The new gym, while not the event center we need, is serviceable. Will seem like an upgrade due to the newness. Main complaint is they squeezed in a few too many seats. Like riding coach on an old southwest plane you hope your seat mates can fit in their seat. Also they are very hard and not as comfortable as the seat backs in the nest. Will definitely bring a cushion next time. Has a few other quirks but will be a nice change. As for the team they had some difficulty with the lower level opponent, we lack size but finally wore them down. We did a better job getting Cherry the ball in the low post in the second half were he could use his size. Teat and Johnson look to be our other scoring threats? Not sure yet about Williams, and Gardner has a low motor. He made a few plays in the second half but he will need to produce against better competition. O’Neal looks like a deer in the headlights. Plays much smaller than his height. Easy to see why he has not been a starter on his last two teams. Would expect more from a fifth year senior. I think our lack of size will be a challenge. We have the athleticism to be a good defensive team, but we got beat off the dribble and were out of position leading to a lot of fouls. Look forward to see how we fare against D1 teams.
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2025-26 MBB Season
- Thread starter Kadeezy
- Start date
Kadeezy
Active member
Coach Marion said on ESPN 1320 that TE Davis Ambuehl (Ole Miss), is now practicing with the basketball team too. He previously played at Ole Miss and Marion said he's about 6'9"" now.
olemisssports.com
Davis Ambuehl - Men's Basketball - Ole Miss Athletics - Hotty Toddy
Davis Ambuehl (45) Forward
The Sacramento State Hornets this week unveiled their new home basketball venue they hope will bring a new level of interest and fan engagement to campus. “We’re trying to turn this into the Duke arena,” said first-year head coach and Sacramento Kings legend Mike Bibby. “To where it’s a little smaller, to have our fans get rowdy and corrupt in there.” Bibby was speaking after the Hornets won their first game in the Well and Hornet Pavilion against Division II Dominican of the Bay Area on Tuesday. The game was listed as a sellout, with an attendance of 2,312 with every fixed seat full.
Cameron crazies? Have a history like them. I'm still waiting for Sac State to be the Florida State of the West Coast. For newbies, a coach Volek saying. Bless him for all he did. But, please, enlighten me on how to be corrupt in there.
Cameron crazies? Have a history like them. I'm still waiting for Sac State to be the Florida State of the West Coast. For newbies, a coach Volek saying. Bless him for all he did. But, please, enlighten me on how to be corrupt in there.
HeavyistheClown
Active member
enlighten me on how to be corrupt in there.
Making love to pressure?
Hornets beat Jessup, 86-76 this past Friday night. Hornets controlled the game for most of the way in what was a pretty entertaining game with a pretty high tempo. Jessup hung around with some late threes to draw it closer than it was for most of the 2nd half.
Cherry is going to be a total beast inside, and Prophet and Teat are going to be a joy to watch. Mikey Williams found his stroke during the game as well. Unfortunately I don't think there will be much support from the rest of the roster. Those four should be enough to win some games in the BSC, but doubtful they will be enough against the better teams on the non-conference slate. I do hope Lavrenov sees the floor more as he seems to have a lot of potential. Good to see another sell out in the Pavilion.
A tough game with UC Santa Barbara coming to town on Tuesday awaits the Hornets next.
Cherry is going to be a total beast inside, and Prophet and Teat are going to be a joy to watch. Mikey Williams found his stroke during the game as well. Unfortunately I don't think there will be much support from the rest of the roster. Those four should be enough to win some games in the BSC, but doubtful they will be enough against the better teams on the non-conference slate. I do hope Lavrenov sees the floor more as he seems to have a lot of potential. Good to see another sell out in the Pavilion.
A tough game with UC Santa Barbara coming to town on Tuesday awaits the Hornets next.
sacstateman
Active member
I agree on Lavrenov....we're going to need what he can bring...big body, rebounds and tough inside offense and defense....Cherry will need more help down low...
LoveSacState
Active member
I don't know if we are so much smaller than every other program we will play . I did some research and checked the box score of the next two opponents UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis. I took the top 9 player with the most minutes played from each roster. We are actually Taller and bigger than UC Davis and Taller than UC Santa Barbara.
