Duggins out to regain ‘rhythm’ before injury

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By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer 11:13 PM Thursday, October 15, 2009

FAIRBORN — After a sophomore season during which he was named a first-team All-Horizon League player, Wright State guard Vaughn Duggins suffered an early-season broken finger and redshirted last season.

With two seasons of eligibility left, Duggins will begin his fourth year of college basketball working to regain his spot as the Raiders’ top player.

“If you’re a good player, it’s probably even more difficult to take a year away from you,” WSU coach Brad Brownell said Thursday, Oct. 15, at media day. “It’s even more challenging, more difficult on you to sit.

“The other thing is the rhythm of your career. He had a great rhythm, a great sophomore season, and like it or not in a lot of ways he has to start over. You’re never in tremendous shape when you’re coming out of an injury.”

Despite the injury, Duggins continued to show the passion and intensity that made him a double-digit scorer in each of his first two seasons.

“In timeouts, he would give us his opinions, give us that motivation,” said forward Cory Cooperwood.

In September, Duggins was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence, and a pretrial hearing in the case is scheduled for Nov. 16. Brownell said Duggins is still participating fully with the team.

“That’s just an internal matter I’m dealing with he and his family on a weekly basis,” Brownell said. “At some point, I’ll come to a resolution, but right now he’s working out and doing all the things he needs to do to get himself ready to go.”

His motor’s running

Cooperwood, in averaging 9.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a junior transfer from Wallace State Community College, also proved he supplies big-time effort.

“He’s got a motor like I’ve never seen before,” said WSU forward Ronnie Thomas.

Brownell said coaches noticed that intensity while recruiting him and witnessed it flourish at WSU.

“He’s absolutely relentless, in terms of his effort every day,” Brownell said. “He plays just about as hard as anybody I’ve coached.”

The new guys

Of Wright State’s new additions — F Paul Darkwa, G Darian Carthan and G Tyler Koch — it’s Darkwa, at 6-foot-7 and 235 pounds, who has the best chance to make an immediate impact following his eight-year career in the Navy.

“He has some very high-level athletic gifts, so he can step in, rebound the basketball,” Brownell said. “He needs some more work to learn how to play both ends of the floor and get into the mental part of the game, but physically he’s ready.”

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