Gymnasium to Stadium - Ryan Ashton's Coach Career

[Tolarchykj10]

The Journey

It all started ten years ago at the age of 16. Ryan Ashton first made his mark in the AAU circuit out of Phoenix, Arizona as one of the top coaches in club basketball. In his first year he won 3 of the 4 tournaments his team would play in, falling short in only one of them to that years National Champion. In just his second year he would coach his group all the way to Orlando to play in the AAU National Championships. Not knowing what to expect he told his boys to give it their all and play their hearts out. Little did he know, he had something special. They would run the course, beating team after team. Only playing better as the tournament went on. Ryan Ashton had won his first AAU National Championship as a 17 year old coach. Coach Ashton would lead his same team back for the next few years to come.

At the age of 21, getting ready to enter his Junior year of college at Robert Morris University he received a call from a little high school in Rayland, Ohio. Ashton was in shock, his parents alma mater had come calling. He saw they were looking for a new Varsity head coach so he had applied. Ashton had never expected anything back but they called. Ryan Ashton could now resume his name Coach Ryan Ashton as the head coach of Buckeye Local High School.

Buckeye Local High School, a team that plays in the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference at Class 4-A had gone a horrendous 0-18 last year. They had only won 13 games in the past 3 seasons. Coach Ashton knew it was going to be tough, but it was a challenge he was willing to take. The first day of tryouts consisted of non stop running, Ashton wanted to see where he stood with players who were committed. He knew that the year would be tough but he was determined.

Coach Ryan Ashton focuses on a pressure defense, he pressures the ball the whole length of the court. Full Court Zone defense in a 2-2-1, then he falls back in to a 3-2 trap. Offensively he runs a 3 out 2 in set. Focusing on feeding the post and beating teams up to draw in the double team where they can start to kick the ball out for the open three.

In Coach Asthon's first year at Buckeye Local he lead the team to a 9-9 record, something he wasn't happy with but knew it was good coming off of an 0-18 season. They lost in the first round of playoffs to the tournament champs. In his second year, Buckeye Local went 13-5 losing in the state championships on a buzzer beater. Coach Ryan Ashton was named Coach Of the Year. Now at the age of 23, he knew that this year he had something special. He started a lineup of 5'11, 6', 6'2, 6'5, 6'9. The chemistry was there. It was their season to lose. The team went undefeated in regular season play, and would run through the playoffs winning the championship by 20. Buckeye Local would go on to win the championship for the next two seasons as Coach Ashton would lead them to a 3-peat.

Coach Ryan Ashton would receive his first call. It was from his home town of Dayton, Ohio. The Wright State Raiders had offered him a job. He more than gladly accepted. It was official, he had finally made it to the college level.


The year was 2007, and Coach Ryan Ashton would finally get a look at his roster for the first time...

[milldaddy35]

Re: Gymnasium to Stadium - Ryan Ashton's Coach Career

Ill be following! Good luck!

[Tolarchykj10]

Re: Gymnasium to Stadium - Ryan Ashton's Coach Career

Wright State Raiders Roster

Starters:
PG: Bill Newton #34 - Bill is a returning Junior, coming into his third year we expect him to be a key role to our roster for this year and next year.
SG: Rick Mueller #44 - Rick being a starting Sophomore is big for us, he is our only outside threat so he will be vital to my offense.
SF: Derek Clinton #21 - Derek is only a Sophomore and is the standout player on this years roster, we don't have much to offer but Derek will be a player the people love to watch. He is all over the court when it comes to the stat sheet.
PF: Anthony Gordon #50 - In his Senior year we hope that Anthony can have the best year of his career. He is our dominant force inside the paint. As long as he can produce consistent numbers I am sure we will be okay.
C: Howard Camp #15 - Only a Freshman but also the only Center on this years roster. It means that Howard will rack up a lot of minutes pending an injury strikes.

