“I hope that helps,” he said.
Donlon also hopes the team’s trip and the practices allowed leading into it will give the young Raiders a head start on his second season as head coach. With a roster including five freshmen, four sophomores and no players who have been with the program for more than one season, Donlon said the trip that included four games against Italian professional teams was timely.
The Raiders finished the trip 1-3, but Donlon said he tried to select difficult opponents so he could evaluate each player.
Some early returns:
• Donlon said sophomore forward Cole Darling, the team’s top returning scorer at 4.3 points per game, was the most consistent performer, and he started each of the four games.
• Freshmen Reggie Arceneaux (point guard) and Tavares Sledge (forward) made impressions with large minutes and good offensive production. Arceneaux was the only WSU player to score in double figures in all four games.
• Freshman guard Kendall Griffin displayed impressive athleticism, particularly in the second game, during which he scored 12 points.
• Donlon used the same starting lineup in three of the four games: Darling, senior forward Johann Mpondo, junior guard Julius Mays, sophomore guard Matt Vest and sophomore guard Vance Hall. In the other game, sophomore forward A.J. Pacher replaced Hall as a starter.
• It was difficult to gauge the team’s long-range shooting because the 3-point lines were at NBA range, much farther than the college line.
Staying home: Donlon declined to specify why junior forward Armond Battle did not make the trip with the team, saying: "I made a decision that it was more important for Armond to be here than it was for him to be in Italy. I'm proud of the summer Armond had, a very good summer in school and very good in practices. It's a valuable lesson for him, he's done a terrific job this summer and I'm looking forward to having him in real games."
Women's soccer (3-1): After dropping a 2-1 decision to seventh-ranked Ohio State last weekend, the Raiders will travel to face Mississippi and Auburn at the Auburn tournament this weekend.
Men's soccer (2-0): Undefeated through two games after going 4-12-1 last season, WSU travels to play 21st-ranked Kentucky and Evansville at the University of Kentucky Invitational this weekend.
Volleyball (0-4): The Raiders will play Central Michigan and Oakland at Oakland's Golden Grizzly Invitational on Saturday.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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