Keep Coach Katz

[Green Laser]

Tough game last night, looks like the Hornets battled. Numerous wonderful stories posted on Facebook supporting Coach Katz.

There are few college jobs as political as the basketball HC.

1. Colleges highly political.
2. Current 'woke' culture.
3. Challenging to hire black professors, so colleges can get big PR hiring a black HC.
4. Sac has few black coaches.
5. Orr is African American.
6. His brother is a 'social justice warrior'.
7. Cal recently hired inexperienced first time HC Wyking Jones, who went 16-47 in 2 years before being fired. Todd Bozeman was also inexperienced.

If Coach Katz's contract is not renewed I don't think that race will be an issue in hiring the next coach. Coaches like any other profession should be chosen on what they bring to the table not on the basis of their ethnicity etc.
On a side note the four previous Men's Basketball Head Coaches to Katz were black.
I think that Orr is working hard to put our athletes in the best possible position to succeed, one example Troy Taylor and company. I had the pleasure of meeting one of Orr's hires for the first time yesterday,
Kenny Mc Daniel the Head Track and Field Coach. Totally impressed, Coach McDaniel comes from the National Championship Northern Arizona program and he has brought some very highly qualified assistants with him. Coach McDaniel just happens to be black, the Hornet Track and Field Program is in very good hands.

 

[Kadeezy]

Fun fact, Katz has won 39% of his games at SAC, Jerome Jenkins won 35%. If you take away all non-D1 games/money games, it’s about even.

 

[Greenteam]

Another fun fact Jenkins left the program in a mess with a loss of scholarship due to APR penalty. Won two D1 games his last season. This years team has 13 D1 wins so far. Jenkins teams won 13 or more games two out of eight seasons. We have won 13 or more games 7 out of the last 8 seasons. And the season we didn’t our best player missed the season with back surgery and at the AD’s request we switched our schedule after we lost him to play in the Wooden classic. Took two games we were favored in and replaced them with three almost guaranteed losses. We were supposed to get a home game on ESPN the next season but that never happened. If you want to talk percentage take the non D1 wins away from both and there is still about a 4% advantage to Katz. Katz had to rebuild from nothing. Throw out his first three years and the percentage jumps to 44%. Since 2012 we have experienced a win approximately 70% of the time at the Nest. No way you can compare Jenkins results to Katz’s. 43 out of 44 graduating. Haven’t even compared the connection to the local community and alumni. It had not existed for some time before Katz rebuilt it. Not going to try to change your opinion as the only one that matters is Nelson and Orr. In my opinion they should extend Katz. I also feel next years team has the returning players and recruits to be even better then this season. Don’t see the benefit in a change. The administration should throw all efforts at an event center and a move to the Big West.

 

[grizz32]

https://www.sacbee.com/sports/high-school/joe-davidson/article241029126.html
Article in Today's Sac Bee by Joe Davidson has some good information. Has quotes from Katz ( first we have heard). Also has contract information and just how FAR the program has come since Katz took over.
Also talks about what a toll this has taken on Katz and his assistant Coaches.

 

[ml1999]

Another fun fact Jenkins left the program in a mess with a loss of scholarship due to APR penalty. Won two D1 games his last season. This years team has 13 D1 wins so far. Jenkins teams won 13 or more games two out of eight seasons. We have won 13 or more games 7 out of the last 8 seasons. And the season we didn’t our best player missed the season with back surgery and at the AD’s request we switched our schedule after we lost him to play in the Wooden classic. Took two games we were favored in and replaced them with three almost guaranteed losses. We were supposed to get a home game on ESPN the next season but that never happened. If you want to talk percentage take the non D1 wins away from both and there is still about a 4% advantage to Katz. Katz had to rebuild from nothing. Throw out his first three years and the percentage jumps to 44%. Since 2012 we have experienced a win approximately 70% of the time at the Nest. No way you can compare Jenkins results to Katz’s. 43 out of 44 graduating. Haven’t even compared the connection to the local community and alumni. It had not existed for some time before Katz rebuilt it. Not going to try to change your opinion as the only one that matters is Nelson and Orr. In my opinion they should extend Katz. I also feel next years team has the returning players and recruits to be even better then this season. Don’t see the benefit in a change. The administration should throw all efforts at an event center and a move to the Big West.

So Coach Jenkins & other moves crippled the program for 2 years.

