“Last year was hard. We jumped into battle with a bunch of guys that didn’t come here with me as a head coach,” he said.
Transfers and holdovers didn’t mesh. The lack of buy-in was evident.
This year?
This year for Sargent is as close to ideal as coaching can get.
“This is a dream come true. You dream of this as a head coach,” he said.
“These guys (chose to be) here with ME as the head coach. We’ve just doubled down on what we’re going to be about.”
One thing is clear: Though the word they use may be unfamiliar to most in a basketball context, it’s how connected they are as a team.
The level of chemistry and cohesiveness genuinely seems to even be new to those throughout the roster.
“We have so much belief in each other. If we’re not playing good or not performing, we know the next guys’ up. We’re just so connected. We’re so humble and thankful,” sophomore transfer TJ Burch said.
The Raiders have nine starter-caliber players, but they’ve had to sacrifice the customary minutes a first-stringer normally would get for the good of all.
“It doesn’t faze us. We’re connected. Real connected,” Burch said.
For the first time since 2013-14, no Wright State player is averaging 30 minutes per game.
Solomon Callaghan leads the team at 28.6 each outing, and nine players are averaging at least 13.1.
But it worked for that squad 12 years ago — Matt Vest was the leader in minutes at 27.1, and the Raiders finished 21-15 — and it’s working this season.
“I feel like since we first came in during the summer, we knew we had a deep team. We all knew we could all get buckets and get after it,” said Burch, who is third in scoring with a 10.9 average and fifth in the country with 2.85 steals per game while playing 23.1 minutes.
“I feel like we’re just used to (sharing time), and we’re so connected that it doesn’t really matter.”
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Fifth-year center Michael Imariagbe is part of the revolving frontcourt. He was playing major minutes but has had that curtailed with the emergence of 6-9 freshman Kellen Pickett, who has averaged nearly a double-double the last nine games.
“At my position, we have players like Andrea (Holden) and Kellen and Bryan (Etumnu). It’s like, we play so hard in practice, in real games, when I get in and come out, the next person comes in and does the same thing at 100%,” Imariagbe said.
Asked if he feels more rested when he takes the floor, he said: “I wouldn’t say ‘rested’ because when we get in, it’s like we’re going so hard, we get tired. We come out, and then the next guy is going hard and gets tired.”
Sargent had been going with a 10-man rotation but has whittled it to nine with Etumnu, a 6-7 senior transfer from Merrimack, not playing of late after making eight starts earlier this season.
But the selfless attitude among the regulars even extends to the bench.
“Bryan Etumnu (is) a very decorated player who’s not playing, and the way he handles that is inspiring to everybody. He’s really getting over himself, encouraging his teammates, still getting in extra work,” Sargent said.
“That’s why our team is going to continue to get better. I think a lot of things we fight as coaches is getting your guys to keep their focus — vs. what’s next, what about me, where am I going, what am I getting paid? All these things just flood in, and we have older guys who are keeping us steady."
The Raiders have averaged 2.7 players per season topping 30 minutes the last 10 years. They had four surpass that mark on two teams in that span.
But Burch and Imariagbe don’t mind being a Raider aberration.
Of course, winning helps, but they even fended off a question about getting closer to 35 minutes as they probably would elsewhere in the league.
“As long as we win, I don’t care how many minutes I play. I’m not worried about the minutes. I’m just rooting for the next guy that comes in,” Imariagbe said.
“We all feel like that,” Burch said.
That’s a major reason Sargent has found so much more joy in his job this year.
“I genuinely think they just want to win. Of course, they want to play more, do more. But in the list of priorities, I think these guys are really for each other,” he said.
Next game
Who: Wright State at Milwaukee
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 1410-AM, 101.5-FM
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