’Good problem’: Sac State hiring again as Mark Campbell takes TCU women’s basketball job

Mark Orr has done his part.

As athletic director for Sacramento State, Orr was paramount in hiring two coaches who provided immediate results, rejuvenating programs in decline — Troy Taylor in football and Mark Campbell in women’s basketball.

Orr’s glee was evident at practices and games. These were his hires, his guys — and it was Sacramento’s gain on campus and in the community. But Orr also understood that these coaches were good, great even, and success would instantly put them on national blast, particularly for programs that were in the market for such leadership.

Sure enough, after Taylor worked wonders with the Hornets, winning three successive Big Sky Conference championships and steering the best team in program history last fall, Stanford came calling. Sac State’s loss was Stanford’s significant gain.

The same for Campbell. TCU’s big gain in hiring him as coach this week is a blow for the Hornets. After helping elevate Oregon to national prominence as an assistant coach and recruiting guru, Campbell took over a Hornets basketball program that won three games in 2020-21. He elevated the team to a 14-win season in his first campaign, and the historic breakthrough this season included a school-record 25 wins, the program’s first NCAA Tournament and first conference championship since the early 1970s.

TCU noticed, naming Campbell its new women’s basketball coach. His hire was announced on Tuesday.

Taylor’s intent wasn’t to jump ship any more than it was Campbell’s desire to leave with years remaining on his contract. But the opportunity for a greater challenge with big pay raises that Power Five programs can offer was too good to pass up. Power Five conferences include the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC and ACC, where money flows like a raging river in storm season, largely due to television revenue and game attendance.

As a mid-major Division I program, Sacramento State can offer opportunities for coaches to lead programs and to make them championship teams, but not with enormous salaries. The Big Sky does not wade in big money like the Power Fives. That is the nature of the college beast.

So is the suddenness of a coach on the move. College athletics doesn’t slow down. There are no off days. Business is always in session. Hours after his last football game at Sacramento State, an FCS loss at home to cap a 12-1 season, Taylor was in the Bay Area, dressed in Cardinal red on Stanford’s campus, signing papers with the human resources department and meeting players and coaches. He shifted gears on the fly.

The same happened with Campbell, only his new color is TCU purple. He went from coaching the Hornets at UCLA in an NCAA Tournament late Saturday night to nailing down details with TCU on Sunday. This sort of turnover happens every season, the fast risers snatched up in a hurry.

“That’s our industry, especially at the highest levels of college athletics, and particularly in football and basketball — you move quickly,” Orr said. “It’s also a testament to the coaches we have here, sought after coaches, and Troy and Mark are prime examples. Both had a terrific opportunity to move on from Sac State, and I’m indebted to them both and support them at Stanford and TCU.”

Orr paused for a second and added with a laugh, “Which is crazy, a good crazy, a Pac-12 and a Big 12 program.”

Moving quickly

To some, the coaches leaving made sense, including dollars and cents. To others, the coaches bailed, and Orr has heard plenty of both.

“I don’t look at it that they quit on us or anything like that,” Orr said. “Like many people in life, Mark and Troy took jobs they felt were beneficial for their families and their careers, and as their boss and friend, you support that. They’ve both been great. They both handled it 100% the right way and were in constant communication with me about what was going on, and they’re both still supportive of Sac State. I talked to Troy yesterday. I’ve known him for years. I’ve known Mark Campbell since 2010.”

Orr added, “Being an athletic director these days, it’s really fast. It’s the pace of how fast this happens, and I’ll move quickly to find a replacement for Mark, and for that school that may lose someone, they may feel like it came out of the blue.”

Orr found more gold in his Taylor replacement without having to even leave campus. Andy Thompson slid over from his Hornets defensive coordinator role to take over as head football coach. Kris Richardson maintained his preferred role as assistant head coach, and Bobby Fresques went from quarterback coach to offensive coordinator. How united is this trio? Each of them and their wives regularly have dinner together, in town or at one of their homes.

Orr’s email, voicemail and cell phone have blown up since the Campbell announcement. He will work with a search committee for a coast-to-coast search with hopes of hiring someone within three weeks. That was the time frame when Orr landed David Patrick as men’s basketball coach, when he brought in Campbell and when he replaced Taylor.

“I’ve already been inundated with interest from across the country,” Orr said. “Mark showed that not only is this a great place to work, but you can win championships here and can go to the NCAA Tournament. It can be done. Mark showed that it can be done. It makes this job a lot more attractive. It’s a good problem to have. Sometimes people see a coach leave and they almost feel sorry for the university.”

Orr doesn’t want pity. He wants names.

He added: “I’m in a much better position hiring a new coach than when I hired Mark. The visibility and profile of our program has changed since the last time we went out on the market, testament to what Mark did here. I’m 100% confident that we’ll find a really good coach, and we’ll move quickly. With football, it was a no-brainer who took over for Troy, to promote from within. With this one, we’ll do a national search, and I feel good about it.”

It’ll be a national search because the Hornets will have no coaching holdovers in women’s basketball. Associate head coach Xavier Lopez and assistants Minyon Moore and Megan Lopez will join Campbell at TCU. Nyara Sabally, another assistant, will join the New York Liberty of the WNBA. Sabally, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 draft, sat out this season due to injury.

And the gym?

Orr also addressed Sacramento State’s meager facilities. The Nest is a cozy home venue on campus, but it’s small, barely seating 1,000, and it’s outdated, except the green school-colored paint from a summer makeover.

“We’re planning for a new event center, a goal, and we’ve developed renderings and we have plans in place to raise the resources,” Orr said. “That being said, I don’t believe winning championships is contingent on having a better arena. Mark won in the existing facility.

“I do believe if we continue to have success, those resources, and the community support in tickets sold, donations and sponsorships, will come. We have to continue to do a good job to give people a product that they can support. We won’t use the Nest as an excuse not to have success. I won’t hire coaches who see the Nest as an excuse not to have success.”