Impressive tenure by Coach Katz. From worst to near first in academics?

A previous poster is naive if they believe race isn't an issue in any basketball HC search. He proves the point noting three of the four previous HCs were black.

 

[EarleHornet]

https://www.sacbee.com/sports/high-school/joe-davidson/article241029126.html
Article in Today's Sac Bee by Joe Davidson has some good information. Has quotes from Katz ( first we have heard). Also has contract information and just how FAR the program has come since Katz took over.
Also talks about what a toll this has taken on Katz and his assistant Coaches.

Interesting comment from Aileen Voisin on Joe D's facebook post of this article.

Ailene M. Voisin "Right on point, Joe! Brian Katz transformed a joke of a basketball team into a respectable, competitive, rising program. How he manages to recruit quality players in light of that gym - also, a joke of a gym - amazes me. If Sac State doesn’t renew his contract, they’re foolish. If they promised and failed to finalize a new agreement on two occasions, shame on them. Katz is among the most honest, honorable coaches I covered during my three-plus decades as a journalist. He absolutely deserves to turn the key into a new facility ... if it is ever constructed."

 

[EarleHornet]

Joe D Facebook page. Interesting comments.

https://www.facebook.com/joe.davidson.71868

 

[Kadeezy]

Another fun fact Jenkins left the program in a mess with a loss of scholarship due to APR penalty. Won two D1 games his last season. This years team has 13 D1 wins so far. Jenkins teams won 13 or more games two out of eight seasons. We have won 13 or more games 7 out of the last 8 seasons. And the season we didn’t our best player missed the season with back surgery and at the AD’s request we switched our schedule after we lost him to play in the Wooden classic. Took two games we were favored in and replaced them with three almost guaranteed losses. We were supposed to get a home game on ESPN the next season but that never happened. If you want to talk percentage take the non D1 wins away from both and there is still about a 4% advantage to Katz. Katz had to rebuild from nothing. Throw out his first three years and the percentage jumps to 44%. Since 2012 we have experienced a win approximately 70% of the time at the Nest. No way you can compare Jenkins results to Katz’s. 43 out of 44 graduating. Haven’t even compared the connection to the local community and alumni. It had not existed for some time before Katz rebuilt it. Not going to try to change your opinion as the only one that matters is Nelson and Orr. In my opinion they should extend Katz. I also feel next years team has the returning players and recruits to be even better then this season. Don’t see the benefit in a change. The administration should throw all efforts at an event center and a move to the Big West.

Did you see what Jenkins took over!? Also, the Big West sucks...

I'm not saying Jenkins was superior to Katz (especially with the graduation rates). Just saying Katz doesn't walk on water like all the job-saving posters are claiming. Also, up until the 07-08 season, some of the Jenkins teams were the most entertaining and talented squads Sac State ever had.

 

[SDHornet]

Another fun fact Jenkins left the program in a mess with a loss of scholarship due to APR penalty. Won two D1 games his last season. This years team has 13 D1 wins so far. Jenkins teams won 13 or more games two out of eight seasons. We have won 13 or more games 7 out of the last 8 seasons. And the season we didn’t our best player missed the season with back surgery and at the AD’s request we switched our schedule after we lost him to play in the Wooden classic. Took two games we were favored in and replaced them with three almost guaranteed losses. We were supposed to get a home game on ESPN the next season but that never happened. If you want to talk percentage take the non D1 wins away from both and there is still about a 4% advantage to Katz. Katz had to rebuild from nothing. Throw out his first three years and the percentage jumps to 44%. Since 2012 we have experienced a win approximately 70% of the time at the Nest. No way you can compare Jenkins results to Katz’s. 43 out of 44 graduating. Haven’t even compared the connection to the local community and alumni. It had not existed for some time before Katz rebuilt it. Not going to try to change your opinion as the only one that matters is Nelson and Orr. In my opinion they should extend Katz. I also feel next years team has the returning players and recruits to be even better then this season. Don’t see the benefit in a change. The administration should throw all efforts at an event center and a move to the Big West.

Did you see what Jenkins took over!? Also, the Big West sucks...

I'm not saying Jenkins was superior to Katz (especially with the graduation rates). Just saying Katz doesn't walk on water like all the job-saving posters are claiming. Also, up until the 07-08 season, some of the Jenkins teams were the most entertaining and talented squads Sac State ever had.

