“It’s hard for programs to say they had bad summers. You could look around the country, and nobody’s going to say a bad thing about their team — understandably so,” he said.
“But I tried to judge it with the amount of time our guys were in the gym (on their own) — because that tells me where their hearts are. And I would say it’s been one of our better summers in terms of that measurement.”
Sargent plans to keep many of the staples of the program installed by previous coach Scott Nagy, who went 167-92 in eight years (and 107-47 in the Horizon League) before leaving for Southern Illinois.
But despite being a longtime Nagy assistant, Sargent has taken a fresh approach to player development, starting with an unusually taxing offseason.
The NCAA allows teams eight weeks of supervised workouts in June and July for up to eight hours per week, and Sargent and his staff didn’t just roll out a rack of balls and have the team play H-O-R-S-E.
Far from it.
“Traditionally, maybe five or 10 years ago, you would always be overly aware of not overdoing it in the summer. But in our staff’s opinion, we really wanted to take a look at our competitive spirit,” he said.
“We’ve got six new guys on the team, and it’s a new staff. It was important to me that we really worked hard. We got after it, and it was good. The guys responded well.”
Sargent said the three Division-I transfers — posts Ben Southerland (Liberty) and Michael Imariagbe (Houston Christian) and wing Jack Doumbia (Norfolk State) — have fit seamlessly into the fold, joining stalwarts Brandon Noel and Alex Huibregtse and eight returnees in all.
The Raiders started another four weeks of organized workouts Aug. 26. The first practice is Sept. 23, and the first game is Nov. 4 at Kentucky.
“We’re on a six-month journey now. And if this group of kids, led by our staff, can show some humility daily, I know we’ll get better. And in terms of humility and competitiveness, I really like what I’ve seen,” the coach said.
Nagy was known for treating his players as people first and athletes second and addressing matters that had more to do with the heart than hoops.
Sargent isn’t much different.
Most fans understand how competitiveness would be a desired quality. But humility?
“I think humility is an awareness of other people in the room and your role in the room and not having an inflated view of yourself — just a proper perspective on life and who you were created to be,” Sargent said.
“We’re working with young people, and I know humility is blessed. It’s fruitful. And it’ll open up doors in your life that you wouldn’t probably see otherwise.”
No one should think, though, that building character has made winning any less important.
The Raiders went 18-14 and 18-15 the last two seasons with HL quarterfinal losses each year, and players and coaches alike have had their fill of mediocrity
The 6-foot-8 Noel, a second-team all-league pick who averaged 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds last season, and Huibregtse, who averaged 12.3 points and 3.3 assists, are both fifth-year players who give the Raiders sure scoring and a veteran presence.
“They’ve had a great summer. My focus with them has been how to lead, how to communicate in every scenario — whether it’s a film session or on the floor or in my office. And they’ve met every moment,” Sargent said.
“They’ve seen the good and the bad. They have an awareness of teams that are well-led and teams that are not well-led. They know it’s such a big piece to be able to walk out that door when your career is done and be known as someone who handled their responsibility well, were winners and ultimately made people around you better.”
Credit: Joseph R. Craven
Credit: Joseph R. Craven
Though he isn’t technically a newcomer, Keaton Norris is expected to provide the Raiders with a skill set they didn’t have last year.
The junior point guard chose to take a redshirt season because he was playing behind star Trey Calvin and was surpassed on the depth chart by freshman Kaden Brown (who has since transferred to his hometown school, Division II Grand Valley State).
The year away did wonders for the Hilliard product, who started 21 games in his first two years. Sargent called him the MVP of the summer.
“His quick hands, his emotions, his personality are all over the program. That’s really created not only confidence for himself, but also from his teammates.” Sargent said.
“I trust him with anything. He’s made a jump in all areas. I think fans are really going to see the amount of work he put in.”
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