Interview with Sacramento State Head Coach Brian Katz

Last week on Epic Rant Radio, they had an interview with Sacramento State head coach Brian Katz.

Among other things, Katz talked a little bit about how Cody Demps might be the starting three man for the Hornets. Demps is a little on the small side to play that role, but I know the Hornets love his ability and versatility (raving last year about his ability to play multiple positions), so obviously he is a guy they want to get on the court however they can.

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Brian Katz Contract Extension

I realize I am over two months old on this news... but just noticed that Sacramento State head coach Brian Katz got a five year contract extension through 2018, extending him through 2017-18.

Since Katz took over the men's basketball program prior to the 2008-09 season, the team has improved its conference record every year, defeated two Pac-12 Conference opponents on the road (Oregon State and Utah) over a three-year span, and has set or tied numerous school records.

"We've been pleased with the progress our men's basketball program has made under Coach Katz," Wanless said. "His first five years have shown increased success, and we want to give him and his staff every opportunity to build the program we envision at Sacramento State. Coach Katz has been extremely committed to Sacramento State, and we wanted to show how committed we are to him.

Congrats to Coach Katz. There aren't many tougher jobs out there than Sacramento State, and the program is definitely in better shape now than when he got there.

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Michael Dunn The Hero Again For Northern Arizona

Michael Dunn is starting to look like the most clutch player in the Big Sky. You may remember his game-winner against Northern Colorado a couple weeks ago, and now he had a big role late in helping Northern Arizona go in and knock off Sacramento State in Sacramento.

First, with the Lumberjacks trailing 59-58, it was Dunn with a steal and layup with 50 seconds left to give NAU the lead. After the Hornets took the lead back (on a Mikh McKinney basket), Mike Dunn was sent to the foul line with 7.4 seconds left, calmly knocking down both shots.

Dunn was far from the only hero for Northern Arizona. Gabe Rogers had a game high 22 points, including hitting 4/6 from downtown. Over the last two weeks, he has really found his stroke. Max Jacobsen had 16 points on 8/11 shooting, continuing his extremely solid junior season. NAU moes to 5-7 with the win.

Sacramento State falls to 5-7, and it had to be a disappointing game for Brian Katz. No disrespect meant to NAU, but beating the Lumberjacks at home is something you have to do if you want to be a top 4 team in the Big Sky. Konner Veteto (0 points, 0 rebounds, 3 turnovers in 14 minutes) was still hampered by a knee injury suffered on Thursday, but this will be a tough one for the Hornets to take, especially since they were up by 14 points with 11 minutes to play.

Congrats to Northern Arizona on a great win! With Portland State and Eastern Washington coming to Flagstaff this week, Jack Murphy could have his club sitting very pretty heading into the stretch run.

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Sacramento State Snags A Couple Recruits

Within the past week or so, word has come that Sacramento State has received a pair of commitments.

The first was 6'4'' wing man Cody Demps from Pleasant Grove High School. He was a two-sport standout in high school, but will just be playing basketball for the Hornets. Head coach Brian Katz said, "(Demps is)a leader with skills, toughness, instincts. Great young man, top student, terrific basketball upside." I haven't been able to find out too much about his game yet, but I did find this little snippet:

Demps committed just last week to play basketball for Sac State. He led Pleasant Grove to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinals and the program’s first-ever Northern California Regional appearance, where they beat Castlemont of Oakland in the first round.

They also reportedly scored a commitment from Jordan Salley. Salley committed to Montana State a couple years ago, but then failed to qualify academically.

Salley spent two years in junior college, and will be joining the Big Sky after all. From NorCal Basketball, here is an old scouting report on Salley (via ESPN):

Salley, a lefty, has very long arms and uses this length to crash the boards on both ends of the floor. He scores on offensive rebounds put-backs and runs the floor reasonable well, which leads to easy finishes on the break. Salley has very good strength and powers up in traffic and finishes with bodies hanging on him. Salley generates power in the strong lower half of his body and has the capacity to add even more strength. His quick leaping ability allows him to play an active brand of basketball and get to offensive boards before the opposition. Salley, especially since he is undersized, needs to improve his post footwork and add counter moves to his game.

It appears that the Hornets may have as many as five scholarships to give, so they are not done yet.

They could have their best team in years this coming season, so I have to think Katz may be targeting some JUCO guys to try and push them over the hump and into the Big Sky tournament. I would think (but can't confirm) that the Hornets would still try to target a PG to backup Dylan Garrity, another shooter (to replace Heath Hoffman), and perhaps another big man for depth.

