“We take a lot of reps. We get a lot of shots up,” he said of the players’ after-practice commitment.
“Coach (Clint Sargent) tells us just to be confident and knock it down.”
The Raiders are second in the Horizon League on 3’s at 35.8% after back-to-back seasons at the top, going 36.6% and 36.1.
But what’s just as important to the coaches is STOPPING opponents’ 3’s, and the Raiders have made a major jump there.
They’re holding foes to 30.9%, which is first in the Horizon League and 84th out of 361 teams nationally.
Not bad for a team that didn’t exactly make it a point of emphasis this year.
“Quite honestly, it’s not something — when we were putting the team together and looking at our awful defensive numbers — that we were like, ‘Hey, let’s take away 3’s,’” Sargent said.
“It was more, we knew passivity was a problem, a huge problem.”
Sargent was humble enough to seek out his coaching peers and ask what was working for them. Becoming more disruptive with ball pressure has led to the unexpected spike in 3-point misses.
“Positionally, you need guys who can move their feet. You need to be able to put two (defenders) on the ball on screens, and then be able to recover. And a lot of that’s athleticism,” he said.
The Raiders made an offseason priority to address their shortage of athletes, replacing plodding players with those who are at home on the perimeter.
“It’s a number of things, but I’m happy to see it with this team because it’s become such a big shot in college basketball — spacing the floor and shooting a lot of 3’s,” Sargent said.
“If you can guard it well, typically, you’ll be in a good spot.”
The Raiders (9-7, 4-1) have their Michigan swing against Detroit Mercy on Friday and Oakland on Sunday, and it’s historically been a fruitful trip.
Credit: Joseph R. Craven
Credit: Joseph R. Craven
In the 10 years Sargent has been part of the program, they’re 9-1 on the road against Detroit Mercy (6-8, 3-2).
They’re 5-5 at Oakland (8-8, 4-1).
Overall in those 10 years, they’re 17-1 against the Titans and 13-7 against the Grizzlies.
The Raiders will be getting some welcome exposure since the Oakland game was “flexed” into the 3 p.m. window on ESPN2.
The league has a series of guarantees from ESPN, which picks the most impactful games as the season progresses and airs them at a time that works for all.
“I think it’s great for the league. It’s great for your brand. You want to be picked when the league flexes your games because it means you’re typically in the hunt,” Sargent said.
“It’s a great perk for the league, having those windows. It’s definitely something you want to be a part of.”
Next game
Who: Wright State at Detroit Mercy
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 1410-AM, 101.5-FM
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