Wright State basketball: Finke has blossomed into lock-down defender

To their surprise, though, the new addition excelled in a facet of the game they value most: defense.

“I keep telling the team: ‘If we can get everyone to his level — not just in terms of his intensity, but his IQ on defense and his ability to go off script and make plays — we’Il be hard to beat,’” coach Scott Nagy said.

“I don’t need robots out there, and Tim’s not. Some guys want to please you by doing everything you tell them to do. I don’t need that. I need guys who can make defensive plays that we don’t teach, and Tim’s one of those guys.”

The 6-foot-6 wing has become indispensable in Nagy’s system. He led the team last season in minutes at 36.1 per game — which was 32nd nationally and fourth in the Horizon League — and the reason he spent so little time on the bench was because he’s such a committed defender.

Going into his third year as a starter, he’s a former HL all-defensive team pick and has the ability to guard all five positions.

He played for his father, Jeff, at Champaign (Ill.) Central High School and was taught the basics about defense. He also picked up a few pointers watching his older brothers develop into college players, Michael at Illinois and Nick at Army.

But he acquired much of what he knows during his time as a sub at Grand Canyon, studying fifth-year senior Gerard Martin.

The 6-7 Australian was an all-defensive team selection in the Western Athletic Conference and left an impression on Finke.

“He was just a defensive stopper and one of those guys who would always frustrate the other teams. You could always count on him,” the fifth-year senior said.

“I actually learned a lot of little things from him — natural-feel-type things. I was able to observe him and kind of bring that into my game.”

As for his ball-hawking instincts, Finke said: “There’s just some things that aren’t in the defensive plan, and sometimes you just have to take a gamble and take a risk. It’s all about being confident in yourself to do that and knowing it’s the right play to make at that time.”

Finke has averaged 7.0 and 5.2 rebounds in his two seasons, and he’s no liability on offense. He had the second-most 3′s for the Raiders last season with 57, three behind leader Trey Calvin, and he averaged 8.8 points after scoring 10 per game as a sophomore.

And while point producers may monopolize the headlines, Finke sees a growing appreciation for defenders, too.

“You look at some of the best players in the NBA, they’re two-way players — like Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson. They can play defense and also are some of the best offensive players,” Finke said.

“Having the ability to play defense — because everyone at this level can play offense — is the separator.”

His teammates see him as a player capable of contributing on both ends.

“He’s our best defender, obviously. His jump shot is getting better. He’s getting into the paint. He’s making a lot of plays for a lot of people,” Calvin said.

Finke has become the Iron Man for the Raiders. He’s missed just one game in two years, and that was because he took a blow to the head while scrapping inside against Detroit Mercy and suffered a concussion, forcing him to miss the next game.

He played 32.4 minutes per game as a sophomore, second behind Tanner Holden’s 34.2. But Finke’s mishap came at 18:03 of the first half, meaning his average minutes would have been 33.8 without that injury-shortened game.

“I’ve definitely played through stuff for sure,” he said of nagging injuries. “I think everybody does, though. That’s the nature of the game — especially when you’ve been in college for a while and have had so many practices and games.

“There’s definitely things that flare up, whether it’s my back or something else. I just try to get treatment and take care of my body outside the gym.”

Finke graduated last spring with a degree in communications and is working on a second degree in organizational leadership during his fifth year.

He’s not sure what his long-term plans are, but he wants to keep playing after college.

While Nick is doing his five-year military stint on a base near Tacoma, Wash., Michael is in his fourth year as a pro in Portugal.

“I’d love to play professionally. We’ll see where that takes me,” Finke said.

Before he pursues that, though, he’s eager to help the Raiders surprise some conference foes this season.

“We’re one of those teams that people think will have a down year, but I don’t think we will,” he said.

“We’ll come in playing strong and confident and will be looking to make some noise again in the league.”