Hiring Kings great Mike Bibby is bigger than basketball for Sacramento State | Opinion
In the college sports casino, programs across the country place their bets on their respective athletic departments’ success. The aim is to win big by gaining revenues through sports that can be put into the school to help support departments and even increase enrollment.
If you drive down Alhambra Boulevard or anywhere in Sacramento, you’ve probably seen billboards with Sacramento State Head Coach Brennan Marion giving a nice smile and a tip of his good ole black cowboy hat. The headline below him reads “Number 1 recruiting class in the nation.” That distinction came from a 247 Sports ranking of FCS schools.
Sacramento State is putting all its chips into its athletics department.
The first big announcement in September came when President Luke Wood shared plans to build a brand new football stadium, the cost as yet unknown. Then came the December hiring of new football coach Brennan Marion.
Sac State continued the excitement this week by hiring former Kings great Mike Bibby as head coach of the Hornets’ men’s basketball team.
Wood sees this athletics push as a key movement to further improve the university.
“We are leveraging our assets as a university and a community to ensure continued enrollment growth. In light of the budget crisis, we have to be more aggressive in our athletic endeavors in order to ensure that students are attracted to attend Sacramento State.”
Athletics Director Mark Orr confirms that Bibby’s base salary will be $300,000 a year. In the case of Marion, he has a base salary of $350,000.
“Hiring Bibby and Marion is about elevating Sacramento State to the national stage for the purpose of enhancing enrollment, donations, alumni engagement, and the student experience,” Wood.
This could be a huge accomplishment for the school if these two coaches pan out. The reality is that not all schools win big. You can crap out like Sonoma State University did. They are eliminating their entire athletics department, including all 11 NCAA Division II teams, starting in the 2025-26 academic year, as part of a larger plan to address a $23.9 million budget deficit. San Francisco State University had to cut three of its teams to save money.
Sacramento State is in a prime position to make a splash. All that remains is do the dang thing.
First excitement, next results
This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
