Sacramento State lands Shaquille O'Neal, Mike Bibby and Mikey Williams — will high school stars now flock?

High school coaches believe one of the NCAA's weakest programs over three decades should now be a landing spot for many of the top local, regional talents

Dec 14, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Shaquille O'Neal arrives on the red carpet before the Emirates NBA Cup semifinal game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images. On Monday, O'Neal was named general manager of the Sacramento State men's basketball program in an unpaid, voluntary capacity. / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

First it was a new basketball facility at Sacramento State University — "The Well," a sparkling 3,200-seat venue to replace the dilapidated 1,000-seat "Nest."

Then, last month, 14-year NBA veteran Mike Bibby arrived to coach the men's team.

On Monday, Bibby's good friend, Shaquille O'Neal was announced as the new unpaid General Manager of the program, a team with two winning seasons since moving to the Division I level in 1991.

On Tuesday, as first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania, former California prep phenom Mikey Williams transferred from the University of Central Florida to be Bibby's second high-profile recruit. The other is O'Neal's son Shaqir O'Neal, who transferred after his junior season at Florida A&M.

What in Hornet Nation is going on? Stingers are way up.

Mar 19, 2022; Scottsdale, AZ, United States; Mike Bibby walks the sidelines while athletes warmup for the BIG3 tryouts at Victorium. Basketball Big3 Tryouts / Alex Gould-Arizona Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

How could one of the weakest Division I program in America suddenly be drawing so much interest?

Doesn't matter, says San Ramon Valley-Danville High school coach Brian Botteen, whose players might never considered glancing Northeast before the last couple of days. But they most certainly will now.

Botteen's Wolves won a state title in 2015 and won 26, 29 and 24 games the last three years, reaching the state D1 championship game in 2024 and one game short of it in 2025. Danville is located approximately 80 miles to Sacramento State and is a prime recruiting zone for the Hornets.

"What a great selling point and opportunity to change the culture than to bring in names like that with such vast professional basketball backgrounds," Botteen said. "(Alameda Junior College) recently brought in Gary Payton and when a name like that drops, there's immediate interest. "

San Ramon Valley first-team All-East Bay Athletic League guard Elliot Conley is more than interested. ... And available.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard might have more upside than all of his teammates who have all landed in college programs: Luke Isaak to UC Irvine, Mason Thomas at Santa Barbara City College and Conley's twin brother Thomas to UC Santa Cruz.

Elliot Conley of San Ramon Valley drives to the basket over a Bishop O'Dowd defender during the 27th MLK Classic at De La Salle High School. Conley was voted the MVP of the game with 22 points, nine rebounds and four steals. / Photo by Dennis Lee

He's had some offers but the tough, high-flying left-hander is just waiting for the right situation and after hearing about the news in Sacramento, he'd love the opportunity.

"Who wouldn't," he said. "That's crazy to bring in two names like that (O'Neal and Bibby). They're obviously going to bring in some big-time players if Mikey Williams is coming. They'll no doubt be a really good team right away. With talent and coaches like that you could improve every day. I would love to play there."

Highlights from @CIFState run back to another NorCal D1 Championship game. Proud of our team’s continued success and thankful to everyone who supported and cheered for us along the way! 🍻 pic.twitter.com/tBkKunZ4uo

— Elliot Conley (@elliotconley1) March 17, 2025

Mitty-San Jose coach Tim Kennedy predicts Conley's reaction will be similar among players.

He coached Aaron Gordon and the Monarchs to two straight state Division 2 titles and an Open Division runner-up in 2013. Mitty and San Ramon Valley are considered two of the top program in the San Francisco Bay Area, though most of their top players, Gordon not included, are mid-major recruits or lower.

Sacramento State is certainly a more viable choice.

"I think anytime you have Shaq's name on it you will definitely get credibility right away," Kennedy said. "And with new facilities and new coach will add to the allure for Bay Area kids."

It attracted well beyond the Bay Area.

Williams was well known around AAU circles before even entering high school. He played along side Bronny James as a youth and was ranked the No. 1 player in the Class of 2023 by Naismith National Youth All-American Report.

