“The spring (in the transfer portal) just becomes a production hype train. That’s all that gets celebrated. And to the common fan, I get it. I’d probably be the same way. You just look at his name and what he averaged (and assume) he’s going to be a great player,” Sargent said.
“But we’ve seen time and time again that production doesn’t translate from one school to the next. There’s so many things that go into it.”
»ARCHDEACON: ‘Game-change’ Doumbia lifts Wright State
Green Bay and new coach Doug Gottlieb — not just new to the Phoenix, but new to the profession — is finding that out the hard way.
He’s been clashing with star newcomer Anthony Roy, a former NAIA All-American at Langston (Okla.) who leads the nation in scoring with a 27.3 average.
Gottlieb, who’s kept his five-day-a-week national radio show, said of Roy after a 72-66 home loss to Campbell 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, if he’s not going to do what we’re trying to do.”
The 6-foot-5 guard, who is shooting 51.2% from the field, 44.8 on 3′s and 85.5 on free throws, was benched in a 22-point home loss to Cleveland State on Dec. 7, part of a 2-9 start for the team.
He apologized on social media and appears to be back in good graces.
But that’s the sort of drama Sargent wants to avoid, and one Raider who came via transfer this year has not only meshed well with his teammates, but is exceeding expectations on the court.
Jack Doumbia, a 6-6 forward from Norfolk State, is third on the team in scoring with a 10.5 average and second in rebounds at 6.0 while shooting 58.4% from the field.
He’s also unflappable at crunch time. He scored 16 of his 20 points in the final 11:08 against Marshall last week to spearhead an 88-79 victory.
He averaged only 5.1 points and 1.7 rebounds at Norfolk last season, playing 24 of 34 games.
The year before that, he hardly played at all.
That’s why it’s no surprise that the competition to land him was, shall we say, scant.
Asked who else was in on him, Sargent said with a smile, “Nobody.”
The first-year coach also said Wright State was the only concrete scholarship offer for preseason Horizon League player of the year Brandon Noel, preseason all-league second-team pick Alex Huibregtse and first-time starter Logan Woods.
“You go down the line, and it’s a lot of players here,” Sargent said of Raiders who were lightly recruited but have turned out to be home runs.
The evaluation process by the coaches probably isn’t unique — they’re not going to take a stiff just because he’d be great in a huddle — but they put more of an emphasis maybe than some on intangibles.
“The basketball fit is the easiest part to evaluate — not that it’s easy, but it’s easier certainly than trying to evaluate the personality fit, the moral compass fit, what’s he like when things don’t go well for him. All that stuff you really can’t evaluate as much as you’d like,” Sargent said.
“I feel like we try to be as detailed and as thorough as possible and run our race and not be sped up by what’s going on around us (in the hunt for talent). I don’t want to jeopardize the current parents and players that are here. I don’t want to shortcut the evaluation of your character.”
Sargent was an assistant for eight years at Wright State and three years at South Dakota State under Scott Nagy, who routinely let players walk who could have been standouts.
One was a league all-freshman team pick who became a conference player of the year elsewhere.
“It’s a long season. We go through incredible highs and lows, and if you don’t trust the heart of the men with you, it deteriorates your room quickly,” Sargent said.
“There’s never been more of a time where it’s just a rat race, and you can skip steps, and we’re trying to do our best not to.”
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
Youngstown State at Wright State, 7 p.m., ESPN+, 101.5, 1410
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