Wright State junior guard Matt Vest made a big impact as a freshman, starting 13 games, but he saw his numbers drop last season as he battled injuries. He missed the first six games with an ankle injury and ended up playing in 20 games overall, starting four.

Vest averaged 3.8 points as a freshman and 2.1 last season. He shot 47 percent from the field two years ago and 36 percent last season.

The Chaminade-Julienne graduate started the Raiders’ lone exhibition game Friday against Central State and had 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Four days before the season opener, he sat down to talk about the upcoming season.

Q: What do you think about this year’s team?

A: I think we’re definitely more athletic. We’ve got a lot more speed. We’ve got a lot of guys who can guard a lot of different positions. I think this league is so balanced, and what can set us apart is our defense, if we can guard like we’re capable of.

Q: How has your role changed?

A: My role is definitely a little bit different. I think I need to be more aggressive on offense. We’re going to be more balanced offensively, and I think I need to look to make more plays. We don’t have any seniors, so really I’m a senior. Me, Cole (Darling) and AJ (Pacher) are seniors basically because we’re the only returning guys and we’re the oldest.

Q: Have you put the injuries behind you?

A: I’m over all those. It really was tough and frustrating last year, but I think I learned a lot from it. Being a good teammate, you learn stuff sitting on the bench and not being in games that you wouldn’t learn if you were in the game. I took a lot from it, and I’m ready to have a good year.

Q: What did you work on in the offseason?

A: I worked a lot on my body, getting healthy, staying strong. Coach (Billy) Donlon is so good at player development. Guys that come in freshman year are completely different players by the time they’re seniors. He works on a lot of stuff. I worked on dribbling, ballhandling, shots off the dribbles, and I worked on the post a little more.

Q: How long do you think it will take for this team to mesh?

A: It’s going to take time with all the new guys. It’s a new system. Especially having guys who are really far from home. We have two guys from Texas, a guy from Boston. Something coach talks about it is recruiting good people. It’s easy to get along with these guys. But I think we’re going to go through some stuff this year. Coach Donlon has tried to make stuff hard in practice and make us go through some stuff. That’s when guys will really come together.