Nate Kotisso (@natekotisso) is a Big 12 correspondent for Rush The Court. Last night, he covered Fresno State-Rice from Houston.
It’s been awhile since the Fresno State Bulldogs made the NCAA Tournament. 14 years, in fact. To give you a sense of how long it’s been, the coach that last got them there (in 2001), the legendary Jerry Tarkanian, passed away earlier this year. Since Tarkanian retired, the program has undergone two coaching changes, NCAA sanctions and a change in conference affiliation. Between 2003 and 2008, Fresno State’s home arena, the Save Mart Center, averaged around 11,700 fans per game. From the 2008-09 season into the present, the Bulldogs have played host to an average of 4,000 fewer fans per game (average attendance in that span is a little more than 7,200). As a result, the Fresno State athletic department has gotten creative with how to fill those empty seats. Two years ago, former Bulldog and current Indiana Pacer superstar Paul George agreed to buy every ticket at Save Mart Center for the Bulldogs’ home opener so fans could get in for free. This season FSU ran a promotion that delivered a free ticket to last week’s game against Lamar to anyone who could prove they followed any of the athletic department’s social media accounts.
In his fifth season at Fresno, head coach Rodney Terry may be field his most talented Bulldog team yet. (Photo: Fresno Bee Staff)
In 2011, Rodney Terry was hired as Fresno State’s head coach. Terry was well-known for his recruiting efforts at Texas, where he was able to secure commitments from the likes of current NBA players Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson, as well as current Miami (FL) guard Sheldon McClellan (who is averaging 19.8 ppg as a senior this season). It made sense that it would take a few years to get the Fresno State program back on its feet, and it finally feels like the Bulldogs are beginning to walk on their own in Terry’s fifth season.
Before reaching this point, Terry didn’t exactly find the best high school prospects waiting patiently on his doorstep. He had to build his college roster the way most mid-major programs do — through transfers and prospects who weren’t recruited by blue blood programs. Guard Cezar Guerrero came to Fresno from Oklahoma State after wishing to be near to his sick mother. Former Texas guard Julien Lewis had a comfort level with Terry after being recruited by him to Austin. Torren Jones was a promising big man at Missouri before being dismissed from the program and going the JuCo route in advance of his arrival at Fresno. Terry lucked out when he landed three-star guard Paul Watson out of high school, despite Watson holding offers from four Pac-12 schools (Colorado, Arizona State, Oregon State, USC) and Texas. Terry’s best find, however, may have been senior Marvelle Harris, who was an unranked one-star prospect coming out of high school (according to ESPN) before developing into the Mountain West’s Preseason Player of the Year in 2015.
Despite the relative talent influx, the Bulldogs don’t play a sexy brand of offensive basketball. Coming into the game against Rice on Sunday, the Bulldogs had yet to shoot over 40 percent from the field in their first three games. The Bulldogs have been better on the other end of the floor this season, having forced their first three opponents to commit 50 turnovers (28 of them coming via steals) and block 16 shots.
Fresno State senior guard Marvelle Harris went from lightly regarded high school prospect to Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images North America)
As for last night’s game, the Bulldogs felt pressure early from an undersized Rice team, but soon settled in and exploited their talent advantages. Fresno State owned the boards (35-27 edge in total rebounds) and was again disruptive defensively (10 steals), while the offense showed signs of growth. The Bulldogs made eight of 16 three-point field goals, a perimeter barrage led by Guerrero, who made three of his five three-point attempts and finished with 15 points. Harris carved up the Owl defense by scoring (26), distributing (six assists) and getting to the foul line (9-11 from the stripe). Watson also scored efficiently (15 points, 5-10 from the field) as the Bulldogs ran away from the Owls in a 17-point victory.
Terry might have both the pieces and conference around him to take Fresno State to new heights. San Diego State and Boise State were picked to finish one and two in the league preseason poll, but with the Aztecs following up a road defeat at Utah with a shocking loss to Arkansas-Little Rock in San Diego this weekend, there’s suddenly a lot of uncertainty at the top of the league. The Broncos have also stumbled out of the gate in losing two of their first three games. The Bulldogs’ early season schedule has been light (no Fresno State opponent is among KenPom‘s top 90 teams), but things get harder very soon, as road trips to Oregon (Nov. 30) and Arizona (Dec. 9) await.
If there is a team that can advantage of the upheaval in the MWC, it’s Fresno State. They have experience at nearly every position, with key contributors Harris, Guerrero and Lewis all being seniors. Jones and Watson are both juniors, as is Karachi Edo (8.7 ppg, 8 rpg). The Bulldogs only finished 15-17 last season, but things did get better in Mountain West play, where Fresno State went a respectable 10-8. As long as they continue to commit to their defense and improve their offense, the Bulldogs have a chance to be a sleeper in the conference. If that does happen, the Save Mart Center, for the first time in quite awhile, could again come alive.