COLLEGE
WSU women picked Second; Demmings First Team
INDIANAPOLIS — The Wright State women’s basketball team was picked second and Kim Demmings received First Team honors as the Horizon League Preseason poll and teams were announced Wednesday by the league office.
Voting was conducted by the 10 head coaches in the league along with each school’s sports information contact and a media member from each institution.
The Raiders, under sixth-year head coach Mike Bradbury, received four first-place votes and 250 points overall, only trailing 17-time regular-season champion Green Bay, who picked up 25 first-place votes and 302 points. UIC was picked third followed by Youngstown State, Oakland, Cleveland State, Detroit, Northern Kentucky, Milwaukee and Valparaiso.
Demmings (Richmond, Ind.), a redshirt senior guard, returns after missing all but the opener last season due to an injury. She was recently named as one of five players to go out of the way to watch on ESPN.com’s women’s basketball preview.
The Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year in 2014, 2013 and 2012, Demmings led the league in scoring during the 2013-14 campaign at 22.4 points per game and was third in steals per game at 2.1, third in three-pointers made per game at 2.4, 11th in free throw percentage at .720, 15th in blocks per game at 0.5 and 17th in rebounds per game at 6.1. Nationally, Demmings ranked sixth nationally with 784 points and her 22.4 scoring average was 11th.
In league games, she again led in scoring at 23.4 points per game and was second in threes made per game (2.8), tied for fourth in steals per game (1.8), tied for 12th in three-point percentage (.357), 14th in assists per game (3.1) and free throw percentage (.694) and was 15th in rebounds per game (6.4).
Demmings scored in double figures in 33 of 35 games in 2013-14, including a season-high 36 points at Oakland on Feb. 18. She tallied 30 or more points in a game seven times, the most in the league, with four of those coming in league play and scored 20 or more points 24 times, again leading the league, with 15 of those against league opponents.
Demmings was selected as the league’s Tournament MVP in 2014 as she scored 77 points in three games, including 22 in the second half of the championship game at Green Bay. She was also named Fourth Team All-High Major by College Sports Madness.
A First Team All-Horizon League honoree as a freshman and junior and Second Team as a sophomore, Demmings was the league’s Newcomer of the Year in 2011-12 and a Second Team Freshman All-American by Full Court that season.
Heading into this season, Demmings is 23 points away from reaching the 2000-point plateau, 78 away from tying Jodi Martin as the program’s all-time leading scorer (2055 points) and 326 away from tying Bill Edwards as Wright State’s all-time leading scorer, men or women (2303 points).
The Raiders, who finished 25-9 last season, made their first-ever appearance in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) after falling to Green Bay in overtime in the Horizon League championship game. WSU, who defeated Indiana Wesleyan 83-58 in exhibition action last Saturday, opens the regular season on Friday, Nov. 13, at Miami (Fla.). The home opener is on Thursday, Nov. 19, against Lipscomb.
Dudgeon on Ashland wrestling team
ASHLAND — Lawrance Dudgeon of Xenia, OH. will wrestle as a freshman on the Ashland University team in the 141-pound weight class.
Dudgeon is majoring in criminal justice. Dudgeon is a 2015 graduate of Xenia High School.
The Ashland University Wrestling Team is ranked seventh in Super Region II and 10th nationally. Josh Hutchens is in his third season as AU’s head coach. Hutchens added two assistant coaches to the team this year with Tony Guerra and Ryan Kirst. The Eagles begin the 2015-16 season on Sunday, Nov. 15 at the Michigan State Open. For more information, including individual and team statistics, schedule and roster, go to goashlandeagles.com.
PROFESSIONAL
Williams named Reds Senior VP, General Manager
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds executive Walt Jocketty today announced Dick Williams has been promoted to Senior Vice President, General Manager. He will assume those duties immediately. Jocketty will remain the club’s President of Baseball Operations and will continue to oversee the department.
Williams, 44, joined the Reds’ baseball operations department following the 2005 season and since then has been involved in every aspect of that department. He served the organization as Director of Baseball Business Operations and Vice President of Baseball Operations before he became Vice President, Assistant General Manager in November of last year.
Jocketty, 64, was hired as a special advisor to Castellini in January 2008 and then in April of that year was named President of Baseball Operations and General Manager. He led the Reds to three postseason appearances, including National League Central Division championships in 2010 and 2012 and the 2013 Wild Card game. In franchise history, that stretch of 3 playoff appearances in 4 seasons is matched only by the Big Red Machine teams that went to the playoffs six times.
Jocketty has spent 41 seasons in professional baseball, the last 21 years as a Major League general manager. Three times since 2000 he was voted by his peers Major League Baseball’s Executive of the Year, most recently in 2010 after leading the Reds to their first playoff appearance in 15 seasons.