6th man: Brenden Nash #2 - In his senior year Brenden will be a big part of the rotation this season. We lack scoring in our bench this season but hope he can give us a spark here and there.
7th man: Madu Simon #11 - The only true PG on this years roster, pending his play he could sneak into the starting lineup but being only a freshman we want to see what he will provide off the bench to start.
8th man: Anthony Barker #3 - Being a freshman he could be a valuable asset in years to come, he will get his chances but wouldn't be surprised if his minutes lack behind Muller and Newton.

Best of The Rest:
Bryan Puckett #33 - Only a junior but doesn't offer much of to the team, he can rebound well but isn't a scoring threat in anyones eyes.
Adam Ollie #40 - A Sophomore and the only other big man we really have, he will have to provide a valuable effort in his time off the bench as he is really the only option.
Fred Roach #30 - As a sophomore and the depth of SG's we have I doubt that Fred will see many minutes this year.

Redshirt:
John Pham #4 - A freshman that can knock down the three. Don't be surprised if next year he is our starting SG.



I have to head off for work now, will post Schedule, Recruits and Game 1 either tonight or tomorrow.

[pfeifere1]

Re: Gymnasium to Stadium - Ryan Ashton's Coach Career

Awesome stuff! Count me in to follow this. Good luck at Wright State

[Deuce2223]

Re: Gymnasium to Stadium - Ryan Ashton's Coach Career

I have a feeling I will be spending my entire day off just ready all the college hoops threads going on.. Good luck. Can't say I have ever seen a Wright State thread before

[JTolarchyk10]

Re: Gymnasium to Stadium - Ryan Ashton's Coach Career

Busy day with work and my own basketball. Will have schedule, recruiting and the first five games up late tonight!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tolarchykj10]

Re: Gymnasium to Stadium - Ryan Ashton's Coach Career

2007-2008 Wright State Raiders Schedule

*Used the default schedule I was given for the first year. Will start changing it in future years*

Non-Conference:
@ Wyoming 11/13/2007
@ Loyola 11/15/2007
vs Old Dominion 11/20/2007
vs Western Kentucky 12/1/2007
vs California 12/3/2007
@ Bethune-Cookman 12/5/2007
@ TCU 12/10/2007
vs #14 Gonzaga 12/14/2007
vs George Mason 12/15/2007
vs Gardner Webb 12/22/2007
@ South Alabama 12/23/2007

Conference:
vs Cleveland State 1/1/2008
@ Youngstown State 1/4/2008
vs UIC 1/8/2008
@ Wisconsin-Milwaukee 1/9/2008
@ Valparaiso 1/11/2008
vs Youngstown State 1/14/2008
@ Detroit 1/15/2008
@ Butler 1/17/2008
@ UW-Green Bay 1/19/2008
vs Loyola UC 1/22/2008
vs Detroit 1/24/2008
vs Valparaiso 2/7/2008
vs Wisconsin-Milwaukee 2/12/2008
vs UW-Green Bay 2/15/2008
@ UIC 2/16/2008
@ Loyola UC 2/18/2008
vs Butler 2/24/2008
@ Cleveland State 2/27/2008

Coach Ashton on this years schedule - "Sitting here and taking a look at our roster with the talent we have, I can't say this year is going to be easy. We start off the season with two road games one being at Wyoming and the next at Loyola. It is good for the program that we get to host schools like Cal, Gonzaga and George Mason. All who are teams that usually go dancing come March.
As for my views on conference play; I think it will be a good battle. Getting to play everyone twice will really help us prepare for the Conference Tournament at the end. Just have to grind it out and hope come Selection Sunday our name gets called."

[Tolarchykj10]

Re: Gymnasium to Stadium - Ryan Ashton's Coach Career

Recruiting Central

With only two scholarships to give out this season our goal is simple. We need another C and another PG added to the roster. With that being said, we have a group of six players we are keeping our eye on. Those being...

5'7 PG Daniel Ewing 2* out of Akron, Ohio. While he may not be the tallest, you certainly can see he has the most heart. He doesn't kill teams from beyond the arc but all around helps out his team. He averages 10 points a game with 4 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. His list of schools contain Bowling Green, Wake Forest, Wright State, Xavier and Maryland.

