Calvin took off running to the other end in celebration, and his giddy teammates — and assistant Nick Goff — chased him down for a thrilling embrace.
The Raiders usually have one shot, maybe two, at a high-major foe each season, and players get an adrenaline rush as soon as they see them on the schedule.
“Whether you’d like it to be that way or not, it IS different when you get in those venues and you see the brand — just kind of the human nature part of it,” Sargent said.
“But the expectation is that we can get to a point where we’re focused on our process — not the brands, the arenas or the crowd.”
After their season-opener against Division-III Franklin College at 7 p.m. Monday, the Raiders fly west to take on Cal of the ACC at 10 p.m. (Eastern time) Thursday.
The Golden Bears were 14-19 in their first year after leaving the PAC-12 last season and haven’t had a winning record since going 21-13 in 2016-17.
They were picked 16th out of 18 teams in the ACC preseason poll, just ahead of Stanford and Boston College. Duke (no surprise) is the favorite.
They have nine new players, including a transfer from Virginia in 6-2 junior guard Dai Dai Ames. He started and averaged 8.7 points last season.
In NET ratings last year, Wright State was 220th (out of 360 Division-I teams) and Cal 125th.
“We always say we want to win the biggest games against the best teams and be prepared for those moments. In order to do that, you’ve got to make every day about your daily habits,” Sargent said.
“As much as those games start to come alive (and create excitement), we’re really just trying to hold to our disciplines and be who we’ve been. I think our guys are bought into that. I’m hoping to see that at Cal.”
The Raiders could get more cracks at high-major schools if they’d like, but they have to be selective and not drain their emotional tanks.
They host perennial MAC contender Toledo five days after facing Cal.
“How you try to schedule, there’s so many things that kind of have to fall into place,” Sargent said. “The travel at the beginning of your season — I don’t think it’s as big a deal as maybe doing this right before Christmas.
“You’re traveling across the country, but I think your guys are fresh and excited. Taking the trip out to California was something we saw as a great opportunity to travel early in the season. Cal is a great opponent for us.”
The Raiders will launch their season against a Division-III foe in Franklin (Ind.).
The Grizzlies racked up their most wins since 1998-99 in going 22-8 last season. They qualified for the NCAA tourney and beat Denison in the first round before losing to Washington.
They lost seven seniors but return their top scorer in Hamilton native Cooper Matthews, a 6-2 junior guard who averaged 11.7 points.
“I’m just hoping — playing for the first time in front of fans at the Nutter Center — that we would be who we’ve been in practice. We would be who we were against Akron and Ohio,” Sargent said, referring to a near-draw with the Zips in a preseason scrimmage and a 63-57 exhibition win over the Bobcats.
Akron is the preseason MAC favorite, while OU was picked fourth.
“I’m looking for us to be connected, be aggressive and be for each other. That’s not going to change whether it’s Franklin, Cal or Toledo,” Sargent said.
NEXT GAME
Who: Franklin (Ind.) College at Wright State
When: 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 1410-AM, 101.5-FM
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