Yup. Plenty of reasons to knock Jenkins, but the excitement his squads generated on campus got an events center referendum passed by the students in the spring of 2004. I was a student during his tenure, there were tons of games that you had to get in line an hour before tip off to have a shot at getting through the door.

 

[SDHornet]

https://www.sacbee.com/sports/high-school/joe-davidson/article241029126.html
Article in Today's Sac Bee by Joe Davidson has some good information. Has quotes from Katz ( first we have heard). Also has contract information and just how FAR the program has come since Katz took over.
Also talks about what a toll this has taken on Katz and his assistant Coaches.

Thanks for posting the article. It's pretty balanced and fair imo. Ironically enough it's pretty much this thread plus some quotes from Katz and Orr. :lol:

 

[Kadeezy]

Well, I was wrong about us losing this one - so, I think that has to lock in Katz for a new deal.

 

[ml1999]

Another fun fact Jenkins left the program in a mess with a loss of scholarship due to APR penalty. Won two D1 games his last season. This years team has 13 D1 wins so far. Jenkins teams won 13 or more games two out of eight seasons. We have won 13 or more games 7 out of the last 8 seasons. ... Don’t see the benefit in a change. The administration should throw all efforts at an event center and a move to the Big West.

Did you see what Jenkins took over!? Also, the Big West sucks...

I'm not saying Jenkins was superior to Katz (especially with the graduation rates). Just saying Katz doesn't walk on water like all the job-saving posters are claiming. Also, up until the 07-08 season, some of the Jenkins teams were the most entertaining and talented squads Sac State ever had.

No one has said Katz walked on water. He has taken the Hornets from the bottom, to respectable & competitive.

 

[SDHornet]

Long post alert. Here are the records by season under Katz below (Season: overall record, BSC record, finish in BSC standings). I added BSCT wins and losses in the BSC record. Note that starting in the 15-16 season every team made the BSCT and it was hosted at a neutral site, before then the regular season champ hosted and the top 2/3 of the conference made the BSCT. I honestly don’t remember exactly how many teams were invited to the BSCT prior to 15-16 because the Hornets only made it 6 times since joining the BSC in 96-97 (4 with Jenkins: 02-03, 03-04, 04-05, 05-06; and 2 with Katz: 13-14, 14-15) and the BSC added members during that time frame so I recall more teams getting in.

The Hornets only got out of the first round of the BSCT in 02-03, 05-06, 14-15, 15-16, 16-17, 18-19, and 19-20. We’ve never gotten past the 2nd round/quarterfinals in the current BSCT format.

08-09: 2-27, 1-15 BSC, 9/9. Still beat the dungpile with essentially a JC roster. Would have been a better year if some of the talent didn’t bail with the coaching change.

09-10: 9-21, 3-13 BSC, 9/9. Big win over Oregon State and significant improvement in BSC play. Overall things trending up.

10-11: 7-21, 4-12 BSC, 9/9. Minimal improvement in BSC play. Disappointing season.

11-12: 10-18, 5-11 BSC, 7/9. Improved play and the Hornets don’t finish last in the BSC for the first time under Katz.

12-13: 14-15, 8-12 BSC, 7/11. Significant improvement, big win at Utah and a handful of close losses in BSC play that cost this team a BSCT berth. This season pretty much marks the record mean for this program under Katz.

13-14: 14-16, 10-11 BSC, 8/11. Hornets deliver what will be the 2nd best showing in BSC play under Katz. 1st BSCT appearance but a loss in the first round.

14-15: 21-12, 14-6 BSC, 4/12. Best season in program history as Katz caught lightning in a bottle named Mikh McKinney. dungpile was too afraid to play a game in the Nest. Hornets blow a chance at the regular season title on the road and lose in the 2nd round of the BSCT.

15-16: 14-17, 7-13 BSC, 10/12. Win over Arizona State. A promising start in non-conference falls apart in BSC play. Overall not too bad of a season considering the graduation of the key players from the prior season. Hornets lose in the 2nd round of the BSCT.

16-17: 13-18, 10-10 BSC, 7/12. A horrid non-conference showing bolstered by a great showing in BSC play. Hornets lose in the 2nd round of the BSCT.

17-18: 7-15, 4-15 BSC, 11/12. The Lost Season. Graves’ preseason surgery ended this season before it began. Hornets are bounced in the first round of the BSCT. A Strings redshirt would have made things interesting for the following season; one can dream.

