Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Wright State sophomore Tanner Holden heard a lot of well-meaning advice about how he should temper his expectations going into last season.
Not that it swayed him all that much.
“Even the coach told me not a lot of freshmen would come in and play right away,” he said of Scott Nagy, who was just being a realist based on 25 years of experience. "But the summer before my freshman year, I really tried to become one of those reliable players he could throw in and trust in big situations.
“I knew if I just play great defense and get rebounds, I definitely would have a role on the court.”
Instead of just settling for finding a niche, Holden blossomed into a star. The 6-foot-6, 185-pound wing averaged 11.8 points (third on the team) and 6.5 rebounds (second) while being named to the Horizon League all-freshman team.
He also shot a blistering 61.1% from the field. The school record is 64.2 by Mike Nahar in 1992-93.
“He’s a really good athlete with a really good feel for the game,” Nagy said. "And No. 2, he’s just got a great motor.
“That motor thing is hard to teach. Guys either have it or they don’t. He just has it, and it goes up at game time.”