6'1 PG Michael Cotton 3* out of Hampton, Pennsylvania. Has the body to excel in the Horizon league with no problem, after erupting for 35 points in his first game of the season he became our most highly recruited prospect. He lacks consistency on the scoring end but averages 4 steals a game along with 6 assists per game. His top 3 schools right now are Wright State, Maryland and Ohio.

6'8 PF Ray Wells 2* out of Steubenville, Ohio. Standing 6 foot 8 and weighing in at 234 lbs he has the body to bruise people in the paint. But his shooting percentage tells us differently. In the games we have attended he has stood out, but it seems he doesn't stand out when not being watched. Lacks rebounding which this team will need in years to come. The top schools for Ray Wells in order right now are Wright State, Dayton, Kent State and Western Michigan.

6'10 C Levar Abrams 2* out of Oxford, Ohio. Only averaging 7 points a game but pulling in just over 9 rebounds a game has adapted him to become one of our favorites in the class. His potential is something that we don't see much in, after seeing his coach tell him time after time what to do he does not seem to adapt to it at all. Levars top four schools in order right now are Wright State, Valparaiso, Iowa State, and Ohio.

7'0 C Tyson Armstrong 3* out of Highland Park, Michigan. Throughout his time playing he doesn't seem to want the ball offensively. You put this kid on the defensive end of the floor and he loves the game of basketball. Tyson averages 4.5 blocks per game and just over 6 rebounds. Tysons top four schools in order are Wright State, Seton Hall, Cincinnati, and Penn State.

7'4 C Cono Ulrich 3* out of Bridgeport, Ohio. He was once a rival to the school of Buckeye Local where Coach Ashton last coached. Now, he is one of the players that Coach Ashton can't seem to stay away from. Coach Ashton himself is going all in on trying to land the recruit that use to give his Buckeye Local team problems. Could he soon be gameplaning for someone he use to gameplan against? Cono's top schools in order right now are Arkansas, Penn State, Miami and Wright State.

Coach Ashton on his recruits - "While I would love to see each of these kids to come through my program and play college ball for us I know that I can't have it like that. With only two scholarships to offer I plan to give it to the two best players I see fit. With that being said I don't plan on offering these scholarships right away. But as of right now, Michael Cotton and Cono Ulrich are my biggest goals. With players like Tyson Armstrong who wants to come here, we would love for him also, but I know the kind of athlete Cono is and he would thrive and push Wright State to the next level. We will continue to pursue all of these student-athletes for the next couple months and make our decision when the time comes."

[Tolarchykj10]

Re: Gymnasium to Stadium - Ryan Ashton's Coach Career

Game 1 In The Books

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It was the first game of the year for both teams as the Wright State Raiders would be taking on the Wyoming Cowboys.
Wright State looked good early on getting out and scoring fast and quick. Coach Ashton not even 2 minutes into the game went straight to his 2-2-1 full court press. It worked! He caused turnover after turnover. Starting PG Bill Newton had came to play today, in the first half he put up 10 points and 3 assists as he would finish the game with 17 points and 7 assists. He was the clear standout for the team in todays game.

The score at halftime read Wright State 31 to Wyoming 28. Wyoming came out in the second half as a whole different team. The team that was expected in the first half. Wyoming started out the second half going on a 15-3 run. Before Coach Ashton knew he was down 5, then down 9, then down 12. He took the time out to calm his boys down. It was too late though, the Raiders had put themselves so far out of it that it would be too much to come back from. The final score of the game being 69-61 Wyoming

Key Stats for Wright State :
Bill Newton - 17 Points / 7 Assists / 2 Rebounds / 1 Steal
Derek Clinton - 5 Points / 2-9 shooting / 6 Assists / 4 Rebounds
Anthony Gordon 18 Points / 10 Rebounds / 5-7 FG / 8-9 FT
Madu Simon clicked for 13 points off the bench

