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By now, you know the NCAA penalized Fresno State men's basketball three scholarships for next season - the governing body for college athletics averaged the number of scholarships Fresno State awarded during the last four years (11) and subtracted by one.
This was the program's penalty for a historically low Academic Progress Rate.
Coach Steve Cleveland called the calculation "unfair" because it includes circumstances that Fresno State has already been punished for.
Fresno State awarded just nine scholarships in 2003-04 because of self-imposed scholarship reductions. They were a result of a former team statistician writing 17 papers for three players and being paid $1,500.
As a result, Fresno State also imposed a two-year probation and postseason ban. Later, the NCAA placed Fresno State on probation through 2010.
Fresno State awarded 11 scholarships in 2004-05 and 2005-06. The number increased to 13 last season.
Fair or unfair?
By the way, this is Fresno State's annual APR scores: (Each new score is averaged to create a multi-year score. The annual score doesn't mean anything, other than to show immediate improvements or vise versa.)
2003-04 - 611
2004-05 - 818
2005-06 - 905
2006-07 - 885
Current multi-year APR - 816
Rob Lowery, a point guard Fresno state was recruiting, signed a letter of intent to play at the University of Dayton, according to the Dayton Daily News . Lowery, who knows Eddie Miller and plays at the same JuCo Miller used to (Cecil College), could have hopped to Fresno and received (probably) significant minutes. Here's a conversation Gary Estwick and I had after finding out about Lowery. We discuss Lowery, the team and a lot of other things ...
Daniel: Just found out Rob Lowery signed to play at University of Dayton ... What’s up with that? Why would you want to play at Dayton?
Gary: Well it’s closer to home [from Maryland]. And Dayton is closer to Cincinnati than Fresno is to LA or the Bay area…
Continue reading "Rob Lowery commits elsewhere. Here's what we thought ..." »
Center James Tchana said Wednesday night he will leave Fresno State after the spring semester and enroll at Long Island University, a Division II school in his adopted hometown. Tchana said he has given the school an oral commitment. He will have two years of eligibility remaining when he signs later this month.
Also, Paul George, a senior at Knight High-Palmdale, signed with the Bulldogs, becoming the first spring recruit added to the incoming class.
George averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds last season, and his team reached the first round of the state playoffs. He gives Fresno State depth in the backcourt, where he will share time at small forward with rising senior Dwight O’Neil. George can also play power forward, although coach Steve Cleveland wants him to gain weight in the coming months.
Tchana, a native of Douala, Cameroon, played in 15 games last season, and averaged 1.2 points and 0.6 rebounds.
The improvement of rising sophomores Nedeljko Golubovic and Brandon Webster and next season’s addition of Arizona State transfer Sylvester Seay was expected to further minimize Tchana’s role.
Paul George, a senior at Palmdale's Knight High School, said Monday he will sign later this week at Fresno State.
It's funny that the two parties didn't get together last year, before George signed with Pepperdine. It wasn't until Vance W. left the school and George asked for and received his release that he looked hard at Fresno State, and the Bulldogs did the same.
In the end, he will stay close to home - maybe not as close as the Los Angeles area, but driving distance.
George reminds me of New Mexico State's Herb Pope, a big bodied guy who can handle the ball and shoot and play like a guard. George probably won't show up in Fresno as strong as Pope, but he has four or five years to improve.
In less than 48 hours, we might find out how Rob Lowery of Cecil College decides to spend his next two years; he's deciding between Fresno State and Central Florida. He played last season at the same junior college which produced Eddie Miller.
The Bulldogs already have Reggie Moore's services in the fall, but they want a second point guard, along with an athletic power forward - a perimeter shooter would be nice.
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Power forward Joey Cameron will receive his release from a Fresno State scholarship in the coming days, coach Steve Cleveland told me earlier today. For those of you wondering how this affect next season's incoming class...
It's actually good news for the Dogs... Cameron was a good pickup, but Fresno State is now in a position to contend for several players that offer a bigger impact.
Among others, Fresno State is recruiting Paul George, a former Pepperdine signee, JeJuan Brown, a former Vanderbilt forward, and point guard Rob Lowery, who hails from the same junior college as Bulldogs senior Eddie Miller.
