#HLWBB Preview: Wright State
Cam Fuller
Wright State Raiders
Last year: 25-9 overall, 15-3 Horizon League
Coach: Katrina Merriweather (2nd year)
Team Preview
By Joey Yashinsky, Horizon League Contributor
New Year’s Eve in 2016 was not the most joyous of occasions for the Wright State Raiders. They traveled to Green Bay for a Horizon League showdown and were turned away coldly with a 21-point defeat.
Then the calendar flipped to January and the Raiders decided losing simply was no longer going to be an option. Katrina Merriweather’s bunch played eight games that month and emerged victorious every single time. Then they won their first five contests in February. All told, it was a remarkable 13-game conference winning streak, a ho-hum 1-1 Horizon record suddenly transforming to an eye-popping 14-1 mark.
Unfortunately, the Raiders weren’t quite themselves at Motor City Madness and might have run out of gas a bit down the stretch; but that extended period of excellence proved that when the Wright State women are playing their game, they are one of the most devastating teams in the country.
Coach Merriweather can rest easy knowing that her entire starting five is back, determined this time around to keep that January magic pushing all the way through March.
The success of the 2017-18 Raiders will rest largely with their pair of senior superstars, Chelsea Welch and Lexi Smith.
Welch, a 5-foot-9 guard, was tabbed as the preseason Horizon League Player of the Year. Merriweather is a coach that prefers a fast-paced style; get the defensive board and push it back the other way. There is no one better to direct that show than a do-it-all senior playmaker like Welch.
Smith is a rugged 5-foot-11 forward that earned Second Team All-Conference status heading into the season. In 2016-17, she attained averages of 13 points and nine rebounds per game, doing it with “a whole lot of heart and hustle,” as Merriweather said. Both Smith and Welch set the tone on defense, helping the Raiders finish at the top of the Horizon League in turnover margin. When your team coughs it up just 11 times a night and the opposition bungles it on 17 occasions, things should bode well in terms of the final score.
Listed as a guard at 5-foot-10, Symone Simmons is one of the most ferocious rebounders in the conference. The junior from Columbus pulled down nine boards per game and snatched 18 in a single game against Cleveland State. With Simmons and Smith attacking the glass on every missed shot, the Raiders will be able to get quick outlets to Welch leading to easy hoops on the other end.
And Welch will have plenty of support in the backcourt, too. Emily Vogelpohl and Mackenzie Taylor are both junior guards with unique skill sets and plenty of game experience. (Both logged over 1,000 minutes last year.)
Vogelpohl is an excellent ball-handler and was neck-and-neck with Welch for the team lead in assists. Merriweather said that her all-purpose guard has also been working diligently on her outside shot, so expect to see that 37.4 field goal percentage receive a significant boost.
Taylor is a dynamic offensive threat and one of the top 3-point gunners in the Horizon League. She started 32 games last year and will be a major part of the Raiders attack once again.
Hoping to combat the size advantage held by conference champion Green Bay on the interior, Merriweather brought in three freshmen, all 5-foot-11 and above. Tyler Frierson (6’4”), Kiana Adderton (6’1”), and Nia Sumpter (5’11”) could all join the Raider rotation at some point in their debut seasons.
Everything is lined up for Wright State to have a very special season. They have the reigning Horizon League Coach of the Year, Merriweather, now entering her second season with an even stronger grasp on the intricacies of the conference. They have Welch, arguably the top overall player among the ten Horizon teams; Smith and Simmons wrestling away every single loose ball; Vogelpohl and Taylor running the break and popping in long threes.
Evaluate this squad from morning until night. Look them over with a fine-tooth comb.
You’ll soon realize that there is not one thing wrong about Wright.
Motor City Madness
Support the Raiders at the 2018 Little Caesars Horizon League Basketball Championships March 2-6 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Tickets can be purchased at campus box offices now and online starting December 15. For more information, click here.
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