[Tolarchykj10]

Re: Gymnasium to Stadium - Ryan Ashton's Coach Career

Clinton Shines in Game 2

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Derek Clinton came into todays game knowing that he had to show up if the team was going to win. Derek Clinton did just that. Wright State started the game out in a 3-2 half court zone with a trap in the corners. It drew the turnovers they were looking for and every single time it got into the hands of Derek, he put it in the bucket. The Raiders could only ride Derek for so long, after awhile the double teams started to come, then he had to get rid of the ball. Thats when Loyola had started their comeback. They wouldn't stay away for long, narrowing the 10 point lead making it just a 4 point game at halftime. Wright State up 40-36
The Raiders had produced 18 turnovers in the game, with 8 of the 18 coming in the final two minutes. It was a rough start to the second half of the game. Wright State would allow another run but this time it being 12-0. They had one plan, it was to feed Derek Clinton the ball.
With just two minutes left to go in the game the Raiders were down 70-62. Derek Clinton in the final two minutes of the game notched on 10 of the teams final 13 points.
With the game being tied at 73 and only 7 seconds left on the clock, Coach Ashton knew what to do. After breaking the timeout he looked at Derek and told him three easy words "Get it done." Derek got the inbound, met a screen at half court to break away from his man and with two seconds left he pulled up from mid range. SWOOSH! Wright State had won the game 75-73.

Key Stats for Wright State -
Derek Clinton 39 Points / 8 Rebounds / 3 Steals
Bill Newton 10 Points / 4 Assists / 7 Steals
Howard Camp 7 Points / 12 Rebounds

Coach Ashton after the game - "I knew when I first accepted this job it wasn't going to be easy. But man, games like these are why I love this job. Derek came in to this game knowing that he had to be a factor. We all saw last game against Wyoming that when Derek doesn't score we crumble. He had one job today and that was to score the ball. While this night may be fun, we must look forward to next week as we host Old Dominion in our first home game."

[Tolarchykj10]

Re: Gymnasium to Stadium - Ryan Ashton's Coach Career

Raiders No Match For Monarchs

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It was a game simply where Coach Ashtons press was no match for a skilled offense. The score may have not made it seem as bad, but everyone was ready to get the game over with. Old Dominion wins the game 66-54.
It felt from the start that something was not right, the fans were not involved in the game. The players didn't seem like they wanted to be there. Everyone just crumbled.

Coach Ashton saw early on that his 2-2-1 full court press was not working so he tried to man up against the Monarchs. That turned to bad real quick when the Monarchs would feed the post for their 7'3 C to go to work on the Raiders freshman Howard Camp. Coach Ashton then tried to double team the post, he would learn real quick that it was not an option.

By the numbers -
Rebounding: Wright State 23 Old Dominion 38
Shooting: Wright State 39% Old Dominion 48%
Three Point Shooting: Wright State 2-10 Old Dominion 8-13
Half Time Score: Wright State 28 Old Dominion 38

Wright State Key Stats -
Rick Muller 12 Points / 1-4 Three Point
Bill Newton 9 Points / 4 Assists / 8 Turnovers
Derek Clinton 17 Points / 5 Rebounds

Coach Ashton on the game - "There really is not much to say. We came into this game just not prepared. For once in my life I can honestly say I feel I have been out coached and out smarted. We have a week and a half until our next game at home against Western Kentucky. We need to be ready for it. To the alumni that made it to tonights game, I'm sorry for what we showed you guys."

[Tolarchykj10]

Re: Gymnasium to Stadium - Ryan Ashton's Coach Career

Raiders Blow 2nd Straight @ Home

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In just their second game at home this season, Wright State blows a 13 point lead with 8 minutes to go. Wright State had started out the game out. Shooting 10/12 from the floor to start and causing 6 turnovers in the first 8 minutes of the game. They held the momentum all the way until the final three minutes.