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Weber State, Montana Remain Tied at Top

We are moving closer to the Big Sky dream scenario of a regular season finale featuring 14-1 Weber State traveling to take on 14-1 Montana, as both teams took care of business on Saturday night.

Weber State hosted Eastern Washington, and won a hard-fought contest 84-75 over an Eagles team that could have really used the win. It was the type of game that showed why Eastern Washington could be a dangerous team in the Big Sky tourney if they make it.

Eastern Washington stayed in it despite a poor night from Collin Chiverton, who finished with just seven points. He found time to fire up 13 shots in just 17 minutes, missing 11 of them. Cliff Colimon led the team with 20 points, but he turned it over 7 times. Parker Kelly continued his ascent up the depth chart, as he may have been the best player for them on this night, finishing with 17 points on 10 shots (including 5/8 from downtown). The freshman walk-on has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the conference.

The Wildcats did not get a great shooting night out of Damian Lillard (4/13) but he found different ways to contribute. He got got to the line 12 times (making them all), so he finished with a game-high 22 points. He also had six rebounds and four assists. Continuing their run of nice balance, four other guys were in double figures, led by Byron Fulton's 16 points (and 9 rebounds).

Weber State is now 20-4 on the year. EWU sits at 5-7 in the Big Sky, just a half-game ahead of Northern Colorado, who they host on Wednesday night.

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In the other game, it looked like Montana was in serious trouble against Sacramento State, but they battled back to win 67-58 to finish 7-1 on the road (their best since the mid 1970s). It was their eight straight win and 14 out of 15, stopping Sacramento State's streak of four straight wins.

The Hornets led 32-27 early in the second half, before the Grizzlies went on a 16-2 run helped by their 1-2-2 press, the same thing that was so instrumental in beating Northern Colorado. Eventually, Montana built the lead to 49-37 (helped by a Brian Katz technical), before the Hornets went on a 7-0 run to cut the gap to five. However, just when it looked like they were back in it, they made the kind of mistake that costs team's ballgames.

Konner Veteto swatted a Derek Selvig shot, then taunted Selvig, drawing a technical. As it turned out, that was all she wrote for the Hornets. Montana made the free throws and drained a three, and the lead was never lower than eight the rest of the day. Sacramento State fans are not happy with the refs, but I can't comment too much on that since I did not see enough of the early second half where many of the complaints come from. But it seems to me that Sac State was undone more by lack of composure, both with the Grizzlies press and with frustration by the refs.

Sac State did a nice job on Will Cherry (who still had 17 points) and Kareem Jamar, but it was the seniors that led Montana. Derek Selvig had 14 and 14, and Art Steward had 16 and 8.

The Griz improve to 19-6, and will finish out the regular season at home. The Hornets drop to 4-9 in the Big Sky, and every game is must-win from here on out. Even one more loss could end their chances of making the Big Sky tournament.

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The Season a Moral Victory For Sacramento State?

The State Hornet has a look at whether the Sacramento State season could still be considered a success even if/when they finish with a losing record, because they have been able to develop some young guys.

The Hornets are fortunate to have starters returning at all five positions in Dylan Garrity, Jackson Carbajal, Joe Eberhard, John Dickson and Konner Veteto. Katz said it's huge to have talented players coming back who already know the drill.

"The whole key on this level is having certainly quality players, but (also) guys returning that you're not having to teach everything over from the beginning," Katz said Monday after practice.

I have my own thoughts on this, but am very curious to hear what Sacramento State fans have to say about it?

*hat tip to Sac State Sports for the link

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Idaho State, Montana Get Victories on Saturday Night

Having looked at Portland State and Montana State getting huge wins, let's take a look at the last two Big Sky games of the weekend.

It was a big day for Idaho State, who knew that they needed a win at home to stay in the thick of things for the Big Sky tournament. Northern Arizona jumped out to an 11 point lead in the first half, but it was all Bengals after that, as they won 78-62.

ISU was led again by Chase Grabau, who is becoming one of the best players in the Big Sky to follow. He had 19 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals, as he simply does it all.

“You never have to worry about Chase,” ISU Interim Head Coach Deane Martin said. “Chase is going to get shots. He doesn't do crazy stuff. He comes off screens hard, he sets good screens and a lot of times when you set good screens you just happen to be the man open. Chase has it figured out. He takes the ball to the basket, he gets fouled, he takes easy shots and when he doesn't have a good shot he dishes it out to his teammates. He plays hard and he plays the game the right way on both ends of the floor.”

