Shaq, Bibby and ‘Go-Go’ football: What’s behind Sacramento State Hornets’ ascent?

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Read today's Edition Log In|Subscribe 59°F NEWS SPORTS POLITICS RESTAURANTS OPINION GAMES OBITUARIES FINANCE CLASSIFIEDS CAREERS GUIDES Home Customer Service Stay Connected Read today's Edition Sacramento Favorites Local Events News Noticias en Español Sports Politics Opinion Entertainment Food & Drink Obituaries Video Featured Reality Check Uniquely Equity Lab California Best Workplaces Sacramento Favorites Guides Shopping/Reviews Deals & Offers Careers & Education Special Features Press Releases Legal Services Sponsored Content Senior Resources Classifieds Place an Ad - Celebrations Search Jobs Search Legal Notices Advertising SPORTS Shaq, Bibby and ‘Go-Go’ football: What’s behind Sacramento State Hornets’ ascent? By Joe Davidson June 5, 2025 5:00 AM Sacramento State men's basketball coach Mike Bibby and the school's president and athletic director walk through The Well on May 9, 2025. The former student fitness facility is being redesigned to host NCAA basketball games – replacing The Nest, an outdated 1,000-seat venue. By HECTOR AMEZCUA Key Takeaways AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom Ryan Bjork is an unassuming, behind-the-scenes mover and shaker in Sacramento State athletics as the assistant director of communications. He doesn’t have to promote the buzz that has swarmed over the J Street campus and across the state capital of late. The Hornets green colors Bjork wears spark curiosity, he said, when he is in the grocery store, in a parking lot, or during his tasks and duties on campus. He is asked what is going on with the Hornets and what it all means. “This is the most exciting time for Hornets athletics in my 27 years here, and it’s not even close,” Bjork said. Bjork is a Sac State grad (class of 98) and has been working with its media relations department for 25 years. “If I’m out and about, I hear from people I don’t even know — ‘Stinger’s up!’’,” he said. “The excitement is off the charts.” Topics that fans or the curious ask Bjork and scores of others these days at Sacramento State include: ▪ The hiring of former Sacramento Kings star Mike Bibby as men’s basketball coach. ▪ The addition of Hall of Famer player and personality Shaquille O’Neal as basketball general manager and the planned fall opening of a 3,200-seat basketball pavilion with all the bells and whistles such as video boards. ▪ The No. 1 recruiting class and top transfer portal haul from the football program under energized first-year coach Brennan Marion. ▪ Sac State’s ambition to move up in football classification to the big-boy FBS, where leagues secure big television contracts and teams have a shot to compete in bowl games. Sacramento State has signed more 4-star athletes in recent months in football and basketball than ever before. The football program hosted a campus visit with the first 5-star prospect to tour the grounds since the Hornets first fielded the sport in 1954. It was Ryder Lyons, the national recruit quarterback from nearby Folsom High School. He will be a senior this fall with suitors from across the land, and he said he paid Sac State a visit because of the invite. Mike Bibby, former Sacramento Kings star, is introduced as the Sacramento State head basketball coach at the university on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. [email protected] The Hornets then had a spring football game at Hornet Stadium and drew nearly 8,000 people, a far cry from when dozens or hundreds would attend. The rosters of basketball and football have been completely turned over through the transfer portal. Marion in football and Bibby in basketball said their email inboxes and cell phones are buzzing with activity, with recruits looking to head their way. Those programs have made national news. Billboards dotted across regional freeways are promoting Bibby Ball and Marion’s fast-paced, innovative “Go-Go” offense. And that’s just part of it. “We’ve got a lot of things brewing, and it’s all great,” said Andy Fisk, Sacramento State’s senior associate athletic director for external affairs. A Sacramento native, Fisk’s roles includes serving on the athletic department’s senior leadership team to provide strategic leadership and to help with athletic revenue generation. That means keeping a pulse on what’s going on. “I think we’re going to set attendance records in basketball with Bibby and Shaq here,” Fisk continued. “We have a huge season ticket priority list. We’ve had more interest in companies wanting to partner with us. There’s been an overwhelming response on social media, with webpage engagement off the charts. Everything has been off the charts.” Sacramento State president Luke Wood said a school motto has been “out with the old, in with the new,” adding, “This isn’t the old Sac State. This is different.” Leading the drive to be different — and better — are Wood, an alum of the school, and athletic director Mark Orr, a Sacramento native who said he is “living the dream” in his role with the university. They champion all things athletic on campus. They attend games. They regularly visit coaches and student-athletes. They travel the state by car or plane to meet with boosters, donors and alums. And they remind all that their phone lines are open for sponsors who are interested in signage on the basketball pavilion and for the football stadium that is undergoing upgrades with plans of a new stadium in the coming years. “This has been the vision that President Wood and I have had, to hire great coaches, to make the city and community proud, to create a real buzz in Sacramento,” Orr said. “I mean, it’s happening. It’s not just talk. Alums, faculty, fans, students, people have a chance to watch an exciting football team, and basketball with a chance to meet Mike Bibby, or Shaq. “How many schools can offer that kind of experience?” Basketball ups and downs Sacramento State has had periods of excitement over the decades, as well as years of mediocrity, misery and worse. The men’s basketball program was founded in 1948, a year after the school opened. It had glimpses of success at the Division II level, reaching the national championship game in 1962. It reached the postseason in 1988.