Derek Clinton came ready to play in todays game, he would put up 28 of the Raiders 64 points. Clinton also found himself forcing 5 turnovers and grabbing 6 rebounds. It was one of the few positives on the day. Freshman C Howard Camp proved big for the Raiders had he posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Coach Ashton on the game - "Well, once again we have managed to blow a game in front of our home crowd. We are still a young team and we are all still working to grow together. I am not worried about where this team is headed, just a bump in the road. In two days we host the now #24 team in the nation, the Cal Golden Bears. I'm not saying it is a must win for us, but its a game we have to show that we are not a joke to college basketball. We have one of our big recruits in PG Michael Cotton who will be in attendance for the game. I guess I will see you guys Monday night.."

[Tolarchykj10]

Re: Gymnasium to Stadium - Ryan Ashton's Coach Career

RAIDERS STUN #24 GOLDEN BEARS

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#24 California Golden Bears at Wright State Raiders
Dec 3, 2007	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#24 California (6-2)	35	41			76
Wright State (2-3)	36	45			81

#24 California Golden Bears

Wright State Raiders
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
PG - Bill Newton	24	7/11	0/1	2/2	1	5	4	0	0	16
SG - Rick Muller	22	2/6	0/2	0/0	0	4	0	0	1	4
SF - Derek Clinton	23	5/9	4/5	4/4	3	0	1	0	0	18
PF - Anthony Gordon	16	4/7	0/0	2/2	3	2	0	0	0	10
C - Howard Camp	23	6/9	0/0	3/3	3	0	0	0	0	15
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
PG - Madu Simon	12	2/6	0/2	6/6	0	2	2	0	0	10
SG - Brendan Nash	13	2/4	0/0	0/0	1	2	2	0	0	4
PF - Adam Ollie	6	1/1	0/0	0/3	2	0	0	0	2	2
SF - Bryan Puckett	6	1/1	0/0	0/0	0	2	1	0	0	2
SF - Anthony Barber	-- DID NOT PLAY --
SG - Fred Roach	-- DID NOT PLAY --

It was quite a day for the Wright State Raiders. Coming off of two home losses to Old Dominion and Western Kentucky it did not look like today would be any better than the last two. But a young team lead by sophomore SF Derek Clinton were determined to get back on the winning side. A team that produced 10 steals and a total of 14 turnovers shocked Cal.
The whole game, even minutes prior to tip-off the Ervin J. Nutter Center was rockin. Fans were loving every minute and so did the players. Captain PF Anthony Gordon after the game stated "It feels like we just beat the #1 team in the Nation! I love this school. But now it is on to the next one."

Wright State contained the lead throughout the whole first half. With just 7 seconds left in the first half up 4, the Raiders wanted to get one last bucket. Derek Clinton pulled up from 3 and putting too much on it missed the shot (only missed three of the game). Cal G Anthony Norton got the rebound and heaved the 3/4 court shot and sanked it narrowing it to just a one point game at the half.

In most situations teams would gain momentum off of this, but the Raiders did not allow that at all. They bounced back from it and brought back on the pressure defense that Coach Ashton teaches them so well. As the time clock kept decreasing it felt like they were going to do it.

Coach Ashton after the win - "Oh man does this feel good. We came in to today knowing we needed to notch up a win and we got it. Cal is one heck of a team, but today was just our day. It always helps when Derek has one of the games he did, knocking down three after three. Madu Simon has been such a great lift off the bench and I don't feel he earns enough credit for what he does. Just before halftime when Anthony Norton hit that heave to notch the game within 1, I would have sworn it was going to go down hill. We drew up a game plan and thankfully it work. Game planning for such a skilled guard like Anthony is not easy at all. Now we sit at 2-3 on the young season and up next we travel to 1-3 Bethune Cookman. Raider Up!"

[Tolarchykj10]

Re: Gymnasium to Stadium - Ryan Ashton's Coach Career

Bethune No Match For Raiders

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Wright State rolled in to Daytona Beach, Florida coming off their upset of the #24 team in the nation looking to get their record back to .500. They did just that. Not only that, they blew them out not giving the Wildcats any possible chance.

