But that doesn’t make it any less agonizing.
The Raiders seemed to have put their struggles behind them after three wins in a four-game span pushed their record to 7-5. But they’ve been outscored during their current skid by nearly 10 points per game.
The 36-year-old Sargent likened coaching to being on “a hard roller-coaster ride,” but it hasn’t dampened his enthusiasm for the job.
“That’s ultimately what makes it so special,” he said. “I’m paid to win games. I’m paid to represent the university in a winning way. But I also know, as a man, how great it is to come alongside guys in failure and extend that hand again and again to help them grow and develop through the course of the year. They need adults willing to do that.
“It’s just rarely perfect. I wish we could win all of our games. I wish we didn’t have to lose games we shouldn’t. But I know if we don’t get too overly discouraged or critical, but be honest, that’s where you grow.”
The Raiders are tied for eighth at 1-3 in the league, while Youngstown State is 4-0 and Milwaukee 3-0 (going into New Year’s Day games).
The only team with a worse record is Thursday’s foe, Green Bay, which has lost 10 in a row and is 2-13, 0-4.
“I think right now, with who we’re playing, our margins are very thin,” said Sargent, meaning the Raiders can’t just win on talent alone.
“But I’m going to keep believing in our guys and pouring into them and self-evaluating to see how we can continue to get better — because we know it can change in a hurry.”
The Raiders were picked fifth in the HL preseason poll, and their three losses have come to teams picked fourth, sixth and seventh, which means the Green Bay game could be coming at a good time.
The Phoenix were thinking outside the box in hiring Doug Gottlieb, who had never coached before and still has a five-day-a-week show on Fox Sports Radio.
The gamble so far hasn’t paid off.
Gottlieb has had a clash of wills with Anthony Roy, who is averaging 25.7 points while shooting 50.3% but hasn’t played in the last three games and has missed four overall.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The 6-foot-5 guard, who is at his fourth school, is still listed on the roster, but Gottlieb said on Nov. 30: “He’s going to do it my way or he’s going to be playing less and less. I know he’s leading the country in scoring, but I’m not going to play him if he’s a jerk.”
Gottlieb also had an unfortunate choice of words in explaining the team’s beefy non-league schedule that included games away from home against Providence, Ohio State, Evansville, Oklahoma State and UC Santa Barbara.
“Part of the reason I want to play better teams is, like, it’s 2 degrees outside. It’s snowing. I don’t really like the idea of Nobody U. coming in here. What do we learn playing a game where we win by 20?” he said.
That Nobody U. comment boomeranged on him when the Phoenix lost a home game on Dec. 18 to Division-II Michigan Tech, 72-70.
The Raiders still have eight games left against the five HL teams that started 2025 with winning records: Milwaukee (10-4), Purdue Fort Wayne (10-5), Robert Morris (9-5), Youngstown State (9-5) and Cleveland State (9-6).
“We’re not going to give into this discouragement,” Sargent said of his team’s current plight.
“There’s real patterns that we’re trying to break within our program. We’re just not seeing the fruit of the labor yet. But I credit our guys for trying to get it change.”
THURSDAY’S GAME
Green Bay at Wright State, 7 p.m., ESPN+, 101.5, 1410
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