Melvin Morgan and Kenny McGowen were also in double figures with 14 and 12 points respectively.

Idaho State now improves to 3-4 in the Big Sky, in a tie with Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado for fifth place. They welcome UNC to Pocatello on Thursday, in what is surprisingly a key game. For Northern Arizona, they fall to 1-6 in the Big Sky and things are looking dire. They got a spark with the coaching change last month, but they are going to need another spark to compete in the conference tournament.

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In the other game, it was Montana jumping all over Sacramento State for an 85-56 victory. There is not a lot that needs to be said... Montana is clearly the better team, and they showed it, as the Hornets were never really in the game.

Art Steward led the team with 20 points, and Kareem Jamar also played an excellent game. The Grizzlies dominated in all facets of the game, and they move to 6-1 in the Big Sky, maintaining their second place status. Sacramento State falls to 0-7, and they are now three games behind everyone else for a chance to go to the Big Sky tournament. They need to turn things around in a hurry. Many fans are already becoming disenchanted with Brian Katz (just read their message boards), but if they don't get some victories, even the diehard Katz supporters may start to have their doubts.

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Update and Correction on Sacramento State Post

A couple of days ago, I posted an article on Walter Jackson of Sacramento State quitting the basketball team, and including this snippet:

Jackson is the second player to leave the team this year, as Anthony Costetino quit the team before playing a game for them before the season started, not saying a word to Head Coach Brian Katz. For Katz, players leaving is becoming a disturbing trend, despite Sacramento State always saying that Katz graduates all of his players. Eventually, Sacramento State fans and boosters are beginning to be disenchanted with Katz, as a source tells me that boosters may slowly be mobilizing to buy out Katz's contract, of which next season is the final year on his deal.

I want to correct an error that was made, as next year is not the final year of Katz' contract. I am being told that he originally signed a 5 year deal, but he re-upped a couple of years ago, so there are three years remaining on his deal. I am not sure if all of the years are guaranteed, but I was incorrect when I said that his contract was out next year, and I want to apologize for that error.

I did also want to expand on one other part of this point. One commenter (there were a couple of boosters who posted some excellent comments on the original post) posed this question to me, and I wanted to reply in a post, as well as throw out a question to Sacramento State fans and boosters. The commenter said: "Speculating as to why Walter Jackson or any other player leaves his team is simply unfounded conjecture unless you have personally spoken to Mr. Jackson. Why would you simply conclude that the problem lies with Coach Katz?"

I just want to clarify this - I have no idea why Walter Jackson left the team, and I didn't mean to insinuate that it was because of Coach Katz. I simply don't know. But, I do know this -- there is a pattern or trend developing of guys leaving the program, and that is what I was saying. According to some fans counts, the number of players that have simply left the program under Katz has reached double figures.

Last season, two players (Zach Nelson and Antoine Proctor) left the team in the middle of the season. Big man Alpha N'Diaye was declared ineligible and left the team. This season, big man and solid JUCO recruit Anthony Costetino left the program before ever playing a game for the Hornets. And now Walter Jackson has left the team in the middle of the season as conference play is beginning. That is five guys since the start of last season that are no longer with the team.

Now, for all I know, all of them could have left for reasons independent of the Coach. But here is my question to Sacramento State fans -- does that bother you that many players are leaving? I have seen suggestions that they are leaving because Coach Katz is a disciplinarian, and some players can't handle that. I get that if it is some guys leaving, but at what point is he maybe a little too hard on them? Or at what point is it his responsibility to bring in guys that can handle his coaching style?

I am not doubting his coaching ability, and I am not doubting his character or anything of that nature. For the former, the team has improved every year (a trend I think will continue into next year, when I think they will be very solid), and he certainly has a strong track record. To the latter point, I've never heard a bad thing about the guy, and he is from all accounts a stand up guy.

As an outsider, it is my opinion that if this were my school or my team, I would be worried about the program because it has seen so many players leave it over the past few seasons. However, I know there are people out there that know the Sacramento State program better than I know it, so I would love your opinion. What do you think of the job that Coach Katz is doing? Does the amount of attrition worry you?

Please share your thoughts, I would love to hear them.

