Fresh off a season in which the men’s basketball program won its most games in seven years and tied the program record for most Big Sky Conference victories, Sacramento State Athletics Director Terry Wanless announced today that Brian Katz received a new five-year contract, lengthening his tenure as Hornet head men’s basketball coach through the 2017-18 season.
Since Katz took over the men’s basketball program prior to the 2008-09 season, the team has improved its conference record every year, defeated two Pac-12 Conference opponents on the road (Oregon State and Utah) over a three-year span, and has set or tied numerous school records.
"We’ve been pleased with the progress our men’s basketball program has made under Coach Katz," Wanless said. "His first five years have shown increased success, and we want to give him and his staff every opportunity to build the program we envision at Sacramento State. Coach Katz has been extremely committed to Sacramento State, and we wanted to show how committed we are to him.
"We’ve also been very happy with the academic progress of the basketball program. Our Academic Progress Rate continues to climb, as well as the graduation rate and grade point averages of his student-athletes. The quality of young men he has brought to this campus has been very exciting."
Academically, of the 18 Hornets that have expired their eligibility under Katz, 14 have graduated, and two more are on pace to graduate in the fall of 2013.
"Obviously, as a coach, you feel really good about a five-year commitment from both the athletics administration and the University’s administration," Katz said. "I don’t think a lot of coaches in the country have that type of a commitment from their institution. The upcoming years are very exciting times for Sacramento State. Not only with men’s basketball, but the entire athletics department and the University in general, and I definitely feel fortunate to be a part of that."
The Hornets, who return nine players from last season’s team and welcome a recruiting class that includes a pair of first team all-state selections, begin the season on Friday, Nov. 1, with a home exhibition game against Menlo College.
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