Can Wright State Make It Back to the NCAA Tournament? A 2026-27 Offseason Review
Clint Sargent lost his top four scorers but rebuilt with proven talent at every level. Here's a full breakdown of Wright State's 2026-2027 offseason roster moves.
In just year two for Clint Sargent, Wright State finished with a 23-12 record overall while punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022. They did it while being an extremely young team as well, led by sophomore TJ Burch and freshman Michael Cooper while ranking 240th overall in Division I experience.
Coming into the 2026-2027 season, Raiders’ fans are going to have the same expectations of reaching the Big Dance once again. While they lost their top four scorers, they did return some important players with plenty of experience in college basketball and Coach Sargent’s system. With some exciting new additions from both power conference programs and mid-major rosters, can they follow up with another strong year?
Let’s take a look at how their roster is shaping up this season!
Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% off your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!
Roster Turnover
Sam Alamutu (Ineligible)
2.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists
Bryan Etumni (Ineligible)
3.4 points, 2.4 rebounds
Michael Imariagbe (Ineligible)
12 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Solomon Callaghan (Junior) ~ Utah State
10.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists
Logan Woods (Senior) ~ Niagara
5.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists
Alex Bruskotter (Junior) ~ Cleveland State
4.5 points, 1.5 rebounds (15 games / 8.3 minutes)
T.J. Burch (Junior) ~ Utah
12.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.6 steals
Michael Cooper (Sophomore) ~ California
13.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists
Ayden Davis (Sophomore) ~ Ferris State (DII)
5 points, 1.3 rebounds (3 games / 8.7 minutes)
Michael Cooper and TJ Burch combined for one of the best combinations of guards not just across mid-majors, but all of college basketball. Now, they are both headed out west for the power conference ranks. While their senior leader Michael Imariagbe ran out of eligibility, fellow key player Solomon Callaghan is also migrating out west to join Ben Jacobsen at Utah State this season. That marks three players that are making large jumps to some of the strongest conferences in college basketball, which speaks volumes for the momentum this program has at the moment.
Returning Players
Dominic Pangonis (Junior)
8.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists
Andrea Holden (Junior)
6.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 blocks
Kellen Pickett (Sophomore)
8.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.3 blocks
PJ Douglas (Redshirt Freshman)
DNP
Isaiah Williams (Walk-on)
DNP
While Wright State did lose their top four scorers on the team, they did manage to keep three key players from their rotation, including two huge shot blockers in Andrea Holden and Kellen Pickett. Before we dive into those two, let’s take a look at Dominic Pangonis.
Dominic Pangonis (6’7)
Pangonis started his career off at Stephen F. Austin as a freshman where he saw plenty of playing time to jump start his development. He averaged 6.2 points with 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 45% overall in 31 games. After transferring to Wright State last year, he took a huge step forward as he averaged 8.9 points with 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 47.1% overall from the floor. He started in 28 of their 34 games, but most notably his three-point shooting jumped from 27% to 38.5% on 2.8 attempts vs two attempts per game.
Looking at his metrics, he finished with a 119.2 offensive rating which was 406th overall, a 60.6% true shooting percentage which was 216th best, and a 47.5 free throw rate which was 251st. To reiterate on his growth from three-point, he finished 232nd overall in the country with a 39.8% shooting clip against Division I opponents.
Andrea Holden (6’6)
The 6’6 forward is entering year three with the Raiders where he’s continued to develop into a steady player within their rotation. As a freshman, he averaged 4.1 points with 3.5 rebounds and nearly one steal per game in 17 games. Last year, he stepped up to a 6.1 point per game average with 3.9 rebounds and a whopping 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 56.6% from the floor. Yes, this is a 6’6 player that averaged over one block per game…pure athleticism. Before we look at his metrics, look at this stat line against Youngstown State: 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, five blocks, and four steals.
Holden finished with a 112.4 offensive rating, 60.2% true shooting percentage, 20.3% defensive rebounding percentage, 12.8% offensive rebounding percentage, and an 8.6% block percentage. If he continues to improve during his junior season, he’ll become a monster within the Horizon League.
Kellen Pickett (6’9)
Coming out of high school, Pickett was listed as a three-star recruit and he did not disappoint in his freshman season. The 6’9 budding star averaged 8.5 points with 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 55.6% overall and 26.9% from three-point. There is some room to grow from beyond the arc, but he showed that he has the ability, so if he can add that to his arsenal he’ll skyrocket.
