One cool Katz: How Sac State’s longtime men’s basketball coach has bucked the odds
Brian Katz arrives to work before 5 a.m., when it’s dark, armed with a cup of coffee and all manner of gusto.
These days, he gets off the grind long after the sun has set.
“Someone told me the other day that the weather’s been great lately,” said Katz, Sacramento State’s 12th-year men’s basketball coach. “Really? I haven’t seen the light of day in two or three weeks!”
Katz said this amid laughter. There is sun, light and a good vibe within his circle.
He has worked some wonders against tall odds at Sac State, a cozy, leafy campus that has long been in need of a new basketball arena to match the tireless efforts and good cheer of its coach. Katz is still living the dream on familiar turf. He was locally raised, attended Casa Roble High School and graduated from Sac State, and he forever harbors high hopes for his Hornets.
With defense and experience the key, the Hornets are off to a 2-0 start with a game against UC Davis on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center (tipoff at 5:30 p.m., followed by Saint Mary’s vs. Fresno State).
“I still love every part of this job,” Katz said. “There’s nothing I don’t like about it.”
Early in his Sac State tour, he wondered if there were enough lifeboats to go around to save face. Katz dropped this classic line several years ago: “It was like trying to save the Titanic.”
Sac State never sunk. The Hornets went 2-27 in 2008-09, Katz’s first season. Six years later, the Hornets won the program’s first postseason game in 53 years and finished 21-12. It was the first winning season since 1988-89, when the Hornets resided in Division II. Sac State went 15-16 last season.
Katz earned the 2015 Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award, given to the nation’s best mid-major coach. The term “Mid-Major” is crucial to understand here. Sac State is Division I, but Big Sky Conference teams are not to be confused with Kentucky or even Cal, programs steeped in booster cash that results in dreamy facilities.
Sac State embraces what it has, a roster dotted with fourth- and fifth-year players – much like UC Davis, an enduring theme as the programs are big on graduating and not stockpiling five-star recruits. Of course, Katz wouldn’t say no to such a recruit. But the goals are just as ambitious as any program in the land.
“Oh, we do want to get into the NCAA Tournament,” Katz said excitedly. “We really do. Every year, that’s our goal. Let’s get in and win a game or two. People think I’m crazy when I say that, but why not?”
What’s crazy is how bleak it once was at Sac State. Some good coaches came in and were devoured whole at the task of elevating the program. Sac State’s introduction to the Division I ranks were grim in the 1990s with seasons of 4-24, 3-24, 1-26, 6-20, 7-20, 3-23, 1-25 and 3-23.
Recruiting pitch
When Katz recruits, he gives it to prospects straight. Are you going to college just for a sparkling gym? What are your goals and ambitions, and how important is graduating to you? There is never a shortage of talent to pick from, especially in this sport.
“In my mind, young people today need what I call a real conversation,” Katz said. “We have a bunch of guys playing professionally overseas or are in the NBA G League, and every one of them got their degree here. We’re not telling you that you can’t play for money in this game someday, but if you come here, you better get a degree. That’s our great equalizer.”
The bonus equalizer is that Sac State has graduated 38 of its last 39 seniors.
“And we’re not babysitting,” Katz said. “We’ve had kids get mechanical engineering degrees. We’ve got a lot of guys this season who have been around for a long time, so there’s a bonding. I call it an investment in each other and into Sac State and into the alumni base and community.”
More equalizer: Sac State is the only public school men’s basketball program in the state to earn NCAA Public Recognition honors, an annual award for programs have an Academic Progress Rate that ranks among the top 10 percent nationally. The Hornets have done so three successive seasons, through last season.
Veterans lead the way
Sac State has an veteran group worth a peek this season. Four returning starters and 11 returning lettermen lead the way, headed by center Joshua Patton, guard Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’afa, forwards Ethan Esposito and Osi Nwachukwu and Chibueze Jacobs and guard Bryce Fowler. Sac State has local products in guards Rick Barros III and Christian Terrell in the mix and it has the son of former NBA defensive star Ron Harper in forward Jordan Cooke-Harper, a 6-9 big man.
Continuity counts as Sac State has not been a transfer haven, players flooding in or out. Katz has a staff of longtime assists for more continuity, including director of operations Ajay Riding in his 11th season, associate head coach Brandon Laird, in his ninth season, and assistant coaches Nate Smith and Chris Walker, both in their ninth seasons.
The emphasis has been defense. Sac State ranks first nationally in defending 3-pointers and second in opponents’ field-goal percentage.
“You hope it becomes a consistent thing, and defense is contagious,” Katz said. “If we’re still doing this after 30 games, that means will will have won a lot of games, and that’s exciting.”
If you go
NCAA men’s basketball
Sacramento State vs. UC Davis (followed by Saint Mary’s vs. Fresno State)
When: 5:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento
Last season: The Hornets beat the Aggies 58-55