During that feeling-out process, Smith played tentatively. And as much as Nagy wanted to build a deeper bench to withstand the rigors of the season, he had only two subs in could trust, junior Bill Wampler and freshman Skyelar Potter.
»PREVIEW: Wright State vs. Green Bay
But in a tight tussle at Youngstown State on Jan. 17, with his team mired in funk with an 8-10 record, Nagy looked over his limited options and decided to give Smith one more chance.
The 6-foot-3 Belleville, Ill., product responded with 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals in a game that changed the course of the season while also propelling Smith to new heights.
The Raiders prevailed, 80-74, and have won 12 of their last 14 games to improve to 20-12 going into the Horizon League semifinals.
The defending tourney champs are the No. 1 seed and will play fourth-seeded Green Bay (17-15) at 7 p.m. Monday at Detroit's Little Caesars Arena. No 2 seed Northern Kentucky (24-8) faces No. 4 Oakland (16-16) at 9:30. Both games are on ESPU.
After averaging 2.8 points while shooting 36.5 percent from the field and 66.7 on free throws in the first 18 games, Smith has surged to an 8.9 average while hitting 48.9 from the field and 89.2 from the foul line in the last 14 games.
“Malachi had a very slow start but never moped, continued to listen to us, continued to trust the coaching staff, and started to play with confidence,” Nagy said. “Obviously, the Youngstown State game up there was a big switch for him, and he kind of took off.”
Smith, who was named to the league’s all-freshman team last week, is playing instinctively and doesn’t worry anymore about disappointing Nagy.
“I feel more confident,” he said. “The coaches are showing more confidence in me. My teammates have more trust in me to make plays. I’m doing whatever it takes to help my team win.”
The Raiders are going into the semifinals with an edge over the other three teams in experience. Though 2018 tourney MVP Grant Benzinger has graduated, the other four starters are back, including an all-tourney pick in Loudon Love.
Northern Kentucky, which lost in the quarterfinals last season, was the 2017 champs, but the only prominent player from that team still suiting up is Drew McDonald.
Oakland reached the semis last year but has a new starting five. And Green Bay fell in the quarterfinals the last two years.
Nagy, though, isn’t sure how much of an advantage that is.
“I think you can overanalyze that. But like I say: I don’t know how much it helps us, I just know it doesn’t hurt us,” he said.
The Raiders seem to be in peak form. They built a 31-point lead against IUPUI in the quarterfinals before settling for a 71-56 win Tuesday.
The Jaguars shot 35.7 percent from the field — the worst showing by a Division-I foe against Wright State this season — and made only 4 of 21 three-pointers.
Nagy likes what he’s seeing from his players.
“They’re in a good spot. They’re hungry,” he said. “I was really pleased with how they were Tuesday. Defensively, we were just as sharp as we could be.
“Like I say, when your team is playing well, I hardly have to coach. They’re the ones who are running things and demanding people to do what they’re supposed to do. They almost don’t need me at this point.”
MONDAY’S GAME
Wright State vs. Green Bay, 7 p.m., ESPNU, 106.5-FM
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