Cameron was a defense/rebound kinda player. He hails from the same junior college as Shawn Taylor. He may develop into a solid Division I player, but it wasn't worth the risk for him to move out West... He will likely settle at a school much closer to his home in Atlanta. He's married, and has a wife out there... Fresno is a long way from the life he has become accustomed to.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The Fresno State women are heading to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, thanks to Saturday afternoon's victory over New Mexico State in the WAC finals at the Pan American Center... View video
1:48 - p.m. Tick, tick, tick on the clock... Less than two minutes left, and the Bulldogs can start celebrating...
1:38 p.m. Tierre Wilson just picked up her third foul... Might not matter, with time running out for the Aggies. Wilson has a game-high 17 points...
1:36 p.m. - Yesterday, the Aggies came back from a 19-point deficit against Boise State... The Aggies are trailing 55-37 right now... 6:06 left in the second half...
1:30 p.m. - FS 48, NMS 33... The Bulldogs are happy to trade baskets, now that they are ahead. The Aggies are missing all kinds of shots at the rim... Oh there goes Tierre WIlson on another layup. 50 points for the Bulldogs.
1:11 p.m. - Tierre Wilson's 3-pointer wit 16:12 left gave the Bulldogs their third 3-pointer of the second half. Wilson has scored five points, and Ross six - both of her shots from behind the arc. FS 39, NMS 27.
1:05 p.m. - During halftime, I ate perhaps the worst baked chicken ever in the media dining area... Chicken is supposed to tate like chicken, not air.
12:50 p.m. - It's halftime over here. Fresno State 28, New Mexico State 23... Erica Henry scored on a putback with four seconds left.
Henry has seven points. Tierre Wilson also has seven. Bailey Amundsen, the only Fresno State player to make a 3-pointer, leads the Bulldogs with eight points off the bench...
Anikia Jawara leads the aggies with 11 points... The good news if you're a Fresno State fan is: Figure out a way to stop Jawara and the game is yours. The bad news: You gotta stop her to do it.
Jawara is finishing at the rim over Erica Henry and Hayley Munro.
12:45 p.m. - Bailey Amundsen makes Fresno State's first 3-pointer. Guess the tenth shot was the charm.
12:39 p.m. - LaShaunte Stephens' layup with 3:42 left in the first half gives Fresno State its first lead... FS 19, NMS 17... The Aggies have 10 fouls.
12:30 p.m. - One day after setting a WAC tournament record for most 3-pointers in a game (13), the Bulldogs have gone more than half of the first half with making one. Missed all eight attempts...
12:25 p.m. - An Emma Stephens shoulder just sent NMS' Bribiescas to the locker room, only after laying on the Pan American Center court for a minute or so.
12:21 p.m. - Anikia Jawara has 10 points, and is dominating the Bulldogs on offense. They hare making it too easy for her to catch the ball in the post. NMS 13, FS, 5.
12:11 p.m. - Bulldogs have yet to score, and 15:55 remains in the first half... NMS's zone is really aggressive. A few possessions ago, Sherell Neal slapped the ball out of Tierre Wilson's hand as she stood on the perimeter. NMS 5, FS, 0.
12:05 p.m. - Senior guard Monique Bribiescas - inserted in the lineup because of Madison Spence's ankle injury Friday afternoon - drew first blood, draining a 3-pointer in the corner off an inbounds. NMS 3, FS, 0
11:58 a.m. - Win or lose, the Bulldogs will get back to Fresno in time to sleep in their beds tonight... The team will take a charter flight home immediately after today's noon game against NMS in the WAC finals.
I thought about standing on the runway with my thumb out, but that never seems to work for me...
NMS earned spots in both the women’s and men's finals... Some will argue that they paid their way into the games, it's state legislature throwing money around to outbid the rest of the conference... Maybe. And so what.
If another school wanted to host the games, all they had to do was outbid em... And the WAC tournament is moving to Reno next year anyway, so Nevada will enjoy a sizeable advantage...
Coaches want to move the WAC tournament to neutral sites, while athletic directors voted 5-4 for Reno over Salt Lake City for 2009 and 2010... It's a money thing.
The Bulldogs women are one step away from unfamiliar territory, one victory away from their first NCAA Tournament berth.
No. 1 Fresno State beat No. 5 seed Louisiana Tech for the third time this season, but this 85-58 win in the WAC semiifinals was the most important.
