Latest news with #SacState
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shaquille O'Neal to join Mike Bibby's staff at Sacramento State as voluntary general manager
Mike Bibby was hired at Sacramento State earlier this year in what will be his first coaching job at the college level Shaquille O'Neal's son, Shaqir O'Neal, is set to transfer into Sac State, too. () Shaquille O'Neal is following his son to college. Shaq has agreed to become the general manager of the men's basketball program at Sacramento State, ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Monday night. The roll will be a voluntary one for Shaq. Shaquille O'Neal has agreed to become the men's basketball general manager of Sacramento State, sources tell ESPN. It will be a voluntary role for Shaq, whose son, Shaqir O'Neal, also plays for Sac State under Mike Bibby. Shaq and Bibby form a star duo as college GM and coach. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 29, 2025 Shaq will join Mike Bibby, who was hired as the program's next head coach earlier this year, at Sac State. Bibby, who spent half of his NBA career playing for the Sacramento Kings, will take over in what will be his first college head coaching job. He recently helped lead his former high school in Arizona to five state titles. Bibby and Shaq will attempt to turn the Hornets program around. The school is set to open a new basketball facility on campus next fall, though the Hornets have had just two winning seasons since they started playing in 1991. They have yet to make the NCAA tournament, and Bibby will be the fifth head coach in the last six seasons. Shaq's son, Shaqir O'Neal, has committed to play for Bibby next year. Shaqir spent last season at Florida A&M, where he averaged 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. The 21-year-old spent three seasons at Texas Southern before that, too. Then on Tuesday, the Hornets landed UCF transfer and former high school star Mikey Williams, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Williams was a social media sensation throughout high school and landed a massive endorsement deal from Puma, but he largely fell off after facing a legal battle following a shooting at his San Diego home in 2023. He later reached a plea deal. He averaged 5.1 points while playing 14 minutes per game last season at UCF. Bibby and Shaq never played with each other in the league, though they squared off plenty of times throughout their careers. Shaq is the latest NBA player to agree to work as a general manager at the college level. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will be the assistant general manager at Davidson, and Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young is doing the same at Oklahoma. Shaq played in the league from 1992-2011. The Hall of Famer is currently working as an analyst at TNT on "Inside the NBA."
CBS News
26-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Sacramento State eyes downtown state buildings for expansion
SACRAMENTO — Sacramento State announced Tuesday that it is looking to expand into downtown. The California Department of General Services granted a period of exclusive rights for the university to evaluate the real estate and cost of creating a state-of-the-art downtown center. The three buildings it is looking at are located between 8th and 9th streets on Capitol Mall: the Employment Development Department (EDD) Headquarters Building, the EDD Solar Building, and the state Personnel Building. This plan is still in the early concept stages, but the university said it would benefit student's education and downtown business. "A bigger campus would be nicer because it is very compact," said Christian Ladd, a junior at Sac State. The university is working on transforming the three buildings into a downtown center for education, housing and hospitality. "It does introduce a lot of opportunities for the kids who live here on campus to expand," said William Escalante, a freshman at Sac State. Some commuters are concerned, thinking it could create challenges for car-less students who bike, scooter or walk. "As a commuter, I don't think it is the best because just coming to Sac State in general is a hassle," said Tayde Flores Mireles, a junior at Sac State. Sac State is not the first to try and transform state space into something new. In 2023, the plan was to transform these same three buildings into affordable housing. But last November, a private developer pulled out and said it was not sure it would be financially feasible. CBS13 reached out to Sac State about what the price tag would be, but they wouldn't comment. "I think it would bring more life downtown," said Cheryl Hernandez, co-owner of Bumble Bear Coffee. She thinks it would make business boom with more students studying and maybe attract new businesses to open. "I know the young people enjoy the asada fries, the burritos. That's the more popular stuff," said Reuben Garcia, who works at a taco truck parked on Capitol Mall. Garcia said they already serve Sac State students at special events and the truck would be right in the action of the university's downtown center. "During the COVID times, it seemed like a ghost town — no one out," said Michael Fong, who works downtown. There is currently no timeline for how soon we will be seeing this expansion happen, but it has a ton of support from city leaders who spoke out during the State of Downtown Address on Tuesday.
CBS News
18-02-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Sac State President Luke Wood addresses school's athletics future amid FBS bid
SACRAMENTO — It's been the biggest sports story in California's capital city heading into 2025: the fate of Sacramento State athletics. The Hornets have big hopes to transition to a higher level of competition with brand new facilties for several programs. Spearheading the charge is Sac State President Dr. Luke Wood. Imagine the Sacramento River Cats suddenly jumping into the MLB. That's the plan Dr. Wood has for Sac State, taking the school's football program from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, which is the highest in college football. These plans are complicated and confusing, but Dr. Wood is fianlly being fully transparent with his vision. He is telling anyone who listens, including NCAA President Charlie Baker, how the Hornets are buzzing to the top. "I am not sure everyone knows what the gem Sacramento State is," Wood said in a one-on-one interview with CBS Sacramento. From a top 20 TV market to a winning product on the field, Sac State is starting to check the boxes when it comes to moving to the FBS level. But what would a move look like? "For any university that wants to transition from FCS to FBS, it is a $5 million fee," Wood said. "Now, separately from that, you can have a conference you are in and there is normally an exit fee out of that conference." It would also include being inelgible for the postseason for two years. The next question: Where will the $5 million come from? Wood said the student government is involved in the process and recently reached a vote that provided half of that amount in a cost recovery structure. "Athletics is funded primarily - not soley - but primarily on philanthropy and dollars from student fees. These are dollars that students voted for that can only be spent on what they are voting for," he said. "There was an increase that the students supported unanimously but our student fee advisory committee that deals specifically with athletic facilities, which is how we are moving forward with the stadium." Wood said other facilities like baseball and softball are currently not up to the same standard, but they will be by 2026. "We are redoing are intermural fields right now. We are looking for changes for baseball and softball. The stadium project is not only for football, but also for men's and women's rugby, men's and women's soccer," he said. "And then the Well project, which will be done in April, is for men's and women's basketball, gymnastics, volleyball and for our Combat U programs." On whether Sac State will join a conference like the Pac-12 or the Mountain West, or if the university will opt to become indepedent, Wood said it will come down to whatever is best for students. "What is going to give them the highest level of exposure and what is going to allow them to play the best competition out there," Wood said. "I cannot divulge yet what we are doing but I will say that within the next two months, the public will know where Sacramento State lands, and I see FBS on our horizon." Moving to the FBS will increase revenue — including Name, Image and Likeness — for the school and its athletics deptartment. It will also increase enrollment within the school and take the Hornets from a small state school to a national brand seen all throughout the country.
