21 hours Ago By Joe Davidson, The Sacramento Bee
Mike Bibby has never lacked in work ethic, and his muscled build is reflective of a man who never slows down in any task, the weight room included. The new Sacramento State men’s basketball coach also isn’t afraid to be bold, in actions and in words. In his Tuesday morning introductory news conference in a packed Welcome Center room on campus, Bibby vowed to immediately turn the fortunes of a program that has been mired in mediocrity, misery or worse since its elevation to Division I in 1991.
Bibby promised a good product, big on effort and fundamentals, to win right away and to “take the conference by storm.” That conference is the Big Sky Conference, of which the Hornets were a badly beaten last place this season, going 3-15 in conference play and 7-25 overall. That prompted a national search for a new leader.
Bibby laughed and exhaled in explaining that he had been in the ear of Hornets athletic director Mark Orr for three years to get this gig. That time is now, and it is a homecoming for the former Sacramento Kings guard who remains a beloved figure for his playmaking and big shots during the Kings heyday of the early 2000s. Bibby has worked Kings games as a television analyst in recent years, but his heart was in coaching in Sacramento.
“I kept calling Mark to say, ‘I’m here, I’m here, I’m here!’” Bibby said to a chorus of laughter in a room that included Hornets staffers, coaches from other sports and his family, including son Michael Bibby Jr, who grew up attending Kings practices and games. Bibby coached his son at Shadow Mountain High School in his native state of Arizona, a program he led to five state championships in six years, ending in 2019. Bibby dabbled in coaching at all levels in recent seasons with an eye on landing his first college gig.
“Now is the time, and I’m happy to be here, and this has always been my second home,” Bibby said. This marks another splash hire for the Hornets as Wood and school president Luke Wood have basked in these news conferences of late. In December, that came via introduction of new football coach Brennan Marion, who has in quick order produced the No.
1 FCS-level recruiting class in the country. Marion sat in the front row, smiling at what Bibby had to say. Bibby said in his seven days on the job, he has recruited players out of the transfer portal, the new era of college athletics, and he is talking to high school prospects from around the country.
He has one already on board in Bee Player of the Year Mark Lavrenov, a 6-foot-8 banger with shooting range and the sort of all-out effort that Bibby wants in players. Lavrenov signed a letter of intent with the Hornets in the fall. “I have never done anything half-assed and won’t start now,” Bibby said.
“I expect to win. It all starts with practice with habits, with teaching the game, with getting the mindset right. I want to play anyone.
We may take a beating, we may win some games, but don’t overlook us.” Orr said he fielded interest for this post from all levels — high school coaches, college coaches and those working in the professional ranks. In introducing the 14-year NBA playing veteran, Orr said with emphasis, “Man, how awesome is this? Look at our new head coach.
” What people saw was a still-fit Bibby in a blue suit and white Nike sneakers with a beaming expression to match. Bibby said this was a dream come true, and returning to Sacramento made it all the more meaningful. Wood said that Tuesday was “a defining moment for Sacramento State and the city of Sacramento.
Mike Bibby is a name that resonates at every level of basketball. Mike isn’t just a legend, he’s a Sacramento legend. He understands the spirit of this place, the grit, the underdog mentality.
With Bibby at the helm, we’re raising the bar.” The bar has been dreadfully low. In the 34-year history at Division I, the highest classification in the NCAA, the Hornets have produced just two winning seasons.
Bibby said he has the “passion to teach kids, to get them to be better players, better human beings.” Al Biancani bear-hugged Bibby after the news conference and hugged Bibby’s family members, including wife Darcy. Biancani was the Kings strength and conditioning coach when Bibby was employed by the club, and to know Biancani is to understand that he doesn’t work out players unless they pour themselves into it.
Bibby did and still does. “I’m so excited for him — that’s my boy,” said Biancani, a highly regarded strength and conditioning coach in Sacramento. “We spent a lot of time together.
He’d call me when with the Kings to get in the gym — ‘Let’s go shoot.’ He flew me to Arizona several times when he was coaching high school ball there, sometimes for two or three weeks, so I could work out his guys.” What Biancani saw in those stops was the coach that Bibby vows to be: attention to detail, intense practices and a lot of conditioning.
“Mike’s a really good teacher of the game,” Biancani said. “You don’t always see that with a high-level athlete.” Bibby’s first player commitment was Monday, the Sacramento legend signing the son of a decades-long rival.
Shaqir O’Neal, the youngest son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, comes aboard via the transfer portal as a 6-foot-8 forward from Florida A&M. “Me and Shaq have a good relationship – not so good when we played against each other,” Bibby said with a laugh. “I’m getting a lot of calls from NBA players or retired ones, to give their son a chance to play.
” Bibby said he is light on sleep, heavy on cat naps when he can squeeze them in. He and his still-developing staff have received “200 videos from kids wanting to come here to play. It’s a long process.
My phone is blowing up.” He added, “People might look at me crazy, but I want to change this program right now. I wand to win.
I don’t want to let the city down.”.