Jaleesa Ross scored 21 points, and Hayley Munro had 19. Emma Andrews added 16. Tierre Wilson scored six points on 3-of-9 shooting.
Heading to the press conference. We'll have some video up later...
WAC Player of the Year Tierre Wilson played just 14 points, and was 2 of 7 from the field, but No. 1 seed Fresno State didn't need much of its senior during the first half of Friday's WAC tournament semifinals against No. 5 seed LaTech.
Jaleesa Ross picked up the slack, scoring 13 points, and Hayley Munro scored 10 points, most of her shots coming early in the half as Fresno State lead as much as 12.
Nastassi Levingston and Adrienne Johnson scored eight points apiece for LaTech.
Louisiana Tech's zone is leaving Fresno State shooters open, and Hayley Munro and Company are making the La. Bulldogs pay for it... She has eight points, including two 3-pointers... Emma Andrews also has two 3-pointers. Fresno State is 5 of 10 on 3-pointers.
LaTech has since switched to man defense.
There's like 80,000 kids in the stands for this early game... And they're excited not to be in school, I'm guessing by their eagerness to cheer.
An earlier cheer didn't work, with fans on both sides cheering for The Bulldogs. Gotta narrow down the Dogs for this game...
Tierre Wilson looked OK in warmups... Wonder if she slept on an ice pack.
A few tidbits: Jaleesa Ross needs eight 3-pointers to set the single-season 3-point record... Fresno State is 18-3 when leading at halftime... LaTech is 16-2 all-time in the WAC tournament.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Alex Blair scored a career-high 14 points and Kevin Bell became Fresno State's all-time assists leader, but neither could stop JaVale McGee from making his impact in the WAC quarterfinals.
The 7 foot forward from Nevada scored 22 points to lead No. 2 seed Nevada to a 64-57 win over No. 7 Fresno State at the Pan American Center.
Nevada advances to play No. 3 seed New Mexico State Friday in the WAC semifinals.
Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland ends his third season with a 13-19 record, his first losing mark in Fresno.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - While the Bulldogs held Marceleus Kemp scoreless in the first half, JaVale McGee scored 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting, and the Wolf Pack lead 31-19 at halftime of this quarterfinal game of the WAC tournament.
McGee seemed as if he didn't like Alex Blair dunking on him in the first half... So minutes later, he did the same to Nedeljko Golubovic. Reverse jam. Wow.
Blair leads Fresno State with six points. Kevin Bell is 1 of 7 from the field.
Well... they were. Couldn't write blog fast enough for the Dogs to keep 6-2 lead, or the one at 12-7.
Nevada now leads 15-12 after tossing the ball inside a few times. And just now, JaVale McGee made a 3-pointer - he's 7 feet tall; he's not supposed to shoot 3-pointers! - and the Wolf Pack now lead 20-12.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - He missed the evening meal here at the Pan American Center.
He looks a tad cranky. I offered him a bottled water... He refused. I wanna say something else, rub it in (The chicken wasn't bad!), one of my better traits.
Maybe I shouldn't.
I'm daydreaming about the sweet potato fries I had this afternoon.
Just watch New Mexico State's women beat Hawaii. Churning butter couldn't have been much worse...
He's on my right, tweaking a column. What's for dinner over here?
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Jaleesa Ross came within one point of her career high with 23 points, and Tierre Wilson shook off a nasty fall late in the first half to score 15 as the No. 1 seeded Fresno State women's basketball team advanced past No. 9 seed San Jose State 87-76 at the Pan American Center.
Fresno State advances to Friday's Western Athletic Conference semifinals to play No. 5 seed Louisiana Tech at 11 a.m. The Techsters earlier Wednesday defeated No. 4 seed Nevada 82-56.
San Jose State played much better than its 3-28 record, coming withing three points in the second half. Natalie White scored all 21 of her points in the second half.
A wise man once said, "You can't be afraid of losing."
He was, or is, San Jose State coach George Nessman. He told me this Monday evening as his Spartans made their final preparations for the Western Athletic Conference tournament. Play-in game. No. 8 vs. No. 9.
It's a phrase even we journalists use: Can't be afraid to fail when trying something new - differnt angle, unusual lede.
