Senior leader overcomes injury; helps Sac State rout rival UC Davis to continue hot start
When Kahlaijah Dean went down Tuesday night against UC Davis, writhing in pain and clutching her ankle, her teammates and coaches wore a collective expression of concern and fear.
Concern because Dean is a beloved Sacramento State teammate and fear because she is their fearless floor leader. Without the senior leading the charge, the Hornets are suddenly without their motor.
But a funny thing about young legs. They tend to heal fast, sometimes in a matter of moments.
Dean rubbed out the hurt in her ankle, applied tighter tape and returned to action at Golden 1 Center in the second half, lacking a bit of her burst but not an ounce of drive. She scored 12 points, had four assists, made two steals, yanked down a Sac State career-best 11 rebounds and offered up a lot of smiles in leading the surging Hornets to a 67-45 rout of UCD on Tuesday at Golden 1 Center.
That effort moved Sacramento State to 3-1 on the early season, halted a five-game losing streak to the Aggies and reinforced exactly what second-year coach Mark Campbell thought he had coming in: a program fast on the rise.
A year after going 14-14 as perhaps the most improved team in Division I, Sacramento State appears to have its best team in quite some time, perhaps even one that is ready to contend for its first conference championship since moving to D-I before the 1991-92 season. To achieve what they want, the Hornets will need a healthy Dean.
“She’s the head of the monster,” Campbell said. “Everything goes through her. We built our system that allows it to go through her.”
When Dean went down on the far baseline, near the UCD bench, Campbell and Hornets athletic trainer Anthony Doung hustled over to tend to her. They both carried Dean off the floor as she winced to the point her teeth clenched and eyes closed.
“Any time a player falls to the ground, your heart skips,” Campbell said. “She’s a tough kid, loves to hoop. We couldn’t keep her off the court. She’s a fifth-year senior. I deferred to her. She’s been through it all in her career. If she needs to sit out, do so. It’s a long season. If she wants to go back in, go.”
Dean has been all go as a prolific college performer. She was a three-time All-Horizon League performer at Oakland University, a Division I program in Michigan. She entered the transfer portal, seeking new challenges, and developed a rapport with Campbell, a highly regarded recruiter. A cousin of retired 13-year NFL linebacker Joey Porter, Dean scored 1,425 points at Oakland as an off-guard.
Campbell wanted Dean to run his team as the lead guard. After committing 11 turnovers in her first game for the Hornets, she has settled in nicely. She scored 27 points in a 73-63 win at Santa Clara and equaled that total in a 70-68 overtime win over UC Santa Barbara.
“Mark stood out to me,” Dean said of why she chose the Hornets. “He face-timed me every week. We built that relationship. He told me from the jump that he wanted me to be the point guard. He had the trust in me. I’m having fun. We have all the ability to be a really good team.”
Dean has options galore to look to when she isn’t attacking the basket. Katie Peneueta is one of the top 3-point shooters in program history. She had eight points against UCD, making two 3’s. Isnelle Natabou muscled inside for 14 points and 14 rebounds from her center position. Defensive pest Benthe Versteeg scored a season-high 13 points from her guard spot and was a big reason why UCD made just 1 of 14 3-pointers.
UCD’s 28-percent field-goal percentage is the lowest by a Hornets opponent since Eastern Washington made 27% of its attempts in 2005. The Hornets have held three teams to under 40% shooting this season.
Ever hear this line: Defense wins championships? It at least keeps a program in the running for one.
“We’re only four games into the season, with eight new players, trying to figure out our identity, figure out all the pieces,” Campbell said. “I’ve seen enough. This is a tough, hard-nosed group that can defend at a high level and did so tonight against a really good program.”
Of the team’s progress and upside, the coach added, “I’m super thankful for the opportunity. I’m super proud of our kids. Last year’s team laid an amazing foundation that we’ve been able to springboard on. They gave us everything they had to get us to 14 wins. That attracted new players.
“There’s steps to all of this. This group has a high ceiling. The group has something special to them. You can feel it. You can see it. We’re balanced. We have a true center. Dean is learning how to be a point guard and is really good. Kate is one of the best 3-point shooters in the country. Versteeg is a monster on-ball defender. She sets the tone. We jokingly call her our Patrick Beverly (of the NBA). She picks up the ball and hounds the other point guard, an elite athlete. We have a lot of pieces. We can do a lot of good things.”