Sargent announces WSU men’s basketball coaching staff
New Wright State head men's basketball coach Clint Sargent announced his coaching staff on Monday with the promotions of a pair of assistants and the return of a former Raider standout.
Dan Beré and Travis Trice, both of whom have been on the Raider staff since the summer of 2021, have been elevated to associate head coaches, while Cole Gentry returns to Wright State as an assistant coach. Director of Operations Nick Goff will continue in his role as well, entering his ninth season in 2024-25.
Isaiah Bales and Matthew Gadson also return for their second seasons as student assistants.
Beré recently completed his third season on the bench with the Raiders after spending the prior seven years at Jacksonville University. He was also on the Purdue Fort Wayne coaching staff for eight seasons and his résumé also includes time at Butler after spending four years as a manager at Indiana.
"Dan is one of the best in the business," Sargent said. "His basketball and life experience at this level is hard to find and is something I will lean on as I make decisions. His organizational skills, people skills, and willingness to work with others has made a huge impact on me as a coach. He will continue to shape our culture and program in all areas."
Trice has been on the Wright State bench for three seasons after an extensive prep coaching background in the Dayton area. He joined the Raiders after 14 total seasons at Wayne High School as the head coach that featured nine conference titles, including the 2015 OHSAA state championship. Trice played collegiately at Purdue and Butler, with a pair of NIT appearances and an NCAA Tournament appearance.
"Travis is just scratching the surface of the impact he can have on this program," Sargent said. "His ability to connect with people is second to none. His basketball experience as a head coach will be a huge asset to me in all areas of running the program. Travis is not only a great human being but has a fantastic basketball mind and is a tremendous recruiter."
Gentry returns to Wright State after spending the last two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Colorado State. He finished his collegiate career with 1,018 points and his 86.6 percent career free throw percentage is third all-time in Wright State program history. Gentry tallied 53 double-figure scoring games as a Raider before going on to play professionally in the British basketball system. He also spent time as a graduate assistant at Wisconsin during the 2020-21 season.
"Cole is a rising star in this profession," Sargent said. "What he has is extremely hard to find. He helped set the foundation of this program as a player and make it into what it is today. Cole's high basketball IQ will not only serve our staff well, but will serve our players well in all areas of player development, on and off the court."
Goff recently completed his eighth season on the Wright State staff as the director of operations, handling the day-to-day activities of the program, including travel, schedules and assisting with recruiting visits. His résumé also includes time as the director of player development at South Dakota State and as director of operations at Nevada.
"Nick's impact on this program over the past eight years has been incredible to see," Sargent said. "His passion for our players and this University is something I value at the highest level. Our former and current players love him. He is an incredible resource for everyone in our program and I am grateful to have him along my side as I step into this new role."
Bales is a junior from Franklin, Ohio majoring in Organizational Leadership, and Gadson is a junior Finance major from Dayton.
"Isaiah's passion and enthusiasm for this game is noticeable every day he walks in the gym. He is a great influence on our players, staff and basketball community," Sargent said. "Matthew's humility and servant heart is inspiring. He embodies so much of what I want our program and players to be about. I am very thankful to have him around our culture every day."
• • •
Sargent announced Thursday the addition of Jaaron Simmons as an assistant coach for the Raiders.
"Jaaron checked all the boxes for me. His character and priorities aligned with our staff and who we want to be for our players, fans, and alumni," Sargent said. "Between his authenticity, and his playing and coaching career, there is no question that he'll be a great recruiter and coach for our program."
No stranger to the area, Jaaron Simmons (pronounced Juh-ron) prepped at Archbishop Alter High School under Joe Petrocelli, where he is the all-time leading scorer, as well as GCL, history and is second in career assists. He was just the sixth player in school history to score 1,000 points or more during his career that saw him named an Associated Press Division II All-Ohio third team (2011) and special mention (2013) member, while he was also a two-time GCL North Player of the Year (2011 & 2013) and a three-time GCL North Division first team (2011, 2012, 2013) performer.
"Thank you to Coach Sargent for the opportunity to come home to Dayton, Ohio to serve our student-athletes as well as the Raider Community," Simmons said. "I am extremely blessed and excited to learn and grow with our players and staff. Let's get to work! Raider Up!"
Simmons comes to Wright State after spending the last five seasons at the University of Michigan following a playing career with the Wolverines and at Ohio University. Originally a graduate assistant in the 2019-20 season, he was elevated to the program's video analyst and on court instructor the past five seasons. Simmons assisted with all practice and game planning, scouting reports and recruiting activities while also conducting individual and group on-court skill and film sessions with Michigan.
The first-ever graduate transfer at Michigan, Simmons played one season for the Wolverines (2017-18) as the team won the Big Ten Tournament title, recorded a program-best 33 wins and advanced to the Final Four and national title game. Prior to his transfer to Michigan, Simmons played at Ohio for two seasons (2015-17) after starting his collegiate career at Houston.
An All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) first team (2017) and second team (2016) player at Ohio, Simmons ranks fourth all-time at Ohio with 475 career assists and set Ohio's program and Mid-American Conference single season record with 275 assists in the 2015-16 season. He was the 37th player in Ohio history to surpass 1,000 points, finishing with 1,034 points scored after he tallied double figures in 53 of his 66 games played with 20 contests with 20-plus points and four 30-plus point performances.
Simmons graduated from Ohio with a bachelor's degree for specialized studies in 2017. In 2021, he completed work for his master's degree for social work at Michigan. Simmons and his girlfriend, Ronequa (Mallory) have one daughter together, Romera.
Over the last eight seasons, 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 has had 26 all-Horizon League performers between all-conference, all-defensive and newcomer teams since 2016, while the Raiders have also achieved in the classroom, with nine Horizon League all-academic team recognitions over the last eight seasons.
Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.