“I really didn’t get hit up by too many schools,” he said. “There wasn’t a lot swaying my decision. My loyalty is here with Wright State. It was a pretty easy decision.”
Holden announced he was transferring from Ohio State back to Wright State on May 17, but the Raiders knew of his intentions well before that.
That’s why Calvin didn’t wait long to reveal what he planned to do with his fifth year of eligibility. On March 13, he posted on Twitter, “Loyalty is the first law of God. Let’s run it back one more time Raider Nation.”
Asked last week why he was so sure about coming back, he said: “Why not? I want another championship. We’ve got a great team. Tanner came back. We’ve got all the tools to get another championship.”
The Raiders seemingly do have what they need to hang another banner. No other Horizon League team has two former first-team all-league players. Holden earned that honor in 2020-21 and ‘21-22 and Calvin in ‘22-23.
They also are the only pair on one team who have averaged at least 20 points per game.
And they have one of the best frontcourt players in the league in Brandon Noel, who was named freshman of the year.
The only uncertainty is whether they can figure out how to share the ball on offense, but that doesn’t sound like it’ll be a problem.
“I’m a fifth-year guy and a veteran, so I do think I’ll have a different role,” Calvin said. “Tanner can score, and I feel like B-No (Noel) can score 20 a game, so I don’t feel like I have to score too much.”
That’s exactly what coach Scott Nagy is hoping to hear. While there’s probably no danger in having too many scorers, he wants his star players to be committed to defense first.
He also hopes Calvin isn’t weighed down by the expectations of being named preseason player of the year. The trap for most in that position is to try to prove they’re worthy of the honor.
“The goal can’t be to try to be player of the year,” Nagy said. “The only goal here is for us to win. Do what it takes for us to win. You start thinking about the other things, you’ll screw our team up.”
Loudon Love was named preseason player of the year in 2020-21 and won the postseason award.
He also won it in 2019-20 after Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis was named preseason POY.
“It’s a difficult thing to be chosen that — because then you’ve got to wear it and carry it,” Nagy said. “You’re SUPPOSED to perform a certain way.
“All we need to do is win. This other stuff takes care of itself. If you focus on the other stuff, you won’t win and you won’t get the other stuff. If you take care of what’s important, all the individual stuff comes.”
Nagy’s another concern with Calvin is that he stays mentally plugged in. That became an issue last season when he ended up in the coach’s doghouse and was held out of the starting lineup five games.
He still averaged 20.3 points, second in the league to Davis’ 28.2 mark. But Calvin shot 49.2% from the field, Davis 41.4.
Calvin is 10th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,532 points. Bill Edwards’ record of 2,303 is out of reach, even with getting a fifth year, but he’ll easily pass No. 2 DaShaun Wood at 1,849 if he stays healthy.
“In terms of playing professionally, everybody already knows he can score,” Nagy said. “The other thing he needs to develop — even when things aren’t going well offensively — is to be a great defender.
“Trey knows he has a tendency, when things aren’t going well, to just get squirrely. Most people do. They lose focus. You should say, ‘No matter what, I’m going to be a great defender.’”
SEASON OPENER
Friday, Nov. 10
Wright State at Colorado State, 9 p.m., 980
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