Dominic Black, center, is a four-star recruit but was also an all-state basketball player for coach Josh Sagester, left. Sagester’s son, Trey, played both football and basketball with Black.
Four-star offensive lineman Dominic Black of New Madison (Ohio) Tri-Village High School had almost 40 major college scholarship offers when he committed to Kentucky over Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Michigan State and others.
The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Black is rated as a top 200 national recruit by both Rivals and 247Sports. Rivals has him as the No. 12 offensive tackle in his recruiting class.
However, Black can do more than play football. He set a school record with a toss of 55 feet, 7 inches in the shot put. He was the starting center and third team all-state selection on his basketball team that went 26-1 and lost in the regional final.
His basketball coach, Josh Sagester, has a unique relationship with Black since he’s in his 14th year as school district superintendent. He has also been a teacher and elementary principal in the school district.
Sagester, a former Mercer University basketball player, has a daughter, Rylee Sagest, playing basketball at Wright State after scoring 2,001 points in high school and setting a state record with 401 3-pointers. His son, Trey, was a two-time state player of the year and 2,000-point scorer who was a Mr. Basketball finalist last year as a senior when he averaged 25 points per game. He will play at Ferris State, which has won four of the last five Division II national championships.
“I have known Dom since he was a baby. His mother is my guidance counselor,” Sagester, 47, said. “I coached him in PeeWee football and junior high football. I have coached him in basketball all the way. He is a very special athlete and young man.
“He is a really good basketball player. He has good hands and a good touch. He is an old school back to the basket guy who finishes well. For his size, he moves really well and can be dominant in the paint because he has such a wide body defenders cannot get around him. He really likes basketball and always competes.”
Black averaged 11.7 points per game and shot 72.8 percent from the field. He also averaged a team-high 5.5 rebounds per game along with 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
What about on the football field?
“He is really big and athletic in our league. He has always been a left tackle and played with his hand in the dirt. He wanted to be running back and receiver but we all knew that would not be in the cards with his body,” Sagester said. “He embraces his role. We like to make our hogs (offensive linemen) feel special around here. My son was the quarterback and he had a good line in front of him led by Dom. He did not get touched much.”
Sagester said what sets Black apart is the way he moves for someone weighing 290 pounds.
“He is very agile and moves well on his feet. Obviously he’s massive and we knew he had a chance to be special because of his mobility,” the basketball coach said. “His bloodline has a lot of size. He has gotten nastier as he has gotten older.
“He’s been part of a lot of good teams. He understands winning and high expectations and standards. I think that will help him a lot at the next level.”
Sagester tried to stay out of Black’s football recruiting but did talk with his mother at times.
“She is an awesome lady and I would just try to pick her brain. I could kind of tell when asking different things that he was high on Kentucky. I didn’t know how high but I could tell there was something he really liked about UK and his mom did, too,” the basketball coach said.
“He had his commitment party with a lot of teammates and coaches there. We are all so proud of him. I am a SEC guy. I am a Georgia Bulldog fan and that does not set well in (Ohio State) Buckeye country but I am already excited for the Kentucky-Georgia matchup. I have actually attended some UK-Georgia games in Lexington.
“This has all been so exciting for his family and friends. He’s going to stay close enough to home that we can see him play and that is exciting because he’s very popular here.”
Sagester doesn’t know if he will have Black back to anchor his 2026-27 team or if he will enroll early at Kentucky and give up his senior basketball season.
“We hope he is back butI don’t know that he has made that decision yet or when he will,” Sagester said. “We always want what is best for him but I would be lying if I said I did not want him in the paint with me next year. We lost my son and another guy but we have got a nice group coming back. We have a chance to be special and he would be the anchor for the team. But he has to do what is best for him and that’s what I want him to do.”
One Response
Dominic Black needs to focus on football at this point in his career. He's a high 4* recruit in football. He's playing basketball because he's a true athlete but now that it's his senior year in high school he needs to start focusing on football. If he is that highly ranked in high school in football imagine if he focused entirely on football!?. He might be top 50 recruit. Black will come in and get in the college weight room he will need a year to adjust to SEC football. I can see him having a backup role as a freshman and then taking over as a sophomore. He has that much talent. Usually it takes a lineman at least 2-3 years to actually get playing time. I think he's a little ahead of the curve. That's what I was saying now imagine if he just focused on football. Basketball does help a player get better feet and moves but he played until his senior season. He should be done with that chapter and focus on being the best football player that he can be. He absolutely should enroll at Kentucky after the fall semester in school.
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