• Sac State's bid for the Pac 12 Thread
    Funny thing about all the talent in NorCal, specifically Sacramento. It doesn't transition well to the next level, at least in women's basketball, which I follow pretty closely. I can't speak to other sports specifically, but based on a gut feeling, I started tracking WBB commits beginning with the 2024 recruiting class (so small sample size).

    The 17 NorCal D1 commits from the 2024 cohort averaged 8 minutes a game as freshman. The 5 who were recruited to majors, averaged 10.2 mpg, mostly due to Jordan Lee (St. Mary's - Stockton/Texas) who played in 30 games, with 3 starts, averaging 21.2 mpg on a very good Texas team. Lee (#9) ,and Morgan Cheli (#11 - Mitty/UConn) were both 5-star recruits per ESPN Top 100; Kamryn Mafua (#56) and Harper Peterson (#87) were 4 -stars). In addition to Lee:

    • Morgan Cheli played in 21 games, averaging 13.3 mpg for national champion UConn.
    • Harper Peterson (Whitney) only only played in 9 games, averaging 3.5 mpg for a weak Stanford team.
    • Kamryn Mafua (Folsom) played in 15 games/5.7 mpg on a good, but unranked Cal team, and transferred to Utah this spring (NOTE: she didn't "come home" for her 2nd chance).
    • Gabrielle Abigor (Berean Christian) played in 34 games averaging 8.2 mpg at Cal

    Based on their freshmen year, Lee and Cheli seem to be legit. The jury is still out on the others, particularly Peterson.

    Some previous highly regarded area players:

    • Madison Butcher (Local Superstar at Del Oro HS - 2022 recruiting cohort) stayed local, but only got 12 starts in 2 seasons at Sac State on sub-.500 teams, and transferred to Cal Poly this spring.
    • Makaila Sanders (Local Superstar at Foothill HS - 2018 recruiting cohort) only started 1 game in 4 seasons at UCD, never averaging more than 9 mpg.
    • Teagan Brown (Local Superstar at Oak Ridge HS & for Jason Kidd Select - 2022 recruiting cohort) has yet to start a game at Washington in 3 season on slightly above .500 teams. Averages about 11 mpg.

    Brown's experience at Washington was one if the situations that prompted me to start tracking.
  • Sac State's bid for the Pac 12 Thread
    I agree completely that everything has changed in college sports - not just football. Unfortunately, it's not settled yet, nor will it be for the foreseeable future. Schools have to make the best plans they can, but they better stay nimble enough to adapt as the uncertainty continues. IMHO, Sac State, by their own admission, has embarked on an all-or-nothing course that leaves them vulnerable as the environment continues to change. They've gone so all-in on this strategy, they probably CAN'T alter course if the ground shifts in an unexpected direction.

    My second worry about Sac State is that it has a poor record for retaining successful coaches. Just recently, Troy Taylor left for Stanford after 3 years, while Mark Campbell (women's basketball) left for TCU after just 2 years. Even a well-regarded Andy Thompson was hired away after just 2 so-so seasons. Add in Brandon Marion's own coaching history - not staying anywhere more than 2 years. What happens when he leaves in 1 or 2 years,...and takes coaches and players with him? I doubt Sac State will be able to sustain their program. Nor will conferences be lining up to invite them in. Conferences want well-built programs, not 1 or 2 year wonders (again IMHO).

    That's assuming he's as successful as you're sure he will be. The Deon Sanders Effect didn't kick in until the 2nd year at both Jackson State and at Colorado, despite remade rosters. And Brandon ISN'T Deion...he doesn't have Deion's cachet. Even established coaches have had rough first seasons. Nick Saban was 7-6 his first year at Alabama. Kalen DeBoer was 9-4 his first year at Alabama. If he's as hugely successful as you think he'll be, Sac St. won't be the next big thling, it's in danger of becoming the next cautionary tail.
  • New Uniforms
    Taking it a bit further, yesterday's article highlighting the collaboration with the Master of Management clearly demonstrated how that has benefitted both Athletics and the GSM in the short-term. In the longterm, as student-athlete graduates of the MM program go out in the world and have success, they potentially become significant donors.

    Connections to other campus programs, like the Tahoe Environmental Research Center, also have the potential to be mutually beneficial. These can only increase support for Athletics within the campus community. The alternate uniforms and the Tahoe-themed games will be very visible reminders of that connection, and good publicity for TERC. Maybe other campus programs or departments will start thinking about how similarly connecting with Athletics could be beneficial to them.
  • WSOC - 2025 Roster
    Big Step - WSOC signed a veteran goalkeeper from Colorado State, Shayna Ross. 41 gams over 3 years, with a 0.97 goals against average. That compares favorably to graduating senior (now graduate assistant at Oregon with Tracy Joyner), Caeley Goldstein's 1.06 goals against over 61 games.