Nessman's words made a lot of sense. How many of us can look defeat in the eyes and embrace it? Somtimes coaches sound more like skrinks, and this is another example... It worked as San Jose State edged LaTech last night at the Pan American Center.
We'll see on Thursday how Nessman handles his next challenge: top-seeded Utah State.
Matt James needed socks and a cell phone charger... I needed bottled water... We both needed notepads.
We didn't land in El Paso in time to watch the women's team practice. I'll have to catch up with 'em tomorrow afternoon on the court...
We ate at Los Posta de Mesilla in the historic old Mesilla district. I ordered the Chile Rellenos - two whole green chilies filled with Monterey jack cheese. Matt had a bunch of tacos.
I would put Matt against most folks in a taco-eating contest. I think he swallowed like five tacos during the time it took me to finish my dish.
***No. 8 seeded San Jose State won the men's basketball play-in game tonight against No. 9 seeded Louisiana Tech. The score: 64-62.
DaShawn Wright, one of four double digits scorers for San Jose State, scored 17 points. J.C. Clark led Louisiana Tech with 17 points.
Louisiana Tech's Drew Washington made a 3-pointer late to bring the score to 58-57. Less than one minute later, he scored on a bucket and a free throw, giving the Bulldogs a two-point lead.
C.J. Webster made a jumper, Wright a jumper and after another Washington layup for the Bulldogs - it was Louisiana Tech's last points - Tim Pierce made one of two free throws.
With 51 seconds, Justin Graham rebounded Clark's missed jumper and made one free throw.
Sorry for you fans that come out here on personal time... Not much out here, as I remember from my previous three trips... Don't get me wrong, I'm as much for beer in bowling alleys as the next city slicker, but there's got to be more to this place...
Just turned in Hector Hernandez story to the bosses. Running on Wednesday... Dwight O'Neil story is scheduled to run Thursday...
The Bulldogs men will practice this evening at a Las Cruces high school. The women at the Pan American Center, I believe. Haven't seen the women play for several months, but thanks to Bee reporter Jeff Davis, aka JD, I should be OK...
Alright, gotta catch flight!
March has not been a good month on the court for Fresno State, but off the court, the Bulldogs have done quite well, with Edison junior Greg Smith recently announcing that Fresno State is his top option to play college basketball... View video
Three prospects also attended Fresno State's home finale Saturday night at the Save Mart Center: Paul George, a former Pepperdine signee, JeJuan Brown, a former Vanderbilt forward, and point guard Rob Lowery, who hails from the same junior college as Bulldogs senior Eddie Miller.
The 6- foot, 8-inch Smith said USC and UCLA are his second and third options, followed by a growing list of potential suitors, from Washington to Kansas. Smith scored 20 points Saturday but Edison lost in the Southern California Regional Division II title game to Mater Dei-Santa. It marked one of the few times this season he has been tested.
His services would be a huge lift for Bulldogs coach Steve Cleveland, who until recently has not been able to recruit the best players in the Fresno area -- from Brook and Robin Lopez (Stanford) to Tim Shelton (San Diego State) -- because of doubts about the program's future following NCAA violations under former coaches Jerry Tarkanian and Ray Lopes.
Smith said he wants to play at a school with a pure point guard, and the Bulldogs hope Reggie Moore of Seattle's Rainer Beach and/or Lowery -- if he signs -- could be that player. Lowery can play both guard positions.
Moore has already signed with the Bulldogs. His Rainer Beach squad won a state championship this weekend. Also on that team is Mychal Ladd, another Fresno State signee
Brown, listed at 6-7, spent half of the season at Los Angeles Southwest College. Last season at Vanderbilt, he averaged 3.1 points and one rebound.
George is a 6-8 small forward from Palmdale. ScoutHoops.com has listed him as the third-best small forward on the West Coast. He de-committed from Pepperdine after coach Vance Walberg resigned in January.
I caught up with Bracken Funk after Fresno State's loss Monday night at Utah State... Funk's high school basketball career is over, now that he has won three Utah state titles... Here's the video... View video
LOGAN, Utah -- Jaycee Carroll scored 17 points during the first half ( 5 of 7 from the field) to give Utah State a 40-30 halftime advantage over Fresno State at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Stephen DuCharme added 12 points for the Aggies.
