Wright State Raiders
From Hoopedia
Wright State University is a public university in Ohio, U.S. The university uses Dayton as its postal address but the campus is actually completely within the city limits of Fairborn. Its current, and sixth, president is David Hopkins.
For many years, Wright State's sports teams used a character called Rowdy Raider as their mascot; a red-bearded Viking with a horned helmet, which emerged in 1986. In 1997, the Viking was retired and the Wolf was born. In 2007, Rowdy Raider received a new update for the mascot suit; a gray, scarier wolf replaced the more humorous brown wolf.
Wright State University has the Ervin J. Nutter Center, a multi-purpose arena located on campus. Opened in 1990, the Nutter Center is consistently considered to be one of the top arenas of its size. The venue is used for concerts and sporting events (including Wright State Raiders men's and women's basketball). It also serves as the home arena of the Dayton Bombers of the East Coast Hockey League.
Among the Raiders' most notable athletic achievements are the NCAA Division II men's basketball national championship in 1983, and taking a turn at March Madness in 1993, qualifying for the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament as champion of the Mid-Continent Conference; the Raiders qualified again in 2007 as winner of the Horizon League tournament.
Men's Basketball
The Wright State men's basketball team has seen the national spotlight several times since the program moved to Division I in 1987-88 and into the new Nutter Center in 1990. In 1993, the Raiders qualified for the NCAA Tournament, and since then Wright State is 4-0 all-time at home vs Top 25 competition. In 1995, Wright State defeated #25 Xavier, 71-70, their first ever home win over a Top 25 opponent. In the 1999-2000 season, Wright State beat #8 Michigan State at the Nutter Center, 53-49. On February 10th, 2007 Wright State welcomed their Horizon League rival and ninth-ranked Butler Bulldogs to Dayton. In an impressive showing that would lead the Raiders to be named ESPN.com's "Team of the Week", Wright State dominated No. 9 Butler, 77-65. The Bulldogs returned to Dayton for the 2007 Horizon League tournament final, where Wright State again beat No. 17 Butler (by a score of 60-55) to earn a berth in its second-ever NCAA Tournament. DaShaun Wood, the Horizon League Player of the Year, led Wright State with 27 points and 5 assists.
Notable Alumni
- Bill Edwards - played for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1993.
- Vitaly Potapenko - currently plays for the NBA Sacramento Kings. He was selected 12th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1996. Potapenko was named the Horizon League's Newcomer of the Year for the '94-'95 season, and led the Horizon League in FG% in both '94-'95 and '95-'96 while garnering First Team All-League honors both years.
- Dashaun Wood - Played for the Atlanta Hawks summer league team and since signed with the Italian Division A basketball team, Cantu.
