Hype and the Sacramento State men’s basketball program have historically gone together about as well as Terrell Owens and quarterbacks.

But amid the ‘hoop’la of Hornet Hollywood Hoopfest last Thursday the program finds itself playing an unfamiliar role: media darlings.

The Hornets have been selected to win the Big Sky by The Sports Network, were selected to finish second by The Sporting News and third by both Lindy’s and Street and Smith’s basketball magazines. Previously the Hornets had not been picked to finish higher than fifth since joining the Big Sky in 1996.

Senior guard-forward Jason Harris has been selected as the Big Sky’s preseason player of the year by five different publications while Lindy’s tabbed senior point guard DaShawn Freeman the league’s best playmaker. No Hornet has ever been honored with a preseason player of the year award.

“This year the proof’s in the pudding,” Freeman said. “I have faith that we’re going to go far.”

Freeman was introduced at Hoopfest dressed as “New Jack City” gangster Nino Brown, which seems appropriate ?” he’s an incorrigible thief on the basketball floor. Last season Freeman easily led the Big Sky in steals averaging 2.9 per game, and that mark was the ninth best in all of Division I.

After seeing Freeman in his Nino Brown get-up, it’s going to be hard for me not to envision him uttering a memorable line from that movie to opposing guards: “Sit your five-dollar ass down before I make change!”

Harris, on the other hand, chose to come out as Spiderman, which may as well be his basketball persona as well. With great power comes great responsibility and Harris is expected to be the Hornets catalyst after averaging 17.5 points and 4.6 rebounds last season.

“We want Jason to have a big year,” Hornets coach Jerome Jenkins said. “The better he does, the easier the game will come.”

Jenkins sported a costume of his own last Thursday night as he strutted out of the tunnel and into the gym and the 2005 season in a black robe with the ominous Star Wars imperial theme booming on the sound system. While Jenkins is decidedly not evil, he certainly is a mastermind. Two years ago his recruiting class included Alex Bausley and as a sophomore last year he was the Hornets third leading scorer at 10.4 points per game. Last year he brought in another 6-foot-6 swingman in Davon Roberts, who according to teammates will play a vital role this year along with newcomers Justin Williams and Clark Woods.

But the question remains, with the increased expectations, how will the team respond?

“Oh that’s easy,” Jenkins said. “I keep the guys pretty grounded, I remind them that we haven’t won anything yet.”

The message appears to have been well taken.

Said Harris: “We haven’t won anything yet.”

Harris added that the team needs to focus on its goals and near the top of that list is playing Texas in what is potentially Sac State’s second game if it beats Samford in the opener in Austin, Texas. Depending on their own result, the Hornets play the winner or loser of the Longhorns’ game against Southern.

“We want to play Texas, I want to play Texas,” said Harris, a Henderson, Texas native whose mother and sister still reside there.

Those games are part of the Guardians Classic a 16-team tournament with 16 different conferences represented. The Hornets participated in the event in the 2001-02 season but lost decisively to both Old Dominion (69-52) and Wofford (56-46). This year the Hornets enter with hopes of making noise on the national scene by advancing to play Texas. Regardless of their opponent, the second game will be televised live on ESPNU.

That kind of exposure is key for a program on the rise, said Jenkins who had a front row seat to Gonzaga crashing the national basketball scene in the late 1990s when he was an assistant at Eastern Washington from 1997-99.

“I’m not saying we’re Gonzaga,” Jenkins said. “But this program is making progress – and is deserving of the attention.”

So sit back, relax and enjoy basketball fans. This season at the Nest figures to be the best in recent memory. Freeman put it best following the split-squad scrimmage last Thursday night.

“Enjoy the show,” he said. “Because we will put on a show.”

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John Parker can be reached at [email protected]