Stacey, a Key to Raiders Success

by Alan Hieber

The Raiders sit atop the Horizon league standings. Oftentimes even the players that have limited minutes can be unsung leaders for their team, and this is very evident with senior guard Trey Stacey.

"Obviously, he does not get to play a lot and that can be challenging for some people, but Trey understands his role on the team and knows he can help in other ways," WSU coach Scott Nagy said.

Stacey attended Moeller, where he was on the same team with fellow Raider senior guard Grant Benzinger. One thing that sold him on walking-on to play for WSU was the family atmosphere.

"Every year we start out with our conditioning sessions. Those are pretty tough and it brings everyone together," Stacey said. "It's a brotherhood."

The captain of the bench is the description Stacey gave when discussing his role. From there he is a vocal motivator. He also has the pertinent responsibility of watching film of opponents and playing on the scout team to help with game preparation.

"I try to emulate the other team's players as best I can," Stacey said.

"He (Stacey) is valuable in game prep when it comes to running scout team or playing defense, he shows up every single day and his goal is to make our team better," Nagy said. "He is a great teammate and is willing to do whatever we ask of him."

From his perspective, Stacey is also an important mentor for underclassman and upperclassmen.

"Even if they're playing a lot of minutes as a freshman, they still have to get used to different situations," Stacey said. "Being on the bench, I watch a lot of the games. I see things that maybe a person on the court doesn't see and tell them how they can improve."

"Trey is well-liked amongst the team. He is one of the veterans and has been around the program for a while, so a lot of the guys look up to him and his work ethic," Nagy said. "He brings a lot of energy on our bench and exemplifies everything about what a good teammate should be."

Stacey is a marketing major, and he aspires to work for the basketball branch of Nike through marketing or sales one day. He added that his experience at WSU could help with this.

"It's a huge time commitment. Being a walk-on shows that you're all for a team and work better in groups," Stacey said.

During his four-year career as a Raider, Stacey has seen a lot. He has had two coaching staffs, been part of signature wins like the Georgia Tech upset this season and built strong relationships with current and former WSU players.

"With the amount of stories I have I could write a book. All the memories I have here are unreal," Stacey said.

After all of these fond moments for Stacey one thing is still missing, a Horizon League championship banner. Getting to the NCAA tournament was a childhood dream he says.

With the Raiders in a good position to make a run in the league tournament and selfless leaders like Stacey, that could very well come to fruition.

"I think if everyone is all in, we'll have a great shot to win it," Stacey said.

Players Mentioned

Grant Benzinger

Trey Stacey

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