Average size of the nine man rotations:
Sac State 6'5.88 204.77lbs
UCSB 6'5.67 211.67Ibs
UCD 6'5 196
Noticed Cherry is the biggest guy on all these rosters and our guards are similar in height to the other rosters and bigger than a few UCD guards. Since this isn't the SEC or ACC and we don't play a lot of those type programs out here on the west coast. The Big Sky also doesn't have overly large high grade D1 size. I believe they are big enough to match up with most programs they will play at least this year.
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Fair enough. They play small and slow.
I anticipate Sac State will improve and find an identity. It's an early observation and not a condemnation.
sacstateman
Active member
We need to find more minutes for Lavrenov...that would help with our size problem cuz he is a rebounder...I think we will speed up a bit when we get more used to each other...Williams has looked pretty good so far and I hope he can pick it up more as he gets his game legs under him....He has barely played for the last 2 years....Gardner is a mystery to me...great body, athletic but VERY streaky as far as showing anything....Tuesday will show if we have much to show the BSC or not....
"They need to let things come to them offensively. We hold the ball too long. We want to be a running team."
Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/sports/article312860126.html#storylink=cpy
Right on cue, Bibby says they want to be a running team.
He contradicts himself by saying slow down and play fast in the same comment. I know he's trying to say play under control and pass the ball to get the offense moving fast.
Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/sports/article312860126.html#storylink=cpy
Right on cue, Bibby says they want to be a running team.
He contradicts himself by saying slow down and play fast in the same comment. I know he's trying to say play under control and pass the ball to get the offense moving fast.
sacstateman
Active member
In my opinion, Hornets answered the question about being able to compete in the BSC this season...I say the answer is YES.....They gave UCSB a real scare tonite losing by 7 in a game they just couldn't get a stop when they needed it most...UCSB is a top BigWest team year in and year out and is expected to be at the top this year too...From what I saw, we had a few more TOs than UCSB and I think they were the determining factor in the final score....Williams showed how good he can be which is VERY good...I can't wait for Friday...
jdgaucho
Active member
I liked what y'all did with The Well. The state capitol painted at half court was a nice touch.
I was skeptical about Bibby. But he answered my question. Tonight the Hornets showed flash AND substance. He has something cooking here.
...But I still would prefer you staying in the Big Sky.
I was skeptical about Bibby. But he answered my question. Tonight the Hornets showed flash AND substance. He has something cooking here.
...But I still would prefer you staying in the Big Sky.
Score was fairly close, but UC Santa Barbara was in control the entire game. Hornet’s defense has to be better. Way too many open threes and losing their man. Lack of depth is an issue. Williams played 39 minutes, Cherry 38, and Profit 37. Lavrenov should start over O’Neal. Don’t think we will get much from O’Neal or Gardner. Jury will be out on Bibby for awhile. Will need to see if he can improve the defense and see if the players show improvement over the season. A lot of individual play on offense. We will learn some more on Friday at Davis.
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Kadeezy
Active member
*5 point loss.
This team is VERY fun to watch, if they can clean up some of the defensive brain farts, they can be a top 4 BSC team IMO. The Pavillion environment goes crazy, already - Kudos to Dr. Wood and company for forcing this incremental improvement through. The venue shows really well on TV, and in person it gets LOUD and the views are great, and beer! If the program can have a little success, it will make an Events Center a reality.
UCSB was just so cool with it last night. They were in control and countered every run we made. They take great care of the ball, and know how to find their shooters. The ball movement was crisp and next level. They looked like a top 100 team to me.
LoveSacState
Active member
They played well and the Gauchos are a top tier big west team that has been together for a bit. They were in control most of the game but there were spurts where the Hornets were close and even ahead, so this was a good showing for a whole new roster that hasn't been together long. I think they played well need better defensive cohesion which comes with time, UCSB just hit a lot of threes tonight. I agree starting Lavrenov over O'Neal should be considered. But it is still to early so I'll give this rotation a bit more time.
Kadeezy
Active member
I like O'Neal in the starting lineup, he seems to get a lot of deflections and hustle plays out of the gate. And, Lavrenov coming off the bench seems to light a fire under the team when they need points and boards from the second unit that seem tough to come by.
Gardner looks lost and wonky out there, mixed with the occasional flashy play.
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