Sargent discovered Noel at Chillicothe High School as an assistant under coach Scott Nagy and knew he was Raider material when no other Division-I program was interested.
“He’s the first guy I met here, so that’s one of the reasons it was easy for me to make the decision to stay,” said Noel, who had two redshirt years and is entering his fifth year academically.
“It was crazy initially (with Nagy leaving), but then once I figured out what was going on, I was able to calm down and understand the situation and make an educated decision on me staying.”
The Raiders’ attack next season will likely revolve around Noel and 6-4 senior-to-be Alex Huiibregtse — another player with high-major potential who’s decided to stay. And both believe the team can thrive under Sargent.
Nagy, of course, had the respect of his players, but there was a sense — at least with the upperclassmen — that they’d begun tuning him out.
He pounded away at their defensive deficiencies all season, but it was two steps forward and two back.
It probably was a good time in the program’s progression for new leadership.
Asked how he feels about Sargent, Noel replied: “I would say one of the things is the relationship we’ve built and the trust he has in me. There were a lot of times when it would have been easy just to give up on me and my development over the first two years and even before that.
“But he stuck with me and stayed true to who he is, and I would say I’ve given him the same (loyalty). I’m glad we get another chance together.”
Noel averaged 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds this season and shot 53.5% from the field while making 32 of 80 threes (40%).
Huibregtse averaged 12.3 points and 3.3 assists and connected at a high clip from the field (52.5%), 3-point line (41.7) and foul line (82.9).
“I had a great four years with coach Nagy, but I’ve also had a great four years with coach Sargent. He’s helped me grow a ton, both on and off the court,” Huibregtse said.
“He’s real. He’s authentic. He’s going to be honest. He’s an easy guy to work with, so he’ll be an easy guy to play for. He’ll be motivated. And I think being able to work together with the head coach (as a player) is going to be great.”
Credit: Joseph R. Craven
Credit: Joseph R. Craven
The Raiders rank first nationally in field-goal shooting at a school-record 53% and fourth in scoring with an 86.5 average.
But they rank 347th out of 351 teams in points allowed at 81.2 per game, which Huibregtse calls “a head-scratcher.” It’s the reason they finished a middling 18-14 and were bounced in the league tourney quarterfinals.
Nagy was a strict man-to-man coach and abhorred zones.
Sargent sounds as if he’ll be a little more open-minded.
“I’m a do-what-needs-to-be-done-to-win guy,” he said.
He added: “My coaching strategy will be collaborative and empowering to the players. I believe to be a great coach, it starts with how you connect and communicate with your players.”
That’s just what the returnees want to hear.
“Nothing against coach Nagy. He’s a great coach, and his resumé speaks for itself. … But I think coach Sargent brings a different dynamic to the team,” Huibregtse said.
“He just brings a different personality. I think a lot of us will latch on to it. And it’ll be easy to go to war with him.”
RECRUIT UPDATE: Nagy signed a three-player recruiting class in November, and Sargent has been working to keep them in the fold.
Shelby forward Alex Bruskotter, the Division II Ohio player of the year, and Onsted (Mich.) forward Ayden Davis, who was named first-team all-state in Division 2, have told him they plan to be Raiders.
But 6-10 center Jaheem Webber from Normal, Ill., is “still deciding,” according to Sargent.
The 6-8 Bruskotter averaged 23.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists as a senior and was a Mr. Basketball finalist.
The 6-9 Davis finished third in the Michigan Mr. Basketball voting after averaging 24.2 points and 14.8 rebounds.
Webber averaged 10.3 points and 5.2 rebounds.
All three players had numerous D-I offers.
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