Sacramento State HC Mike Bibby vows to have Deion Sanders-like impact after landing Shaq's son through transfer portal

Mike Bibby was appointed as the new coach of the Sacramento State men's basketball team this week, becoming the 17th head coach of the Hornets.

Bibby vowed to have a Deion Sanders-like impact after acquiring Shaq's son, Shaqir O’Neal, in the transfer portal from Florida A&M.

“I’m going to turn this around," Bibby said. "I have a lot of NBA players who want to send their sons to me to play. We can get kids. We’re going to try to have that Deion [Sanders] impact. We’ll have superstars in the building, active NBA players stop by.”

Deion Sanders had a big impact on the sports world, particularly in college football. His aura is being felt ahead of the NFL draft, where his son Shedeur Sanders is projected to be a first-round pick.

The No.10 Sacramento State Hornets had a bad season under Michael Czepil, finishing with a 7-25 record in the Big Sky Conference. They also crashed out in the first round of the Big Sky tournament following a 70-83 defeat to the No.9 Weber State Wildcats (12-21) on March 8.

The team's poor performance led to the replacement of Czepil after his first season as the Hornets' head coach, and appointed Mike Bibby to take over the program.

Syndication: Arizona Republic - Source: Imagn

Mike Bibby reveals he is happy to return to Sacramento

Sacramento State President Dr. Luke Wood and Athletic Director Mark Orr introduced Bibby as the new head coach of its basketball program. The new coach was quick to express his joy during his introductory speech.

“I’ve been coaching my son since he was nine years old, and I never thought that it would come this far,” Bibby said.

“Ever since then, the passion that I have to teach kids, get them to be better players, better human beings, has always been in my heart. Coming back to Sacramento to start my second career means the most to me.”

Mike Bibby aims to turn around Sacramento State's struggling 2024-25 season and boost recruiting efforts for the 2025-26 campaign as they head into the offseason.