Kevin Bell leads Fresno State with 16 points. Eddie Miller (five points) is the team's second-leading scorer in the first half
For a peek inside the Fresno State men's basketball program and a look at how it prepares for an opponent, go to fblinks.com/hoops for a multimedia presentation.
Tyson Parker played the hero during the final minutes of Fresno State's 76-70 win over Cal Poly at the Save Mart Center.
Parker scored all eight of his points in the second half - he didn't log any game in the first half - to lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back wins.
Eddie Miller led Fresno State (13-15) with 25 points.Kevin Bell had 19.
The Mustangs (9-15) of the Big West Conference didn't make it easy. Lorenzo Keeler scored 21 points, and Trae Clark added 19. More to come in a few...
Maybe Dwight O'Neil should shoot more 3s...
He made both of his attempts during the first half of Saturday night's nonconference game against Cal Poly, and led Fresno State to a 41-33 halftime advantage at the Save Mart Center.
O'Neil has 13 points, as does Eddie Miller.
Lorenzo Keeler leads Cal Poly with 10 points... More to come.
Guys were joking about it during Thursday's shootaround... Coaches earlier in the day.
If you didn't see Wednesday night's 70-65 win over Hawaii, here's a quick repeat.
Fresno State trails by 2 with less than two minutes remaining... Kevin Bell misses a jump shot, Nedeljko Golubovic grabs the rebound and just as fast, throws it to Eddie Miller, who is on the perimter.
Miller elevates in front of the Fresno State bench, and just as he does, coach Steve Cleveland yells at him... remember that Eddie is already in the air.
So in a nannonsecond of a microsecond, he tries to gather the ball in, then realizes he's in the air and has to shoot, so he extends his arm back out and shoots. Swish, and Fresno State leads by two points, a vital part of its rally from a double-digit deficit.
At practice, players tried to mimmick his release-then-pull-back-then-shot, but none could as well as he did. Would have been the moment of the game if not for Dwight O'Neil's first free throw attempt hard off the backboard, which found its way in the rim...
James Tchana is playing Titus Shelton in practice, but instead of shoving and pushing around teammates, he's getting it.
The post players expected to earn significant minutes Saturday against Cal Poly took turns bumping with the Big man from Long Island. Guards denied entry passes to the post, and when the ball did get into James' hands, they did their best to torment his journey to the rim.
Sometimes he made it, most of the time he didn't.
Fresno State is concerned with Shelton, a Fresno native who played at San Joaquin Memorial High. Shelton scored 18 points last season against Fresno State, and that was with Dominic McGuire and Quinton Hosley, two players whose post defense talents far exceeed this season's crop.
Maybe Tchana, aka The Diesel can help out... We'll see...
The Bulldogs practiced from 7-8:30 a.m. so coaches could leave Fresno for recruiting trips.
It's interesting to see how much time the coaching staff put into preparing for Saturday's game vs. taking care of administrative duties.
The coaches were scheduled to meet this morning at 8:30 a.m. Meetings back it up to 1:30 p.m. Coach Steve Cleveland had to meet with Betsy Mosher, sr. associate athletics director for administration, and a Nike representative regarding a summer camp. Wwith Bryan Harvey, who is academically ineligible for the spring semester, and Rekalin Sims, dismissed earlier this season for violation of team regulations, including his involvement in an alleged robbery near campus.
I asked Cleveland if scouting was nessasary... Or at least, such a high degree of scouting. Sure, if I was playing, I'd like to know if the guy I'm going to guard likes to drive left more than right, or if he will shoot all open shots on the perimeter. Or if he can't move laterally.
But everything else? Sometimes it seems excess.
But Cleveland's response made sense... it makes the players feel more at ease, and the coaches as well.
Sometimes as a writer, you can take too many notes. Guess it's different as a college basketball coach.
I'm here at the men's basketball office. It's 9:45 a.m.
Less than 12 hours after leaving the Savemart Center with a win against Hawaii, the coaching staff is back at it, preparing for Saturday's nonconference game against Cal Poly.
What stands out so far is how much attendtion is paid to details, despite the lack of time. Associate head coach Jeff Reinert worked on the advance scouting report Tuesday, Wednesday and this morning, then turned the data over to Coach Steve Cleveland.
