It was a dream season for the Wright State Raiders last year.  Head coach Brad Brownell in his first year at the helm guided the Raiders to the Horizon League crown and the NCAA tournament and helped DaShaun Wood gain league player of the year honors along the way.  With that kind of introduction it’s going to be tough to follow up with a similar season.  However, all is not lost.  Wood is gone, but the Raiders did have two freshmen on the all newcomer squad a season ago and return some experienced veterans to go along with a solid recruiting class.  After what he did with the Raiders last season it would not be wise to question what Brownell can get out of a group of players anyways.

Sophomores Vaughn Duggins and Todd Brown both made a big impact as freshman and gained valuable experience that will no doubt help the Raiders this season and beyond.  Duggins is the squad’s leading returning scorer and assist man.  The 6’3” guard can play either of the guard spots and even some on the wing.  Last season he averaged nine points a game while shooting nearly 36% from three-point territory.  Duggins certainly has the ability to shine in the Horizon League.

His fellow newcomer honoree, the 6’5” Brown is a streaky shooter who averaged just less than nine points a game.  If he could put it together night in and night out the Raiders would have one heck of a 1-2 punch.  At one point last season Brown scored in double figures in 11 of 14 games in a 39 day stretch.  The rest of the season just 4 double digit efforts in 19 games.

Junior guard Will Graham figures to see some starts at point guard.  Graham isn’t much of an offensive threat, but he led the squad in assist-to-turnover ratio and brings plenty of experience.  He appeared in 32 games last season with 12 starts.

Sophomore transfer John David Gardner will eventually take over the reigns.  The 6’4” 190 pounder came with Brownell from UNC-Wilimington and has the knowledge and skill to run Brownell’s offense.

A couple of freshmen enter the backcourt fray as well.  Troy Tabler is a 6’3” guard from Cincinnati’s famous Moeller high school.  N’Gai Evans is a 6’1” guard from Canton.  Two basketball players from places better known for their football connections will get valuable experience behind the talented guards in front of them laying the groundwork for continued success at Wright State.

The Raiders didn’t go very deep last season and part of the reason was lack of available big men.  Brownell addressed that issue with four bruisers in the recruiting class.

Jordan Pleiman is the lone returning starter in the frontcourt.  The 6’8” senior is the team’s top returning rebounder.  Plieman has some decent moves around the bucket and shoots for a high percentage from the field.  With some help around him this season Plieman could score into the double figures and post a double double here and there.

Scottie Wilson will most likely reprise his role off the bench in the frontcourt where he saw 17 minutes of action per game, chipping in better than five points and three rebounds.

Among the newcomers Ronnie Thomas is a 6’8” transfer from Duquesne, but has already suffered a broken foot that will put him out until at least December.

Gavin Horne is a junior college transfer originally from Canada who is a workhorse willing to sacrifice his body.  In high school he averaged a double double and handed out nearly seven assists a game, an impressive feat for a big man.

A pair of freshmen, Cooper Land a 6’8” Texan and 6’8” Kyle Pressley, also figures to get in the mix.

It’s not exactly rebuilding when you take a squad the NCAA tournament in your first season at the helm, but Brownell was left with plenty of talent.  He’s starting to put his stamp on the program with this recruiting class and still has plenty of returning talent.  The Raiders may not gain a share of the Horizon League crown again this season, but they will certainly be right there at the end.

--Joe Dlugosz is the editor of Ramblermania.com, a website dedicated to Loyola-Chicago sports information.  For more of Joe's writing, visit: www.ramblermania.com  --ed.