KATZ BEGINS TENURE BY SIGNING AARON WILSON

4/16/2008

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State first-year head coach Brian Katz announced his first signee of the 2008-09 recruiting class with the news that 6-6, 215-pound Aaron Wilson has committed to play for the Hornets. Wilson will enroll as a sophomore at Sacramento State this fall.

Wilson spent his freshman season (2007-08) playing for Katz at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif. – Katz spent the past 15 season at Delta College before making the move to Sacramento State. Wilson averaged 13.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 30.2 minutes per game last season. He was the second-leading scorer and the leading rebounder for a Delta team that finished the season with a 27-6 overall record and a 12-2 mark in the Big 8 Conference.

A native of Lodi, Calif., Wilson shot 48.4 percent (154-318) from the field last season and 73.5 percent (125-170) from the free throw line. He averaged 5.3 free throw attempts per game, and over half his rebounds came on the offensive glass (4.1 per game). He scored in double figures 21 times – including each of the last seven games of the season – and his season high of 31 points came against Alameda JC on Nov. 9.

“Aaron is a player I’m very familiar with, I’ve seen him play since he was a freshman in high school and I coached him last season at Delta College,” Katz said. “Aaron is a winner, a tough competitor and the type of kid we want to bring into the program. I can’t think of signing a better kid to begin our new era at Sacramento State.”

Wilson prepped at Lodi High School, where he was a three-year member of the varsity squad. He was named the San Joaquin Athletic Association MVP during both his junior and senior seasons. As a senior, he averaged 21.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, and finished with averages of 19.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game as a junior.

Wilson is the first signee of the 2008-09 recruiting class, as Katz still has four remaining scholarships available. Katz was hired on April 10, 2008, to take over a Sacramento State team that finished the 2007-08 season with a 4-24 overall record and a 2-14 mark in the Big Sky Conference.