The tag also can relate to Michael Imariagbe’s potential for weighty contributions on the court.
Saturday night, in Wright State’s 70-57 victory over Air Force at the Nutter Center, the Raiders’ redshirt senior forward played just under 19 minutes and scored 14 points on perfect 6-for-6 shooting from the floor, while also adding four rebounds, a blocked shot, an assist while committing no turnovers.
But Imariagbe best lived up to his moniker when the game ended and he promptly double-0teamed the crowd with his big smile and oversized personality as he led the rest of his teammates — conga-line tyle — around the arena in a high-five and fist bump meet-and-greet with the students and cheerleaders at the far end of the floor, the people sitting courtside, and anyone else he spotted, including security guards and one of the arena’s janitors.
After heading to the locker room for a few minutes with the coaches, he returned courtside to do a radio interview and then was engulfed by fans.
“We saw you, you’re the one who dunked!” said Markise Martin, an awestruck 11-year-old.
“You’re our favorite player,” gushed 13-year-old Raven Mills.
“Will you sign my poster?” 9-year-old Anita Quinn asked hopefully.
Imariagbe motioned for the trio — and their aunt Tacarra Nelson — to join him on the bench. Mills quickly produced a cell phone so their moment would be preserved in a photo.
Imariagbe’s big smile soon reappeared and that’s when you knew, in Big Mike’s case, some names just fit.
It was such realization that put WSU coach Clint Sargent at ease when the Raiders first reached out to him as he was leaving Houston Christian via the transfer portal last spring.
Houston Christian had been his third school in four years of college basketball.
After coming out of Alief Elsik High School in Houston, he had gone to McMurray College, a Division III school in Abilene, Texas, for two seasons and averaged 13.3 points and 8.2 rebounds a game.
He then transferred to Coastal Bend College in Beeville, Texas, but said he took medical redshirt after an injury and did not play for the junior college that 2022-23 season.
Last season at Houston Christian, a low-level Division I school, he averaged 11.4 points and 8.5 rebounds a game and then packed his bags again.
A multi-address career like that gives some coaches pause.
“There’s always some orange flags there — similar with (WSU forward) Jack (Doumbia), he had been at a few different schools — but once we got in conversation, the 1-on-1 evaluations, (we knew) both were slam dunks,” Sargent said.
“Michael has that big ol’ smile, that personality and he was willing and eager to be connected relationally and to take coaching.
“I just felt his heart was a great fit for what we’re doing.”
‘A good place for me’
Imariagbe’s parents are both from Nigeria. He said they weren’t athletes.
“My dad is 5-foot-8, my mom is 5-9,” he smiled. “But my mother has some brothers who are pretty tall — that must be where I get my height.”
While he was in high school, he said he thought of one day playing college basketball but knew nothing of the hierarchy of college programs.
“I didn’t know the difference between juco and Division I or that there were things like Division III, Division II and Division I,” he said. “I went to McMurray and eventually learned it was D-III. By sophomore year, I realized I wanted to better myself.”
He said when the transfer opportunities he’d hoped for didn’t develop, he opted for junior college and then jumped at the first Division I offer that came his way the next year.
Houston Christian had had eight straight losing seasons — and just one winning campaign in its 16 years as a Division I school ― and it was more of the same once he got there.
He started 26 of the 29 games and averaged 11.4 points and 8.5 rebounds a game, but the Huskies went 6-23.
Entering the transfer portal at season’s end, he said he took his time this time: “I took almost 2 ½ months to make my decision. I felt with my other schools I had rushed my decisions.
“I didn’t get nervous about waiting. I knew my worth — I prayed on it — and I knew I’d get the right call from somebody.”
Sargent said WSU went to the portal because: “We needed some versatility defensively and we wanted to give some support to Brandon (Noel.)
“We loved Michael’s rebounding; he can move. He could bring some things we just don’t have on our team. And when he built a relationship with Coach (Travis) Trice, we made the offer.”
Imariagbe admitted, at first, he knew nothing about Wright State.
“I had no clue about them until they gave me a call. I didn’t even know what state they were in, nothing, so I had to do some research. I Googled then,” he laughed. “Then I came for a visit and I just felt this would be a good place for me.”
Big contributions
Imariagbe has started six of the Raiders nine games this season and is averaging 6.2 points (fifth on the team) and 3.6 rebounds (fourth) per game.
While his 6-for-6 shooting stood out Saturday, so did fouling out in under 19 minutes on the court.
In fact, his five fouls all came in just 4 minutes and 54 seconds on the court in the second half. His last fouls occurred in just over two minutes late in the game.
“I think I just got a little over-excited at the end,” he said. “We were getting baskets and getting stops. I like being over aggressive, but sometimes that can get me into trouble.”
Afterward, though, Sargent praised his offensive efforts inside:
“Tonight, I thought he was tremendous just scoring around the basketball. He showed touch.”
He wasn’t the only Raider with an offensive “touch” on this night.
Noel made 10 of 15 field goal attempts for 23 points and guard Alex Huibregtse went 6 for 7 from three-point range and had 20 points.
Imariagbe said he’s been learning to adjust to the level of competition at WSU and said, “Once I get my rhythm, it’s going to be easier the rest of the way. I feel like I’m at home here.”
When he went off to college, he said his parents wanted the best for him academically and he thinks he’s meeting that mark. He won All-American Southwest Conference academic honors both years at McMurray and had gotten his undergrad degree before coming to WSU. He’s now working on his master’s degree in business and health care management.
Speaking of his folks, you asked if he had had a nickname back home before these Big Mike days at Wright State.
“Kind of,” he said. “My mom calls me by my middle name.
“It’s Esosa.
“It means ‘God’s gift.’”
Some names just fit.
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