Burch, Pickett, Sargent grab top HL postseason awards

INDIANAPOLIS/DAYTON – After clinching the Horizon League regular season championship outright for the first time since the 2019-20 season, the Wright State men's basketball team has received nine Horizon League honors, the league office announced Monday, headlined by TJ Burch earning both Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors, while Kellen Pickett was named the HL's Freshman of the Year and head coach Clint Sargent selected as the League's Coach of the Year.

In addition to those honors, Burch was also recognized on the Horizon League first team, with Michael Imariagbe on the second team as Michael Cooper joined Pickett on the All-Freshman team. Solomon Callaghan was also a finalist for the Horizon League Sportsmanship Award for the second-straight season.

The two awards for Burch mark the first time a Wright State player has been named the Horizon League's Defensive Player of the Year or Newcomer of the Year, while Pickett becomes the seventh Raider freshman to earn the HL's top rookie honor. Sargent is now the fifth Wright State head man to be honored as the League's Coach of the Year.

Burch enters the postseason averaging 11.7 points per game overall (14.2 points per game against HL opponents) while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor overall. He has scored 10-plus points in 17 of the last 19 contests after recording double figures just three times in the first 11 games. Burch's 79 steals are the third-most nationally through games on February 28, with his 2.63 steals/game average also No. 4 nationally. He has recorded multiple steals in 20 games, including four games with five steals and a career-high six steals on Dec. 29 at Oakland, while the 79 steals are currently the third-most in a single season in Wright State history. KenPom ratings give him the No. 1 steal percentage rating (6.1) in the country.

Pickett was one of three Raiders to play in all 31 regular season contests as he started 18 of 20 games against Horizon League opponents. His 8.0 points per game average jumps up to 9.6 points per game against HL foes, while he is shooting 55.4 percent overall from the floor and 30.8 percent from three-point range. Pickett has scored in 26 games, with double figures in 11 contests, including a career-best 21 points at Green Bay on Feb. 1. His 39 total blocks are the fourth-most in the Horizon League to date and already tied for the fifth-most in a single season in Raider history. Pickett adds a 5.4 rebounds per game overall average, a mark that increases to 6.9 rebounds per game against HL opponents, while KenPom ratings rate him No. 1 in Defensive rebounding percentage (25.8) in the Horizon League in HL games.

Sargent guided the Raiders to their first outright Horizon League regular season title since the 2019-20 season and the program's 15th 20-win season in the Division I era. Wright State owns the No. 3 scoring defense in the Horizon League (73.6 ppg allowed) after allowing the third-most points in the HL last season and the No. 4 scoring offense in the Horizon League (80.2 ppg).

Imariagbe is currently averaging 11.8 points per game, second on the Raider roster, while his scoring mark increases to 12.5 points per game against HL opponents. Imariagbe is shooting 57.7 percent overall from the floor with 20 double-digit scoring performances, including a season- and Wright State-best 24 points against Northern Kentucky on Jan. 24, along with 19 points at IU Indy on Jan. 4. He has six double-doubles on the season – five against Horizon League opponents – with nine games of 10-plus rebounds.

Cooper has played in 27 games, with his 13.2 points per game average the best on the Wright State roster. He is shooting 44.0 percent overall from the floor with a 35.3 percent shooting mark from three-point range. Cooper has scored in double-digits 19 times, recording four 20-plus point games in his rookie campaign, including a career-best 23 points on Dec. 7 against Green Bay. He is averaging 2.3 assists per game, with 61 total helpers and a 1.8 assists to turnover ratio entering the postseason.

Wright State will open the 2026 Horizon League Championship hosting a first round home game Wednesday inside the Nutter Center at 7 p.m. against the winner of Monday's play-in game between No. 10 Cleveland State and No. 11 IU Indy. Tickets are now on sale for the first round home game. Raider season ticket holders can log into their online account to pay for their tickets. Tickets for the general public are on sale via this link.

Players Mentioned

TJ Burch

Solomon Callaghan

Michael Cooper

Michael Imariagbe

Kellen Pickett

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