Two weeks ago, Sonoma State University shocked the California State University system and even made national news when deciding to cut all of its athletic departments.
SSU has produced many successful athletes including San Francisco State University’s own Vince Inglima, the head coach of the men’s basketball team.
Inglima felt worried after hearing about his alma mater’s decision to cancel their athletic programs.
“It’s just really sad,” said Inglima, an SSU Athletics Hall of Fame 2012 honoree. “I had great times and memories there. I still know a lot of people there. So yeah, pretty crushing blow for them and me personally. I really worry about the university as a whole if they’re having to make those kinds of cuts.”
But how does SSU’s recent decision affect SFSU athletics?
Inglima had been a part of the athletics task force this past year and addressed his thoughts on any potential danger SFSU’s athletics could be facing.
“I feel good about the process,” Inglima said. “There’s some belt-tightening that’s going to happen, there’s gonna be some challenging times ahead. But I’m optimistic that we can still do good things and have a positive impact on student-athletes as well as the campus and the community.”
This isn’t the first time California universities have had to eliminate athletic programs due to budget cuts. SFSU cut its football program in 1994 and SSU followed suit by cutting its football program just two years later.
UC Berkeley almost lost their baseball team in 2010, but donors raised enough money to save the program. In 2011, they made it to the NCAA College World Series and finished fifth in the country.
SFSU baseball head coach Tony Schifano weighed in on how he’s approaching the lingering possibility of budget cuts coming to SFSU athletics.
“President Mahoney has been very transparent about the potential cuts across the board,” Schifano said. “What I told my players, alumni and people that I’m close with is that we’re bracing for the worst and hoping for the best.”
Current SSU players and coaches were shocked by the recent news to eliminate all athletics.
Hawk Hill, an SSU baseball pitcher, was walking to class when he received an email notification on his phone.
Hill was distraught when reading his email detailing the university’s historic budget cuts. He’s most concerned about his teammates and coaches having to find a new school to call home.
“It was upsetting, it was kind of sickening, it made you feel uneasy,” Hill said. “We had no idea that our coaches and faculty that were fired also found out through that email. The first thing that went to my mind was my coach [Jacob Gersez] and everything he’s sacrificed for this team.”
Hill transferred to SSU prior to this spring and has been on campus for just six months, but he shared how much he’s enjoyed his time there.
“This place just feels like home,” Hill said. “I’ve never been happier before. I don’t want this to be my last year here. The love and the culture and the connections that we’ve built in this baseball program… I know I can walk into my coaches’ offices and talk about anything going on in my life that I’m struggling with or need help with.”
SSU baseball outfielder Jaden Pickowitz is entering his second season with the Seawolves and shares the same love and compassion for his coaches.
“It was a shock because we had no indication of it even happening… it kinda leaves you speechless,” said Pickowitz. “Three of our coaches are in their first year here and they came in expecting to have a career here, and they get told through an email that they have to look for a different place to work.”
SSU baseball assistant coach Dom Sebastiani is in his first season with the program after eight seasons coaching junior college baseball.
“We were having a meeting between our coaching staff when our coach [Jacob Garsez] looked at his phone confused and just muttered ‘cut athletics,’” Sebastiani said. “We were all taken back by it. Players started reaching out to us and it was all pretty crazy.”
SSU’s athletic programs have produced multiple professional athletes, including football Hall of Fame offensive guard Larry Allen, baseball relief pitcher Scott Alexander and basketball player Jaylen Wells, who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies and leads rookies in total points and 3-pointers made this season. Wells became the first SSU basketball alum to play in the NBA.
Wells spoke to ABC 7 News Bay Area about his role in raising awareness for SSU athletics.
“I think the best decision in my career was going to Sonoma State,” Wells said. “Just going to a place that believed in me, had a plan for me and just allowed me to be me.”
Wells has been vocal about recovering his alma mater’s athletic programs by spreading the hashtag #SaveSeawolvesAthletics.
The recent outrage by SSU students, faculty and alums following the decision to eliminate more than 20 academic departments, as well as completely cut all athletic programs, led to hundreds of students and faculty protesting at the interim president’s town hall meeting, which addressed the massive budget cuts last week.
The biggest complaints have been about how the message was delivered: a mass email. The announcement left not only the SSU community in confusion but also sparked uncertainty at other CSUs like SFSU.
Every NCAA university gives student-athletes the opportunity to voice their opinions on rules and policies regarding college athletics through the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Nick Cook is an outfielder for the SFSU baseball team and is one of SFSU’s members of SAAC. Even as a SAAC member, Cook doesn’t know what’s around the corner for SFSU athletics.
“We’re in the dark right now,” Cook said. “We don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes.”
A photo caption has been edited for accuracy.
