Sac State to hire Katz as men's basketball coach
By John Schumacher -
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Published 3:19 pm PDT Wednesday, April 9, 2008
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Brian Katz, who compiled a record of 348-138 record at Delta College in Stockton in 15 seasons, will become the new men's basketball coach at Sacramento State.
Sacramento Bee file
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Sacramento State plans to hire Brian Katz, the head coach at San Joaquin Delta College, as its new men's head basketball coach, The Bee has learned.
University of Washington assistant Cameron Dollar and Cabrillo College head coach Tony Marcopulos said they'd received phone calls Wednesday afternoon informing them they were not the choice, leaving Katz as the pick.
Dollar, Katz and Marcopulos were the three candidates who interviewed for the job last week. A source familiar with the search confirmed Katz was getting the job.
"I'm no longer in the running," Dollar said Wednesday afternoon.
Marcopulos also said he'd been told he wasn't landing the job.
"I was just informed about 10 minutes ago I'm not the guy," Marcopulos said.
Athletics director Terry Wanless and Katz could not be immediately reached for comment.
Katz, 50, replaces Jerome Jenkins, whose contract was not renewed after a 4-24 season. Jenkins compiled an 80-147 record in eight seasons at Sacramento State, taking the Hornets to four consecutive Big Sky Conference Tournaments before missing the six-team event the last two seasons.
Katz, a Sacramento State graduate, owns a 348-138 record at Delta. In his 15 seasons at the Stockton school, the Mustangs have reached the playoffs 14 times and won six conference titles.
A Casa Roble High School graduate, Katz also posted an 87-47 record in four seasons at the head coach at Lassen College in Susanville. He worked as an assistant at Santa Clara from 1987 to 1989 and was the head coach at Center High School from 1983 to 1987, compiling a 53-34 record and earning three trips to the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
The new coach will face plenty of challenges. The Hornets play in a 1,200-seat gym, averaged 583 spectators per game in 2007-08 and finished the season 335th out of 341 Division I teams in Ratings Percentage Index, a gauge of team strength.
Sac State has not enjoyed a winning season since joining Division I in 1991, with a 15-15 effort in 2005-2006 its best record.
The spring signing period begins next Wednesday. The Hornets have not had a local player on their roster since former Grant High School standout Jameel Pugh, a transfer from the University of Massachusetts, played for Sac State in 2004-05.