The quality of game film has vastly improved in recent years. There was a time when teams would trade films and they would not know the quality of the footage in advance. Sometimes it was great. Other times grainy and snowy VHS tapes.
Footage is now traded with DVDs or over the internet.
Later this afternoon, the coaching staff will meet as a group for the first time to create a gameplan against Cal Poly. after that, the plan will be given to players at a 4 p.m. practice. No time to celebrate over here.....more later.
-Gary Estwick
Kevin Bell made sure Fresno State ended its latest losing streak, scoring 23 points on Wednesday night, including four three throws in the final seconds to clich a 70-65 win over Hawaii.
Bell also had nine assists in 37 minutes of play.
BOISE, Idaho -- Reggie Larry scored 25 points and Matt Nelson 16 as the Boise State duo led the Broncos to a 84-72 win Saturday night over Fresno State at Taco Bell Arena.
The Bulldogs lost their third consecutive game. Kevin Bell led Fresno State with 21 points. Eddie Miller added 16.
In the first half, Boise State outscored Fresno State 24-6 in the post, setting the tone of its 19th win of the season.
BOISE, Idaho -- The Bulldogs, unable to defend Matt Nelson and Reggie Larry in the post, trail 44-32 at halftime Saturday night at Taco Bell Arena.
Nelson and Larry scored 12 points apiece, and Bauscher had eight apiece. The Broncos are shooting 50% from the field.
Eddie Miller has 10 points for Fresno State, trying to recover from Thursday's loss at Idaho. Dwight O'Neil has nine points.
Sitting in the Boise airport, waiting for my connecting flight to Spokane, I keep thinking about last year's game at Cowan Spectrum, Ja'Vance Coleman's final college appearance... Fresno State won in overtime, avoiding what would have been a horrendous loss...
Darin Nagle missed the last Fresno State/Idaho game for undisclosed reasons, likely not attributed to injuries since he participated in pre-game warmups and looked to be in good health... Wonder if Jordan Brooks will break his recent shooting woes; he had a double-double at the Save Mart Center... Idaho turns the ball over too much to beat anyone right now. Fresno State has improved in this category. This might be the difference tonight...
I've seen two versions of Fresno State road games this season. Games like Louisiana Tech, where Fresno State dominates for most of the game. Then I've seen the games were they play good enough to hang around for about 36 minutes, then miss enough shots late to fall short. It's happened at San Jose State, at New Mexico State...
Not to look over Idaho tonight, but I can't help but wonder the reaction of the Taco Bell Arena crowd when Boise State hosts Fresno State on Saturday. It will be the first time most Broncos fans have seen the Bulldogs post-Quinton Hosley elbow and Hector Hernandez/Kevin Bell failed inbounds connection.
Can't wait to grab a taco. Why don't I remember eating one last season?
Former junior college standout Eddie Miller has become such a productive player at Fresno State that the Bulldogs are looking at Cecil College (Md.) for another player, this time a point guard.
His name is Rob Lowery. He's 6 feet, 2 inches, and averaging 18 points and 9.2 assists (third in Division II) for Cecil College. The Seahawks improved to 22-0 with Wednesday's 98-90 win at Hagerstown Community College. Lowery scored 24 points. Cecil College is ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA Division II poll.
Fresno State is in need of another point guard for its incoming Class of 2008. Tyson Parker was supposed to sit out this season and play in 2008-09 as a redshirt senior, along with Reggie Moore, currently at Seattle's Rainer Beach. But Dwight O'Neil's wrist injury, and later, Bryan Harvey's academic ineligibility, has taken Parker off the shelf.
Now the Bulldogs are short in the backcourt next season. Parker will be out of eligibility. Harvey's status is uncertain. O'Neil will be back, but seniors Kevin Bell and Miller will be gone.
Associate head coach Jeff Reinert said during this week's podcast that he wouldn't mind taking another high school point guard versus a JUCO PG. But so much of that will come down to who the Bulldogs are able to get. As of right now, it's Moore's job to lose, and another PG is needed to give the Bulldogs depth at the position.
Will they find a PG as solid as Moore? It will be tough since Fresno State believes they signed a PG in Moore whose talent was good enough to play in the Pac-10.
More recruiting updates coming later this week... And don't forget to check out the podcast.
