Tag: Fresno State Basketbal

Fresno State Basketball: Bulldogs Add Another Local Transfer To Their Backcourt

Fresno State Basketball: Bulldogs Add Another Local Transfer To Their Backcourt Junior Ballard transfers to Fresno State to be closer to home and with something to prove. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Cal Poly’s returning leading scorer is …

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Fresno State Basketball: Bulldogs Add Another Local Transfer To Their Backcourt

Junior Ballard transfers to Fresno State to be closer to home and with something to prove.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Cal Poly’s returning leading scorer is added to the roster as a great late addition for the Bulldogs.

The commitment to building the Fresno State men’s basketball program with the injection of local players continues to be put on display by now third year head coach and Central Valley native himself, Justin Hutson. Central Valley pride is very much a necessity for those coaching and playing at Fresno State. 

The program’s latest addition ensures fans players from their community are still given the opportunities necessary when it comes to dawning the Cardinal Red and Blue. 

Junior Ballard is a 6-3, guard from Stockton California, but attended Modesto Christian School in nearby Modesto for all-four years of high school. The former leading scorer at Cal Poly announced his intention to transfer to Fresno State this weekend over twitter. He is coming off a sophomore year where he averaged 13.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG & 1.4 APG while shooting 35.7% from deep. 

 

The Mustangs struggled in John Smith‘s first season in charge in San Luis Obispo, failing to secure double-digit wins for the third straight year and finishing last in the Big West. Ballard was set to help lead a re-surging young core for the Mustangs next season in an attempt to lead Cal Poly out of the Big West’s basement. 

That didn’t appear to be a part of the soon to be junior’s future plans, as he entered the transfer portal back in mid-July. Immediately he built a relationship with head coach Justin Hutson whom he played against back in on December 14th inside Mott Gym.

Returning to the central valley isn’t unique to Ballard’s situation, as coach Hutson and his staff have also welcomed Isaiah Hill from Tulsa and Deon Stroud from UTEP. Both players are also from the Valley and opted to return closer to home after productive freshmen campaigns elsewhere around the country.

All three players are currently classified as sit-out transfers who would need waivers from the NCAA in order to play this season in Fresno. The everlasting preseason joke of “hey the NCAA is handing out so many waivers, I got one” used by fans this time of year hasn’t gotten old just yet. Although many thought players who transferred closer to home would be receiving them in droves due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Bulldog fans will just have to wait and see, but the trio would definitely be welcomed to the nightly rotation with open arms.

There was plenty of roster turnover in Fresno this offseason, and the current roster could definitely use some veterans with proven production at the division-I level.

As it currently stands, Fresno State has one open scholarship spot to fill per Verbal Commits. With redshirt senior Christian Gray and redshirt junior Alec Hickman listed as walk-ons on the depth chart. If this is indeed the case, they may have to leave it open with the fall semester already under way and the deadline to make a player eligible for the semester fast approaching.

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A Way-Too-Early Look At MWC Rosters For 2020-2021: Fresno State Bulldogs

A Way-Too-Early Look At The Fresno State Bulldogs Year three of Justin Hutson’s time in Fresno builds on a solid foundation. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire What jump will Fresno’s talented freshmen make in 2020-2021? Players have already …

A Way-Too-Early Look At The Fresno State Bulldogs

Year three of Justin Hutson’s time in Fresno builds on a solid foundation.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

What jump will Fresno’s talented freshmen make in 2020-2021?

Players have already accepted reality and have begun taking the next step in their careers as of Friday. For some that is beginning NBA draft preparations a little earlier than expected, for others it is finishing their remaining course loads online to better gear up for next semester. Though the last group of players it is looking for their next opportunity and entering the transfer portal.

After sporting leagues around the globe either canceled or postponed their seasons in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA followed suit by outright canceling scheduled spring sports but rewarding seniors another year of eligibility to return and compete next season. This was a swift and just decision in a time of uncertainty for a lot of student-athletes, but there was still a group left in with uncertainty.

Winter sport athletes have currently been left with hope, given a ruling from the NCAA that would grant them any sort of extra eligibility given their abrupt cancellation of the big dance. So in the spirit of pure fun we will take a look at Mountain West team’s rosters for next season. Taking a look at both scenarios, just in case the NCAA surprises us.

2020-2021 Roster: In the event seniors are granted further eligibility

G New Williams 6-1 175 Gr. Inglewood, CA-Santa Monica HS/Auburn 

F Nate Grimes 6-8 225 Gr. Las Vegas, NV-Quality Education Academy

G-Noah Blackwell 6-3 190 Gr. Roseville, CA-Woodcreek HS/Long Beach State

F Christian Gray 6-6 240 R-Sr. Moreno Valley, CA-John W. North HS/Salt Lake C.C.  

G C.J. Hyder 6-2 190 Sr. San Bernadino, CA-Mt. San Jacinto College

G Alex Hickman 6-4 195 R-Jr. Riverside, CA-Jserra Catholic HS/UC-Riv./East L.A. College 

F-Chris Seeley 6-8 215 R-Jr. Fresno, CA-Central HS/Utah

G Jarred Hyder 6-3 180 So. San Bernadino, CA-Damien HS

G Niven Hart 6-5 205 So. Orlando, FL-Oak Ridge HS

G Jordan Cambell 6-3 195 So. Adelanto, CA-Adelanto HS/Oregon State

F Orlando Robinson 6-10 235 So. Las Vegas, NV-Middlebrooks Academy

C Assane Diouf 7-2 275 R-So. Dakar, Senegal-DME Academy

G Anthony Holland 6-5 215 So. Riverside, CA-Notre Dame HS

G Destin Whitaker 6-5 185 Fr. Romeroville, IL-Romeroville HS

F Leonardo Colimerio 6-7 180 Fr. Mount Pleasant, UT-Wasatch Academy

C Braxton Meah 7-0 230 Fr. Fresno, CA-San Joaquin Memorial HS

Point Guard Shooting Guard Small Forward Power Forward Center
Jarred Hyder So. New Williams Gr. Niven Hart So. Orlando Robinson So. Nate Grimes Gr.
Noah Blackwell Gr. Jordan Campbell R-So. Leonardo Colimerio Fr. Chris Seeley R-Jr. Assane Diouf R-So.
Alex Hickman R-Jr. Anthony Holland So.   Christian Gray R-Sr. Braxton Meah Fr.
C.J. Hyder Sr. Destin Whitaker Fr.      

