Former Sacramento Kings star point guard Mike Bibby landed his first college coaching job when Sacramento State tabbed him as their head coach earlier this evening, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“Bibby’s agent, Tyler Glass of CSE Talent, negotiated the agreement with school officials in recent days,” Charania said. “The university is slated to open a new basketball facility on campus next fall. Sac State president Luke Wood, an alum and the youngest president ever appointed in the California State University system has been aggressive in his approach with the athletics programs — and the hiring of Bibby continues that.”
Former Long-Time NBA Point Guard Becomes College Basketball Head Coach For First Time
Bibby, who played 14 years in the NBA, has head coaching experience, but at the high school level. However, the 46-year-old has always wanted to move up the coaching ladder.
“College or NBA, it doesn’t matter,” Bibby told Richard Obert of the Arizona Republic after Shadow Mountain to another State title. “I’d like to be a coach at the next level, whichever one it is.”
Bibby began his high school coaching stint as an assistant with Shadow Mountain HS (Phoenix, Arizona) a year after retiring from the NBA. After one year, Bibby officially got the head coaching job at the school, leading Shadow Mountain to five State crowns in six seasons (2013-2019).
Bibby moved on to Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix in October 2019. He lasted only 10 games as the school’s head coach before mutually parting ways. He hasn’t been on the sidelines since coaching four teams in the Fan-Controlled Hoops League in 2022.
Bibby was a star high school basketball player at Shadow Mountain and then went on to the University of Arizona, where he helped lead the Wildcats to the 1997 NCAA title. He was named the Pac-10 POY and first-team All-American in his second and final season at Arizona.
The Vancouver Grizzlies selected Bibby with the No. 2 overall pick in 1998. Bibby played three seasons in Vancouver before being dealt to Sacramento in the summer of 2001. He spent seven years with the Kings and then was dealt to Atlanta. He also had short stints in Washington, Miami, and New York.
How Is The Sacramento State Job?
Sacramento State is a tough job. That goes for anyone, let alone a coach with no college coaching experience. But at least becoming a collegiate head coach was a dream for Bibby, who becomes the ninth Hornet head coach in 34 D-I seasons.
Sacramento State has struggled mightily since becoming a Division I program in 1991. The Hornets are coming off a 7-25 campaign under interim coach Michael Czepil. Czepil replaced David Patrick, who stepped down after two seasons to become the associate head coach at LSU.
On the positive side, Bibby could have a decent starting base. Depending on what players decide to do with the ever-revolving transfer portal, Bibby could have as many as nine returnees. While the Hornets will lose their top player, senior Jacob Holt, junior Julian Vaughns showed some promise.
Truthfully, Bibby will eventually have to tear everything down and start over if the goal is to make Sacramento State competitive in the Big Sky. The Hornets have posted just two winning seasons and recorded 16 campaigns of double-digit wins. They have won 10 or more Big Sky games twice.
Sacramento State has a 304-668 career DI record (.316). The Hornets do not have any regular-season or postseason titles. They have only one postseason bid, making the 2015 College Insider Tournament, where they went 1-1.
Photo Credit: © Mark J. Rebilas. Imagn Images
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