Coach Billy Donlon said he had known about Drummond and Roddy leaving for some time. Neither of the Peoria, Ill, natives received much playing time last season. But Bramanti, of Andover, Mass., and Brewster Academy (N.H.), appeared in 35 of 36 games and started 13.
“Joe made that decision Tuesday,” Donlon said. “It really was out of the blue. He has to do what’s best for him. The timing really hurts us in terms of recruiting.”
Wright State’s coaching staff faced similar circumstances last spring when the roster took a hit with the transfer of four players, including leading scorer Julius Mays, who left for Kentucky.
Donlon and his assistants revamped the roster by adding junior college transfers Miles Dixon and Jerran Young and signing freshmen Bramanti, Drummond and Steven Davis. Dixon and Young turned out to be two of the team’s best players, especially in the team’s run to the Horizon League championship game.
Wright State had 16 players on the roster until Sunday when it updated the roster on its website to reflect the three departures. It is now two players under the NCAA scholarship limit of 13 because two of the players on the current roster are walk-ons: Stephen Gossard and Daniel Collie.
“I felt like we were getting back to some balanced classes,” Donlon said. “This will hurt some. We’ll have to work on that. We’ve proven you can find good players in the spring. We’ll keep at it. The most important thing is the guys who are returning get better every day.”
Donlon said he couldn’t guarantee playing time to Bramanti, Drummond or Roddy. With Butler transfer Chrishawn Hopkins moving into the rotation next season and Davis, who didn’t qualify academically last season, also expected to compete for playing time, the three departing players might not have seen much action next season.
But they would have had a better chance two years from now because Wright State will lose five seniors after next season.
“As a coach, I’m not going to say who’s going to play more,” Donlon said. “That doesn’t get determined until October. I wish some guys had been more patient. They would have gained from the fruits of their labors when we graduated a class. I wish everyone well. I don’t have any hard feelings.”
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