Wright State University Athletics

2018, 2019 and 2020 Horizon League Coach of the Year

Scott Nagy completed his fifth season at the helm in 2020-21 after being named the ninth head coach in the history of the Wright State men’s basketball program on April 4, 2016.
 
A three-time Horizon League Coach of the Year selection, Nagy won 20-plus games his first four seasons with the Raiders and tallied 18 wins in the shortened 2020-21 campaign. Through five seasons, Nagy has guided the Raiders to 19 Horizon League honors, including back-to-back Player of the Year selections for Loudon Love, who previously earned the HL’s Freshman of the Year honor under Nagy.
 
Nagy reached another milestone of his coaching career on Feb. 22, 2020 with an 81-74 overtime victory over Cleveland State for his 500th collegiate victory. With the victory, Nagy became the 61st active NCAA head coach (28th at the Division I level) to reach the 500-win mark. He went on to win his 100th career game at Wright State on January 16, 2021 against Cleveland State, becoming the third head coach in program history to record 100 career wins with the Raiders.
 
His first season with the Raiders, WSU saw many successes and improvements that will act as a base for the future. Wright State posted 20 regular-season wins for the first time since 2008, including the title of the Men vs Breast Cancer Classic and finished with a 115 RPI.  Also, WSU had a player named first-team All League for the first time since 2011 as Mark Alstork was honored by the Horizon League.
 
Year two in 2018, Nagy guided the Raiders to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007 as senior Grant Benzinger was named to the Horizon League's first team, freshman Loudon Love to the second team and Newcomer of the Year and junior Mark Hughes to the All-Defensive Team.  For his and the team's efforts, Nagy was named the League and the NABC District Coach of the Year as WSU posted a 25-10, 14-4 record.
 
The third season, being picked to win the Horizon League title for the first-time ever at WSU, the Raiders tied for the regular-season title and received the top seed in the League Tournament.  As Wright State (21-14, 13-5) advanced to the school's first NIT appearance, the Raiders added a record six individuals who received post-season conference honors, led by Nagy himself being named Coach of the Year for the second straight time.  Loudon Love once again was honored, this time as a first-team member while newcomer Bill Wampler was placed on the second-team.  Seniors Mark Hughes and Parker Ernsthausen took two of the five spots on the All-Defensive Team, and Malachi Smith was placed on the All-Freshman squad.  Additionally, Love was selected to the NABC District 12 Team, and named an All-American by the Lou Henson All-American Team committee, an award given annually to the nation's best mid-major players in Division I college basketball.
 
The fourth season, Wright State was again picked to win the Horizon League title, tying for the regular-season title and received the top seed in the League Tournament. Wright State had seven All-League honorees, the most in program history, with Nagy sharing Coach of the Year honors, while Love earned Player of the Year honors and was also recognized on the Horizon League first team, while Bill Wampler earned second team honors and Cole Gentry was named to the third team. A pair of Raiders – Grant Basile and Tanner Holden – were both named to the All-Freshman Team. Nagy was named the NABC District 12 Coach of the Year, Love earned All-District 12 First Team recognition and Wampler garnered Second Team honors. Love was also named to Lou Henson All-America Team.
 
The Raiders won 25 games in 2019-2020, setting the new program standard for most wins in a regular season in the Division I Era, and won 15 Horizon League games, also a new program-best, on the way to Wright State's first outright Horizon League regular season title in program history. Additionally, the team's six road Horizon League victories were the most in program history and the Raiders were a perfect 9-0 at home in league play on the way to a 14-2 overall home mark at the Nutter Center.
 
The fifth season, Wright State clinched at least a share of the Horizon League regular season championship for the third consecutive season, as Love earned his second straight Player of the Year honor and was joined on the first team by Tanner Holden. Grant Basile was a second team selection. Love and Tim Finke each earned All-Defensive Team recognition as well.
 
Nagy (NAY-ghee) came to Wright State after 21 seasons at South Dakota State.  During that time, he guided the school from Division II to Division I and compiled an overall record of 410-240 (.631).  Since joining the Summit League in 2007, Nagy’s teams went 175-119 (.595), earning berths in the NCAA tournament in 2012, 2013 and 2016, an NIT berth in 2015, and playing in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) post-season tournament in 2014.
 
In his final season at SDSU, he led the Jackrabbits to a 26-8 record, winning the Summit League regular season and post-season tournament championships.  They fell to Maryland 79-74 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.  It marked their third Summit League championship in five years.
 
Nagy and his staff recruited and developed several all-league, academic all-league and all-newcomer team members during his time at SDSU. Perhaps his best-known player was Nate Wolters, who garnered a host of honors, including being named Third Team All-America as a senior in 2013. He was drafted in the second round by the Milwaukee Bucks.
 
After a transition to Division I that began in 2004, Nagy’s teams began to hit their stride in 2010. Those six years produced a .693 winning percentage, three Summit League regular season and postseason tournament championships, multiple wins against Power 5 teams, and the program’s first post-season win against Colorado State in the 2014 NIT.
 
Prior to the transition to Division I, Nagy led the Jackrabbits to eight Division II NCAA tournaments in his first nine years, including an Elite 8 appearance in 1997. He finished with a .781 winning percentage as a Division II coach.
 
Nagy is a 1988 graduate of Delta State University, where he helped lead the team to three Division II tournament appearances in his four years.  In addition to setting career records for games played and assists, he also excelled in the classroom, earning Gulf South All-Academic honors three times. He was inducted into the Delta State Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
 
After graduating, Nagy joined the staff at the University of Illinois under hall of fame coach Lou Henson. In his two seasons on staff the Illini advanced to the NCAA tournament both years, including a trip to the Final Four in 1989. He also got to coach alongside his dad, Dick, who was a longtime assistant under Henson.
 
Nagy and his wife Jamie have five children:  Nick, Tyler, Anthony “TJ”, Natalie, and Naika.


Scott Nagy Year-by-Year