    Looks like a great get!
  • WBB: Looking Ahead - 2025-26 Roster
    Source: MaxPreps Girls Basketball, May 9, 2025
    From California only -- who made the national list (all seniors unless indicated):

    2,640 — Nyemah King, Lakewood (Lakewood, Calif.)
    2,505 — JoAnna Warren, University Prep (Redding, Calif.)
    2,480 — Lauren Harris, Faith Christian (Yuba City, Calif.) * - junior class
    2,176 — AJ Gambol, Pleasant Valley (Chico, Calif.)
    2,104 — Addison Deal, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
    2,087 — Jordan Dillon, West Hills (Santee, Calif.)
    2,046 — Carrington Davis, Rialto (Rialto, Calif.)- UCD Recruit
    2,016 — Nina Cain, McClatchy (Sacramento, Calif.)

    https://www.maxpreps.com/news/Pm4V4rgeWEemnAalFrGBnw/aaliyah-chavez,-maddyn-greenway-headline-list-of-2,000-point-career-scorers-coming-out-of-2024-25-high-school-girls-basketball-season.htm?eid=4677456373c66601fa35a6f1e03e4c7b5e3470198bd336d8ab02e85286e5ff0c?lctg=31fcd1b0-7f7b-4aaa-b159-a3c595299cbb&ftag=MPM-04-10aaa1f&utm_medium=Email Salesforce v.1
  • Sac State's bid for the Pac 12 Thread
    When interviewed on the Big Mountain podcast, Rocco said that UCD was going to honor its commitment to all athletes currently on rosters next year. They would opt in the following year.

    That was before the judge in the House case indicated that she wanted athletes currently on rosters grandfathered in. The NCAA and the major conferences (the defendants) are not in favor of that, but the alternative is going to trial before the same judge.
  • Sac State's bid for the Pac 12 Thread
    We spend our summers at our cabin 2 hours north of Missoula. When it comes to collegiate allegiance, Montanans are either Bobcat or Griz fans. Not much middle ground. However, "Montucky" will likely unite them for one game.

    And it will be interesting to see which way the conference goes as far as the other Sac State sports.
  • Sac State's bid for the Pac 12 Thread
    Yeah, I agree that weeks 1 & 2 will be crucial.
  • Sac State's bid for the Pac 12 Thread
    There seems to be consensus on this thread that Sac IS generating enthusiasm already. But it's going to take on the field results to sustain the current enthusiasm, let alone drive it higher. I.e WINS
    So would going 7-5 enough to do that? What about 6-6? Or 5-7?

    Considering the hype about the quality of players Sac will have on next year's roster (see BlueGoldAg's list from 5 days ago, the visuals of the players signed that have been posted, etc.):

    *Do they have to beat UCD?
    *In addition to UCD, Sac plays (at home) 3 other Big Sky teams that were FCS Playoff teams. Are this must-wins?
    *How critical is the opening game at South Dakota State (another FCS Playoff team)?
    *If UCD, South Dakota State, Idaho, Montana and NAU are the 5 losses, will beating everyone else be enough to sustain enthusiasm for the next season? How many of those games are must-wins?

    So again, what will be enough to be considered a successful season?
  • Sacramento Kings star Mike Bibby to become Sacramento State's men's basketball coach
    One of the consistent discussion points on this thread relates to Sac State "being successful / not being successful" next year with this approach. But what is "success" in this situation?

    I'm curious what everyone thinks success in basketball next season actually looks like.

    What kind of win-loss record qualifies as success?
    Is the Causeway game a must-win?
    Do the Hornets need to win the Big Sky regular season and/or tournament championship?
    How deep do the Hornets need to go in the NCAA (assuming they're selected)?
    Is playing in the WBIT or WNIT enough?
    What does average attendance need to be?
    Other?
  • Sac State's bid for the Pac 12 Thread
    One of the consistent discussion points on this thread relates to Sac State "being successful / not being successful" next year with this approach. But what is "success" in this situation?

    I'm curious what everyone thinks success in football next season actually looks like in various metrics.

    What kind of win-loss record qualifies as success?
    Is the Causeway Classic a must-win?
    Do the Hornets need to win the Big Sky Championship?
    How deep do the Hornets need to go in the playoffs (assuming they make qualify)?
    What does average attendance need to be?
    Does the football program need to have zero players who have an incident that involves the police?
    Other?
  • WBB: Looking Ahead - 2025-26 Roster
    The Southern Conference, in which Wofford plays, is ranked above the Big West in conference NET, RPI & ELO ratings.
  • WBB: Looking Ahead - 2025-26 Roster

    Looks like a quality addition to the backcourt - veteran leadership, a bigger guard than Sussex or Bennett, will definitely compete for playing time/starting spot. In addition to her offensive stats, Matthews was an All-Defensive team selection as a junior (2022-23) before missing the 2023-24 season with an injury. A little weak on 3-pt shooting.

