The ball is in Sac State’s court: Extend basketball coach Brian Katz’s contract
Brian Katz coached on Senior Night like he always does, with every ounce of every fiber in his being.
He flew off his Sacramento State seat, arms waving, imploring defensive stops and rebounds. During a timeout, he back-slapped players after crisp passes that sparked a rally and cut into the lead against Big Sky Conference heavy Montana, which held off the Hornets 79-71 on Feb. 29.
And then he hugged each player as if they were one of his sons. This was the final home game for four graduating seniors, each of whom he had grown close to. The feelings are mutual.
“Love our coach,” center Joshua Patton said.
The Nest was packed, festive and loud. Alumni who attended the school from the 1960s to recent years waved signs praising Katz. Others wore T-shirts that read “KEEP KATZ.”
Coach’s future at Sac State uncertain
Katz is in the final days or weeks of a 12-year contract. His next loss may be his last game with a program he inherited from the rubble of academic chaos and mounting defeats. He nurtured it into a respectable one. The Hornets are in the Big Sky Conference Tournament that starts Wednesday in Boise, where at 15-14 they can promise one thing for certain: They will compete.
If Sac State doesn’t win this tournament, securing a first-time bid to the NCAA Tournament, then midmajor college tournaments may come calling, including the CIT — the College Invitational Tournament — which has already called to gauge interest.
The uncertainty of his contract pains Katz to the core. He wears his emotions on a sleeveless sport. He looked fatigued in our postgame chat beyond the typical wear and tear of a frenetic game. He was hoarse, 15 pounds lighter from stress. Katz didn’t go into details on contract years and money, offering, “I really want to be here. I don’t want to go anywhere else. This is home.”
He added with anguish in his voice, “I was told directly on two different occasions (by Sac State) that I would have a contract by the end of the week. That happened on July 23, 2017 and May 23, 2019. I have four assistant coaches who have been with me for a long time. They’re tied to me. This all impacts their families. That’s the worst part of it for me. This has kept me up at night and driven me to the point of craziness.”
Sac State president Robert S. Nelsen told me at that Montana game, “We’ll evaluate everything when the season is over.” Hornets athletic director Mark Orr raved about Katz every time I ran into him at Sac State or by phone. On Monday, Orr said by phone he would not discuss conversations he’s had with any coach about contracts.
He did say, “I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for what Brian has done as the coach. I’ve enjoyed working with him. I like him a lot. We’ll talk for sure at the end of the season and evaluate the season, and it’ll be a two-way evaluation. It’s not just the performance of the coach. It’s everything about the program — How’s our resources? How’s recruiting going? How’s fundraising?’ We’ll have that talk and figure it out from there. We still have a lot to play for.”
As for Sac State fans urging the school to extend Katz, Orr said with a laugh, “I’m not blind. I see it. I appreciate our fan passion, that people care. I get it. And I’m not down on Brian. I haven’t given any indication that we’re making a coaching change. I’m still new at Sac State, two-and-a-half years in, and I’m a native of Sacramento, so I know this area. I would hope people give me the benefit of the doubt.”
Sac State has made big moves
Orr has already made some significant moves as athletic director. It was the right move to extend football coach Jody Sears two years, including an option year, after Sears earned Big Sky Coach of the Year honors for the 2017 season. It was the right call for Sac State to buy out Sears’ second-year option, and it was a boom hire to land Troy Taylor as the replacement. Taylor won national Coach of the Year honors and led the Hornets to their first Big Sky championship.
Orr and Nelsen also made the right move in extending baseball coach Reggie Christiansen seven years through the 2026 season. So why not Katz? Orr said among his many challenges is to get an on-campus arena constructed. Hasn’t Katz earned the honor of handling one of the shovels to break ground?
Katz has played without a full deck in his tenure, unlike his Big Sky rivals. He has never used the lack of facilities as an excuse, but we can. Sac State’s basketball gym is the poorest of any of the 351 Division I programs in America. It’s cozy and cramped but pieces of the walls have fallen off. That Katz continues to bring in good recruits is a credit to his people skills.
Let’s face it. Recruits are an impressionable lot at 17 and 18 years old. They want to compete in nice digs. It’s like going to the car lot to scan the possibilities. Sure, the 1978 Chevy Vega over there idles rough, but you’ll get used to the plumes of bluish smoke. That’s Sac State’s gym, a clunker driven by a top-tier coach, who recruits kids that are courted by coaches with by gyms that equate to a newer-model smooth ride.
Katz in 2008 took over a program that had the worst graduation rate in the country and was on academic probation. In his 12 seasons at the Hornets helm, Sac State rates No. 1 among D-I programs in graduation. All but one player in Katz’s tenue did not graduate, a remarkable feat.
“I know the challenges for the job for Brian are there, and Brian’s done a good job,” Orr said. “The type of kids he’s brought into Sac State and how they represent the school, they’re good kids. I understand all of that.”
Katz stabilized Sac State
Katz inherited a program that had a 55-game road losing streak. Beating Oregon State his second season was the first victory over a Pac-12 team for Sac State in 54 years. In 2015, Sac State won a program D-I record 21 games and came within a basket of reaching the NCAA Tournament, Sac State won a CIT game that season, the program’s first postseason triumph in 54 years. Katz earned National Mid-Major Coach of the Year honors.
Those sorts of achievements get coaches noticed. In the summer of 2017, Katz was interviewed by San Jose State for its basketball opening. Katz ultimately pulled out because he wanted to remain at Sac State with the understanding, he thought, there was an extension in the works.
It hasn’t happened, at least yet. But there is time.
Carroll Williams coached Santa Clara men’s basketball from 1970-92 and was the school’s athletic director from 1992-2000. A member of San Jose State’s athletic Hall of Fame, Williams recruited Katz to look into the San Jose State job.
“Brian said he wanted to stay at Sac State, and he’s been patient with the contract, but it’s troubling,” Williams said. “He’s the ideal college coach. Sac State has a great one. His team played at Santa Clara, and I see all the Santa Clara games. Brian’s team was the best coached and best prepared. I really hope he keeps coaching at Sac State..”