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Anthony Cosentino Quits Sacramento State Team

Back when I previewed Sacramento State's recruiting class, I had this to say about big man Anthony Cosentino:

They also signed 3 JUCO guys. One of them is Anthony Costentino, who is 6'7'' and played at Southwestern College in Chila Vista, CA last year. He was named the conference MVP both of his years there, and last year put together a line of 18.7 PPG AND 6.9 RPG. He is dangerous from everywhere on the court, as he shot a respectable 38% from beyond the arc. “Anthony is very versatile player who has perimeter skills and can go inside and post up,” says Brian Katz. “He comes from a basketball family and has grown accustomed to winning at every level he has played.” He figures to be in the mix for playing time at the 3/4.

Apparently all of that is for not, as he has quit the team, according to Sac State Sports.

Anthony Cosentino quit the Sacramento State Men’s Basketball team this week prior to the team’s exhibition against Simpson University.

The 6-foot-7 junior transfered to Sac State from Southwestern Junior College in Chula Vista, Calif.

Hornets coach Brian Katz said it came as a surprise and he was unsure of the reasons behind Cosentino’s decision.

“He never spoke with us,” Katz said after the exhibition Wednesday night.

Apart from the fact that it has to stink to lose what looks like a capable player right before the season, it seems strange that Katz would have no idea what happened or the reasons behind it. Sacramento State fans have well documented all of the defections over the past few seasons for the Hornets, and this is another one to add to the list.

Sacramento State likes to tout the fact that Katz has graduated all of his players, but when you look at the list of guys that have left the program early... a list that now included Cosentino, a junior college transfer that left the program before ever playing a game for Katz, that graduation claim seems a little bit hollow.

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A Quick Look at Sacramento State

Like other teams have had, Sacramento State's website released a nice article on the start of practice. Let's take a look at some of the most interesting nuggets from their news release.

Sacramento State finished with a 7-21 record last season, but that mark could have easily been better. The Hornets went 3-9 in games that were decided by six points or less, or that went into overtime. Making things even more grueling is the Hornets had late leads in five of those nine losses. The team’s four overtime losses were a single-season program record.

There are two schools of thought on this - One, that this is a stat that shows they are not "clutch" and that they do not know how to win close games. Two, that they got unlucky, and those things tend to balance out. I subscribe to the second theory. If they can turn a couple of those close games around, then they begin to inch closer to the .500 mark, and that would be a nice goal for them this year.

Sacramento State’s four conference wins last season marked the third straight year the team has increased its league win total.

Considering that 4 wins was just good enough to tie for last place, this seems to be an unwitting case of "damning with faint praise." I like their optimism though!

Sacramento State finished the season with a positive rebounding margin (993-969), snapping a streak of 23 consecutive years the team had finished with less rebounds than the opposition.

That stat is hard to imagine... 23 straight years of being outrebounded! Kudos to Brian Katz and last year's team for breaking the streak, that is definitely a good sign. It will be tough to repeat that this year after the loss of Alpha N'Diaye.

Of the 12 Hornets to expire their eligibility under head coach Brian Katz, 10 have graduated and the other players (Sultan Toles-Bey and Duro Bjegovic) are on pace to graduate this fall.

Schools rarely get recognition for this type of thing so kudos to Brian Katz for this. This is the ultimate goal, and so it is good to see guys graduate.

#32 John Dickson - F, 6-6, 195, Jr., San Francisco, Calif.
An honorable mention all-Big Sky Conference selection...appeared in all 28 games, including 25 starts as a true sophomore…averaged 10.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocked shots per game…shot 42.2 percent (97-230) from the field and 76.3 percent (106-139) from the free throw line…was the team’s second-leading scorer and fourth-leading rebounder…led the team in both free throws made and attempted…the 106 free throws made tied for the fourth best mark in the Big Sky Conference…in league play, he increased his numbers to a team-best 12.6 points per game to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocked shots per game…scored in double figures in 12 of the team’s 16 league games.

Dickson is their best returnee in my opinion, and could have a shot at getting some postseason awards in the Big Sky. He is a solid scorer (as long as he stays away from taking 3s) and a decent rebounder for his size. He will be counted on to be a rock for them.