18-19: 15-16, 9-13 BSC, 8/12. Once again a good non-conference showing doesn’t translate into BSC play. Would have been a winning season if the Hornets didn’t choke at home to inferior competition. Hornets lose in the 2nd round of the BSCT.

19-20: 16-14, 9-12 BSC, 9/12. A promising season with stellar non-conference play is foiled in BSC play as the Hornets boast one of the best defensive teams in the nation. Hornets get the 2nd round but the BSCT is cancelled thanks to Communist China. Hornets finish with a winning record for the 2nd time under Katz and in the D1 era.

I view the BSC in tiers. The top tier (1) competes for regular season titles and NCAA Tournament berths/post season play. The middle tier (2) is middle of the road status which is not great but not bad, and the bottom tier (3) are the dregs of the conference battling to not finish last. Katz has this program as a tweener for tiers 2 and 3 and unfortunately closer to the bottom due to the sh!t facilities here.

The body of work that Katz has put in has been visible for many years now. Aside from the 14-15 season, the record pretty much hangs around 500 since the 12-13 season with one exception (17-18). I’m not really sure I buy into the idea that his extension came down to how well this team did this season and in the BSCT. I do think had Katz went on a little run in Boise this week (say a win over EWU) that he would have been extended.

As I’ve stated all along, the bigger issue is the events center. IMO Katz has this program at its ceiling. If the admin doesn’t feel that Katz can deliver an exciting product to generate/bolster a fundraising push then that is something that can be weighing on them. If there are no plans in the near term to make a serious push at getting the events center done then I don’t see why Katz wouldn’t be retained. We’ll see what happens fairly soon as Katz is on contract until the end of the month.

 

[BuckeyeHornetFan]

Interesting comment from Aileen Voisin on Joe D's facebook post

Interesting that you think anything she has to say is interesting.

 

[HornetHope]

I am fairly certain we will be performing a nationwide coaching search. Our performance has gone from below average to average. Katz has done a great job stabilizing the program and we have won a few games against some higher conference teams. Go back to when Orr was hired he told the story of a St Mary’s coach basically saying well with our facilities, our this, our that we cannot win. He replaced that coach and did the same with their basketball program. Great coaches find a way to recruit and win. Look at our football field, erector set on the outside of a track, yet we won. Let’s face it, our basketball program is one dimensional, and ultimately we need to raise the bar here. Sperbeck came in and stabilized the football program, ultimately he was not going to get this team to the next level. Same with Katz. Businesses that are on the brink of folding first bring in a turnaround artist, then bring a CEO once stabilized to grow that business. Katz turned us around, got us stabilized.

I think the next step is obvious.

 

[ml1999]

I am fairly certain we will be performing a nationwide coaching search. Our performance has gone from below average to average. Katz has done a great job stabilizing the program and we have won a few games against some higher conference teams. Go back to when Orr was hired he told the story of a St Mary’s coach basically saying well with our facilities, our this, our that we cannot win. ... Businesses that are on the brink of folding first bring in a turnaround artist, then bring a CEO once stabilized to grow that business. Katz turned us around, got us stabilized.

I think the next step is obvious.

Then why on 2 occassions did AD Orr offer to extend his contract? (Oral agreement.) Could become costly if Orr makes the move you suggest.

BTW, your analogies fail. St. Mary's College has a perfect mid-major gym, and Hornet football likewise has facilities comparable to its FCS brethren.

The Nest can work short term, but its really a poor high school gym.

 

[Hornet Mike]

More to the story. Comments from former UC Davis/UC Santa Barbara coach Williams: https://www.facebook.com/robert.williams.39395

 

[grizz32]

Bob Williams post tells you everything that you need to know about the lies that were told.

 

[ml1999]

Wow. We now have the Brandon Davis Family being told Coach Katz agreed to a 5-year extension by AD Mark Orr. And I believe his wife was in a meeting where Coach Katz agreed to the extension.

Very odd. Unless Coach Katz did something uncharacteristic. Which isn't likely given his long track record, family, wife & reputation.

 

[grizz32]

With all that became public on Joe Davidson's Facebook page from Bob Williams I think it is time for Mark Orr's job to be in jeopardy. I would guarantee the CSU Board of Regents would NOT approve about how this Contract with Katz and lies to recruits has been handled.