Men's Basketball Opens Season By Hosting McCaffrey Classic

Nov. 25, 2002

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What's Coming Up
Fresno State officially begins the 2002-03 campaign by hosting the 24th annual McCaffrey Classic at Selland Arena. The Bulldogs open play Friday at 8 p.m. against Idaho State. Saint Mary's takes on Sam Houston State in the tournament's first game at 5:30 p.m. The consolation and championship game are Saturday at 5:30 and 8 p.m., respectively. Fresno State has won its tournament six times in a row.

What Just Happened
The Bulldogs looked impressive in their final tuneup for the regular season, cruising past the EA Sports All-Stars 102-69. Damon Jackson and Jonathan Woods shared game-high scoring honors by pouring in 18 each. Fresno State outrebounded the All-Stars 56-28 and shot 54 percent from the floor.

Points-a-Plenty
If the exhibition games are any indication, Fresno State should have no problems putting points on the board this year. In their two preseason games, the Bulldogs scored 98 and 102 points in posting two easy victories. Jonathan Woods averaged 19.3 points per game while Damon Jackson scored at a 19.0 per game clip.

McCaffrey Classic History
This year's McCaffrey Classic is the 24th year the Bulldogs are hosting a tournament at the beginning of the basketball season. Fresno State has won the championship 13 times, including six in a row, the longest streak in the tournament's history. Saint Mary's is making its third appearance, having taken fourth in 1988 and '89. Idaho State also appeared in 1988, defeating Fresno State in the first round before falling in the championship game to San Francisco. That year was the only time in McCaffrey Classic history the Bulldogs failed to appear in the championship game. Sam Houston State is making its debut in the tournament.

Scouting Idaho State
The Bengals, Fresno State's first round opponent in the McCaffrey Classic, return eight lettermen and four starters from last year's 10-17 (3-11 Big Sky) team. They are led by senior guard/forward Jeremy Brown, who averaged 15.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game last year, finishing in the top five in the conference in both categories. ISU has begun the season 1-1 after losing 76-71 in overtime to Texas-San Antonio and defeating Coppin State 63-55. Idaho State plays at Boise State on Tuesday before coming to Fresno. The Bengals are led by Doug Oliver, a 1978 graduate of San Jose State, who is 39-71 and in his fifth year at the helm.

Fresno State All-Time vs. Idaho State
Idaho State leads the all-time series 5-2, with the last meeting Nov. 25, 1988, at Selland Arena in the opening game of the Coors Light Classic, a predecessor to the current McCaffrey Classic. That was the only year of the Bulldogs' tournament they did not reach the championship game. Fresno State hasn't defeated the Bengals since 1978.

Scouting Saint Mary's
The Gaels return nine lettermen and four starters from last year's 9-20 (3-11 WCC) team that reached the semifinals of the conference tournament. Saint Mary's is led by senior forward Ross Benson, who averaged 7.0 points and 4.3 boards per game in 2001-02. SMC opened its season Sunday with a 78-33 victory over Holy Names College and play Eastern Washington on Tuesday before coming to the McCaffrey Classic. Saint Mary's is coached by Randy Bennett, who is in his second year at the helm.

Fresno State All-Time vs. Saint Mary's
SMC leads the all-time series 17-16, although Fresno State has won four of the last five. The Gaels and Bulldogs have been playing against each other since 1926, the latest installment coming Nov. 17, 2000, when Fresno State defeated Saint Mary's 104-66 at Selland Arena in the opening game of the Hispanic College Fund Classic. The Bulldogs are 9-8 all-time against SMC at home.

Scouting Sam Houston State
The Bearkats return nine lettermen and four starters from last year's 14-14 (9-11 Southland) team that did not reach postseason play. SHSU is led by Donald Cole, a preseason first-team All-Southland Conference pick who averaged 16.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game last year. Sam Houston State has been selected as the favorite to win the SLC title. The Bearkats opened their season Friday with a 91-81 loss at TCU. They play Austin College on Tuesday before traveling to Fresno. SHSU is coached by Bob Marlin, who has a 185-86 career record as a head coach, including a 62-51 mark in four years at Sam Houston State.

