One week the Sacramento State women’s basketball team was finishing up its monumental season after a devastating loss to UCLA – the next, its coaches were on a private jet to Texas Christian University 

Freshman players Madison Butcher, Akaysha Muggeridge and Kaylie Edge knew they had become a part of something incredibly special when they stepped into the gym last summer. Although there were just three returning players and nine newcomers, the 12 soon became joined as one – and quickly. 

“I think we’re all really close,” said Muggeridge. “It was actually pretty scary how fast we all clicked.”

This chemistry off the court showed on the court as well. The Hornets made history this year, recording the most victories in program history and taking the conference title. A great women’s basketball program isn’t something Sac State has ever been able to boast of previously. 

“I’m from here,” Butcher said. “And they sucked. They wouldn’t even recruit anyone in the area, like, it was crazy. They were bad.”

Muggeridge, who was recruited from Australia, said she didn’t even know Sac State women’s basketball existed. 

“I didn’t even know it was a D1 program until right before I committed,” Muggeridge said. 

Campbell is reason enough for recruits 

A major reason for many recruits coming to Sac State to play was head coach Mark Campbell. Campbell, who spent his past two years with the women’s basketball program, recently accepted the top job at TCU. 

“For me, it was definitely Mark,” Muggeridge said. 

Edge, too, attributes her commitment to Sac State to Campbell. 

“He literally sat me down and we watched a Sabrina Ionescu film,” Edge said. “He was like, ‘I see you as the next Sabrina Ionescu. I see you doing this, this is our game. You could really flourish here.’ That’s what got me.”

The three would describe their former coach as honest and incredibly supportive, saying he was involved both on and off the court. 

“If you wanted to watch film, he’d watch film,” said Butcher. “He was there. He’s invested in basketball.”

But Campbell isn’t the only thing that made this season a winning one. The team’s culture of togetherness and each individual’s drive for success created an environment in which the team as a whole could thrive. 

“He recruited those players, it’s all him on the recruiting,” said Edge. “But then, you have to give credit to … everybody. Because we all played a role. Especially, I would say (Kahlaijah Dean’s) the one who really put us on her back. So you have to give credit where it’s due.”

Each member of the team played a crucial role in creating the culture for the season. Everyone seemed to buy into it whole-heartedly and have an unwavering drive for success and self-improvement. 

“Everyone put in work,” Butcher said. “Like, we were there one hour, two hours before practice shooting. After practice shooting.”

The assistant coaches, too, were an important factor in creating a successful season for the Hornets. Xavi Lopez, the offensive coach, and Minyon Moore, the defensive coach, left a lasting impact on the players. 

“I think we all can agree that we love the assistant coaches,” Edge said. “You could just tell, the coaches were a family. And they tried to bring that upon us. We were all just one big family.”

Butcher agreed. “They showed us how to be a family,” she said. “Like, they can work together so we can work together.”

Sac State drops three road games

In addition to all the high points of their season, the three say they saw plenty of lows as well. 

“There was this road trip,” Edge said. “We were at the Montanas (Montana, Montana State and Eastern Washington) and we lost three games in a row. We should have won all of them.”

After returning home, the Hornets saw another setback with a tough 84-82 overtime loss to Northern Arizona, their only conference loss on their home court. 

“NAU, that was our first game back,” said Edge. “We lost in overtime. (Campbell) literally sat down and cried.”

The Hornets saw these losses as a chance to learn and grow. The team put their heads down and went to work. 

“I think we just saw it as an opportunity,” Muggeridge said. “Like, hey, yeah that happened, but we need to move on from it. Mark would always say ‘We play our best basketball in March.’ So it’s like, OK, forget about them. We learned from them, we know what we need to fix.”

The Hornets went on to win every single conference game after their loss to NAU, clinching the Big Sky title and punching their ticket to the NCAA tournament. The Hornets faced UCLA in the first round, something the team had been hoping for.

“We wanted UCLA,” said Butcher. “We thought that was the best one we could have gotten. They were the most like our game.”

Campbell to coach for the Frogs

After a hard-fought battle against the Bruins, the Hornets fell short, ending their record-breaking season. Upon returning to Sacramento, it wasn’t long before Campbell broke the news to his players – he wasn’t returning. 

“I expected him to leave,” Muggeridge said. “But not so soon. We got back on Sunday, we were told Monday and they were on a private jet Tuesday.”

The three reported that, along with their coaching staff, players Katie Peneueta, Jordan Olivares and Isnelle Natabou will no longer be donning Sac State gear next year, as they have entered the transfer portal. Their teammates say it hasn’t quite hit them yet that their three transferring teammates won’t be taking the court with them next season. 

“I haven’t really thought about them leaving yet,” Muggeridge said. 

Despite the losses to the program, the returning players have a positive outlook toward next season, and they are hungry for another season for the history books. 

“I think coming in, it was sort of a rebuild with Mark,” Muggeridge said. “And now that they’ve gone, it’s like it’s a brand new clean slate. It’s just what we bring. Because we know what to expect now, we know what to do.”