Things of Note:

  • If seniors are allowed to come back this backcourt is loaded.
  • In this instance you may see a couple freshman redshirt.

New Williams and Noah Blackwell were supposed to be the next Braxton Huggins and Deshon Taylor, that may have been an unfair comparison. No one said these words exactly but the Bulldogs were picked 6th in the media’s preseason conference standings with both players mentioned above referenced in Fresno State preseason previews around the country.

It’s hard to replace the caliber of players Taylor and Huggins were at Fresno state, and that was evident on a team that went from a 3rd place finish in 2018-2019 to 7th the following season. To be fair they were predicted 6th in the preseason, so finishing one spot below that in a competitive Mountain West isn’t exactly a totally lost season in my opinion. If given another year of eligibility, the seniors expected to leave could do a lot of damage with a year this past season in bigger roles under their belt.

But in the event that the NCAA rules against awarding additional eligibility for winter sport athletes, which still seems like a possibility given how long it has taken to hear any news regarding the matter. Here is a list followed by a depth chart of the Fresno State roster given their current recruiting class and who we know has entered the transfer portal.

Next: Roster and Depth Chart

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

New Mexico vs. Fresno State: Game Preview, TV, Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

The New Mexico Lobos host the Fresno State Bulldogs at Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020.

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New Mexico vs. Fresno State: Game Preview, TV, Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

Both teams played San Jose State in their last outing with very different results

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Fresno State is trying to build on its win over San Jose State, while New Mexico is trying to get over a last second loss against the Spartans.

WHO: New Mexico Lobos (13-3) vs. Fresno State Bulldogs (5-10)

WHEN: Tuesday, January 7 — 8:00 PM PT/9:00 PM MT

WHERE: Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit, Albuquerque, NM (15,411)

TV: ESPNU

STREAM: Sling TV (requires Sling’s “Orange Sports Extra” subscription)

RADIO: TuneIn

SERIES RECORD: New Mexico leads, 16-12

ODDS: New Mexico -6

PREVIEW:

After the suspension of  (who is set to suit up once more for the Lobos on Tuesday) and JJ Caldwell (5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds,  5.7 assists, 2.2 steals per game) due to separate incidents as reported in the Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico (13-3, 2-1 MW) looked like they might be okay. Corey Manigault (11.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.0 steals per game), Makuach Maluach (9.9 points, 3.2 rebounds per game)and Vance Jackson (8.6 points, 4.6 rebounds per game) successfully took on bigger roles, and the team seemed to be alright despite losing two of their best players.

With exception to the game against UC Davis, JaQuan Lyle (17.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.3 steals per game) continued to put up impressive numbers.

But then, for the second straight year, San Jose State happened.

Down by as many as 18 in the second half, New Mexico rallied to take the lead with just 15 seconds left in their match-up with the Spartans, finally giving up a three-pointer to an on-fire Richard Washington before turning the ball over to effectively seal the game for the Spartans in the Provident Credit Union Event Center in San Jose, CA by a score of 88-85.

Coincidentally, Fresno State (5-10, 1-3 MW) shared the same last opponent with New Mexico except the game was in Fresno, CA. The Bulldogs were also two starters short. The result?

A 79-64 victory for the then 4-10 Bulldogs. New Williams (12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists per game) tallied 32 points in the win.

But now Carlton Bragg (13.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 1.4 blocks per game) is back for the Lobos, who sorely missed the athletic forward’s 6-10 frame and ability to protect the rim defensively. Bragg will have to play big too if New Mexico is to protect its undefeated home record. With an opportunity to take advantage of the missing presence of Nate Grimes (12.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.0 blocks per game) in the post, Bragg could be poised to get right back to business with big numbers, but a challenge remains against Orlando Robinson (12.7 points, 7 rebounds, 1.4 assists per game) and a sneaky good Fresno State team.

While a 5-10 record is nothing to boast about, Fresno State might be the best team with the worst record in the conference. 15 games in, 8 of the Bulldogs’ 10 losses have come by single digits. Even with the poor win/loss ratio, the metrics have been relatively kind to Fresno State, which is sitting at 125 in KenPom.com’s rankings and 173 in the most recent NET rankings, which isn’t too bad for a 33.3% win percentage against KenPom’s 177th ranked non-conference strength of schedule.

For Fresno State to come out 2-3 in conference and to be competitive within the middle ranks of the league, they’ll have to get production similar to what Williams and Robinson provided against San Jose State.

For New Mexico to show that they still belong in the conference title race discussion, they’ll need to find a way to avoid turning the ball over, and to get on the glass consistently while perpetuating what has been a highly effective get-to-the-line strategy. Otherwise, Fresno State is another team, like San Jose State that can put New Mexico on the ropes.

Expect a close, single-digit game between the Bulldogs and the Lobos.

Injuries/Roster Updates:

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