Sacramento State basketball begins a season of change – The State Hornet

As the tree-lined pathways that snake through Sacramento State’s campus turn from green to shades of red and orange, a cultural change is afoot on the brand-new hardwood.

Fans have packed the Hornets’ new arena, the Hornet Pavilion, creating an electric environment and an air of anticipation for conference play in a month and a half.

This will be the final year in the Big Sky Conference for Sac State, who will move into the Big West Conference starting in the 2026-2027 season. The Big West, primarily made up of fellow CSU and UC schools, is a fiercely competitive group with teams frequently going on runs in March.

This is Sac State’s final chance to represent the Big Sky in March Madness. The women’s team did it in 2023 under Mark Campbell, while the men’s team has yet to make the tournament in their history, only managing two winning seasons since 1997.

There are elevated expectations for both programs, but their situations could not be more divergent.

Men’s head coach Mike Bibby’s squad, led by the popular but divisive sophomore guard Mikey Williams, will have the spotlight on them for better or worse.

There are no returning players from last year’s dismal roster, and a group of players from around the country will try to change the culture for a program that struggled throughout its entire history.

For women’s head coach Aaron Kallhoff, who enters his third season at Sac State, the opposite is true. He joined the Hornets the season after the program’s high-water mark in 2023 and has slowly built his program from a 6-25 record to a roster that looks as dangerous as any in the Big Sky.

Both programs sit in different places on the pathway to sustained success, making this year as compelling as ever to catch some Hornet basketball.

Changing the Culture

When teams enter their seasons with as much turnover as Sac State had this year, two major questions need to be answered: who will take the reins on offense, and which players will develop the most synergy with each other?

Through a handful of games, the answers are becoming clear.

Sophomore guard Mikey Williams rises over a Dominican defender to cash a mid-range jumper Nov. 4, 2025. Williams is averaging 18.7 points a game, leading the Hornets for the season. (Logan Chrisp)

Williams is the headliner and will dominate the highlight reels with his daring shotmaking and freak athleticism, but senior guard Prophet Johnson is the engine of the offense.

Johnson was an all-conference player at Fairfield University and brings a unique skillset to the Sac State offense. He’s got a tight handle and a silky jumper, but he is also a gifted playmaker with a penchant for hammering the glass. Through his first three games, he’s averaging double-digit rebounds, allowing the Hornets to quickly get out in transition.

With Johnson by his side, Williams can be the true combo guard that delighted scouts in high school. He’s improved as a pick-and-roll operator and leads Sac State in assists, as he adds more pace variance and intentionality into his game.

With the combination of Williams, Johnson and emerging super sub sophomore guard Jayden Teat, Sac State will be able to score and keep pace with all of their opponents this season.

Defensively, the Hornets still have work to do.

Their first two opponents, Dominican and Jessup, both of whom are D2 programs, were able to stay in the game until late. They did so by attacking the rim and drawing free throws, combining for 32 across the two games.

UC Santa Barbara drew 25 free throws in their game, but they scored their points by attacking the perimeter players and punishing poor closeouts with a barrage of threes.

Bibby stressed that the team needs to buy into his defensive schemes, playing more like a unit and less like individuals. Junior guard Jahni Summers and senior forward Shaqir O’Neal will be vital to improving the defense and need to use their length to lock down around the arc.

The lone defensive bright spot thus far has been the hulking senior forward Jeremiah Cherry, who’s averaged four blocks a game through three games.

Cherry’s main tool is his physicality, imposing his will on drivers and potential post scorers. But the skill that really stands out to me is his help defense. He keeps his head on a swivel, and when he senses one of his men being beat on a cut, he explodes and spikes shots into the backboard or the walls of the Pavilion.

The Hornets will take on UC Davis for their next game, playing at 6 p.m. on Nov. 14.

Putting it Together

As the women’s basketball beat writer last season, I sat and talked with coach Kallhoff after every game. Again and again, he stressed two things: size and depth.

I watched last year’s Hornets occasionally play just six players in a game, with some of the starters never leaving the floor in most games. They had the talent to compete with anyone, proven by a crucial win on the road against the eventual Big Sky champion Montana State, but the roster was too thin.

Early into this season, his vision from last year has been realized. The Hornets are at 3-1 through four, most recently beating the reigning Big West champs UC San Diego on their home floor. In their games, the Hornets have played rotations of nine to eleven players deep, and Kallhoff has been able to experiment with a multitude of lineups and groups.

The Hornets brought in size and depth, but the main question for this season was how they’d replace their departed star seniors, Jaydia Martin and Katie Peneueta. Combined, the pair averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, leaving a void to be filled with Sac State’s new transfers.

Junior guard Natalie Picton, a transfer guard from Montana State, has taken on a major scoring responsibility as she starts alongside the offensive dynamo of redshirt senior guard Benthe Versteeg. She brings outside shooting, a crafty handle and intelligent secondary playmaking, pairing well with Versteeg’s driving and creation ability.

Redshirt senior guard Benthe Versteeg commands the offense against Nevada Nov. 6, 2025. Versteeg is averaging double-digit points and is leading Sac State in assists for the 2025-26 season. (Logan Chrisp)

The duo have been able to bend the defense at will, creating open zones for the Hornets’ shooters to run wild. Returning sophomore guard Rubi Gray and Arkansas transfer sophomore forward Pinja Paananen have been the main beneficiaries of this space, giving Kallhoff a pair of spacing weapons to use.

Gray scored a team-high 24 points against the Tritons Wednesday, 16 of which came from threes. With a summer of development under her belt, she’s been elevated to the starting five after being primarily a bench player last season.

Last season, senior forward Fatoumata Jaiteh was often swamped around the rim, as the Hornets operated at a size deficiency compared to their opponents. This season, Jaiteh has been given breathing room, thanks to a pair of transfers and a much-improved returner in sophomore forward Brooklyn Taylor.

Taylor struggled in limited minutes as a freshman, but she looks like a different player after an offseason of work. She demolished her previous career high with a 19-point performance against Stanton Nov. 3, providing a spark as a rebounder and post scorer.

Transfer junior forwards Keanna Salave’a and Elizabeth Abiara have also been key as rebounders, with the former bringing an outside shooting weapon to give Kallhoff more versatility off the bench.

Sac State was ranked just above the middle of the pack in the preseason polls, but convincing wins over UCSD and Nevada hint at something greater to come. The season is young, and there’s work to do, but the pieces are in place for a big-time run.

Sacramento State basketball begins a season of change – The State Hornet

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