“Eleven is a lot. I think it’s going to be hard for guys to get into a rhythm (coming in and out of games),” second-year coach Clint Sargent said.
“I would like to be deeper. I think it depends on whether the players allow us to be deeper or not. I think every coach in the country THINKS they’re deep. But ultimately, the players decide that.”
Sargent has been more willing than predecessor Scott Nagy to try different combos. Nine players averaged double-digit minutes last season.
Under Nagy, just eight Raiders averaged double-figure minutes in 2023-24 and only seven in the two years before that.
Sargent, of course, needs to see how games unfold before deciding how he’ll manage his bench. But he’s hoping he has the culture to handle fluctuating playing time — and that includes starters.
“It’s a matter of their hearts. If you’re, quote-unquote, the No. 1, 2 or 3 guy (in the pecking order), do you have enough to you to understand when maybe it’s not your night or if the scout calls for something different from our roster, and we need to go to 7, 8, 9?” he said.
“If your team is really for each other, I think you can be deep. If you have selfish players that get territorial, or if you have a weak coach that won’t hold those things accountable, then I think it’s very hard to get to the deep part of your bench.”
Sargent has no shortage of options. Four returnees played extensively last season, and four transfers all were regulars on Division-I rosters.
And a true freshman, point guard Michael Cooper, already looks like someone who’ll be hard to take off the floor. He had 16 points with three steals and played 32 minutes against OU, all team highs.
“That’s always something that’s being worked out,” Sargent said of his rotation. “I see high, high value with really everybody on our roster.”
The fastest way to climb the depth chart is to be a willing defender.
Despite placing massive emphasis on it the last two years, the Raiders had one defensive horror show after another.
They were 330th out of 364 D-I teams in defensive efficiency last season and 341st in 2023-24.
They were torched for more than 1.1 points per possession, a pace that’s almost impossible to match.
But it wasn’t all that long ago that they fielded teams loaded with defensive stoppers.
They were 16th nationally in 2020-21, allowing 0.912 points per possession, and 12th in 2017-18 at 0.929.
Loudon Love, a mobile 6-9, 275-pound center, was a lane-clogger both seasons. The Raiders shared the regular-season title with Cleveland State in 2020-21 and won the league tourney crown in 2017-18.
“The thing I loved about that Ohio game was it was so ugly. We shot 25% in the first half. We weren’t making free throws and were missing layups. It was really a right-away test in front of the public of, ‘Could we stay connected and embrace the ugliness?’ I thought we did,” Sargent said.
“That’s something you have to constantly fight for, and I think our guys want to do what’s best for their teammates. But that’s a day-to-day choice, like we all have as people, to fight to die to ourselves. It showed that night. Will it show consistently? I sure hope so.”
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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