MEN’S BASKETBALL KICKS OFF SEASON WITH HOME EXHIBITION GAME THURSDAY AGAINST MENLO 11/3/2009 SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- With seven returners and eight newcomers on the roster, the Sacramento State men’s basketball squad opens the 2009-10 season this Thursday, Nov. 5, when the team plays its lone exhibition game against Menlo College at 7:05 p.m. inside the Nest. Like all home games this year, admission for the exhibition game is $12 for reserved seating (Sections 3, 7 and 8), $10 for adult general admission (Sections 6 and 10), and $5 for youth general admission (ages 3-17, Sections 6 & 10). For a seating chart, click here. Thursday will serve as a precursor to the Hornets’ first regular season games of the season on Nov. 13-15, when the team competes at the Rice Basketball Challenge in Houston, Texas. The Hornets will play three games over three days against Rice, Houston Baptist and South Alabama, respectively. Thursday’s game will mark one of only three times this month fans can see the Hornets play at home. Sacramento State will play six of its first eight games away from home, with the two remaining home games during that stretch coming against Bethany (home opener on Nov. 18) and UC Riverside (Nov. 28). Coming off a 2008-09 season in which the Hornets had a brand new coaching staff and 12 new players, second-year head coach Brian Katz will look to firmly put his thumb print on the program in 2009-10. With their first full year of recruiting, Katz and his staff put together a recruiting class that included three all-state selections, the junior college state tournament MVP and the JC state player of the year. Of the Hornets’ 15 players on the roster, seven are seniors, five are juniors and three are freshmen. However, only one of those players has more than one year of experience in a Sacramento State uniform as senior center Justin Eller is entering his third year in the Green and Gold. Eller and fellow returners Antonio Flaggs and Mike Marcial are this year’s team captains.