Calvin fits Raiders at point ,
Trey Calvin is FAIRBORN — a high-confidence player, believing every shot is going in.
That’s not the way it works, of course. At the college level, anyone who can make even 50% of his attempts is considered an efficient shooter.
But the Wright State sophomore point guard has shown he isn’t going to quit pulling the trigger if a few don’t go in. Or, as was the case in a recent game against Milwau- kee, more than a few.
His first-half stat line: 0 of 7 from the field, 0 of 3 on 3-pointers, zero points.
After that kind of display, some players would be hesitant to shoot again. Or would end up watching the rest of the game from a seat on the bench.
But coach Scott Nagy stuck with him, and that decision paid off.
Calvin hit 4 of 5 shots, including 2 of 3 on 3’s, and dished out four of his seven assists in a 10-point second half in a 92-81 victory.
“If it was last year, and I went 0 for 7 in the first half, I would have folded in the sec- ond half,” Calvin admitted. “But the coaches tell me to shoot it. My teammates tell me to shoot it. They keep my confidence up.
“I went into the second half with a short-term memory and got some shots up, and, thankfully, they went in.”
Loudon Love, the two-time Horizon League Player of the Year, noticed Calvin going through that cold spell and was one of those teammates trying to keep his spirits up.
“He works really hard on everything — finishing, ball-handling, shooting, all those things,” Love said. “When he doesn’t see it fall, we’ve got to be there to encourage him. That’s what we did, and he answered very well.”
Actually, Calvin, who is averaging 9.9 points, would be asset for the Raiders even without scoring. He’s a topnotch defender and has racked up 81 assists, 20 more than the next-highest total.
He has the fourth-best assist-turnover ratio in the league with 2.4 assists for every miscue.
“That’s what I want him doing, running our team and getting shots for other
guys,” said Nagy, whose team hosts Milwaukee in the tourney quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Told Calvin has almost as many steals (29) as turnovers (34), Nagy said: “Any coach would be happy with that.”
The 6-foot Chicagoan probably had the most pressure coming into the season. He was an unproven commodity replacing an all-league point guard in Cole Gentry, a three-year starter.
While he wasn’t an explosive athlete, Gentry was a solid decision-maker and averaged 10.8 points while shooting 45.7% from the field, 40.3 on 3’s and 84.6 on foul shots.
Calvin isn’t at Gentry’s level as a shooter, but he’s improved since last year from the field (31.3% to 35.1) and on foul shots (63.6 to 79.5). He’s also a far better defender.
Love, who made t he league’s all-defensive team along with teammate Tim Finke in a vote of the conference coaches, thought Calvin deserved the same honor.
“The way Trey is around the perimeter, just great getting through ball screens, I thought the coaches would recognize that more,” Love said.
Calvin has shown he’s content not being in the spotlight. Though players have been made available for Zoom interviews after ing bad, I’d go into my own world. But this year, I think I made a jump in that area. If I’m playing bad, I just turn to my teammates and pass them the ball.”
Well, not always. Sometimes, when that confidence kicks in, he’ll keep shooting until they fall.
The Raiders are fine with whatever he decides.