“I just signed with an agent. I got that part out of the way. We’re going to try to get to some camps and get in front of NBA and G League coaches and go from there,” he said.
He’s got options. Most players with his skills can make six figures playing overseas, but he’d like to take the Loudon Love route by starting with the G League and perhaps work his way up to the Big Show.
“I’m going to try to stay in the States at first. If I don’t like the contract I get, then I’ll try to pursue overseas,” he said.
Milwaukee’s Patrick Baldwin Jr. was a first-round NBA pick in 2022, but only two other league players have been drafted in the last 10 years: Valparaiso’s Alec Peters in 2017 and Oakland’s Kay Felder in ‘16. Both were second-rounders.
Calvin, though, has a deadly mid-range game, and that should pique the interest of NBA teams since it’s becoming a lost art. Most buckets these days are either 3′s or dunks.
“That’s something I work on every day,” he said. “Not a lot of players can make that shot, but I’m hoping to show coaches it’s a high-percentage shot for me.”
Calvin, who is eighth on the all-time HL scoring list with 2,139 points, admitted to having some regrets over how his final season unfolded. Despite a loaded roster with the return of Tanner Holden, the Raiders went 18-14 and lost in the league tourney quarterfinals at home.
“I put some of that blame on myself. I think we needed vocal leadership — not from the coaches, but from the players. And I didn’t really step up into that role like I should have,” he said.
“That was the main thing. We didn’t have the leadership to be as successful as we wanted to be.”
Calvin is an introvert and preferred to lead by example.
“I’m kind of a quiet guy, but that shouldn’t matter. When you step on the court between those four lines, all that quietness and shyness have to go away, and you’ve got to focus on your teammates,” he said.
Calvin is pleased to see former assistant Clint Sargent get a shot at being a head coach. He replaces Scott Nagy, who left for Southern Illinois after eight years with the Raiders.
“I think he’ll do great. He’s been under coach Nagy for a few years. (Nagy) has been a real successful coach, and Sarge has seen that. Based off that, he’ll be good,” Calvin said.
Sargent made some staff moves in the last week, elevating Travis Trice and Dan Beré to associate head coach. They joined Nagy’s staff since 2021.
Wright State announceed the hiring of former Alter star Jaaron Simmons as an assistant Thursday. He spent the last five years at Michigan in support staff positions.
Former Raider point guard Cole Gentry is back as an assistant. He was a grad assistant the last two years at Colorado State (which clobbered Wright State in the season-opener in November).
Gentry, who played from 2017-20, is third at the school in career foul shooting at 86.6%, just ahead of Calvin’s 85.8 mark.
Director of basketball operates Nick Goff also is returning for his ninth year.
Tae Gibbs, who spent three years at Wright State, joined Nagy’s staff at Southern Illinois.
BASEBALL
The Raiders lost a gut-wrencher at Ohio State on Tuesday, falling 14-13.
They gave up six runs in the first inning but tied the game at 13-all with a run in the top of the eighth.
After the Buckeyes took the lead again with a run in the bottom of the inning, the Raiders loaded the bases in the ninth but couldn’t score.
They have a rematch at home at 3 p.m. Tuesday.
They were 20-16 overall and 10-5 in the league going into a weekend series at Milwaukee. They’re eighth in the nation in hitting at .323 and runs per game at 9.7.
Fifth-year senior catcher Sammy Sass has won back-to-back league player of the week awards. He’s hitting .391 with nine homers and 46 RBIs.
Fifth-year senior first-baseman Jay Luikart also has been scalding the ball: .376, 16 HRs, 55 RBIs.
The school record for homers was set last year by Andrew Patrick with 20.
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