California State University - Sacramento Men's Basketball

Dr. August Mendes enters his first season at Sacramento State as assistant coach in 2025-26.   Since 2011, Mendes has been an experienced basketball professional whose career includes player development, scouting, and basketball operations across various levels of the basketball industry. With a passion for coaching and academics, Mendes provides an innovative high energy coaching style with a winning track record. A native of Chicago, Ill., Mendes most recently served as the Director of NIL Strategy and assistant coach for the Nike EYBL National Team at Bella Vista College Prep (AZ), a role he began in August of 2024. Under his guidance, Bella Vista posted a 21–6 record, winning Arizona’s first-ever Beach Ball Classic championship, as well as the Nike EYBL Scholastic regular season conference title - the most competitive high school basketball league in the country. Mendes also helped lead Bella Vista to its first appearance at the Chipotle Nationals tournament. Chipotle National is known as the most prestigious high school event in the country - his fourth overall trip to the tournament during his coaching career. The team closed the season ranked eighth in the nation by ESPN. His winning track record includes assistant coach and video coordinator at national powerhouse Arizona Compass Prep (AZ) in 2022–23, where the team finished 24–6 and earned a national runner-up finish at GEICO Nationals. The program produced seven Div. I commits that year, including the school’s first McDonald’s All-American Mookie Cook. Mendes has also served in roles as scout for the Puerto Rican U19 National Team (2022). He has contributed to basketball operations at the NBA Draft Combine (2015–20), furthering his diverse experience at professional levels. A significant achievement for Mendes was being selected as lead coach at the 2019 Jordan Brand Invitational in Taiwan. There, he coached the event’s top 52 collegiate prospects in the country, focused on player development, film study significance, and leadership skill building. From 2014-19, Mendes was a key part of the coaching staff at Shadow Mountain High School (AZ) under Mike Bibby. During that run, Shadow Mountain captured four consecutive state titles, amassed a 157–21 overall record, and maintained a 72-game winning streak. That includes an undefeated streak at home for six straight years. The program also became the first public school in Arizona history to qualify for the Dick’s National Tournament featuring future collegiate and NBA players.   In 2010, he founded Top of the Chain Basketball LLC, a high performance development company that has served NBA, NCAA, and elite high school athletes. Through Top of the Chain Basketball, he led custom NBA pre-draft training programs, specializing in preparing athletes for peak performance results. His basketball journey began in 2011 at Attack Athletics in Chicago, training under the guidance of Tim Grover at one of the country’s premier athlete performance facilities.   Mendes recently earned his PhD in general psychology (emphasis on performance psychology) from Grand Canyon in 2024. He completed both a master’s degree in education leadership (2014), and bachelor’s degree in physical education (2010) from Arizona.

After an impressive playing career in a Sacramento State uniform, Zach Chappell returned to his alma mater as assistant coach prior to the 2024-25 season. He is back for a second season in 2025-26 as the Assistant General Manager. Chappell completed a pro season of basketball in Germany in 2024 after three highly successful years as a player at Sacramento State (2020-23). Chappell was an all-Big Sky Conference performer as a senior in 2022-23. A Sacramento native who prepped at Capital Christian High School, Chappell scored 860 points in a Hornet uniform despite playing just 74 games over two and a half seasons (missed first half of 2020-21 with injury). His career averages with the Hornets include 11.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game. A two-year starter, Chappell averaged better than 11 points each of his final two years. That culminated in a senior season that saw him start 31 games while leading the team in scoring (13.5 ppg). A double figure scorer on 20 occasions as a senior, Chappell had a habit for hitting big shots, which included game-winning buckets in the closing moments against Long Beach State, Idaho and Denver. He was the College Insider National Player of the Week after hitting buzzer beaters against Denver and Long Beach State over a four-day span. During his Sacramento State career, Chappell scored in double figures 42 times. Prior to the Hornets, he spent two seasons at San Jose State (2018-20), and finished his collegiate career with 1,203 points.   A Big Sky Conference all-academic selection and NABC Honors Roll recipient, Chappell graduated from Sacramento State with a philosophy degree in 2022. He is currently working on his master’s degree in recreation administration.  

Longtime strength and conditioning guru Al Biancani Ed.D is joining forces with head coach Mike Bibby, and will enter his first season as the Hornets’ Director of Strength and Conditioning in 2025-26. With a remarkable track record spanning nearly four decades of conditioning world-class athletes, Biancani brings an unparalleled blend of experience, innovation, and leadership to the Hornets. Long recognized as one of the premier strength and conditioning coaches in the country, Biancani first crossed paths with Bibby while he was the Sacramento Kings head strength and conditioning coach. When Biancani was first named to the Kings staff in 1987, he became the second-ever strength coach hired by an NBA team. Bibby developed a relationship with Biancani while he starred for the Kings from 2001-08. Biancani spent 18 years with the Sacramento Kings (1987-05), and has owned his own fitness company (Biancani Fitness Dynamics) since 1983. Between 1983 and 2005, Biancani trained every professional athlete (all sports) in the Sacramento area. Fittingly, Biancani began his coaching career at his alma mater, Sacramento State, as a graduate assistant coach with the track and field team in 1967. The Elko, Nev., native spent two years (1965-67) as a rare three-sport athlete for the Hornets, starring in football (running back), track and field (sprinter), and cross country. Biancani was captain of the track and field team and was the school record holder in the 400. The 2025-26 season will be his third coaching stint at Sacramento State, as he was an assistant coach with the track and field team from 1985-87. Not only did he work for the Sacramento Kings, he also spent six years with the WNBA’s Sacramento Monarchs, and four seasons with the Sacramento Knights of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). The author of 25 publications, a speaker at numerous National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) national conventions, and a presenter at national and international workshops, clinics and seminars, Biancani has trained over 100 All-Americans. He has worked with numerous professional athletes from an array of sports, including basketball, football, baseball, soccer and boxing. Between 1976 and 1987, he was a sprints coach, which includes serving as head coach of the Stanislaus State track and field team from 1976-83. He also had international coaching stops with the Canadian Olympic track and field team in 1976, and the Nigerian national track and field team in 1981. In fact, Biancani learned the Mach sprint drills (the ABC series) in Canada, and was the first to introduce the drills in the United States. In addition, in 1972, he was the first to develop adjustable width starting blocks. Internationally, he was the head strength and conditioning coach for the Chinese Women’s national basketball team (2009-13), the Chinese Men’s National B Team (2009), and the Chinese Women’s Olympic Basketball Team (2008). He helped coach the Chinese women to a fourth place finish at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. He also coached junior national teams in China, Taiwan and Liaoning. Biancani received his doctorate of education (physical education) from Utah State in 1972, master’s in physical education from Sacramento State in 1968, and bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1967. Biancani has three children, four grandchildren and two great grandkids.