The big man finished with a 119.4 offensive rating that jumped to 121.8 in conference play. He finished with a 61.1% true shooting percentage, 22.7% defensive rebounding percentage which was 72nd overall, 6.3% block percentage that was 106th overall in the country, and a strong 64.3% shooting percentage from inside the arc was 114th in the nation.
Pickett returning to Wright State is a huge breakthrough for Clint Sargent and his staff.
PJ Douglas (6’4)
The Indiana native was a large contributor to his team’s rise to the Class 4A State Championship at Jeffersonville High School. He redshirtted last year, but don’t be shocked if you see him on the court this season. It’ll be a developmental year, but in high school he flashed signs of being an impact offensive weapon with some strong playmaking as well.
Isaiah Williams (6’3)
Isaiah Williams is listed as a walk-on, so if he appears in some games this season it’ll be in a limited role.
Roster Additions
Ilija Milijasevic (Senior) ~ DePaul
2.1 points, 0.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists (16 games / 7.3 minutes)
Nikola Djapa (Senior) ~ Colorado State
2.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists
C.J. O’Hara (Junior) ~ Green Bay
14.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1 steal
Sam Johnson (Sophomore) ~ Cedarville (DII)
14.9 points, 5.9 rebounds
Chadlyn Traylor (Sophomore) ~ Charleston
3.8 points, 1 rebounds, 2 assists
Tahj Martin (Freshman)
Terrence Hayes, Jr. (Freshman)
Landen Northrop (Freshman)
Noah Lewis (Freshman)
Guards
Ilija Milijasevic (6’2)
Milijasevic is listed as a junior according to Wright State’s roster after transferring in from DePaul over the offseason. He spent a couple of seasons with Mega in the ABA league within Europe prior to coming to the United States to play collegiate basketball. In his final season, he averaged 4.5 points with 0.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 30 games while shooting 43.4% from beyond the arc.
At DePaul, he played in a minimal role across 16 games for the Blue Demons. He averaged 2.1 points with 0.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists while shooting 35.7% overall and 35.7% from beyond the arc…yes all 28 of his shots were from three-point. He finished with a 109.4 offensive rating, 55.2% true shooting percentage, and a 3.4% steal percentage.
He’s a huge three-point threat and will provide Wright State with some firepower. I’m excited to see him take advantage of an extended opportunity with the Raiders.
C.J. O’Hara (6’4)
After developing across 31 games with the Phoenix during his freshman year, C.J. O’Hara took off in year two. He started in 33 games while averaging 14.1 points with 4.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and one steal per game. The 6’4 guard shot 57% overall from the floor and 28% from three-point on 25 attempts from beyond the arc. He continued to get better throughout the season as well.
During conference play, he finished with a 126.4 offensive rating, 66.2% true shooting percentage, 7.6% offensive rebounding percentage, 2.1% steal percentage, and a 65.2 free throw rate. He racked towards the top of the conference in all of these metrics. In the Horizon League, he finished with less than ten points just three times.
O’Hara will slide into the starting lineup immediately for Wright State as he’ll look to replace the hole that Michael Cooper and T.J. Burch left.
Chadlyn Traylor (6’3)
Coming out of high school, Traylor committed to the College of Charleston over some strong programs like Wake Forest, DePaul, Miami Ohio, and more. During his freshman season, he averaged 3.8 points with one rebound and two assists per game while shooting 41% overall and 39.5% from three-point.
He had a handful of great performances against top-tier mid-major teams as well. Against Belmont and Hofstra he finished with eleven points, while he put up 12 points with four assists against FAU. Traylor finished with a 113.8 offensive rating, 52.1% true shooting percentage, 21.4 assist rate, and a 1.2% steal percentage.
Wright State finished 303rd in assists per field goal made, so Traylor will provide some much needed assistance at the point guard position.
Tahj Martin (6’2)
Martin isn’t a big-time recruit, but he’s someone that has flown under the radar. Last year, he averaged 11.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.8 steals per game as a senior. After leading his high school to its first state title in school history, he put up 14 with six rebounds in the championship game while being named MVP. He’s a quick guard and has no problem knocking down shots from deep.
Martin committed to Wright State over Grambling State and Alcorn State.
