His demeanor is something you might find in a pulpit on Sundays. He never seems to raise his voice at officials, much less his own players.
But while he may not show it outwardly, that doesn’t mean he isn’t inwardly seething.
And there’s a couple of things he finds especially galling:
“Turnovers and missed free throws are a coach’s nightmare,” he said.
The Raiders made only 12 of 24 foul shots and had 16 turnovers in an 87-64 loss at Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday, and they need to address those issues before barreling into the six-game homestretch that starts with a visit from IU Indy at 7 p.m. Saturday.
They’re eighth in the Horizon League in turnovers at 12.0 per game and foul shooting at 70.3%.
They shot 75.7%, 73.7%, 76.8% and 72.4% from the line the last four seasons, which means the current dip is contributing to their ho-hum record so far: 12-13 overall and 6-8 in the league.
Turnovers hadn’t been an issue until the last three games. They had 15 against Robert Morris and 18 at Youngstown State.
The 49 miscues are the most in a three-game span since having 55 against PFW, Cleveland State and Milwaukee from Jan. 19-26, 2023.
“Teams see that (vulnerability), and they feel like they can exploit it. Maybe they ramp up their intensity, their ball pressure and what they’re trying to do defensively — because they feel like there’s an advantage there,” Sargent said.
The quick-handed opposition also has been a factor: PFW is second in the league at forcing turnovers at 15.1 per game, while Robert Morris is fourth (13.9) and YSU sixth (12.9).
Nagy could tolerate a reasonable amount of turnovers, but he had trouble when his “bigs” committed them, considering how little they handle the ball.
But Sargent said: “Any of them are frustrating for me. They all hurt.”
Forward Jack Doumbia has a team-high 62, while center Brandon Noel, who’s been a rock of late with three double-doubles in his last four games, is second with 57.
Point guard Keaton Norris has 39 turnovers in 22 games, which is less than ideal. But he’s also third in the league in assists at 4.5 per game and second in assist-turnover ratio at 2.5 to 1.0.
“It’s as hard a play to tolerate as there is. But what’s the appropriate response for your team to help them to break that pattern? By making them uptight? That typically hasn’t been the right response,” Sargent said.
IU Indy (formerly IUPUI) is only 8-17 and 4-10. And they’re 316th out of 364 teams in the NET ratings (Wright State is 194th).
But the Jaguars, who have lost 12 straight times to the Raiders, are coming off two strong showings, winning at Youngstown State, 84-79, and losing at home to Milwaukee, 84-80 in overtime.
Sargent will take any sort of win, but what he really wants to see is more passion from his players. Though they were dealing with illness and injury at PFW, he called the lackluster showing unacceptable.
“They’re a good team. They’re picked to win the league. But they’re not 23 points better than us. And that result is not OK,” he said.
“It’s not going to be received well (by fans). I don’t receive it well. I know the players don’t. We need to show up and play better.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
IU Indy at Wright State, 7 p.m., ESPN+, 101.5, 1410
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