When the Sacramento State men’s basketball team joined Division I of the NCAA in 1991, John Dickson was in diapers.

The Hornets have never reached the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, however. But the 6-foot-6-inch, 185-pound guard/forward hopes that over the next three years he can be a reason for that to change.

Dickson could have gone to schools with a more storied history than Sac State. He could have gone to the alma mater of NBA Hall-of-Famers Bill Russell and K.C. Jones and played in his home city of San Francisco at the University of San Francisco. But the 19-year-old decided he wanted to blaze his own trail.

“I came to Sac State because I wanted to make some history and turn the program around,” Dickson said.

Dickson played his high school ball at Fairfield High School under head coach Eddie Wilson. Wilson was someone who not only gave Dickson his first taste of varsity basketball, but he also taught Dickson the importance of humility and maturity.

During his last game as a Falcon his senior year, Wilson benched Dickson during the playoffs due to a verbal altercation he had with an assistant coach. It was a decision that Dickson said helped him learn a lot about basketball.

“I had to learn that basketball was more about being a team,” Dickson said. “You got to be a team to win.”

Dickson said Wilson helped him learn a lot during his time at Fairfield High.

“(Wilson) gave me my first opportunity to play varsity,” Dickson said. “He is very honest, a great person and I love him to death.”

The summer before he enrolled at Sac State, many, including Hornets’ head coach Brian Katz, believed Dickson would redshirt. At the time, he was 6 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed 165 pounds. He would likely have to sit out a year to put on weight and get stronger.

Dickson had other thoughts.

“I came here thinking I was going to play, help the team out and win some games,” Dickson said. “I can’t sit out and watch someone play basketball. I have to be in the game.”

Dickson took a train from Fairfield to Sacramento a few times a week to work out with the Hornets. He would then take those workouts back to Fairfield and try to recreate them the rest of the week.

The results were staggering. By the time he arrived at Sac State, he had sprouted another inch and put on 15 pounds.

“He did a really good job after we signed him on the weights,” Katz said. “He put on 15 pounds of muscle through his hard work and weight training. That is what gave him a chance to play.”

Dickson’s work ethic has made an impression on his teammates, especially senior tri-captain Justin Eller.

“It’s exciting to see young guys like (Dickson) who have the work ethic of people who have been in the program for two or three years,” Eller said. “He already has that part of it figured out.”

However, the question is not Dickson’s work ethic or his ability. It is his leadership. Can he be the face of Sac State basketball going forward? Can he be the guy to lead the Hornets to their first-ever NCAA tournament bid in the future?

Dickson certainly thinks so.

Wilson said he sees Dickson as a natural leader.

“He has innate leadership skills because he is receptive to the things his coaches say,” Wilson said. “He is extremely loyal and he is committed to doing well.”

Eller also sees the leadership potential Dickson possesses.

“A lot of the guys respect him and a lot of the guys listen to him,” Eller said. “I think that over the years he is going to grow into a leadership role easily.”

Katz has already begun to have conversations with Dickson about his leadership qualities.

“I think leadership is more than just one or two people,” Katz said. “Everybody’s got to lead a little bit everyday, but I have specifically talked to him about that and I would like to see him develop into a leader. At some point I believe that he will.”

Dickson believes he is already a leader.

“Even though I am young, I like to show people I can be a leader,” Dickson said. “I lead by example and work hard.”

The freshman finished third on the team in scoring at 9.7 points per game and grabbed 3.6 rebounds a contest. Katz said he sees Dickson has a knack for rebounding the ball.

“I feel at some point he should lead the conference in rebounding,” Katz said. “He is long and athletic and has a nose for the ball.”

That nose for the ball could be genetic. Dickson’s mother, Kelli Danner, is a former college basketball player at Eastern Washington University. Despite the fact that basketball has been in his blood for much of his life, Dickson never felt pressured to play the sport that his mother grew up playing.

“My mom never pushed me towards basketball,” Dickson said. “Even if I didn’t want to play basketball she would be on my side.”

His basketball IQ is also something that can be attributed to having a former college basketball player as his mother.

“From an X’s and O’s standpoint, he is a sponge,” Wilson said. “He soaks everything up. His mom did a great job of raising him.”

Fairfield High School is not known as a basketball hotbed. Dickson is the first player from the school to earn a Division I basketball scholarship. But the impact Dickson left is something Wilson will always remember.

“He probably has the greatest work ethic of any player we have ever coached at Fairfield,” Wilson said. “Because of that, he became the most successful athlete we have ever had. I would argue that our impact at Fairfield High on him was less than his impact on us.”

Wilson and Dickson still speak a few times a week.

The next step for Dickson is the only step he sees for his career at Sac State: an NCAA Tournament bid.

“Going to the NCAA Tournament is my No. 1 goal,” Dickson said.

But he realizes Sac State must work together to get there.

“We all have to become one big family and trust in one another,” Dickson said. “We have to work hard in the offseason, become stronger and faster. We showed earlier in the season against Oregon State that we can dominate, we just have to put out the effort every game.”

Ross Coleman can be reached at [email protected]