Sacramento State hires longtime NBAer Mike Bibby as head coach

Former Sacramento Kings star Mike Bibby was employed to take over the struggling basketball group at Sacramento State.

Athletic director Mark Orr introduced the transfer on Tuesday, saying he believed that Bibby may also help generate pleasure for this system.

“Since 2001, Sacramento has felt like dwelling to me,” Bibby stated in a press release. “The individuals, the followers and the eagerness they’ve for town and their groups is unmatched. I’ve at all times felt that zeal, and can at all times be glad about how I used to be embraced. Sacramento State is not any completely different. … We’re going to construct, we’re going to develop, and we’re going to win.”

Bibby gained an NCAA title as a participant at Arizona in 1997 after which starred within the NBA for 14 seasons, together with his largest success coming in seven seasons with the Kings. He helped Sacramento make it to Sport 7 of the 2002 Western Convention Finals earlier than shedding to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bibby retired in 2012 and has had varied teaching jobs since. He gained 5 state titles and coached 25 gamers who acquired faculty scholarships in six seasons as coach at Shadow Mountain Excessive Faculty in Phoenix. He additionally has been an assistant for the Puerto Rican Nationwide Crew, summer season league groups for Cleveland and Memphis, and the NBA G-League Ignite.

Sacramento State has been trying to improve its profile in faculty athletics with hopes of with the ability to transfer from the FCS stage of faculty soccer to the FBS stage and a spot in an even bigger convention such because the Mountain West or perhaps a newly shaped Pac-12. The Hornets are at the moment a member of the Huge Sky.

The transfer to rent Bibby is a part of that effort as he’ll attempt to revive a struggling program.

The Hornets went 7-25 this season below interim coach Michael Czepil, who was promoted final spring after David Patrick left to take a job as affiliate head coach at LSU.

Sacramento State had gone 28-42 in two seasons below Patrick and this system has by no means made an NCAA Match since transferring as much as Division I in 1991-92. The Hornets have had a successful document solely twice since then, going 16-14 in 2019-20 and 21-12 in 2014-15.

“Mike Bibby’s basketball experience, love for Sacramento, and keenness for creating student-athletes completely align with our objectives for Hornet basketball,” Sacramento State President Luke Wooden stated. “His management and imaginative and prescient will elevate our program to new heights and encourage our neighborhood to rally behind Sac State basketball.”