Bethune-Cookman started out the game shooting a horrible 2-14 before starting to draw a rally. The Wildcats never had an answer for the Raiders offense though. At the end of the first half the Raiders were shooting 51% while the Wildcats shot a horrendous 23%. All momentum was in the Raiders hand as they lead the game 39-17 at the half.

Coach Ashton came into the second half with one goal in mind, his bench learning the press. They showed they knew it perfectly. Wright State started off the second half on a 14-2 run and never looking back. Wright State won the game by a final score of 81-49.

Wright State key stats -
Adam Ollie 15 Points and 7 Rebounds
Derek Clinton 7 Points 5 Rebounds and 3 Assists
Rick Mueller 10 Points 2-2 from three

Coach Ashton on the game - "Today was one of those games where the players make my job much easier. We ran the press to perfection, our starters got us out to a big lead and we did not look back from there. This now gives us a 3-3 record on the year. Next week we will host TCU and Gonzaga at the Nutter Center. It will be a big week for us also has we have on of our recruits 7'4 C Cono Ulrich coming in town for his visit."

[Tolarchykj10]

Re: Gymnasium to Stadium - Ryan Ashton's Coach Career

Horned Frogs Halt Raiders

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1st half: The Raiders came in on their 2 game winning streak looking to win their third in a row. The Raiders started hot behind a Rick Mueller 3 pointer and Derek Clinton steal and dunk to start the game up 5-0. But TCU would not let them continue. The Horned Frogs began to hit shot after shot and breaking down the Raiders full court press. With just 7 minutes left in the first half the Raiders were down 12 points, coming out of a timeout they got themselves on a run bringing it back to a 3 point deficit. TCU would answer back going on a 7-0 run in the final minute close out the half. TCU lead 40-31.

2nd half: Coming out of the break the Raiders knew they had to cut down the amount of threes they gave up and they would have to make a dent in the rebounding difference as well. The second half was back and forth scoring on both sides for the first 10 minutes. It wasn't until a Rick Mueller 3 pointer with 5 minutes left that the Raiders would gain their first lead since the first minute of the game. They didn't hold it for long as TCU bounced right back. As the game winded down towards the end the Raiders couldn't string together the comeback and would lose. TCU won 84-73.

Wright State Raiders at TCU Horned Frogs
Dec 10, 2007	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Wright State (3-3)	31	42			73
TCU (6-2)	40	44			84

Wright State Raiders
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
C - Howard Camp	18	5/8	0/1	2/2	3	1	0	0	2	12
PF - Anthony Gordon	17	3/8	0/0	2/2	4	2	2	0	1	8
SF - Derek Clinton	20	8/12	2/3	0/0	2	3	2	0	0	18
SG - Rick Mueller	20	6/14	3/6	2/2	1	1	1	0	2	17
PG - Bill Newton	18	1/4	1/2	0/0	0	9	3	0	0	3
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
SF - Brenden Nash	9	2/4	0/0	0/0	1	0	0	0	1	4
SG - Anthony Barker	5	1/1	0/0	0/1	1	1	1	0	0	2
PG - Madu Simon	11	1/5	0/1	0/0	1	4	0	0	2	2
SF - Bryan Puckett	5	2/4	1/2	0/0	3	0	0	0	0	5
PF - Adam Ollie	12	1/2	0/0	0/0	3	2	0	1	1	2
SF - Fred Roach	-- DID NOT PLAY --

TCU Horned Frogs

Coach Ashton on the game - "Overall it was a good game. We hit our shots offensively we just gave up way too many easy buckets on the defensive end. Derek Clinton had another productive game for us. On top of that I was just recently told that Howard Camp is an early candidate for Conference Freshman of the year. Up next we host the #4 team in the country Gonzaga. It will be a good learning experience for our boys."

Up Next - Top 25 right now, Recruiting update, Wright State progress update and then the game against #4 Gonzaga!