SACRAMENTO, Calif.-- The Sacramento State men''s basketball program completed its 2001-02 signings today by inking two players. The class consists of junior college transfer Djibril Diop and University of Massachusetts transfer Jameel Pugh. Both will enroll at Sacramento State in the summer as juniors."We''re very excited about the additions of Djibril and Jameel," head coach Jerome Jenkins said. "Both play at an extremely high level and will help us continue to progress in the Big Sky Conference.
"We''re now getting kids that really want to be here and are excited about the program."
Diop, a 6-10 power forward/center, will enter next season as a junior after spending one year at both Southeastern Illinois and Foothill Junior College. Last season, the Dakar, Senegal, native played just one game at Foothill before the school dropped the program.
"Djibril will instantly bring another presence inside," Jenkins said. "He has great hands, a very good presence around the basket and he works extremely hard. He continues to get better and he''s very happy to be a Hornet."
Pugh is no stranger to local basketball fans. The 6-4 forward prepped at Grant High School in Sacramento before enrolling at Massachusetts. In his two years with the Minutemen, Pugh appeared in 28 games and averaged 3.0 points and 1.4 rebounds per contest. As a sophomore, Pugh saw action in 12 games and scored 63 points (5.3 per game) while grabbing 25 rebounds (2.1). His best outing came at Fordham where he scored a career-high 22 points in 22 minutes. He also cracked double-digits at Central Connecticut (11) and Maine (12).
As a high schooler, Pugh helped lead Grant to the Northern California title in 2000. He averaged 17 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three blocks as a senior. During his two years on the varsity team, the Pacers posted an impressive 63-6 overall record.
Pugh was rated as the second-best shooting guard on the West Coast and the 71st-best player in the nation by Bob Gibbons All-Star Report. He was also named the World''s Best Dunker and the 33rd-best dunker of all-time by Slam Magazine.
"Jameel was a great high school basketball player here in Sacramento," Jenkins said. "We''re extremely happy to have a player of his caliber come to the program. He''ll bring a winning attitude, mental toughness and he has played at a high level his entire career."
Diop and Pugh mark the second and third Sacramento State signees of the year. They join Deshawn Freeman (Saint Mary''s High School in Berkeley, Calif.) who signed on with the Hornets in November.
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