But that answer required an explanation.
“Yes in the sense of where our team is collectively. Cleveland State and Youngstown State, both those losses, they shouldn’t have been lost. We could have done more,” he said.
“That’s a good question. I’m trying to learn and grow to really not care about the results. But I am very, very pleased with where these men are with each other, how our maturity and selflessness are growing.”
Sargent may be the one person in college coaching who would never fail a polygraph test. He’s unfailingly honest and transparent.
But he may be suppressing some giddiness over how his second season at Wright State is unfolding.
If the Raiders go 8-2 in the second half of league play, they almost assuredly will win the program’s fifth conference regular-season crown since joining the HL in 1994.
Robert Morris, Oakland and Youngstown State won the league the last three years at 15-5.
Cleveland State and Purdue Fort Wayne shared the title in 2021-22 at 15-6.
In the six years before that, 16-4, 15-3 (twice), 13-5 and 14-4 won at least a piece of the crown.
The Raiders will have a tougher stretch in the second half with only four home games instead of six, but those championship standards certainly look to be within reach.
Oddly, it wasn’t an early-season win that propelled the Raiders to their transformation after going 8-12 last season. It was a close scrimmage loss.
Facing Akron on the road — which has played in three of the last four NCAA tournaments — the Raiders seemed to have surprised even themselves by how well they fared.
“We knew we had some real things to our team, but I think you could see the connection of our players pretty quickly, and then we just had to win a little bit to understand HOW to win,” Sargent said.
“We’re now learning how to stay focused and take the other teams’ best shot — all the things you more than welcome.”
But he’s understandably squeamish about sounding as if the Raiders have gotten through the tough part of the season.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Being the hunted is new ground for these players. The tough part is just starting.
“You never get to a point where you just arrive. There’s always some new challenges internally, personally, as a team, externally — that’s why the connection of your team to face it all is critical,” he said.
The Raiders have their annual Wisconsin swing with games at Milwaukee on Friday and Green Bay on Sunday afternoon.
They beat both on the trek north two years ago. But since they started playing each team twice in 1995-96, their only other road sweep was in 2012-13.
Though he can’t help but have his mind at least partially on the league race, Sargent’s wish list for the finishing stretch is more about his players’ character than conquests.
“I hope to see great days, sober minds, guys just wanting to get better — and that’s from top to bottom,” he said, singling out the coaches, too.
“I just want to see a steady joy about our men, that they understand how awesome of an opportunity we have to fly up to (Wisconsin). We get more days together. If you can keep a joy and thankfulness to your team, the basketball part will find its way.”
Next game
Who: Wright State at Milwaukee
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 1410-AM, 101.5-FM
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