He thought of wife Jill and their five children, all 11 and younger. Call them the Sargent Seven.
They’ve been with their dad as he’s gone from handling the failure of a 15-18 first season to reaching the pinnacle by going 23-11 and winning a regular-season and tourney crown and reserving a spot in the NCAA’s exclusive 68-team field.
“They’ve seen the low, low moments. When people are relying on you, when you fail in this profession, you fail very openly. Everyone knows when you have a bad day, and they’ve been with me in that,” Sargent said.
“There’s been a lot of really good fruit from that, which comes with those types of days. The family feels that. And then to have a moment like this past week, it makes it more special. And it just gets better with time.”
He’s also thought of his own father, who died of cancer at age 56 in 2017, Clint’s second year with the Raiders.
His mother, Maryann, and his older sister Sarah and her husband are relishing the turnaround season.
His dad would have savored it, too.
“He was great influence,” said Clint, who turned 37 last September. “The older I get, I realize what he had to battle as a man and lead a family. I understand how I have to help my children and players step into (challenges).
“I realize the things I struggle with and he struggled with and just have a greater appreciation for the courage he had and how honest he was and how big a heart he had — all those areas to help you lead not just a family, but a team. He did that very well.”
The second-year coach is already putting that into practice.
“Life hits everybody. A number of our players have lost a father or a family member. That’s the best thing about being in a locker room. When life happens, you have people around you and can be better for it. We’re all going through it,” he said.
The championship euphoria has perhaps begun to wane, but not completely.
The Raiders will experience another high when they’re part of an open-to-the-public viewing of the NCAA selection show from 5-7 p.m. Sunday at the Student Union.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Sargent’s phone also has been dinging and buzzing almost non-stop.
Past players have checked in. Those have meant the most.
He’s also heard from fellow coaches around the country whom he sought out after an excruciating first year. Those have been meaningful, too.
“It’s the best,” he said. ”It’s people who have been with us every step of the way.
“The people who have really been in the trenches with you, they get to have this moment that nobody can take from them.”
The Raiders had team meetings and weight-lifting following Tuesday’s win before returning to practice Friday.
“Because you don’t have an opponent, because you have some moments to step back and decompress, there’s been a lot of awesome time with the players and families who have chosen to stay at Wright State when we were 15-18 and had some hard moments,” he said.
“When you’re the leader, there’s a heightened sense of that. From that standpoint, the appreciation for those who have chosen to trust me and the staff has been very rewarding.”
TOURNEY MOVING: The Raiders are assured of being the last HL tourney winner at Corteva Coliseum in Indy since the event is moving to The Arena at Innovation Mile (AIM) in Noblesville, Ind., from 2027-31.
It’s a state-of-the-art, 3,400-seat building that opened in 2025. The previous venue had a larger-than-needed capacity of 6,500.
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