FAIRBORN — Clint Sargent has been named Wright State University men’s basketball head coach, replacing Scott Nagy, who has been named head coach at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Clint Sargent, associate head coach the last three seasons, is to meet the media Friday afternoon at the Mills Morgan Center/Setzer Pavilion as the 10th men’s basketball coach in program history at Wright State, the university announced late Thursday afternoon, a few hours after SIU announced the hiring of Nagy.
>> Wright State University loses head coach Scott Nagy to Missouri Valley Conference school
“Clint Sargent is everything we look for in our head coaches,” interim Director of Athletics Joylynn Brown said in a prepared statement.
“His passion, his character and his excitement to lead our student-athletes – along with his knowledge of our program and what it takes to win in the Horizon League – are all evident. Coach Sargent is an incredible individual and there is no better role model for our student-athletes.”
Sargent has been on the WSU coaching staff since 2016.
“I am extremely thankful for this opportunity to lead a program that has meant so much to me and my family,” he said in a prepared statement. “To our current and former players, parents, coaches, fans, and administrators, I am honored to serve you and continue to build a championship level program. The work has already begun and I can’t wait for what lies ahead!”
Wright State University President Sue Edwards, Ph.D., applauded Sargent’s appointment to the top post.
“Clint reflects the values of our Raider Family,” Edwards said. “He demonstrates a passion for winning both on and off the court and exemplifies the Person First – Student Second – Athlete Third (PSA) culture that serves as the foundation of our Division of Athletics.”
Since Sargent’s arrival at Wright State ahead of the 2016-17 season, the Raiders have won a combined five Horizon League championships between regular season and tournament titles, including trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2018 and 2022. Wright State captured its first win in its NCAA Division I history in the 2022 tournament with a First Four victory over Bryant.
Sargent has been heavily involved in the recruiting and development of Raider players during his time at Wright State. Wright State has had 26 all-Horizon League performers between all-conference, all-defensive and newcomer teams since 2016, in addition to former Raider Loudon Love’s back-to-back Horizon League Player of the Year seasons and current Raider Brandon Noel’s Freshman of the Year recognition following the 2022-23 campaign.
The Raiders have also achieved in the classroom, with nine Horizon League all-academic team recognitions the last eight seasons.
Sargent, a standout player at South Dakota State, remains in the top 10 in total points scored, three-pointers made, total starts and minutes played under former Wright State head coach Nagy.
Sargent, a two-time All-Summit League Second Team selection, began his coaching career with South Dakota State head of the 2013-14 season as the team’s operations coordinator after playing professionally for two seasons with USC Heidelberg in the German ProA League.
Nagy left Wright State after eight seasons and 167 wins, the second-most victories in program history.
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