Calvin lived the mid-major dream; can he do it again at Wright State?
Trey Calvin has lived the mid-major dream.
Two years ago, the St. Viator grad buried the game-winning jumper with 15 seconds left, sending Wright State past Northern Kentucky in the Horizon League championship game and securing a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Not only that, Wright State followed up with another victory over Bryant in a First Four contest before falling to top-seed Arizona.
“When that happened, it definitely felt surreal,” Calvin said. “I've been working my whole life just to get to the D1 level. To be able to hit a shot like that and play in the tournament, in 'The Dance,' is a dream come true for me.”
That First Four game was interesting, because Bryant came in with some hype thanks to high-scoring guard Peter Kiss. He scored 28 points, but Calvin had 21 and Wright State pulled away in the second half for a convincing 93-82 victory.
“I had the flu that game, so that's really what I remember most,” Calvin said. “I was throwing up before the game and at halftime, but we weren't really listening to all that noise, the publicity. We were just trying to be locked in on the scout and just play our game. We knew we were the better team.”
The Arizona game was a 17-point loss but a chance to play against some future NBA players, including current Bulls wing Dalen Terry.
“I think I fouled him one time getting through a ball screen,” the 6-foot Calvin said of Terry. “He has almost 7-8 inches on me.”
With the experience of a lifetime complete, what do you do for an encore? In Calvin's case it's been complicated.
Wright State could have built on the momentum of the 2022 tournament but ran into some modern-day college basketball problems. Calvin was actually the third-leading scorer on that team, and the top two both decided to transfer.
Guard Tanner Holden, who scored 37 points in the Bryant game, jumped to Ohio State. Forward Grant Basile went to Virginia Tech. After not playing much at OSU, Holden returned to Wright State this season. At the time, though, it was a jolt for Calvin to see two of his best friends pack up and leave.
“At first it was just surprising,” Calvin said. “I never thought they would leave like that, and the way they left kind of surprised everybody. I just moved on quickly. Me and the coaches talked about it. I let them know that I was staying, I wasn't going anywhere.”
Calvin said some people in his life encouraged him to explore a transfer, but he never seriously considered leaving the first Division I school to offer a scholarship. The roster changes did lead to more opportunity. The Glendale Heights native averaged 20 points in each of the last two seasons.
But the transfers did take a toll. Wright State coach Scott Nagy — the son of longtime Illinois assistant Dick Nagy — pulled Calvin from the starting lineup for five games during the 2022-23 season.
“It was frustrating definitely that year,” Calvin said. “A lot of our players weren't playing confidently and we were losing a lot of games and I was like the main guy. It was definitely frustrating for me to be motivated every day. That's kind of why they benched me, because I wasn't as motivated during practice.”
One interesting part of Calvin's story is he's one of three players from his St. Viator team averaging double figures for a Division I school. Jeremiah Hernandez is Southern Indiana's top scorer at 17.0 points a game, while Connor Kochera is at 12.3 points for Davidson.
“Honestly, I think in high school, Connor and Jerry were much better than me, more developed,” Calvin said. “I wasn't that good of a player until senior year.”
Now as the weather is starting to change, basketball fans everywhere know mid-major madness is right around the corner. Most teams in the big conferences have a pretty good idea if they're going to make the tournament or not. For players like Calvin, it will be one-and-done when the conference tournament begins in less than two weeks.
Wright State played a tough schedule early but has gone 10-4 since Jan. 1. The Horizon League is arguably as competitive as any conference in the country when it comes to balance among the top eight teams.
“It definitely adds excitement, but I also think it adds more pressure,” Calvin said. “You've got one chance, it's either win or go home. I just think the team that doesn't get complacent, that stays steady through the tournament is going to come out on top. Hopefully that's us.”
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