Sacramento State women’s basketball enters an exciting chapter in the 2025-26 season, a solid blend of transfers, returners and freshmen gearing up for a season full of determination and change.
The Hornets recruited new faces in the offseason while maintaining key players from their quarterfinal run in the Big Sky tournament in March earlier this year.
Six of the 15 players on this year’s roster transferred in, compared to the five transfers brought in for the previous season.
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The Hornets signed junior guard Natalie Picton, who spent the previous two years with last season’s Big Sky champs, Montana State.
Picton averaged 6.3 points last season, while backing up last season’s conference Most Valuable Player, senior guard Esmerelda Morales. In the games that Picton logged over 20 minutes, she averaged 12.5 points on 62% shooting.
Her big game experience, from last season’s March Madness and Big Sky playoff run, can only benefit the Hornets as they compete for a playoff berth this season.
“We signed the number one recruiting class in our conference,” head coach Aaron Kallhoff said. “There’s nothing bad you can say about experience. It brings a lot to the table.”
With a fusion of returners and transfers, the coaching staff took a hands-on approach to establish the new roster.
Kallhoff flew overseas to the Czech Republic to watch sophomore Noemi Arvai compete with Hungary’s national team during the offseason.
Assistant coach Jodi Page also traveled to Malaysia to watch Arvai play against Australia and New Zealand in the Asia Cup earlier this year.
In limited minutes, Arvai averaged 1.8 points per game last season, but is expected to take on a bigger role in her sophomore year. While playing for Hungary, the second-year forward averaged 5.7 points and 3.4 rebounds.
Out of the seven freshmen from last season, sophomore forward Brooklyn Taylor, sophomore guard Rubi Gray and Arvai are the only three returners.
Though many players transferred out, the Hornets pivoted, using the transfer portal to refill most spots.
Creating roster depth was a major priority for the Hornets in their quest to improve on a quarterfinal finish at last season’s Big Sky tournament. With a mixture of six transfers and seven returners, Kallhoff said he got the depth he wanted.
“We’ve got 13 capable bodies right now.” Kallhoff said. “I’d like to see 1-13 all bring it every day to give themselves an opportunity.”
Formulating a roster of skilled and experienced players can alleviate pressure off the starters, ultimately reinforcing teamwork. Though Kallhoff hasn’t confirmed the starting five yet, he said he’s certain on a few players that will get the nod.
Kallhoff confirmed redshirt senior Benthe Versteeg, senior forward Fatoumata Jaiteh, Picton and Gray will start against Stanton University on Monday, Nov. 3.
As changes in the roster continue, there’s a new face on the coaching staff, as well.
The Hornets welcomed Michael Floyd as a new associate head coach on April 18, 2025. Coach Floyd was brought over from Santa Clara University, where he coached for nine seasons and served as the interim head coach last season.
A Murray State graduate, Coach Floyd attended the University of Alabama as a graduate assistant, where he helped lead the Crimson Tide to an “Elite Eight” finish at the NCAA Tournament in 2004.
Kallhoff and Floyd had a previous friendship through coaching that culminated in the Hornets’ latest coaching addition. Coach Floyd joined the Hornets in the spring of 2025 after taking the Broncos to the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament in 2024.
As the preseason comes to a close, Kalhoff isn’t finished making changes off the court.
The Hornets’ head coach plans to implement the “Iron Hornet” belt. This trophy belt shimmers in gold and green, encrusted with the words “All gas, no brakes” upon its crest. Kallhoff said in a post on X that the belt will be awarded after every win to the player who “embodied toughness on both ends of the floor.”
Though the team’s first Iron Hornet has yet to be awarded, Versteeg already tallied a preseason accolade worthy of recognition. Versteeg received the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference MVP on Thursday, Oct. 23.
“It’s an amazing feeling you can’t describe. You put in all the work, and you get news like that,” Versteeg said. “I think that it shows the growth that I’ve made.”
All new beginnings culminate in an inevitable end. Sac State’s tenure in the Big Sky will be over, as the Big West Conference announced the school will join them after this season.
With the Big Sky fading in the horizon, the Hornets aim to capitalize on the final chance to claim the conference as their own.
The Hornets open their season on Monday, Nov. 3 in the new Hornet Pavilion.
“We’re a team that’s going to get after it,” Kallhoff said. “It’s going to be a good brand of basketball.”