 

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The journey to Division I in 1991 came with the benefit of scholarship players, but the climb was steep. The program cycled through coaches early in the Division I era, winning six or fewer games eight times between the 1991-92 season and 2000-01. The Hornets were competitive under longtime coach Brian Katz from 2008-2021, and he produced the only winning seasons in the Division I era, doing so in 2015 and 2020. The Hornets have never made the NCAA tournament, the March Madness fun, and they have not even reached the finals of the Big Sky Conference tournament. Sacramento State slumped to 7-25 this past season, and its 3-15 showing in the conference left the team in last place. The gym, the cozy little venue called “The Nest,” was reflective of how far the Hornets still had to go. A cramped, 1,000-seat venue that once hosted a Jimi Hendrix concert looked a bit better with new coats of dark green paint, but Wood described that as nothing more than applying “lipstick to a pig.” Bibby heard that line repeated during a tour with The Sacramento Bee last month in the new pavilion called “The Well” and grinned. The new coach and others decked in a hard hat and reflector vests with the construction under way taking place just north of Hornet Stadium, home of the football Hornets. “This can be a sleeping giant here, and we’re going to be good, and we’re going to run teams out of the gym,” Bibby said. “We may not have enough seats.” Bibby immediately went to work upon his March hire to reshape his roster. He has 13 new players and expects to add two more.

 

