“The rules, or lack thereof, and guardrails — what you can do and not do — are so fluid right now, that makes it challenging. But we’ve just really, really tried to emphasize, ‘We’re going to watch the film. We’re going to talk with the coach. We’re going to fall in love with the evaluation process,’” Sargent said.
“If that means were a little bit slower, then so be it.”
NIL money and no-sit transfers have made each player a free agent every year. And the price of talent has gone up “60 or 70 percent” since last year, according Sargent.
“It’s a completely different job. It’s changed in one-year’s time very dramatically — just the finances, the people, all this money being rushed in through a lot of different ways. You’re dealing with a new cast of characters,” he said.
“But if you look at how we do it — trying to evaluate the people-fit first — maybe that’s never been easier because you can really see what people are about more than ever.”
The Raiders have six returning players who are currently involved in organized offseason workouts and three freshmen who will arrive this summer.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Sargent would like to bring in four new players, and he signed one last week in Merrimack transfer Bryan Etumnu (pronounced uh-two-new).
The 6-7 forward from Sugar Land, Texas, won’t wow anyone with his offensive numbers, having averaged 8.4 points last season, but he was named the MAAC defensive player of the year.
“Bryan’s list of priorities really aligned with us. … On the basketball side, he jumps off the page. He can really help us defensively. He comes from a great program. He’s been used to winning. His understanding of his role and his buy-in — all those things clicked,” Sargent said.
The Raiders were 330th out of 364 Division-I teams in defensive efficiency while going 15-18 last season. They lacked a rim protector, giving foes easy paths to the basket, but that may change.
Etumnu, who has three years of eligibility, led the MAAC with 73 blocks last season and averaged 2.3 per game, which was 14th nationally.
He had three games with six blocks and averaged 6.1 rebounds.
He helped Merrimack finish second to Quinnipiac in the regular-season and go 18-15 overall.
“We’re trying to increase not only our athleticism, but be more disruptive defensively. And he really does fly around the rim. He has very good composure with his body and timing,” Sargent said.
Though scoring wasn’t a priority, Etumnu did shoot 51.8% from the field last season.
“I feel like he has a very high ceiling (offensively). He’s just scratching the surface. Merrimack used him in certain ways, and we’ll use him in different ways and build off what they’ve done with him,” Sargent said.
“Because of his personality fit and what he’s about, we’re very confident we can help him make the jump, and he’ll help us. It’s a marriage we’ve really lacked the last few years.”
The Raiders have been active in the transfer portal. Not rushed, but busy.
As for how close they are to filling out their roster, Sargent said: “I feel like in a week’s time, we’ll be done.”
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