For the Wright State Raiders, last season could not have gone any better. While holding a dominant lead for the title of conference champions going into the championship, the Raiders were also able to capitalize on that success by clinching the Horizon’s bid to the dance, a feat they have not accomplished since 2007 when they defeated Butler as the 1 seed. In addition, the Raiders put Virginia on notice during the tournament, staying on their heels throughout the matchup until the final minutes. Now, third-year head coach Clint Sargent is looking to repeat for the title and another shot at the dance.
But we all know the song and dance for mid-major basketball teams at this point: great success in conference leads to the roster getting sniped by other schools in power conferences. Sargent’s team in particular was primarily made up of younger talent – only Michael Imariagbe graduated from among the starting lineup – and that young talent got plenty of looks. While the top 4 scorers don’t return to the Raiders this season, the talent that Sargent retains makes this squad perfectly positioned to retain the title.
In fact, the Raiders keep a very solid core going forward. Wright State’s Kellen Pickett, awarded the Horizon’s Freshman of the Year honor, elected to stay with the Raiders fairly early in the offseason. Add in Dominic Pangonis and Andrea Holden, who were steady contributors to the success of last year, along with key transfers like CJ O’Hara, and the Raiders look to be the favorite going into the season.
“We’re trying to be very, very driving and incredibly patient that we can learn and grow and form a team,” Sargent remarked about his roster. “And that takes time with nine newcomers but I really, really like the physicality of our team. I think that the positional defenders we have, 1 through 5, is very good, so I think we can continue to make a jump in our defensive mentality and identity and develop an offense from there.”
Returning Players
Kellen Pickett, Sophomore, 6-9 Forward, Fort Wayne, IN, Blackhawk Christian HS
The Horizon League’s Freshman of the Year returns to the Raiders following a strong showing, accented by a phenomenal block in the final seconds of the championship to send the Raiders forward. While leading the team in blocks, Pickett earned two double-doubles this past season along with nearly 9 PPG. In tandem with Andrea Holden, he’s expected to be a dominant force in the frontcourt in a system that has made diamonds out of the forwards it develops.
Andrea Holden, Junior, 6-6 Wing, Davenport, IA, Hamilton HS
Holden started to take strides in being a key piece of the Raiders as conference play stretched on, flashing some dominant defensive play where it felt like he flew in from nowhere to get a block when you watched him. This year, he’s expected to take on an even bigger role to go along with the development that he’s been having in the offseason, as he’s been making the coaching staff excited about his defensive improvements.
“The expectations of what he is to what he is now is in my opinion pretty different of just how much better he’s gotten, how much more consistent he’s gotten,” Sargent said about Holden.
Dominic Pangonis, Junior, 6-7 Guard, Burlington, ON, Polaris Prep/Stephen F. Austin
Second-highest in minutes and the highest FG% among the guards, Pangonis had a solid sophomore showing after coming in from Stephen F. Austin. As he returns to the green and gold, Pangonis will be relied upon more heavily. The most important part of his game will need to be his mobility off the ball, to try and help his teammates who will be streaking their way to the basket. He’s a key returner to the Raider squad and other teams will be seeing more of his skills this season.
PJ Douglas, Redshirt Freshman, 6-4 Guard, Jeffersonville, IN, Jeffersonville HS
In 2024, Jeffersonville High School had three phenomenal talents that were each recruited by D1 schools. One of the main stars of the roster was Tre Singleton, who took his talents to Northwestern and was one of their few bright spots before transferring to Iowa State this year. Another was Michael Cooper, who dazzled the Raider faithful last season and led the team in scoring before transferring to California. The remaining member, PJ Douglas, will be coming off his redshirt season this year for Wright State. Douglas has been showing promise in practice, so expectations will be high for him going into the season.
Isaiah Williams, Redshirt Freshman, 6-3 Guard, Dayton, OH, Beavercreek HS
Williams is as local as you can get with the Raiders, taking his high school classes about ten minutes down the road from campus. At Beavercreek, he averaged just over 22 PPG with a solid rebounding game to go with it. In the same way as Douglas, Williams will have the opportunity to make himself known this season if he has developed, and according to Sargent, he’s pleased with that development going into the season.
“PJ Douglas and Isaiah Williams, two names that no one’s really talking about, they’ve had great off-seasons,” Sargent remarked.
Incoming Players
CJ O’Hara, Junior, 6-4 Guard, Minneapolis, MN, Totino-Grace HS/Green Bay
O’Hara comes to Wright State from fellow Horizon League member Green Bay after being the top scorer for the Phoenix and the heartbeat of the squad. The move by O’Hara to join the Raiders made the most waves amongst Horizon League fans, and seems to be potentially the best transfer of the season for the league overall. There’s no need to sugarcoat it–O’Hara makes the Raiders an immediate contender for the title provided he’s able to integrate into the system, and the fact that Sargent landed him as a transfer while he was entertaining offers from the likes of Rice and UMass speaks to the program as a whole. As a third-team honoree from last season and the only All-League nominee from the league that remains, he’ll have high expectations for the year to come.
Ilija Milijaševic, Junior, 6-2 Guard, Belgrade, Serbia, DePaul
One of two Serbian talents coming to the Raiders this season, Milijaševic comes in with more international experience than collegiate, helping the Serbian U18 and U20 teams in European competition and claiming a bronze medal in the U18 championship. At DePaul, he shot 35% from the field at the three-point line, a stat that immediately draws comparison to Jack Gohlke of Oakland fame. As an arc shooter, he provides some variety to the Raiders’ attack, which has been very ground-pound in recent years.
Nikola Djapa, Senior, 6-11 Center, Belgrade, Serbia, Hoosac School/Colorado State
In contrast to Milijaševic, Djapa has more collegiate experience overall, having spent a season at Long Island and two seasons coming off the bench at Colorado State. An efficient shooter from under the basket, Djapa provides size and height that the roster hasn’t seen since Parker Ernsthausen in 2018. More importantly, Djapa’s experience through his time in the NCAA brings a new perspective to the floor.
Chadlyn Traylor, Sophomore, 6-3 Guard, Charlotte, NC, North Mecklenburg/College of Charleston
As a part of the offense led by former Horizon League standout Jlynn Counter, Traylor led the rest of the team off the bench in assists while taking careful shots and averaging 41% from the floor. He’s a major glue piece that should help the Raider offense going forward, much the same way that TJ Burch was that glue for the Raiders last season. Traylor sports an even better assist-to-turnover ratio than Burch did, an uncanny 4:1, which could spell danger for opposing defenses if he lights up his teammates.
Landen Northrop, Freshman, 6-5 Guard, Richland, WA, Richland HS
Northrop is one of four from the Raiders’ freshman class this past season and is the latest of the freshman signees alongside Noah Lewis, Tahj Martin, and Terrence Hayes Jr. With the Raiders having a fairly strong returner and transfer class, we may not see much of these freshman talents initially unless, like Michael Cooper from last year’s squad, one of them steps in to fill a role as needed by the team. Wright State is fairly light on experienced talent at the guard position this year, which could mean a rotation of players if any stand out. Northrop’s resume in Washington, with 2,164 career points, 76 consecutive wins in conference, and setting the single-game record at his high school means he’s being highlighted as my pick for the freshman to keep your eye on.
Projected Starting Roster
Guard – CJ O’Hara, 6-4, SO
Guard – Dominic Pangonis, 6-7, JR
Wing – Andrea Holden, 6-6, JR
Forward – Kellen Pickett, 6-9, SO
Center – Nikola Djapa, 6-11, SR
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