Former Sacramento Kings star Mike Bibby was hired to take over the struggling basketball team at Sacramento State.

Athletic director Mark Orr announced the move on Tuesday, saying he believed that Bibby can help generate excitement for the program.

“Since 2001, Sacramento has felt like home to me,” Bibby said in a statement. “The people, the fans and the passion they have for the city and their teams is unmatched. I have always felt that passion, and will always be thankful for how I was embraced. Sacramento State is no different. … We are going to build, we are going to develop, and we are going to win.”

Bibby won an NCAA title as a player at Arizona in 1997 and then starred in the NBA for 14 seasons, with his biggest success coming in seven seasons with the Kings. He helped Sacramento make it to Game 7 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Mike Bibby Retired in 2012

Bibby retired in 2012 and has had various coaching jobs since. He won five state titles and coached 25 players who received college scholarships in six seasons as coach at Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix. He also has been an assistant for the Puerto Rican National Team, summer league teams for Cleveland and Memphis, and the NBA G-League Ignite.

Sacramento State has been looking to increase its profile in college athletics with hopes of being able to move from the FCS level of college football to the FBS level and a spot in a bigger conference such as the Mountain West or even a newly formed Pac-12. The Hornets are currently a member of the Big Sky.

The move to hire Bibby is part of that effort as he will try to revive a struggling program.

The Hornets went 7-25 this season under interim coach Michael Czepil, who was promoted last spring after David Patrick left to take a job as associate head coach at LSU.

Sacramento State had gone 28-42 in two seasons under Patrick and the program has never made an NCAA Tournament since moving up to Division I in 1991-92. The Hornets have had a winning record only twice since then, going 16-14 in 2019-20 and 21-12 in 2014-15.

“Mike Bibby’s basketball expertise, love for Sacramento, and passion for developing student-athletes perfectly align with our goals for Hornet basketball,” Sacramento State President Luke Wood said. “His leadership and vision will elevate our program to new heights and inspire our community to rally behind Sac State basketball.”