Mikey Williams during his senior high school season at San Ysidro / Photo by Justin Fine

He backed that up in his first varsity basketball game playing for San Ysidro High School in San Diego, going for 46 points. Williams broke the bank with a 77-point explosion later that season, topping a San Diego Section single-game mark, along with breaking a California state freshman record. He averaged just under 30 points per game to go along with 4.9 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game, earning National Player of the Year honors by MaxPreps.

The 6-3 guard moved to North Carolina his sophomore and junior seasons in high school, returned to San Ysidro his senior season and averaged 23.8 points and 9.2 assists per game. Recruited by Penny Hardaway, he attended Memphis, but never played due to a criminal investigation in California.

He transferred to UCF in Jan. 2024 and averaged 5.1 points and 14.0 minutes per game last season, but announced on Instagram Tuesday that he would be attending Sacramento State.

He told Dushawn London of CBS Sports: "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of a program that includes a legend like Shaquille O'Neal and to play under the guidance of Coach Bibby. I'm excited to lock in and represent Sacramento State at the highest level."

Jan 21, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; UCF Knights guard Mikey Williams (1) shoots over the hands of Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (2) during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images / Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Before Bibby even joined the staff the Hornet had secured the region's top player, Rocklin 6-foot-9, 230-pound senior forward Mark Lavrenov, the Sacramento Bee's Player of the Year. Lavrenov was also a High School On SI first-team All-California selection after averaging 23.4 points and 12.2 rebounds per game for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 2 champions.

Lavrenov told the Sacramento Bee at the time of Bibby's hiring on March 25th: “Just knowing his past accolades, playing experience and his knowledge for the game, that’s super exciting to be in a position to be able to learn and be coached by a guy like that,”

Mark Lavrenov of Rocklin High School signed his letter of intent to Sacramento State before Mike Bibby was named coach for the Hornets. Lavrenov was a first-team All-California selection by High School On SI after averaging 23.4 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. He was the Sacramento Bee's Player of the Year in 2024-25. / Gary Jones

Bibby is very well known in the region, having played 6.5 seasons with the Sacramento Kings, about half his NBA career. He coached his son Michael Jr. at the AAU and high school level, the latter as an assistant then head coach at his alma mater Shadow Mountain in Phoenix, Ariz, where he helped the team to five state championships.

He later coached for 10 games at Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix in 2019.

“Mike will recruit talented student-athletes and develop a team culture that embodies success both on and off the court,” Sacramento State's Athletic Director Mark Orr said in a statement at the time of his hiring. “I am convinced that Mike will pour every ounce of his energy into Sacramento State and engage the entire Sacramento region.”

O'Neal doesn't figure to be hands-on or even around the program much, considering his very busy schedule. But just knowing he's associated with the team will elicit immediately energy.

"He's such a fun, entertaining person; I watch after every TNT game just to watch him," Conley said. "I was barely born when he was playing, but I've obviously seen him on YouTube. Oh my goodness he was impressive, a beast. It would be so cool to play on a team he was a part of. It would be unbelievable."

𝙎𝙃𝘼𝙌𝙐𝙄𝙇𝙇𝙀 𝙊’𝙉𝙀𝘼𝙇 𝙉𝘼𝙈𝙀𝘿 𝙂𝙀𝙉𝙀𝙍𝘼𝙇 𝙈𝘼𝙉𝘼𝙂𝙀𝙍 𝙊𝙁 𝙎𝘼𝘾𝙍𝘼𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙊 𝙎𝙏𝘼𝙏𝙀 𝙈𝙀𝙉’𝙎 𝘽𝘼𝙎𝙆𝙀𝙏𝘽𝘼𝙇𝙇

Dr. Shaquille O’Neal has agreed to serve as the General Manager of Sacramento State Men’s Basketball. O’Neal joins the program shortly… pic.twitter.com/OxhPhqlRRK

— Sacramento State Men's Basketball (@SacHornetsMBB) April 29, 2025

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