{"id":151304,"date":"2026-01-27T08:29:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T08:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/151304\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T08:29:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T08:29:09","slug":"new-10-million-home-for-sacramento-state-basketball-a-game-changer-for-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/151304\/","title":{"rendered":"New $10 Million Home for Sacramento State Basketball a \u2018Game Changer\u2019 for Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n The move this season into a new
\n 3,000-seat events center, home for Sacramento State\u2019s men\u2019s and
\n women\u2019s basketball teams, has finally happened, fueling a new
\n optimism by sports fans at the university.\n<\/p>\n

\n When the women\u2019s basketball team
\n hosted Stanton University on Nov. 3, 2025 at the Hornet Pavilion
\n \u2014 and the men\u2019s team followed a day later against Dominican
\n University of California \u2014 it marked the first time since 1955
\n those teams played anywhere other than the cozy 1,000-seat Hornet
\n Gym, known as The Nest<\/a>, which was considered one of the smallest
\n facilities in the country occupied by a Division I college
\n program.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Sacramento State\u2019s first-year coach Mike Bibby, the popular
\n former Sacramento Kings player, looks on during the Jan. 15 win
\n over Northern Arizona at the new Hornet Pavilion.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n As a result, bigger crowds and a
\n new home court advantage seems to be emerging, says Mark Orr,
\n Sacramento State\u2019s athletic director since 2017, citing the men\u2019s
\n current 6-1 home record at the Pavilion despite a disappointing
\n 6-11 overall season record.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t be more pleased with
\n the turnout,\u201d Orr says on Jan. 20, noting the men\u2019s team is
\n averaging 2,604 fans per game \u2014 almost three times more than what
\n was possible in The Nest. \u201cI think our students, our alumni, our
\n season ticket holders, general fans in Sacramento, and our
\n faculty and staff have been coming out and supporting the teams
\n and enjoying a state-of-the-art venue.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0Star
\n Power and Flashy Hires Are Kicking Off Sacramento State\u2019s Sports
\n Season<\/a><\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt\u2019s really a fun atmosphere,
\n which certainly has had an impact already on recruiting quality
\n student athletes,\u201d Orr continues. \u201cStudent athletes want to
\n compete in venues that draw good crowds, so it\u2019s been a game
\n changer for us.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Sacramento State\u2019s first-year coach Mike Bibby during a timeout
\n during the Jan. 15 83-69 victory over Northern Arizona.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n The new $10 million facility,
\n located inside The WELL, SSU\u2019s on-campus fitness and health
\n facility, is accessed by fans from Hornet Stadium, and boasts
\n significant upgrades other than just increased seating capacity.
\n The pavilion adds to the vision President Luke Wood, an alum of
\n Sacramento State, formulated almost from the day he moved into
\n his new role in July 2023.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n State-of-the-art Daktronics video boards are located at each end
\n of the court at the new Hornet Pavilion.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n Along with the new home comes a
\n new high-profile coach in former Sacramento Kings fan favorite
\n Mike Bibby.\u00a0In addition to Bibby, NBA Hall of Famer
\n Shaquille O\u2019Neal was brought in to be the team\u2019s unpaid general
\n manager, while his son Shaqir O\u2019Neal transferred from Florida
\n A&M into the program.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n SSU\u2019s Prophet Johnson, who led all scorers with 29 points, with
\n the ball during the Jan. 15 win over Northern Arizona at the new
\n Hornet Pavilion.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt\u2019s a time of a lot of change
\n here at Sac State basketball, and I feel like it\u2019s a perfect time
\n for a new venue,\u201d says Chris D. Johnson, sports editor of The
\n State Hornet, while covering the Jan. 15 win against Northern
\n Arizona. \u201cThe Nest didn\u2019t have the capacity of the Hornet
\n Pavilion and the new pavilion also creates a more intimate
\n environment. It gets loud in here.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Related: Too Big for The Nest: After 69 years,
\n Sacramento State has outgrown the hallowed sports
\n facility<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Upgrades include a new sound
\n system and LED lighting, state-of-the-art Daktronics video boards
\n at each end of the court, and LED ribbon boards along both sides.
\n New scoreboards were installed at court level, while both
\n baselines and the opposite sidelines host courtside seating that
\n brings fans close to the action.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Fans enter the new Hornet Pavilion for a Jan. 15 game.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n The courts were re-striped to
\n include a regulation NCAA basketball court with a new design
\n depicting the university\u2019s home in California\u2019s state capitol.
\n The new facility includes a premium suite level and telescopic
\n bleachers that, when the Hornets are not using the facility, can
\n be retracted and provide four courts for student use featuring
\n new retractable backboards and baskets.\n<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0What\u2019s Next for Hornet
\n Stadium?<\/a><\/p>\n

\n The facility continues to be a
\n work in progress, Orr says, with issues such as bathrooms
\n currently located outside the main entrance near the food trucks
\n one of the problems that will be addressed.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Action at the new Hornet Pavilion during the Jan. 15 win over
\n Northern Arizona.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cI think we need to continue to
\n invest in making the fan experience better, everything from more
\n premium seating, and providing more accessible restrooms inside
\n the building,\u201d he says.\n<\/p>\n

\n Sacramento State\u2019s volleyball and
\n gymnastic teams will continue to use The Nest, says Brian Berger,
\n the Hornets\u2019 Associate Athletic Director for
\n Communications.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Action at the new Hornet Pavilion during the Jan. 15 win over
\n Northern Arizona.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n Though future events are still in
\n the planning stage, the facility is designed to host graduation
\n ceremonies, large-scale campus meetings, and other community
\n events.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Fans at Hornet Pavilion show their support during the Jan. 15 win
\n over Northern Arizona, where the men\u2019s team is averaging 2,604
\n fans per game.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cI encourage your readers to come
\n out and check out a game, even if you haven\u2019t been on campus in a
\n while,\u201d Orr says \u201cIt\u2019s a great experience. I think people will be
\n impressed and continue to come back. It\u2019s fan friendly, it\u2019s kid
\n friendly, and you\u2019re right on the action. It\u2019s not too big, it\u2019s
\n not too small. I think it\u2019s perfect.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n \u2013\n<\/p>\n

\n Stay up to date on art and culture in the Capital
\n Region: Follow @comstocksmag<\/a> on
\n Instagram!\n<\/p>\n