Fresno State fell short with a late rally at the Save Mart Center, falling 77-72 on Thursday night. The Bulldogs came with three points in the final minutes but was unable to stop Jaycee Carroll from winning in Fresno for the first time in his career.
Hector Hernandez scored 22 points with 13 rebounds, his best performance of the season. Eddie Miller and Kevin Bell scored 20 points apiece.
Carroll scored 22 points.
The Bulldogs shot 30% from the field and watched Jaycee Carroll and the Utah State Aggies dominate the first half of Thursday night's WAC game at the Save Mart Center. The Aggies lead 39-25 at halftime.
Dwight O'Neil played limited minutes, leaving the task of defending Carroll to Eddie Miller and Tyson Parker. Carroll scored 11 points, and Utah State guard Kris Clark added 10.
Hector Hernandez led Fresno State with 10 points.
--- Before we get going, here's a link to the latest Fresno State men's basketball podcast. Associate head coach Jeff Reinert was our guest... We talked about everything from Dwight O'Neil's return to recruiting...
--- I was surfing around the Web on Wednesday night and ran into this letter to the editor of the Logan Herald Journal... Some fan was upset after several members of the Utah State men's basketball team chose to "snub" the flag during the national anthem, minutes before the Aggies beat visiting Nevada...
Can't say I agree with the reader's views, but you can decide for yourself. By the way, Utah State will play Fresno State on Thursday night at the Save Mart Center.
Where do you put your hand(s) during the national anthem? At your side? One over your heart? Do you reach for a hot dog?
--- While at Fresno State practice Wednesday, I thought about Ja'Vance Coleman. If he was a comic book hero, he would be the hated adversary of Utah State's Jaycee Carroll. I remmeber Carroll showing off scratches on his arms after playing against Coleman...
Can't blame JV... You gotta find a way to slow down Carroll, aka Motor Legs. The guy never stops running... never.
Wondering if Tyson Parker will be able to keep up with Carroll. Eddie Miller has improved on defense this season, but we'll find out just how much on Thursday... Dwight O'Neil will play as many minutes as he can handle, but it's going to be tough to keep up with Carroll. Dwight just returned to action while Carroll is in prime shape.
Best chance to slow Carroll down might be a couple of shots to the ribs, but nobody likes technical fouls...
Also, here's a Utah State story by Jay Hinton of the Deseret Morning News
Brandon Webster aka big baby, showed just how large he is Tuesday in practice.
The Bulldogs' freshman center leaped to finish a missed field goal attempt by a teammate during drills, grabbed the rebound and stuffed it so hard into the basket that he cracked the glass backboard.
I don't have video of the dunk to show you guys. I know that stinks. But I was able to catch up with Webster and Coach Steve Cleveland, who was standing underneath the backboard when Webster dunked.
O'Neil proved to be far from 100%, whether grading his right wrist - broken in Nov. - or his endurance, slowed by last year's redshirt season and the wrist injury, which stopped him from enduring heavy workouts.
But it was a lift for the Bulldogs, which had little problems with LaTech, which fell to 0-8 this season in the WAC. Fresno State will need O'Neil's defense Thursday against Utah State at the Save Mart Center...
Maybe with O'Neil back, Tyson Parker can settle back into his reserve role, with less pressure. He seems to thrive in such a role. Same with Hector Hernandez. No pressure, no problem with production.
Start adding on pressure, and the production drops...
Fresno State is having no problem with Louisiana Tech on Monday night, and lead 38-17 at halftime.
Eddie Miller leads Fresno State with 11 points, but the biggest moment of the first half came as Dwight O'Neil returned from a fractured right wrist, an injury that had sidelined him since mid-November.
O'Neil went 0 of 2 from the field with two turnovers but was credited with two rebounds and one steal.
Whether he will play, and how much he plays, is a bigger decision for the Bulldogs, who shouldn't need his services to get past Louisiana Tech.
O'Neil met with the team's medical personell earlier today, hoping to return to game action for the first time since mid-Novmember.
Nevada will play at Southern Illinois... Utah State will host UC-Santa Barbara... Boise State will host Siena... The games will be played Feb. 22-23... The rest of the 2008 ESPNUBracketbusters lineup, including Fresno State's nonconference matchup, will be announced later today... I'll update blog as soon as it happens...
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