Raiders picked to finish on top

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FAIRBORN — For the first time in school history, the Wright State men’s basketball team has been picked to finish on top of the annual Horizon League Poll. League officials unveiled the results on Oct. 17 along with sophomore Loudon Love being named to the preseason first team and senior Mark Hughes named to the second team.

Under the 2018 Horizon League Coach of the Year Scott Nagy, Wright State won a school-record 25 games last year as they advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. WSU won the Horizon League Tournament in Detroit, advancing to play Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last March in Dallas. WSU had been picked second in the 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2013 polls. The Raiders were picked fifth in last year’s preseason poll.

Websites Athlon, Lindy’s and Blue Ribbon also chose the Raiders to win the Horizon League.

Love was named to most of those preseason first teams and Hughes was named to the second team by Lindy’s, Athlon and three-man-weave.com. While the Horizon League only recognizes the Freshman of the Year, Blue Ribbon named WSU’s Bill Wampler, a junior transfer from Drake, as the Newcomer of the Year. Wampler was also named to the newcomer team by three-man-weave.com.

“We work very hard to be a successful program, and we appreciate being thought of so highly by the rest of the league,” Nagy said. “We want to be a program that has high expectations, and our players are just beginning to learn about the pressures that go with the accolades. The Horizon League is continuing to improve, and we know how difficult it will be to win the league.”

“Loudon and Mark have worked extremely hard to make themselves good players and great teammates.”

Love, a center from Geneva (Ill.) High School, was named the 2018 Freshman of the Year and Second Team member after receiving the Freshman of the Week seven times last year. He led the league in rebounding at 9.7 per game and averaged 12.9 points. He collected his career-high 19 rebounds against Milwaukee and his high of 25 points at Oakland. He also had 12 double-double performances while starting all 35 games.

Hughes, a guard from Youngstown Ursuline High School, was named to the Horizon League Defensive Team a year ago. He led the Raiders in steals with 41, as he helped the Raiders rank second in team defense in the Horizon League. Hughes also averaged 9.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while hitting 63 three pointers.

Wright State will open the regular season with Western Carolina on Nov. 7 at home. Season tickets, mini-packs and single-game tickets are on sale now. Ticket information can be found at www.WSURaiderTix.com.

For more information on Wright State athletics go to www.wsuraiders.com.

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