SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Throughout the summer, the Sacramento State athletics department will take a look back and honor the student-athletes who have made the biggest impact on their sport over the last 10 years.
To be eligible for the all-decade team, a student-athlete must have played at least one year in their sport between the 2000-01 and 2009-10 academic years, and must have completed their eligibility as a Hornet, or be an active member of the team.
Today marks the announcement of the men’s basketball all-decade team. The squad consists of two guards, two forwards, a center, and one sixth man.
DaShawn Freeman (2002-06), Guard
Four-year starter at point guard...will be inducted into the Sacramento State Men's Basketball Hall of Fame in October...two-time Big Sky all-conference selection, including first team and the league’s defensive player of the during his senior season...the Hornets qualified for the Big Sky Tournament all four years of his career, the only four years Sacramento State has made the league’s postseason event since the team joined the Big Sky in 1996-97...Sacramento State’s all-time leader in games played (115), assists (501), steals (283) and steals per game (2.5)...among Big Sky career leaders, he ranks first all-time in steals and seventh in assists...finished his career with averages of 8.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.5 steals per game...scored 992 points, finishing just eight points shy of becoming the 10th player in school history to amass 1,000 points...never missed a game during his four-year career.
Joel Jones (2001-02, 2003-04), Guard
Played two seasons for the Hornets and redshirted during the 2002-03 season...named honorable mention all-Big Sky during both years with the squad...averaged at least 12.0 points both years, and finished his career with averages of 12.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocked shots per game...one of three Hornets to receive Big Sky all-conference honors multiple times during their careers (DaShawn Freeman and Loren Leath are the others)...became the first Sacramento State basketball player named to a national team squad when he was selected to the Puerto Rican national squad in 2007...competed for Puerto Rico at the 2007 Pan American Games...has played professionally every year since finishing his career at Sacramento State, including stops in Puerto Rico, Poland, Germany and China.
Jason Harris (2004-06), Forward
Finished his two-year career at Sacramento State with averages of 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game...named first team all-conference and the Big Sky’s Newcomer of the Year in 2004-05 after averaging 17.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 7.9 trips to the free-throw line per game...as a junior, he had 11 games with at least 20 points, the most in Sacramento State’s Div. I history (1991-pres.)...shattered the Hornet Div. I record for both free throws made (157) and attempted (213) in 2004-05...the 213 free throw attempts are also the single-season program record...despite playing just two years, he ranks among Sacramento State’s Div. I career leaders in free throws attempted (1st with 338), free throws made (2nd with 251) and points (seventh with 802)...scored in double figures in 39 of his 52 career games.
Jameel Pugh (2003-05), Forward
Played two seasons with the Hornets...redshirted in 2002-03 after transferring from the University of Massachusetts...inducted into the Sacramento State Men's Basketball Hall of Fame last year...finished his career with averages of 12.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 41.0 percent (224-546) from the field and 37.1 percent (73-197) from the three-point line...a first team all-conference selection in 2004-05 after averaging 15.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game...also during that senior season, he scored at least 24 points in four of his last five games of the year, and had seven 20-point games over his final 10 contests...finished as the runner-up at ESPN’s nationally televised College Slam Dunk Championship in 2005 in St. Louis...named the World’s Best Dunker in 2000 and the 33rd-best dunker of all-time by Slam Magazine.
Justin Eller (2007-10), Center
Played three seasons at Sacramento State, and is the only three-year starting center during the decade...never missed a game during his career (87 games), and started 68 of those contests...started at least 17 games all three years...an honorable mention all-Big Sky Conference selection as a senior, he led the Hornets in overall scoring (11.3 ppg) and scoring against Big Sky competition (13.3 ppg) in 2009-10...scored in double figures 17 times during the final 19 games of the year...among Sacramento State’s Div. I-era career leaders, Eller ranks third in free throws attempted (318), fourth in rebounding (455), fifth in free throws made (211) and starts (68), tied for fifth in double-doubles (6), seventh in field goals made (271) and minutes (2,168), eighth in field goals attempted (637), and 10th in points (762) and rebounds per game (5.2).
Loren Leath (2005-09), 6th Man
Played four years for the Hornets, and established himself as the program’s most prolific scorer during Sacramento State’s Div. I era (1991-pres.)...his 1,489 career points not only rank him first in the team’s Div. I history, but also third in program history (1948-pres.)...in addition, his career total of 240 three-pointers are the fourth best mark in program history, and the sixth best mark in Big Sky Conference history...raised his scoring average all four years of his career, culminating in an average of 15.6 points per game during his senior season...scored in double figures 74 times during his career, and played in 112 career games...that included a streak of 110 consecutive games played which spanned four years...also ranks second in Sacramento State history in field goals attempted (1,374) and three-pointers attempted (678), third in field goals (526), tied for third in games played.
Below are links to the first two all-decade teams as well as the remaining schedule.
Wednesday, June 30 - Baseball Friday, July 2 - Men's Basketball
Monday, July 5 - Women’s Basketball
Wednesday, July 7 - Football
Friday, July 9 - Men’s Golf
Monday, July 12 - Women’s Golf
Wednesday, July 14 - Gymnastics
Friday, July 16 - Rowing
Monday, July 19 - Men’s Soccer
Wednesday, July 21 - Women’s Soccer
Friday, July 23 - Softball
Monday, July 26 - Men’s Tennis
Wednesday, July 28 - Women’s Tennis
Friday, July 30 - Men’s Track and Field/Cross County
Monday, Aug. 2 - Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country
Wednesday, Aug. 4 - Volleyball
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Throughout the summer, the Sacramento State athletics department will take a look back and honor the student-athletes who have made the biggest impact on their sport over the last 10 years.
