After Wright State’s home finale Sunday — a disappointing 81-68 loss to Robert Morris that didn’t keep the Raiders from owning a piece of the Horizon League regular season title, but at least for now kept them from being sole champions — WSU celebrated four players with a midcourt Senior Day ceremony.
In more ways than one, Etumnu’s situation set him apart from the other three.
Michael Imariagbe and Sam Alamutu were each joined by several members of their family as they walked across the Nutter Center floor to head coach Clint Sargent, who awarded them their framed jerseys and nicely summed up their careers here as the crowd applauded.
Guard Logan Woods, a redshirt junior who is marching a year early to be with players he knew but is planning to come back next season, was accompanied by his parents.
Etumnu, a 6-foot-7 forward who had transferred in this season after a celebrated three-year career at Merrimack — the same school that gave the Dayton Flyers two of their standout players this season, Javon Bennett and Jordan Derkack — slowly walked out onto the court all alone.
Asked later, he said his parents had “some kind of work they had to finish” back in the Houston area, where he was raised.
But in the absence of one family, another one — born from brotherhood and respect, not bloodlines — stepped forward.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
The rest of the Wright State players walked en masse to his side and surrounded him with smiles and unwavering support as they turned a Senior Day celebration into one of love, not loneliness.
That’s the way it should have been.
Etumnu’s college career should not be defined by a few months of bottom of the mountain circumstance.
Although he hasn’t gotten into a game for the Raiders since Jan. 9, he was a starter the first eight games of the season and actually has played in 98 college games, 73 which he started.
In his final two seasons at Merrimack, he started 55 games.
As a sophomore he was named the Most Improved Player in the Northeast Conference. Last season — with Merrimack now in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference — he was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.
His 73 blocked shots led the conference and ranked him 14th nationally in Division I basketball.
Averaging 30.6 minutes a game, he had some highlight reel games: 21 points against Manhattan; 14 rebounds versus Sacred Heart and six blocked shots in late season games against Canisius, Quinnipiac and Iona.
His first season at Merrimack, he played alongside Bennett, who then transferred to UD. He played two seasons with Derkack, who then spent a year at Rutgers before joining the Flyers.
Etumnu said he “loved” his three years in the Warriors program: “Merrimack was a big milestone in my life. There are all the connections I made, all the things I was able to do. I appreciate all the things they taught me.
“But I decided I wanted to showcase my skills at a higher level. I was comfortable there, but sometimes I think it’s good when you put yourself at risk and see what you’re made of and find out what you can do.”
He entered the transfer portal and several schools showed interest in him.
Wright State was the first one he visited and he said he felt so at home, so connected, that he committed to the Raiders before visiting anywhere else.
At the time, Sargent said: “Brian’s size, his skill set and ability to be an elite defender is exactly what we are looking for to add to our roster.”
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Etumnu did play 33 ½ minutes in a 10-point loss to California early in the season and had 14 points in a win over Stetson, but his minutes began to decline and after eight starts — with the Raiders going 4-4 — he was moved to the bench.
Over the next six games his court time and production plummeted. Since the Jan. 9 game at Detroit Mercy, he has not gotten on the floor.
And yet several Raiders said that’s when he has made the biggest impact with them.
“You hear his voice,” Imariagbe said. “Even though he doesn’t play he still talks to us and we listen to him and learn from him. He’s a great player who pushes us in practice and makes us better.”
Freshman point guard Michael Cooper said Etumnu has especially struck a chord with him:
“It’s easy to get into a shell when you’re not playing, especially as a senior. But I feel he has stayed steady.
“With us younger guys, he helps us, he leads us. He’s still putting in the work every day and he’s vocal. It’s easy for me to learn from him because he stays real with us.”
Chopping it up
Just as the Raiders team has been there for him this season and especially Sunday afternoon — “I love them to death,” he said quietly afterward — Etumnu said Bennett and Derkack have remained his “best pals.”
“They are my guys. I’m with them almost every weekend. I was just there yesterday. I go to their games at UD Arena and they have come here to mine.
“A lot of times we chop it up on the phone before games. I’ll come over to their place and we’ll get some food or watch games or maybe just talk about old times.”
He said he’s seen about 10 Flyers games this season and often sits behind the opposing bench.
“When they come here they sit directly across from me and sometimes I can hear them yelling,” he laughed. “They’re good friends. One day they’ll be the best men in my wedding.”
Standing tall
Etumnu said it’s taken some real effort to cope with his reversal of fortune:
“Honestly, it just comes down to choosing joy at the end of the day rather than just being mad about what’s going on. If everybody else is happy, why wouldn’t you want to be happy, too? It makes it easier.
“Sometimes, though, you have to fake it ‘til you make it, but it becomes real and you realize something is bigger than just you. Instead of just thinking about yourself all the time you’ve got to think about everybody around you.”
No one has been more impressed — as well as appreciative and relieved — by that approach than Sargent.
“He’s remarkable. When you deal with a circumstance where you have done everything right and you still don’t get the carrot of playing time, that can be tough.
“It comes down to how you act, what’s your character like; what’s your integrity. And he’s been unbelievable.
“I look at these guy’s faces every day and I can tell — just like when I look at my own children — which ones are listening, which ones are defiant, which ones are trusting.
“And he’s constantly giving me that ‘yes face’ as to what’s being said.
“He’s into this fight, not only with his teammates, but with the coaches. So often kids will quit on a coach (like me) because I’m the one keeping them from playing time and all those things. But he hasn’t done that.”
For that, Sargent said he is forever indebted.
“What Bryan has given me as a coach…” Sargent said as emotion filled his words. “Often when players don’t get what they want, they blame somebody. Bryan hasn’t chosen that (path) once.”
Sargent said Etumnu is setting an example for the young players that is invaluable.
He touched briefly on that during Sunday’s ceremony, but he spoke to the team about it in depth on Saturday.
“We’ve talked about that in private, but he brought it up in front of all the guys and to be truthful, it was overwhelming,” Etumnu said. “I applaud him for doing that. It takes real spirit to do that. I could tell he really meant it and that meant a lot to me.
“I know it’s hard for a coach to satisfy everybody all the time.”
When you hear Etumnu speak from the heart like that, you realize why Sargent sings his praises and the rest of the Raiders’ players didn’t hesitate to flock to him on the court Sunday.
He has made them all realize, a guy doesn’t have to be on top of the mountain to stand taller than he ever has.
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