“I’m so proud of him for a million different reasons,” Sargent said after WSU had fended off Northern Kentucky, 88-80, at the Nutter Center. “There’s enough to him that he’ll stand up for himself, but there’s also enough of a softness and humility to take our coaching.
“There’s a lot of things we fight as coaches as far as keeping your guys focused. They are flooded by things: ‘What’s next? What about me? Where am I going? What am I getting paid?’
“He’s one of our older guys. He keeps us steady.
“He has a true humility.”
On the court Saturday, “humility” is not the word you’d use to describe Imariagbe.
He was bold, assertive, confident, at times, dominant.
“Before the game I told him, ‘I need a big game from you today!’ and he gave me that,” said Raiders’ point guard T.J. Burch.
“When he’s fired up and his energy is high, everybody in the building recognizes it.”
Imariagbe made seven of 10 field goal attempts, 10 of 12 free throws. His 24 points were a career-high at Wright State.
His 11 rebounds gave him his second double-double of the season and his third as a Raider. Add in two steals and an assist — against a formidable foe like NKU — and he had the best game of his two-year career here.
His effort — along with 21 points from freshman guard Michal Cooper, 16 by Burch and 12 by Dominic Pangonis — helped boost the Raiders to a league-leading 8-2 mark in the Horizon League and a 13-8 mark overall. It was WSU’s eighth victory in its nine games.
‘The place to be’
To understand how humility and dominance dovetail in Imariagbe, you need to know his past.
His parents came to Houston from Nigeria. While he said they focused on him getting a good education, they didn’t push basketball. Neither had played the sport, he said. His dad is 5-foot-8 and his mom, 5-9.
“When I was a kid I had a basketball, but no hoop and nowhere to play,” he said. “But I just loved dribbling that ball. And I liked playing video games…especially basketball (video) games .. and that’s how I grew to love the sport.”
He said he finally started playing the game when he was 11 or 12 with an AAU team:
“I wasn’t any good. I was short. Point guard size. My growth spurt wouldn’t come until my sophomore year of high school.
“Early on, I just didn’t have any confidence and that first year in AAU , I scored just two points…Two points for the whole season!”
Credit: JEREMY MILLER
Credit: JEREMY MILLER
Once he grew and began to develop he showed some promise at Houston’s Alief Elsik High, which had noted players like Rashard Lewis, the Texas Mr. Basketball and longtime NBA standout; Adaora Elonu, who played at Texas A & M and won the NCAA women’s championship; and Chinemelu Elonu, a Los Angeles Lakers’ draft pick who’s had a long career overseas.
As a side note, Beyoncé is also a Alief Elsik grad. And while she launched her career with the girls’ group, Destiny’s Child, it took a while for Imariagbe’s destiny to hit some true high notes.
Coming out of high school he said he knew nothing of the hierarchy of college basketball, including the difference between junior college and basketball at a four-year school, and that the NCAA had three divisions.
He started at McMurray College, a Division III school in Abilene, Texas, and was named the American Southwest Conference Freshman of the Year and for two seasons in a row was chosen as an All-Conference Defensive Team selection.
After averaging 13.4 points and 8,2 rebounds a game over two years at McMurray, he wanted to play at a D-I school, but said he got limited offers.
Instead, he decided to bide his time at Coastal Bend College, a community college in Beeville, Texas, where he said he had known the coach since high school.
But before he ever played, he found out his right knee was, in his words, “destroyed.”
“I had tendonitis in my left knee, so I went to get an MRI just to make sure there was nothing else wrong with it,” he said. “While I was there they did an MRI on my right one too, and found out I had torn my ACL, MCL and meniscus.
“I probably did it in summer ball and then I just kept playing on it. I didn’t know.
“The doctor was like, ‘You have a high tolerance for pain.’”
He took a medical red shirt that season and after that he tried to rekindle his dream of playing D-I basketball.
He said some schools, like Prairie View A & M and some other HBCUs, wanted him as a walk-on, but he didn’t want that.
Finally, Houston Christian, a low-level D-I in his hometown, made an offer and he grabbed it.
But the school had had just one winning season in the 16 years it had been a D-I program, and nothing changed when he got there. The Huskies went 6-23, although he averaged 11.4 points and 8.5 rebounds a game.
After the season he said the whole coaching staff was fired and several players left. He finally entered the transfer portal, but said while some offers materialized, the schools wanted him to commit before they’d bring to campus.
Wright State was different though, he said.
Although he said he had no idea even what state the school was in when he was contacted by Raiders coaches, he googled it and got enough information that he wanted to check it out and WSU brought him in.
Once here, he said: “I just knew this was the place to be.”
‘I’ve grown here every day’
Along the way, he embraced that emphasis his parents put on education.
Back at McMurray, he was a two-time All-Academic honoree in the American Southwest Conference . He got his undergrad degree at Houston Christian and by the end of this year he will have gotten his MBA in health care management,
“This is my home,” the soon-to-be 24-year-old said of Wright State.
“I’ve grown so much since I’ve been here. There are great people here and a great head coach who wants the right things for me. I’ve grown here every day.”
He started 18 of 32 games last season and averaged 6.7 points and 4.8 rebounds a game. He was playing some of his best basketball at the end of the year.
This season he’s started 17 games, missed one contest with an injury, and now leads the team in rebounding (5.9) and is second in scoring (12.1)
He nearly had a double-double (10 points, 9 rebounds) before fouling out in last Wednesday’s loss to Cleveland State at the Nutter Center.
“I’m not going to say that game took a toll on me, but it did weigh on me heavy,” he admitted Saturday. “I was fired up because we lost. We wanted to defend our home court, but after the game they was out on our court celebrating.
“That just built a fire in me. I can’t wait to go over there.”
Before he went any farther, Imariagbe reeled himself back in: I’m staying humble now…just trying to focus on the next gane… But I’m not saying what’s going to happen when we play Cleveland State (in three weeks.)”
“I can’t wait!” gushed Burch, who sat next to him during a brief postgame session.
Imariagbe tried a more tempered response, but admitted quietly: “Yeah, it’s just fired me up.”
As a smile appeared, your eyes and ears finally were getting the same message.
Humility and dominance had dovetailed into the perfect double team.
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