#5 Dylan Garrity - G, 6-2, 170, Fr., Huntington Beach, Calif.
A 2011 graduate of Edison High School in Huntington Beach, Calif…played four years of varsity basketball for the Chargers…a two-time all-state, two-time Sunset League MVP, three-time first team all-section, three-time first team all-league, three-time all-county and three-year team captain…became the first player to have his jersey retired in the 42-year history of the Edison High School boys basketball program…finished as the school’s all-time leader in games (114), points (1,729) and assists (438)…averaged at least 17 points a game each of his final three seasons…finished with career averages of 15.2 points, 3.9 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 48.8 percent (556-1139) from the field, 44.0 percent (211-480) from the three-point line and 84.1 percent (406-483) from the free throw line.

I have already written quite a bit about Dylan Garrity, but he has a chance to be one of the best freshmen entering the Big Sky this year, and he could have a nice impact for them. If he can develop into a big-time player, that is probably the Hornets best chances of becoming a factor in the Big Sky. Maybe not this year, but sometime in the next couple of years.

What are your all thoughts on Sacramento State?

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Interview With Sacramento State Coach Brian Katz

Sac State Sports had a good interview last week with the head coach of the Hornets, Brian Katz. Here are some of the most interesting points from the interview.

Q: What makes this year’s team different from last year?

A: One, experience. We have nine guys back, we’ve never had a team this experienced at Sac State. When you get really good at the mid-major level it’s all about experience. We finally have some three-year guys. Our players are better. Our chemistry and our leadership have improved and last is our schedule.

The team is experienced in Katz system, but not necessarily all that experienced out on the court. They lost a lot of guys to graduation, transfer, or just otherwise leaving the program, and it does not leave them with a ton of guys with valuable game experience.

If you are an optimist, you read it as 9 guys back who have been in the system before. If you are a pessimist, you read it as 9 guys back, but most of them weren't good enough to crack the rotation before this. We will see.

Q: In order to have that kind of year that you want to have, what are the things that have to get done on a daily basis?

A: I think it’s taking pride in all the little things. Big things are made of little things. Anything, any detail left unchecked can become a big deal. If your screening starts to slip, then pretty soon guys can’t get open. If your transition defense starts to slip, then pretty soon you’re giving up baskets you shouldn’t be giving up. At this level all the players are good. You must be able to execute and you must be able to counter.

This is a lot of coach speak, but Sac State will need to excel in those areas to win a lot of ballgames. They don't quite have the firepower to match up with the top tier of the conference, but things could break their way if they can execute offensively and always give top defensive effort. The separation is not that large that they couldn't contend for a spot in the Big Sky Tournament if they can do those things.

Q: What does the conference look like this year?

A: I think there are two teams that are clearly 1-2. If you’re going to be objective, on paper it has to be Montana and Weber State 1 and 2, and then everyone else is fighting for 3-9. I couldn’t even begin to make a prediction on 3-9. But 1 and 2 are clearly better. Now, do they play better? The game’s not played on paper and it’s not a video game.

Agreed with him here. As I have been saying, I have Weber State and Montana 1 and 2, and then things are wide open. There is a lot of opportunity for everybody else to make a move up the ladder.

For Brian Katz entering his fourth year, this will be a big season. He has not had a lot of success in Sacramento, and he needs to show some progress this year or slowly the calls will start coming for his dismissal. We wish him the best of luck.

An Early Look at Sacramento State's Schedule

It could be a long season in Sac-Town, as the Hornets are coming off of a miserable season and fan interest and expectations seems to be at a low. But alas, hope springs eternal in college basketball, and so let us look if the schedule provides a glimmer of hope for the Hornets.

The good news is that they have a lot of winnable games in the non-conference. Home dates against teams such as Menlo, Central Arkansas, McNeese State, Cal Maritime, and SE Missouri should be easy wins. If not, it is safe to say that the program is in even worse shape than we could have guessed.

Even though I have railed on some teams in the conference for their embarrassingly easy non-conference games (presumably due to not being able to get anyone better scheduled at home), I actually like it for Sacramento St. After a 7-21 season that features one of the worst offenses and defenses in America, it makes sense to schedule some winnable games that can get some confidence going early on in the year. They will also get a home game against future Big Sky opponent North Dakota, which should be an interesting matchup.

On the road, they didn't challenge themselves too much, but again, I think that's the right move. Their two major games are against Washington St. and Oklahoma, neither of which look like they will be Tourney teams. They will also take on UC Davis, Cal Poly, and Cal State Bakersfield. Again, three games that could be won by them.

With 11 non-conference games (not counting their Bracket Buster game), Sacramento State should be over .500. Even if all of the wins are against bad opponents, that would be a nice little spark for the program that has finished in the single digits in the win column for the past 5 seasons.