Yes, free agency has come to college sports — without binding contracts or a salary cap. And even at the mid-major level, it’s no longer business as usual.
“You’re dealing with agents now. That’s what it’s become,” Sargent said.
“What college athletics is now is completely different. The landscape with revenue sharing and how these decisions are being made, this is a different ball game.”
That became abundantly clear in the last couple of weeks when five of Sargent’s 14 players decided to transfer, three of whom were thriving: Brandon Noel, Alex Huibregtse and Keaton Norris.
Turnover like that never would have happened before the arrival of no-sit transfers and bidding wars for players.
Noel, a 6-foot-8 junior, climbed to 12th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,507 points in just three years. He’s fifth in program history in rebounds with 789.
He shot 56.3% for his career, including 37.3% on 3′s. His pick-and-pop ability will draw plenty of suitors.
Alex Huibregtse is third in career 3′s with 227, trailing only Grant Benzinger and Trey Calvin. And the 6-4 senior (with one year of eligibility left) is one of 39 players in the 1,000-point club, scoring 1,179.
Keaton Norris, a 6-foot junior point guard, was a favorite of both Sargent and previous coach Scott Nagy because of his leadership qualities.
He started 50 games and dished out 4.3 assists per game this season, which is the second-highest average at Wright State in the last 20 years.
Drey Carter, the team’s tallest player at 6-9, played more games as a freshman (32) than he did as a sophomore (24), so his exit was no surprise.
And soph Ben Southerland appeared in just four games and had no real path to more playing time.
Responding by text, Norris said: “I’m very thankful for my years at Wright State. I’ve created relationships that will last forever and will always be thankful for the opportunity the coaches game me in my time there.
“Although there were many ups and downs throughout my career at Wright State, I think it will benefit me in the future.”
Asked why he was leaving, he would say only, “I just felt it was time for a change and really think that it was the best thing for me going into my last year of college basketball.”
The Raiders went 15-18 for their first losing season since 2014-15, and the subject of team chemistry came up often enough in interviews to suggest it was a problem in the locker room that never did get solved.
“None of these conversations surprised me,” Sargent said of three starters leaving. “These guys have been here for four or five years. The time for something new was needed — I believe that for both sides.
“I know the sticker shock of production (that was lost). But I just think you have to have that drive and heart, and sometimes you need a change of scenery. I think everybody can attest to that in their own life. I think it’ll be good for everybody involved.”
Sargent had surprising success in the portal last year, landing Jack Doumbia and Michael Imariagbe with little competition, and the staff is confident they can do it again.
“There’s been a shift in how you do this job and how you put a roster together. There’s the traditional way of getting high school kids and raising them up — and there will certainly be a healthy element of that for us — but you have to be able to get older kids as well,” Sargent said.
“I view that as a good thing — specifically for Wright State, a place where I’ve seen the good and the bad and everything in between. I love the opportunity to lead now into a different era of college athletics because I have a heart for this place.”
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