Video games have always been prominent on the Sacramento State campus, but never before has Sac State been involved in a video game like this.

The men’s basketball team is included in the latest ESPN video game, College Hoops 2K5 and has this year’s Hornets team portrayed more accurately than ever.

The game doesn’t include player names — just jersey numbers — but the Hornets roster is completely accurate. All numbers, height, weights and looks are consistent with that of the Sac State media guide.vBoth Jameel Pugh and James Payne wear headbands in the game and Chris Lange sports a wristband on his forearm. Even Head Coach Jerome Jenkins roams the sideline.

The player ratings are pretty close to the Sac State players’ abilities too.Jameel Pugh is one of the game’s best dunkers, with a 99 dunk rating. He is the best player on the Hornets overall, receiving a rating of 73.

“I think it’s great to have someone recognize you and accurately rate you so highly,” Pugh said. “It’s unreal. I am actually in a video game. It’s something I will always be able to look back on.”

Pugh was given an attribute level of 91 on shot aggressiveness, while the next closest rating was Jason Harris at 61. Pretty accurate considering in the first five games, Pugh has taken a team-high 68 shots, while Harris has taken 57 — second on the team.

The Hornets Nest is close enough to the real arena and the court is exact.A team of 15-to-20 Sega basketball geeks, who base their ratings off of statistics, research and general knowledge, come up with the ratings for the players and teams.

Matt Atwood, public relations director for ESPN video games, said the goal of the game designers is to create an accurate overall image of the teams.

The Hornets are one of four teams in the Big Sky Conference rated at 71 overall. The best Big Sky team is Portland State (73), while the worst team is Montana State (70). The highest rated team in the game is North Carolina (92).

UC Davis is also in the game, and is matched with Sac State as one of the game’s rivalry match-ups. The Aggies are rated 67. Eerily enough, in a State Hornet computer simulation of the recent game versus the two teams, the Hornets blew a 15-point first half lead. This time though, they held on for a 66-56 victory.

The game features classic NCAA teams, but surprisingly enough, the 2003-04 Hornets squad is not included.