Terrence Hayes Jr. (6’2)
Wright State does a tremendous job of finding undervalued talent in high school, and Terrence Hayes Jr. is another example. Last year, he averaged 17.3 points with 6.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and a ridiculous 3.2 steals per game. He is incredibly athletic and a massive scorer. I firmly believe that he’ll be playing an important role this season.
Hayes Jr. committed to Wright State over programs like Oklahoma State, Saint Louis, Missouri State, and more.
Landen Northrop (6’5)
Tahj Martin wasn’t the only player to help lead their high school to its first title game as Northrop did the same for Richland. Last year, he averaged 25.3 points, 5.2 assists, and 2.8 steals per game. You can catch a few clips of him in his commitment video below in which you can clearly see how much of an offensive weapon he can be. He also has the potential to be an impact guard with playmaking as well.
Northrop had just one other offer from Cal State East Bay.
Forwards
Sam Johnson (6’7)
Sam Johnson followed up a solid freshman season at Cedarville with a stellar sophomore year performance. The 6’7 forward averaged 14.9 points with 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 62% overall from the floor and knocking down nine of his 23 attempts from beyond the arc. Over the final six games of the season he averaged 17.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and just a shade under one block per game. During that stretch he shot 64.7% overall.
If you take a look at his metrics, he put up some phenomenal numbers. He finished with a 125.0 offensive rating, 63.3% true shooting percentage, 8.2% offensive rebounding percentage, and 17.3% defensive rebounding percentage. He’ll be a huge asset on both the offensive end and the glass.
Noah Lewis (6’7)
Lewis is an incoming freshman out of West Virginia where he posted some stellar numbers as a senior last year. He averaged 17.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 56.9% overall and 37.7% from three-point. If you want this clip from a couple of months ago, you can see just how athletic he is. He moves quick for a 6’7 forward and can clearly slam it down. I don’t expect him to start as a freshman, but we’ll see plenty of him in what should be a developmental season.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Lewis committed to Wright State over Youngstown State, Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris, and others.
Centers
Nikola Djapa (6’11)
Djapa has had an interesting career trajectory over his three seasons within college basketball. The 6’11 center from Serbia started out at Long Island as a freshman where he averaged 6.1 points with 5.6 rebounds, while shooting 56.8% overall. Following what was a solid freshman year, he made the jump all the way to the Mountain West where he spent the last two seasons with Colorado State. Last year, he averaged 2.4 points with 1.8 rebounds while shooting 66.7% overall across 19 games.
A chunk of his metrics came against a non-division one opponent, but he still finished with a 14.5% defensive rebounding percentage and a 12.6% offensive rebounding percentage. When he was at Long Island, he finished 164th in the country with a 10.9% offensive rebounding percentage along with a 17.8 defensive rebounding percentage and a 2.8% block percentage. His 60.2% shooting from inside the arc was 188th overall in college basketball.
If he is able to tap into his performance at Long Island, he’ll provide the Raiders with some important height in the rotation.
Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!
Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!
Expectations
While there are four freshman joining this roster, there is a lot of potential among all of the additions while returning players like Kellen Pickett and Dominic Pangonis to help anchor their rotation. Here’s what a potential starting lineup could look like:
Ilija Milijasevic / Chadlyn Traylor
Dominic Pangonis
C.J. O’Hara
Kellen Pickett
Nikola Djapa
Last year, Wright State was dominant on the offensive end. They were 114th in offensive adjusted efficiency, 43rd in three-point shooting percentage, and 81st in two-point shooting percentage. Looking at the lineup above, Chadlyn Traylor will be able to replace TJ Burch’s playmaking while C.J. O’Hara has the ability to light it up from all over the floor. Kellen Pickett put up a strong freshman campaign on a loaded roster, so now he’ll have the ability to take another step forward. This should be another borderline or even top-100 offensive team this season.
They do have a significant lack of height. Nikola Djapa is the only player over 6’9 and the next closest after Kellen Pickket who is 6’9 is Noah Lewis, Sam Johnson, and Pandonis at 6’7. This is going to hurt them in the non-conference slate, but once they reach the Horizon League their lack of ability to go up against strong big men will diminish. You don’t know fully what you are going to get out of Djapa because he didn’t post stellar numbers at Long Island and he’s been deep on the depth chart at Colorado State. However, if he’s able to bust out I’ll feel much better about the center position. Regardless, there will be times that the tallest player on the court will be 6’7.
What do you think? Can Wright State follow up with another 20+ win season and reach the NCAA Tournament?