Loren Leath, a member of the Sacramento State Men’s Basketball Hall of Fame, completed his second season as assistant coach in 2023-24. He was named to the position on June 6, 2022, by head coach David Patrick.
Leath was part of a Hornet staff that began laying the foundation in 2022-23. Sacramento State won 14 games, easily the most by a first-year coaching staff in Sacramento State’s Div. I era (1991-pres.), and the third best mark in program history (1948-pres.). In addition, the team was a top six seed at the Big Sky Conference Tournament for just the second time in 16 years. In fact, the Hornets received a first round bye at the tournament for the first time since joining the conference in 1996.
Last season (2023-24), the Hornets’ semifinal appearance at the Big Sky Tournament marked the first time the team had won two games at the postseason event since joining the league in 1996. Sacramento State fell in the semifinals in a tightly contested 74-71 loss to eventual tournament champion Montana State. In addition, the Hornets were one of four Div. I teams in the country to play their freshmen over 40% of the team’s total minutes.
The coaching staff promised the Hornets would defend and rebound, and Sacramento State has done exactly that. The Hornets have led the Big Sky in rebounding margin both seasons of Leath's tenure, and finished among the top 25 teams in the nation both years. That includes ranking 22nd with a +6.4 margin in 2023-24, and 18th in the nation with a +6.0 in 2022-23. In addition, the Hornets have finished third in the league both seasons in scoring defense.
Leath was named to the Silver Waves Media 100 Rising Stars Mid-Major Assistants list at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.
No stranger to the Green and Gold, Leath shined as a shooting guard for the Hornets from 2005-09. He is the program’s fifth all-time leading scorer, including third in the Div. I era (1991-pres.), with 1,489 career points. Leath is the only Hornet during the Div. I era to average double figures in points all four seasons of his career, and was a member of the 2000-10 Hornet all-decade team. A two-time all-Big Sky Conference selection, Leath missed just four games during his career and was inducted into the Sacramento State Men’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Leath averaged better than 11 points per game all four seasons, which included a 17.4 ppg average in Big Sky play as a senior. His 41 points and nine 3-pointers in 2008 at Northern Colorado remain the Hornet Div. I era single-game records. In addition, he buried over 50 3-pointers all four seasons, and his 240 career 3-balls rank first in Sacramento State’s Div. I era, and fourth all-time.
Born in Oakland with roots in Los Angeles, Leath spent 10 years with the program he grew up playing for - the AAU powerhouse Oakland Soldiers under the guidance of his uncle and Soldiers President Mark Olivier. Leath spent a decade with the program either as a coach (2012-16) or Vice President (2016-22). The program plays in the Elite Youth Basketball League and won a pair of EYBL championships, making the Soldiers one of the few programs in the country that can boast multiple titles.
During Leath’s tenure, the Soldiers saw over 100 of their players receive Div. I scholarships, and 11 former Soldiers are currently playing in the NBA. In fact, Leath was named among the top 100 most impactful people in men’s collegiate basketball by Silver Waves Media. As Vice President, Leath created other Soldier chapters throughout California, including San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Stockton and Sacramento. He also started the first women’s program, and dubbed them the Lady Soldiers.
Leath got to know Patrick over the last decade, when Patrick recruited a number of Soldiers players.
Prior to Sacramento State, Leath was raised back and forth between Oakland and Los Angeles where he attended 15 different schools. He finished his high school career at Cleveland HS in Los Angeles where he was back court mates with eventual 13-year NBA veteran Nick Young. Leath was an all-state, all-city, and all-area selection as a senior at Cleveland.
Leath graduated from Sacramento State with a mass media communications degree in 2009. After his collegiate career, he played professionally in France and Spain before eventually turning his attention to coaching.
Leath and his wife, Brittani, have three children - London (14) and Myoko (5) and Capri (1).
NBA players connected to Leath and the Soldiers
Jalen Green - 2021 NBA 1st round pick (2nd overall)
Aaron Gordon - 2014 NBA 1st round pick (4th overall)
Stanley Johnson - 2015 NBA 1st round pick (8th overall)
Ziaire Williams - 2021 NBA 1st round pick (10th overall)
Josh Christopher - 2021 NBA 1st round pick (24th overall)
Peyton Watson - 2022 NBA 1st round pick (30th overall)
Christian Koloko - 2022 NBA 2nd round pick (33rd overall)
Ivan Rabb - 2017 NBA 2nd round pick (35th overall)
Stephen Zimmerman - 2016 NBA 2nd round pick (41st overall)
Chimezie Metu - 2018 NBA 2nd round pick (49th overall)
Kenyon Martin Jr. - 2020 NBA 2nd round pick (52nd overall)
Cameron Oliver - Houston Rockets (2020-21)/Atlanta Hawks (2021-pres.)
Scotty Pippen Jr. - Los Angeles Lakers (2022-pres.)
Gabe Vincent - Miami Heat (2019-pres.)
Jordan Ford - NBA G-League/2-way player (Los Angeles Clippers)
James Akinjo - NBA G-League (New York Knicks)