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One incoming player will be Bee Player of the Year Mark Lavrenov of Rocklin High School in Placer County, a 6-foot-8 forward who plays Bibby’s sort of game — big on fundamentals, skills and effort. Said Lavrenov: “So excited to do this.” What about Shaq? Bibby stunned his bosses with a suggestion: Can the Hornets bring Shaq aboard? As an unpaid volunteer? Yes, the same behemoth Shaq who tormented Kings fans with his powerhouse interior play during intensely fought playoff battles in the early 2000s and with his taunts in calling the Kings “The Queens.” “I know people think it’s funny, me and Shaq working together after our rivalry, but we’re friends and he sees the same vision as we do,” Bibby said. Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal and sons Sharif O’Neal and Shaqir O’Neal arrive on the red carpet for the 2019 NBA Awards show in Los Angeles on June 24, 2019. Gary A. Vasquez USA Today Sports How did O’Neal, with his various business ventures and his NBA color work on TNT, become the Hornets basketball GM? It goes beyond the fact that his youngest son, Shaqir O’Neal, was Bibby’s first signing through the transfer portal, the 6-foot-8 shooting forward coming in from Florida A&M. Bibby speaks to his GM regularly. The big man hasn’t been to Sacramento State yet, and he may not arrive until July when he comes to the state capital with his “Shaq’s Bass All-Stars” as a DJ at Heart Health Park at Cal Expo. Shaq on his social media pages goes by DJ Diesel for his DJ fun. Shaq’s primary role with Sacramento State will be assisting in recruiting, mentoring players (even from long distance via Zoom), and talking to student-athletes about life after basketball. The Hornets brass said they plan to have Shaq with them when they speak to potential corporate sponsors and signage for football and basketball. “Oh, gotta bring Shaq for that,” Orr said with a laugh. “I wish I could take credit for Shaq. That relationship starts with Mike Bibby. I never had Shaq on my speed dial like Mike has. They have a good friendship. Mike asked me if I minded if Shaq can be the GM, which is a common thing in college sports now, and that he would do it without needing to be paid. Well, I didn’t see any downside. It was the easiest yes answer of my life.” Orr added, “There’s not a more impressive former professional athlete with such a great post-playing career as all-time greats like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Shaq. He can be such a great role model for our players but even more so with what he’s done after basketball. It’s inspiring.” Is Bibby here because he’s an ex-King? Did Sacramento State hire Bibby because he’s a beloved ex-King, meaning a grace period to elevate a sagging program into a winning one? This gig, after all, marks Bibby’s first college coaching assignment at this level. His previous head-coaching experience was leading Shadow Mountain High School of Phoenix, his alma mater, to five state championships. “His big name and familiarity, that’s the cherry on top,” Orr said. “We hired Mike because he was the best coach available. His knowledge of the game, his teaching of the game, his presence, it’s all impressive. And he’s a Sacramento legend, so that will immediately resonate in the community, and we’ve seen it already, 10-fold.” Said Fisk, the senior associate athletic director: “Big names resonate, totally. Look at football. We’ve had more higher caliber players come in than in the past, and that has a lot to do with coach Marion. These days, to be successful in college athletics, you have to be different. We have to take chances, evolve and grow and be creative, or you get passed up. You have to stay ahead of the curve.” Bibby stayed ahead of the curve in hiring Al Biancani as the Hornets strength and conditioning coach. Biancani worked daily with Bibby during their seven seasons with the Kings in the 2000s, where Biancani worked as the strength coach. Vlade Divac gives BA Western Conference Finals Game 5 hero Mike Bibby a hug at the conclusion of game between the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers at Arco Arena, Tuesday, May 28, 2002. Chris Crewell Sacramento Bee file Bibby’s game is rooted in fundamentals. He jokes that he could dunk in the NBA but his best skill was coming off of screens and hitting jumpers, none bigger than the biggest shot in the Kings’ Sacramento era, a Game 5 winner in the 2002 Western Conference Finals against the Lakers at Arco Arena. “Al is the best at what he does, and we’re thrilled to have him because our guys will be in shape,” Bibby said. “He worked with my high school teams (in Arizona) and we won state championships.” Biancani said he was impressed with Bibby as a coach in Arizona. “Mike teaches the game the right way, the fundamentals, and how to do it the right way,” Biancani said. “Not every player who had success in the pros can do it. He’s an excellent teacher of the game. He’ll do big things here.” Money flow? A decision is expected at the end of June in the legal battle regarding college player compensation tied to a $2.8 billion settlement in damages from three antitrust class action lawsuits. How the money will be divvied up to colleges figures to be a real game changer. Do the Hornets, the mid-major guys looking to go big time, get much of the pie? And how to disperse the funds? “We’re still trying to figure it all out,” Orr said. “It’s not a necessary evil in college athletics. For a long time, student-athletes were not allowed to earn money for their name, image and likeness, and that was wrong. I like the idea that they can share revenue.” He added, “The challenge we run into is how do we do it? How much money can we provide, and it’s competitive, and there’s the transfer portal. Athletes should have the opportunity to transfer if they want to. We’ll be aggressive in all of that, too.” Football fortunes are up Hornets football coach Brennan Marion has a simple saying: “One great year can change your life.” Marion, 37, has lived that motto, relaying on sports as a positive outlet growing up, having overcome bouts of homelessness as a college football player and throughout his cross-country tours as a fast-rising coach. Marion has coached high school ball in the Bay Area, at the smaller-college level as a play caller and as the offensive coordinator for two seasons at UNLV. The Rebels in 2024 won 11 games, the most since the team won 12 in 1974. Last fall represented just the sixth winning UNLV season since 1979. New Sacramento State head football coach Brennan Marion holds a Hornets jersey with Athletic Director Mark Orr and university President Luke Wood after being introduced as the school’s 13th head football coach on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. Paul Kitagaki Jr.

