“How is the family?”
This is how our conversations with Coach Kari Hoffman normally begins. After sharing news of my family and the little one at home, we talk about her own, about youth sports and about the upcoming Packers game. As a Steelers fan myself, a small jab about their performance comes up and laughs ensue.
“Family” best describes how Hoffman has built and maintained the program at Wright State. Going into the sixth year, that family was going to look a little different this time around.
In the offseason, Hoffman had to replace her coaching staff, as all but Lauryn Fox had taken flight. Hoffman didn’t need to look very far to find candidates she was interested in, as she tapped former Tiffin head coach Josh Mason and former Cedarville athlete and multi-year assistant Danielle Spiliotis to be assistants, and former Wright State standout Claire Henson as Director of Basketball Operations.
“I could not be more thrilled by how [the coaching staff] has taken shape, it’s really fun to work with some of the people that you’ve wondered what it would be like if you could work with,” Hoffman said. “I was really impressed with [Coach Josh Mason’s] time at Tiffin, he brings a lot of charisma and energy and ideas with him… Dani [Spiliotis], I’ve had her take the recruiting coordinator position and run with it, she’s familiar with it. That’s been great and it’s been great to unite as a once-player now friend of mine.”
As for the Raiders themselves, the squad has been built with an equal mixture of returners, transfers, and freshmen to bolster the ranks. Rylee Sagester and Abbie Riddle have been trained and forged in the Wright State system and will now look to step into a bigger role on the court along with the other returners. Wright State brought in transfers from Louisiana Tech and Bowling Green, as well as two D2 talents, and the squad overall looks to be one of the better teams in terms of size.
“I’ve got a really tight knit group, they’ve been really fun to coach, there’s been nothing but positive attitude and great effort every single day so it’s been fun to be in the gym with them,” Hoffman said cheerfully.
Nonetheless, the Raiders have their work cut out for them this year. A powerful non-conference schedule of away games lies in wait in the coming months, including a one-two punch at Butler and Illinois in December.
“We’ve had the basics installed so now it’s fine tuning,” Hoffman remarked about practices. “We need to have a better defense this year, one that’s consistent throughout whether we’re home or away.”
Returning Players
Rylee Sagester, Redshirt Junior, 5-7 Guard, West Alexandria, OH, Tri-Village HS
Among the returning squad of Raiders, Sagester reflects what we’ve seen as the guiding light of the Raider offense under Coach Hoffman. A sniper known for going for shots behind the arc while being unafraid to drive into open lanes, and as the next highest scorer on the Raider roster, Sagester will be crucial to the success of the Raiders. The system is built to support her talent on the floor and she has shown that she can handle starting minutes, so if developed to the fullest Sagester could be a potential league honoree.
Abbie Riddle, Redshirt Junior, 5-10 Guard, Baltimore, OH, Liberty Union HS/Bowling Green
Before the injury cut her season short, Riddle was making quality starts as conference play approached, including notching 15 points against the juggernaut that is Green Bay and 10 points in 8 minutes against Kentucky. It stands to reason that if Riddle had been available in the easier portion of the conference schedule for the Raiders, the squad could’ve turned more of the closer losses into wins. Should Riddle come off this injury well–and according to Hoffman, that is going to be the case–she’ll be a focal point of the driving offense.
Olivia Brown, Senior, 5-7 Guard, Fishers, IN, Hamilton Southeastern/Akron
Brown has been a steady presence for the Raiders in games, but saw less time and less starts overall in comparison to the year prior. As a senior guard that has been present on the Raiders for some time, her veteran presence should help to guide the younger and newer squad with the experience she can provide.
Grace Okih, Redshirt Senior, 6-2 Forward, Lagos, Nigeria, Topfield College/Jacksonville College
As a forward, Okih earned starts towards the conference portion of the season and made a particularly good showing against Green Bay where she knocked in 12 points, 8 of them from the free throw stripe. Averaging 4 PPG and RPG, and on her last season, Okih will be looked at to lead a younger forward core from the floor.
Elaina Rager, Sophomore, 5-9 Guard, Pecatonica, IL, Pecatonica HS
Seeing some time this past season from off the bench, Rager now enters the season with some D1 time under her belt. During that time, she shot 2/3rds of her attempts from the arc, splashing in 32% overall. The Wright State system favors this sort of play, so long as the shots fall with regularity.
Incoming Players
Jasmine Fearne, Senior, 6-0 Guard, Cairns, Australia, Hickory Ridge/Bowling Green
Fearne averaged just under 5 PPG as a junior while logging around 15 minutes a game. As with Rager, Fearne took nearly all of her shots from the three-point line, knocking down 30% of her attempts. Having yet another sniper in the toolbox does wonders for the Raiders’ presence behind the arc, so the real separating factor with Fearne is being able to assist in getting open looks, which she does with precision.
Megan Campbell, Junior, 5-9 Guard, Massillon, OH, Jackson HS/Tiffin
Hoffman’s connections at Cedarville have led to the hiring of Josh Mason, D2 Tiffin’s former head coach. With the addition of Mason, Campbell followed the head coach over as the second highest scorer of this past year’s squad. With a familiar face on the coaching squad, Campbell will be an immediate impact transfer that helps solidify the Raiders’ backcourt.
“I really get excited about bringing D2 players into our team because they come in with the desire to be challenged… I’ve seen Megan improve every single week that she’s been here.”
Allie Daniels, Sophomore, 6-3 Forward, Huntington, WV, Spring Valley/West Virginia Wesleyan
Daniels also comes from the D2 level, joining the Raiders out of West Virginia Wesleyan where she lead the team in rebounds with 9.1 RPG. The forward position has always been a sore spot for Raider teams, especially when the primary has gotten injured in more years than not, so having a young forward coming in with experience should help shore up the defense, especially if the Raiders are able to benefit from the same level of production on rebounds.
Jayden Terry, Sophomore, 5-9 Guard, Gainesville, FL, Gainesville HS/LA Tech
Terry comes to Wright State after coming off the bench for the Lady Techsters and is ready to make her impact right away, according to Hoffman. In high school, she held first team honors in Florida play as a senior as well as earning Player of the Year. A jack-of-all-trades shooter, she adds some depth to the roster’s guard position.
Rowan Klesmit, Freshman, 5-6 Guard, Neenah, WI, Neenah HS
Klesmit is one of four freshmen making their way onto the Raiders this season alongside Megan Ganschow, Sydney Williams, and Paula Sevilla of Spain. Klesmit has a style of play similar to that of Sagester and spent the last two years of her high school career averaging over 20 PPG for Neenah HS. As such, she’s my choice for the freshman highlight, but it’s worth noting that there is also a possibility for any of the four to make their mark. Honorable mention to Megan Ganschow for being a forward in this class, as last season’s forward core got wracked with injury early.
Projected Starting Roster
Guard – Rylee Sagester, R-JR, 5-7
Guard – Abbie Riddle, R-JR, 5-10
Guard – Jasmine Fearne, SR, 6-0
Guard – Megan Campbell, JR, 5-9
Forward – Grace Okih, R-SR, 6-2
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