 91-94  2–1
 Nutter Center (8,032)
Fairborn, OH 
Dec 9, 1995*
 at Dayton
Gem City Jam 		L 80-98  2-2
 UD Arena 
Dayton, OH
Dec 12, 1995*
 Ohio W 88-77  3–2
 Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Dec 16, 1995
 at Toledo W 62-57  4–2
 Centennial Hall 
Toledo, OH
Dec 19, 1995*
 Youngstown State W 74-66  5-2
 Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Dec 23, 1995*
 Manhattan W 85-76  6–2
 Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH 
Dec 27, 1995
 at Miami (OH) L 86-105  6–3
 Millett Assembly Hall 
Oxford, OH 
Dec 31, 1995*
 vs. No. 21 Virginia Tech L 46-62[25]  6-4
 Lakefront Arena 
New Orleans, LA
Jan 3, 1996
 at Green Bay L 52-78  6-5
(0–1) 		Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena 
Green Bay, WI
Jan 4, 1996
 at UIC L 79-91  6-6
(0–2) 		UIC Pavilion 
Chicago, IL
Jan 11, 1996
 Butler L 68-71  6–7
(0–3) 		Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Jan 13, 1996
 at Cleveland State L 68-83  6-8
(0–4) 		CSU Convocation Center 
Cleveland, OH
Jan 15, 1996
 Loyola W 87-73  7-8
(1–4) 		Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Jan 20, 1996
 at Milwaukee W 74-71  8-8
(2–4) 		Baker Fieldhouse 
Milwaukee, WI
Jan 22, 1996
 at Detroit Mercy W 59–57  9-8
(3–4) 		Calihan Hall 
Detroit, MI
Jan 29, 1996
 Northern Illinois L 63-71  9-9
(3–5) 		Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Feb 1, 1996
 UIC W 91-74  10-9
(4–5) 		Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Feb 3, 1996
 Green Bay L 53-60  10-10
(4–6) 		Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Feb 10, 1996
 at Loyola L 67-85  10-11
(4–7) 		Alumni Gym 
Chicago, IL
Feb 12, 1996
 at Butler W 67-61  11-11
(5–7) 		Hinkle Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
Feb 14, 1996
 Cleveland State W 65-54  12-11
(6–7) 		Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Feb 17, 1996
 Detroit Mercy W 70–63  13-11
(7–7) 		Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Feb 22, 1996
 Milwaukee W 99-75  14-11
(8–7) 		Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
Feb 24, 1996
 at Northern Illinois L 71-81  14-12
(8–8) 		Chick Evans Field House 
DeKalb, IL
Midwestern Collegiate Tournament
Mar 2, 1996
 (4) (5) Detroit Mercy
First Round 		L 61-67  14-13
 Nutter Center 
Fairborn, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.

Source[26]

Awards and honors

Vitaly Potapenko MVP
Delme Herriman Raider Award
Vitaly Potapenko First Team MCC
Keion Brooks MCC All Newcomer

[26]

Statistics

Number Name Games Average Points Assists Rebounds
52 Vitaly Potapenko 26 20.7 538 36 193
21 Keion Brooks 27 12.4 335 92 87
32 Delme Herriman 27 9.3 252 73 165
40 Mike Conner 27 6.1 164 14 76
30 Terrance Dast 26 6.2 161 58 55
33 Antuan Johnson 19 7.3 138 17 87
20 Rob Welch 20 6.6 132 56 53
44 Steno Kos 27 3.4 92 14 70
22 Rick Martinez 15 3.9 59 39 26
43 Thad Burton 23 2.3 52 3 43
41 Bilaal Neal 11 4.4 48 2 22
24 Derek Watkins 21 0.5 11 6 7
31 Anthony Brown 14 0.1 2 2 7

Source[27]

References

  1. ^ "Wright State University Retirees Association Oral History Project". Wright State University Archives. January 26, 2018.
  2. ^ Archdeacon, Tom (January 12, 1997). "To dream, but first to win". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 120, no. 120. Cox Media. p. D1.
  3. ^ Nuhn, Gary (March 5, 1995). "'Home Run' is a winner". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 118, no. 175. Cox Media. p. D1.
  4. ^ Archdeacon, Tom (February 12, 1995). "WSU owes Underhill big vote of confidence". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 118, no. 154. Cox Media. p. D1.
  5. ^ Archdeacon, Tom (February 12, 1995). "Underhill polishes bright future for WSU". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 118, no. 179. Cox Media. p. D1.
  6. ^ Ludwig, Chick (March 23, 1995). "WSU educates athletes on pro dangers". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 118, no. 193. Cox Media. p. D1.
  7. ^ Ludwig, Chick (April 22, 1995). "Fort Wayne guard picks WSU". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 118, no. 223. Cox Media. p. D1.
  8. ^ Ludwig, Chick (October 15, 1995). "Big tests ahead for WSU". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 38. Cox Media. p. D1.
  9. ^ "Wright State University Retirees Association Oral History Project". Wright State University Archives. January 26, 2018.
  10. ^ "Underhill case hard for all". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 120, no. 199. Cox Media. April 2, 1997. p. 10A.
  11. ^ Ludwig, Chick (December 6, 1995). "Wisconsin rallies in 2nd half with help of Underhill technical". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 90. Cox Media. p. D1.
  12. ^ Nuhn, Gary (December 7, 1995). "Underhill ignites too often". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 91. Cox Media. p. C1.
  13. ^ Albers, Bucky (December 12, 1995). "Jam turns into a sparkling gem for UD". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 146. Cox Media. p. 5D.
  14. ^ Ludwig, Chick (December 29, 1995). "Underhill agrees to 3-year contract". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 113. Cox Media. p. 5D.
  15. ^ Simms, Greg; Marvez, Alex (February 10, 1996). "WSU edict: No technicals". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 153. Cox Media. p. A1.
  16. ^ Archdeacon, Tom (February 4, 1996). "Underhill deserves better from Wright State". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 150. Cox Media. p. D1.
  17. ^ Fisher, Mark (January 31, 1996). "Underhill judged on 4 criteria". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 146. Cox Media. p. D1.
  18. ^ Marvez, Alex; Ludwig, Chick (February 1, 1996). "Underhill goes mum on pact". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 109, no. 154. Cox Media. p. C1.
  19. ^ Ludwig, Chick; Marvez, Alex (February 20, 1996). "Martinez quits WSU team". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 134. Cox Media. p. A1.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ Ludwig, Chick (February 9, 1996). "WSU, coach agree". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 152. Cox Media. p. D1.
  22. ^ Ludwig, Chick (February 13, 1996). "Flack signs Underhill contract". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 156. Cox Media. p. D1.
  23. ^ "1995-96 Wright State University Raider Basketball". Athletics Publications. Wright State University Athletics. 14 November 1995. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  24. ^ Albers, Bucky (May 15, 1996). "Blake spurns WSU for Rutgers". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 248. Cox Media. p. 3D.
  25. ^ Ludwig, Chick (Dec 31, 1995). "Hokies anything but Big Easy for Wright State". Dayton Daily News. Vol. 119, no. 114. Cox Media. p. 5D.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  26. ^ a b "Wright State Record Book" (PDF). Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  27. ^ "1995-96 Final Statistics" (PDF). Retrieved February 22, 2024.
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