    Matthews has played 4 season, and will be a grad student, so similar to Tess Sussman on the 2022-23 team.

    Since Matthews' signing was only announced on the Aggies' social media sites, and not on the WBB pages on the UCD Athletics site, I'm thinking there may be another player still out there?? Typically there's an announcement on the Athletics site of all signings together when the process is complete, including a brief evaluation by Jen Gross.

    I still think we need to add a young post player. There are a few in the portal between 6'3" - 6'6" that would be interesting additions. Most have 3-4 years eligibility left.
  • Sac State's bid for the Pac 12 Thread
    Rather than listing the transfers with recruiting ratings, it would be interesting to see a list of names with the number of previous schools they've been t. And also a list of the who've had significant interaction with the criminal justice system.

    I remember a Spots Illustrated article from sometime between 1982-1994 when Bill Mccartney was head coach. McCartney was very successful at Colorado, winning a share of the national title in 1990 (AP Poll). However, several of his players had run-ins with the law, starting about 1986 or so. I got so bad (the Sports Illustrated article reported) that the Boulder and Denver police and sheriff's departments would get the media guides prior to each season so that they had pictures of all the players to use for identification by victims and witnesses.

    I would hate to see Sac State in a similar situation.
  • Sac State's bid for the Pac 12 Thread
    This high school looks like a good fir for Sac St. to connect with, given the kind of recruits they're bringing in. The former coach is also looking for a job, so maybe he can join the Hornet staff?

    https://www.si.com/high-school/california/california-high-school-football-2024-championship-vacated-due-to-cif-violations-01jsjh2gh61r
  • WBB: Looking Ahead - 2025-26 Roster
    With the departure of Clara Glad and the addition of Tegan Young, the 2025-26 WBB roster currently sits at 11 players. I expect that Jen Gross and staff would like to add at least 1 more player. Possibly 2 more, and as many as 3 more. Under Gross, the Aggies have seldom carried more than that.

    I'd still like to see a young post player come in this year, with an eye to the future, as well as insurance in case Ally Fitzgerald's back really flares up (Trinity Rodman being an example of that possibility).

    Losing Glad seems to set up a starting backcourt of Nya Epps, Ryann Bennett and Avery Sussex, at least to start summer practices. Since both Bennett and Sussex can play point or shooting guard, that creates different options for guard play than Davis has had recently. And different challenges for opposing defenses. Off the bench, Carrington Davis, also able to play both guard roles, Sahana Kanagasaby, and Sophie Lentfer seem to have an interesting variety of skill sets for defenses to cope with. With the current roster, Davis especially seems likely to get significant minutes.

    In the front court, Tegan Young looks like a probable starter alongside Megan Norris, based on health and her playing time at Manhattan. Ally Fitzgerald backs up Norris, and a hopefully healthy Theoni Tsami and Emmy Ersdala look to spell Young at the forward spot.
  • WBB: Looking Ahead - 2025-26 Roster
    The WBB Transfer Portal is now closed, though I believe grad transfers may enter the portal at any time, as can players where there is a coaching change. Since there are 2 a half dozen head coaching positions still to be filled, there could still be some more entrants under that proviso.

    Victoria Baker apparently entered the portal yesterday. Since Vic played 3 years at UCD, and previously 1 year plus 6 games during a second season at UC Irvine, I assume she has a Covid year exemption, though I thought those were all in the past. With the current state of affairs in college sports, who knows how many years of eligibility a player has? As previously mentioned, because she'd played 4 full years, and walked on Senior Night, I didn't include her in my summaries of returning players to start this thread.

    Vic always brought passion (sometimes a little too much!!) and energy to the court, and was fun to watch. She was one of my wife's favorite players. Vic really developed in many ways as an Aggie. The energy will be missed. Wish Vic all the best going forward.
  • WBB: Looking Ahead - 2025-26 Roster
    I wish her the best as well.

    When I first saw Clara play during her freshman year, I told my wife I thought she'd become a really good player. But as I watched her the rest of that season and then last season, I often wondered if she was happy here. I don't know if it was body language, or what, but I just had a feeling.

    Too bad it didn't work, for whatever reason.. I still think she would have been a big contributor for us the next two years.
  • WBB: Looking Ahead - 2025-26 Roster
    Just saw that as of April 14, Clara Glad transferred to Eastern Illinois. Sorry to see her leave! She really seemed to be coming on this season.

    With her exit, I think the coaching staff may be looking to add at least 1 more player, if not 2 more.

TrainingRm67

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