 

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[email protected] Marion, who wears his trademark cowboy hat, is big on energy and being a free spirit. He zipped through spring football drills, offering insight at one station and kudos at another. “Be yourself,” Marrion said of his approach and what he wants from coaches and players. “And yes, one great year can change your life. If that means we help you thrive here, great. If that means you play here a year and go somewhere else, that’s fine, too. It’s our job to coach kids and give them the best opportunities.” Even though college football programs prefer to use high school recruiting to build a roster, Marion said he maximized his resources — namely, the transfer portal. He has landed more than 50 players via that route, including players who started at FBS programs across the country. The portal haul was ranked by Sports Illustrated as the best in the country. HERO Sports, a website specific to FCS football, also listed Sacramento State’s recruiting haul in February as the best in the country. Sacramento State football coach Brennan Marion leads the team during the first day spring practice in March. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. [email protected] FBS move and stadium update Sacramento State expects to hear by the end of this month if its waiver to the NCAA to move up from FCS to the FBS level will be granted as an independent, meaning a program without a conference. Wood said when he sent in the waiver that he was “stoked” about the prospects of going independent, adding that this route means the Hornets are “taking destiny in our own hands.” “This wouldn’t work for most institutions, but we sit in a Top 20 media market that doesn’t have a team in the FBS,” he said. “We’re not going to the shallow end of the pool but the deep end. “We hope the big boys can keep up.” Sacramento State is reviewing plans on significant upgrades to Hornet Stadium. “We’re going to make immediate upgrades, adding video boards on the sidelines, new seats, new lighting, improved concessions and restrooms,” said Orr, the athletic director. “We’ve completed conceptual designs for the new stadium and we’re looking at a few different ideas for rendering and features. We’re getting there.” Getting there with the right coach in place, Orr said. “Coach Marion is a rising star in this profession and has been for years,” Orr said. “He’s climbed the steps the right way and in a quick manner. He’s been ready from the start. I’d like to wear a cowboy hat like he does, but my head it too square. It’s a great look for Brennan, though. Sacramento State’s best football seasons were under coach Troy Taylor, who led the program to Big Sky Conference crowns in 2019, 2021 and 2022. Before those seasons, Sacramento State won conference titles just four times since 1954 with one playoff team coming in 1988 at Division II. The new buzz with a flood of players coming in has caught the attention of holdover players. Hornets offensive lineman Jose Soto said he didn’t transfer out because he was wowed by the energy and vision of Marion and his staff. “I’m still here because I want to be here,” Soto said. “Coach Marion says we can be ourselves. I have a cowboy hat, too, from the Central Valley. We’re going to win.” That’s the goal. Bibby wasn’t hired to sign autographs. Marion wasn’t hired to hand out cowboy hats. “Everyone loves a winner, right,” said Fisk. o “It’s so true. Look at this city and how fans have supported the Kings over the years. I worked with the Sacramento River Cats, and fans were there. Look at FC Republic in soccer, the high school football and basketball games locally. People will jump on board here too, when we start winning. “And we will win.” Sacramento State men’s basketball coach Mike Bibby tours the progress of The Well’s redesign in May. The Well will feature two large screens and retractable seating that will quadruple the capacity from the current venue, according to athletic director Mark Orr. HECTOR AMEZCUA [email protected] Joe Davidson The Sacramento Bee 916-321-1280 Joe Davidson has covered sports for The Sacramento Bee since 1989: preps, colleges, Kings and features.
He was in early 2024 named the National Sports Media Association Sports Writer of the Year for California and he was in the fall of 2024 inducted into the California High School Football Hall of Fame. He is a 14-time award winner from the California Prep Sports Writer Association. In 2021, he was honored with the CIF Distinguished Service award. He is a member of the California Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Davidson participated in football and track in Oregon. Part of the McClatchy Media Network ABOUT About Us Contact Us Archives Connect with us: SUBSCRIPTIONS Customer Service Start a Subscription Cancel a Subscription Make a Payment ADVERTISING McClatchy Advertising Place an Ad Place a Classified Ad Place an Ad - Celebrations Place an Obituary Staffing Solutions Political | Advocacy Advertising EXPLORE Read Today's Edition Mobile Apps Newsletters Puzzles & Games Horoscopes COPYRIGHT COMMENTING POLICY PRIVACY POLICY COOKIE PREFERENCES YOUR PRIVACY CHOICES TERMS OF SERVICE

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