Ernsthausen comes up big for Raiders

Parker Ernsthausen is 6 feet 11 and listed a generous 235 pounds as a redshirt sophomore forward for the Wright State University men’s basketball team. And that’s after an offseason dedicated to developing that slight physique.

But the Bowling Green native by way of Toledo St. John's High School came up big when he needed to during Saturday's clutch 85-72 Horizon League win at Detroit Mercy.

Matched against emerging 6-7, 260-pound Jaleel Hogan, Ernsthausen fared as well as Raiders coach Scott Nagy could have hoped for. Hogan was coming off a near triple-double in Detroit’s previous setback to Northern Kentucky. Against mostly Ernsthausen and help from WSU’s guards, Hogan had 16 points but just three rebounds and two blocks.

That was key for WSU and also answered whether Ernsthausen was tough enough to respond to such a big challenge.

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“He’s definitely a heavy load,” said Ernsthausen, who hit 4 of 5 shots for nine points and also had three rebounds. “My first Horizon League major minutes last year I came in for (graduated) Mike Karena and (Hogan) was my first defensive assignment. Coming back here I tried to remember the things that helped me out last year.”

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Nagy liked what he saw from Ernsthausen.

“He’s one of the best post players I’ve ever coached,” lauded WSU’s first-year coach. “He does a really good job and moves his feet well. We gave him some help with the guards. We may do it a little differently the next time we play (Hogan). It’s a luxury to have a post player who you can just throw the ball into like that. It puts a lot of pressure on defense.”

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• Calihan Hall where Detroit plays on campus is a 7,000-seat throwback arena that opened in 1952. It’s a ringer for the original UD Fieldhouse, with more seating. It’s also the place where Detroit favorite sons Dave DeBusschere and Spencer Haywood gained notoriety as Titans.

The floor has been christened Dick Vitale Court in honor of the former Titans’ coach who famously danced with Titans players at midcourt of UD Arena after beating the Flyers.

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• WSU starts the new year with two Horizon League home games against Cleveland State on Thursday and Youngstown State on Saturday. Until then, the Raiders will have played just once at the Ervin J. Nutter Center since Nov. 27.

Playing for Cleveland State is 6-8, 240-pound freshman Evan Clayborne. It’s the fourth program he’s been on since high school, where he began at Chaminade Julienne, transferred to Dunbar and again to Thurgood Marshall as a senior last season. Andre Yates, who transferred from Trotwood-Madison and hit the winning shot on Dunbar’s 2012 D-II state title team, finished his career at Cleveland State last season.

• This is the 38th season for the Horizon League, which began in 1979-80. Valparaiso is the defending regular-season champion (16-2) and is favored to repeat. Wisconsin-Green Bay defeated Wright State 78-69 in the inaugural Motor City Madness conference tournament at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena last season and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Valpo lost 76-60 to George Washington in the NIT final. A No. 15 seed, Green Bay was bounced by Texas A&M 92-65 in the first round of the NCAA tourney.

The men’s and women’s HL tournaments return to Detroit this season.

• Bicari Alexander is in his first season as Detroit Mercy’s head coach. A former Titans’ standout, he succeeded Ray McCallum, who guided Detroit from 2008-16. McCallum was essentially fired after a final 16-15 season and consistently not vying for regular-season or HL tournament titles.

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