Fresno State Athletics
Tarkanian Expects 2001-02 Squad to Be His Best
11/1/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 1, 2001
Making no bones about it, Fresno State coaching legend Jerry Tarkanian simply says this is the best team he's assembled since returning to his alma mater.
Tarkanian, who enters his seventh season at Fresno State, had guided the Bulldogs to at least 20 wins and postseason play in each of his first six seasons. The 'Dogs are coming off a 26-7 record, the school's first-ever WAC championship and a second straight appearance in the NCAA tournament. Last season, the Bulldogs returned to the national rankings, peaking at No. 17. Their RPI was as high as No. 12 during year.
The Bulldogs have appeared anywhere from No. 9 to No. 19 in the 2001-02 preseason polls national polls. Tark has hopes this team will be able to make an even bigger splash in the NCAA tournament. After two straight NCAA tournament appearances and one win shy of the reaching the third round of the NCAA tournament, Tarkanian is looking forward to returning to the Sweet 16, which would be a first for Fresno State.
"This is going to be the best team we've had since I've been at Fresno State," said Tarkanian, who has won 759 games as a Division I coach, seventh most all-time. "With Melvin (Ely) and Chris (Jefferies) coming back, we have two guys who are going to be playing in the NBA. I really like a couple of the new kids. We will have the most talent and I think the best team chemistry since I've been here."
Melvin Ely will lead the way. The 2001 WAC Player of the Year, Ely was eligible for the NBA draft, but elected to return to school for a fifth-year. He is expected to be one of the most complete and dominating centers in the nation. He was Fresno State's scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg) leader last season while leading the WAC in blocked shots. He has been selected to the All-WAC Defensive team for three straight years. Ely already owns the Fresno State career record for blocked shots and he will continue to climb up the WAC charts. Ely spent the summer playing for the United States team in the World University Games in Beijing, China. That experience has given the talented player even more confidence. Ely was tabbed by the WAC coaches as the preseason player of the year. He is a nominee for the Wooden and Naismith Awards as college basketball's player of the year.
"Melvin is a special player," Tarkanian said. "He could have gone pro, but he knows with another year of college he can get better and his goal is to be a lottery pick. There's no question he has that kind of ability. He's as good a big man and has as good a skills as I've ever coached. I expect Melvin to be even better this year than he was last year."
As Ely went last season, so did the Bulldogs. He led Fresno State to a 13-3 WAC record and the first outright conference title in almost 20 years. Ely was not only the most dominating player in the WAC but also the most consistent. From the low post, he is nearly impossible to stop. Defensively, he is one of the nation's best and has been one of the country's top shot blockers for three straight seasons. Ely led the Bulldogs with six double-doubles last season and has 17 in his career.
Jefferies emerged on the WAC scene with a lot of fanfare and he fulfilled expectations. Picked as the WAC's Newcomer of the Year before the season, Jefferies went on to earn first-team All-WAC honors and was named to the All-WAC Defensive and Newcomer teams. As Fresno State's second leading scorer at 15.5 points per game, Jefferies was as explosive as a scorer from behind the arc as well as driving to the basket for acrobatic dunks. He was also considered one of the WAC's best defensive stoppers. He has shown the ability to be an explosive scorer. Last season, he scored 24 points on two occasions, including against Georgia, an NCAA tournament team. He scored in double figures in 28 games last season, leading the team in that category. Has the athletic ability to put together a triple-double.
"Chris is an amazing athlete," Tarkanian said. "He does some things sometimes that just amaze you. I really love the way he plays defense. I think he can defend just about anyone in the country. He was always our stopper last year and he did a great job shutting down some really great players all season long."
With two outstanding leaders on the team, there will be several young players who are expected to step to the forefront.
Junior Travis DeManby was the 'Dogs' top three point shooter last season, hitting over 41 percent of his shots, which ranked seventh in the WAC. Fellow junior Damon Jackson is one the team's top athletes who blossomed as the season progressed. They are the leading candidates to replaced Demetrius Porter at the shooting guard spot. DeManby has been Fresno State's top sixth-man for two straight seasons. Jackson has worked hard in the weight room to get stronger.
"Travis and Damon are going to be perimeter scorers for us," said Tarkanian. "They each give us something different defensively. Damon is a better athlete, a better leaper and a better rebounder. Travis is competitive and a better on-ball defender. He is so smart and will not hurt you. They can both shoot the basketball and if they get hot, they will be very effective."
Junior Noel Felix is an athletic big man who will battle junior college transfer Hiram Fuller for the power forward position. Felix has played in 66 games as Bulldog and is a tremendous leaper who has showed signs of developing an outside shot. Fuller, fresh off a junior college national championship at Wabash Valley College, is more physical and expected to be a rebounding force and inside scorer. Fuller was rated by CBSSportsline.com to be one of the top six biggest impact players in the nation this season. He was rated as the nation's second-best junior college power forward last season.
"Noel gives us a guy who is very athletic and can jump out of the gym," Tarkanian said of the talented junior. "Fuller is more of an inside player. He is really strong and big and physical. They will compliment each other very well. I would think Hiram has the ability to be one of the premier newcomers in the nation. With Melvin, Noel, Hiram and Mustafa (Al-Sayyad) we have four big men who are very athletic and can do a lot of things. This is the best group of bigmen we've had since I have been here."
Transfer Chris Sandy and freshman Matt Mitchell will battle for the starting point guard position. Sandy was a second-team junior college All-American last season after guiding Westark College to a fifth-place finish at the NJCAA tournament. Mitchell joined the program prior to the fall semester after leading Mayes High School to the state title game. He was one of the best guards in Georgia as a senior.
"I like both of these guys," Tarkanian said. "Sandy is a really a good kid and great for our team chemistry. He is very unselfish player. He can get the ball where it needs to be to run the offense. Mitchell is lightning-quick. He is going to be a good player for us in the future. He needs to become a better shooter, but he is a better player than I thought he would be. Teddy Fletcher is another player who could see some playing time."
Sophomore Mustafa Al-Sayyad was one of Fresno State's most improved players last season. He is a strong defensive specialist and shot blocker who is working on his low post offensive skills. He will serve as an understudy to Ely for the second straight season.
"Mustafa has improved so much," said Tarkanian. "He is a great defensive player and continues to improve offensively. I think he is going to be a good player for us this season."
The Fresno State schedule is going to be challenging with a minimum of four non-conference opponents who played in the NCAA tournament last year. The Bulldogs open the season in the Preseason NIT, which includes six other teams that were in the NCAA tournament. The impressive schedule also features games against Cal, Fresno State's first round NCAA tournament opponent last season, Gonzaga and Oklahoma State.
The WAC is expected to again be strong with defending NIT champion Tulsa and WAC tournament champion Hawai'i. The Bulldogs were the landslide winner to win the WAC. Hawai'i was picked second and Tulsa third in the preseason coaches poll.
"The WAC is a very underrated conference," said Tarkanian. "We sent to team to the NCAA tournament and the third-best team won the NIT. We just don't bet the exposure that some of the other conferences get, but the WAC is really a good basketball conference. I think with our new ESPN deal, the rest of the nation is going to get a chance to see how good the WAC is in basketball."
Tarkanian, 71, enters his 31st season as a Division I coach and is looking for an NCAA record tying 30th 20-win season. Dean Smith of North Carolina owns the record with 30 career 20-win seasons. Tarkanian ranks third in the NCAA history in career winning percentage and first among active coaches with a percentage of .803. He needs 41 wins for 800 in his career.
"We have a very good team," Tarkanian said. "I'm excited about this team and this season."
