‘Heck of a ride’: Sac State women’s basketball wins first Big Sky title; eyeing NCAA berth
Mark Campbell doesn’t have near the mobility and escapability as he once did, but then again, he wasn’t trying to dodge the celebration soaking, either.
Campbell is Sacramento State’s spirited second-year women’s basketball coach who arrived from the Oregon Ducks staff with a plan and a vision, mainly this: rapid improvement. That happened in quick order. The long-suffering Hornets, with just five winning seasons since moving up to Division I more than 30 years ago, rated as the most improved team in the country last season with 14 victories.
This season, more rise and more accolades. After Sac State won its 20th game, the most in program history dating back to the early 1970s, Campbell and the coaches were thoroughly soaked by water bottles in the jubilant locker room at The Nest. None of the coaches tried to escape. Let it rain, let it pour.
“They got us!” Campbell said of his players spraying one and all. “It’s so neat. You celebrate these milestones.”
Then more celebrations. The Hornets days later capped the regular season with a share of the Big Sky Conference championship, the first for the program and a far cry from winning three games just two seasons ago.
So out came the ladders and up went players and coaches to cut down nets.
At 22-7 with a six-game conference winning streak, the Hornets bound into the Big Sky Conference Tournament in Boise as a dangerous No. 3 seed. The event starts Monday. If Sacramento State wins this event, and at this rate, anything is possible, it will be awarded an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, a pipe dream here seemingly forever.
Campbell didn’t announce such goals upon his arrival, but he didn’t sell his program short, either.
“You don’t want to limit young people — ever,” he said. “There’s been no set timetable when we have to accomplish this or that. You get together a group of hungry warriors and things can happen. We never put a ceiling or limit on what we could do. What we’re trying to do is maximize this group. It’s like a washcloth. You ring it out before hanging it up. That’s the goal of every season. You want to, at the end of the year, have no water left in that rag. We squeezed every ounce out of it, and we want to max out this group. To get 14 wins last season was amazing. We were in every game. There was so much hope, knowing we’re so close. Then we added pieces and here we are.”
The new pieces included incoming freshmen Kaylie Edge, Madison Butcher, Akaysha Muggeridge and Irune Orio and transfers Kahlaijah Dean, Kaylin Randhawa, Solape Amusan and Erin Hedma.
Dean is a senior point guard and floor leader who injected immediate energy and production. She earned five Big Sky Player of the Week honors. An expert of the pick-and-roll, Dean is second all-time in program history for points in a season, behind all-time program great Kristy Ryan from the early 1990s.
Averaging 21.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists, Dean was named the Big Sky’s MVP and Newcomer of the Year. Hornets junior post Isnelle Natabou earned all-conference honors for the second straight season and Campbell earned a share of the league’s Coach of the Year award.
And there’s program anchor Jordan Olivares, the only senior who has been a Hornet her entire career. The guard has endured it all — lean and lost seasons, seasons of promise, and this championship one.
“Jordan has been here and seen it all,” Campbell said. “She was here for the three-win season, the COVID season, the coaching change. There’s no way anyone can watch her play and not leave inspired after watching that kid fly all over, crash the glass, get out in transition. Her heart and competitive spirit is inspiring. This team is inspiring.”
Olivares said her game is to “hustle and compete.”
She added, “It’s definitely been one heck of a ride. We literally started from the bottom two years ago and it’s crazy what we’ve done. I’m still in shock. It’s been a year to remember. We’ve come together. We’ve worked so hard. It feels unreal. So much of it starts with coach Campbell.”
Sacramento State’s success is rooted in the most fundamental aspect of the game: the pick-and-roll. Add post play, shooters and drivers and anything is possible, Campbell said.
“The pick-and-roll has stood the test of time in basketball,” the coach said. “Heading into this weekend, we’re fifth in the country in 3-pointers, 13th in field goals, and we run more pick-and-rolls than anyone. We’re running one of the most elite offenses in women’s college basketball. It’s so neat to see it all come together. We’re playing our best basketball. We’re excited about Boise and the tournament.”
Former Hornets have come out to games. The Nest, the cozy little gym on campus, looks the same except for the new blast of school-color green, but the team has never looked better or more polished.
Sydney Gatson was a star guard for Sacramento State that did all she could to keep the Hornets competitive in her time. As a junior in 2003, the team went 3-24 and 1-13 in the Big Sky. As a senior, the Hornets went 1-26.
Gatson went on to become head coach at Whitney High School in Rocklin, where this season she guided the program to its first CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championship. Another former Hornet who has coached a local prep team to championship success is Rexanne (Rodrigues) Simpton, who won a section D-IV championship with the Colfax girls.
“Sydney was at our last game, cheering on our girls,” Campbell said. “She put her blood, sweat and tears into this and comes back to watch. It’s neat to see the former players.”
Said Gatson, “I love what I see. It’s so cool to see what coach Campbell has done. We’ve come a long way.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2023 at 1:25 PM.