Madness hits Dayton the ‘Wright’ way
March Madness has returned to Dayton as teams arrived and fans were allowed back into UD Arena on Monday, March 14. After last year’s men's basketball tournament was held in a bubble with games being played only in Indianapolis and no fans allowed, the return of the First Four to one of the best basketball cities in the country has long been awaited. By the end of the 2022 First Four, UD Arena will have hosted 129 NCAA Tournament games — the most of any venue.
Of course, no one is more excited than the effective home team from crosstown, the Wright State Raiders. The players were right at home during their practice Tuesday and were treated like rock stars as fans gathered at the bottom of the court to try and get pictures and autographs, which the team happily supplied.
One young fan got a player to sign the shoes he had received from that player earlier in the year. The young boy held up a yellow sign alongside the shoes that read, “Please sign my shoes Wright State.”
The brutal 12-minute drive from Wright State’s campus to get to UD Arena provides the Raiders the feeling of a home game while under the bright lights of the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m excited. Obviously, we’ll have a good fan showing,” star defenseman Tim Finke said. “It’s no different of a drive for my parents, so I’m sure they’re happy about that.”
“It’s no different of a drive for my parents, so I’m sure they’re happy about that.”
Family is what it has been all about for the Raiders this season. Having lost three dads and three grandfathers from the team, these players have faced a different kind of adversity this year, but throughout it all the team has adopted a special motto.
“I think, obviously, we’ve had some losses from guys on our team,” said redshirt junior Grant Basile. “That’s been hard, but like we write on the board every day, ‘Brotherhood over basketball.’”
That attitude that has stuck with the Raiders as they rallied from a 2-7 start to the season to win the Horizon League Championship and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
“… I think we’re at a point now in the season where we can look back on so many things that have happened and really just kind of take it all in and just live and have fun with the whole experience because it’s been a long and tough journey,” Finke added.
It has been four years since Wright State last visited the “big dance,” as many like to call March Madness, and the players have their work cut out for them. The Dayton Daily News reported the Wednesday doubleheader sold out by Monday, March 14. They’ll be playing Rhode Island’s Bryant Bulldogs who currently have the league’s leading scorer in Peter Kiss. But the Raiders have their own big three — Tanner Holden, Grant Basile and Trey Calvin, all averaging more than 14 points a game. Junior Trey Calvin came up big in the Horizon League Championship game versus Northern Kentucky, scoring 21 points.
“Trey’s been fantastic for us,” Basile said. “You look at the plays he makes, just even the little stuff … he carried us offensively … but defensively, he’s been fantastic for us.”
Even if you don’t understand how a bracket works, the signs are clear: Basketball is back in Dayton, and there’s little question why.
“Dayton is a great basketball city.”
“Dayton is a great basketball city. Obviously, that’s why the First Four is here,” said Basile.
As the Cheshire Cat said in the classic tale Alice in Wonderland, “We’re all mad here.”
Photography by Meredith Robinson '23.