Fresno State All-Time vs. Sam Houston State
Should the Bearkats and Fresno State meet up in the McCaffrey Classic, it will mark the first time the two teams have ever met.

Off to a Roaring Start
Although the performances did come during games in which statistics do not count, the production of Jonathan Woods was very hard to ignore. The junior forward scored 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting against the Central Valley All-Stars in the exhibition opener. Proving his first impression was no fluke, the South Plains (Levelland, Texas) College transfer posted 18 points - on 8-of-11 shooting - and 12 rebounds to help the Bulldogs beat the EA Sports All-Stars last week. The smooth lefty has impressed coaches thus far with his wide array of moves and soft shooting touch on the post. Woods was named all-conference and all-region last year at South Plains.

Doubling Their Pleasure
Three Bulldogs posted double-doubles during the exhibition season. Damon Jackson had 18 points and 10 rebounds against the Central Valley All-Stars. His efforts were duplicated by two players against the EA Sports All-Stars. Mustafa Al-Sayyad had 10 points and 11 rebounds off the bench while Jonathan Woods was even more impressive, posting 18 points and 12 boards.

Ray Lopes Era Gets Underway
After practicing since the early part of October and participating in a scrimmage and two exhibition games, Friday signals the beginning of the Ray Lopes Era at Fresno State. Lopes takes over after spending the last eight seasons as an assistant at the University of Oklahoma, where he helped build the Sooners into a powerhouse. OU played in the NCAA Tournament all eight years Lopes was there and reached the Final Four last season. Lopes has also spent time as an assistant at Washington State, UC Santa Barbara, Weber State and West Valley (Saratoga, Calif.) Junior College.

Who's Back?
Fresno State may have lost two players - Melvin Ely and Chris Jefferies - who went in the first round of the NBA Draft, but the cupboard isn't exactly bare. Six Bulldogs who were key components in last year's NIT squad return this year, including starters Damon Jackson, Travis DeManby and Noel Felix. Jackson is Fresno State's leading returning scorer at 11.9 per game, including a 16.2 average the last 10 games when he was forced to pick up the scoring slack in the absence of the injured Jefferies. DeManby, the only Bulldog to start all 34 games last year, will provide experience and leadership to the team as potentially the starting point guard. Felix, Hiram Fuller, Mustafa Al-Sayyad and Phil Rasmussen all made contributions in 2001-02 and will be counted on to do the same this season.

New Coaching Staff
Ray Lopes is not the only new face on the Bulldog coaching staff. Three new assistants and a new basketball operations coordinator have been hired, as well. Bob Burton, Lopes' former coach at West Valley Junior College, is one of the new assistants. Burton helped Lopes get his coaching career started in 1987 when Burton named him as his assistant. Burton was formerly the head coach at WVJC, where he turned the Vikings into one of the top JC teams in the state. Also named assistants were David Fizdale and Arturo Ormond. Fizdale was an assistant at San Diego while Ormond was at Centenary. Rounding out the staff is basketball operations coordinator Andy Newman, who had served as Burton's assistant at West Valley.

The Newcomers
Six new faces will be wearing Bulldog uniforms this year. Of those six, five come from the junior college ranks. Here is a quick look at each of the new Fresno State players:

Rolando Todd: A junior transfer from Garden City (Kan.) Community College, Todd originally submitted his name for entry into the NBA Draft but later reconsidered and withdrew. He is capable of playing either the one or two. Todd averaged 21 points per game last year for Garden City.
Renaldo Major: A junior transfer from South Plains (Levelland, Texas) College, Major averaged 13 points and eight rebounds last year after being selected all-conference his freshman season.
Jonathan Woods: A junior transfer from South Plains College, Woods was an all-conference honoree last year who averaged 16 points and five rebounds per contest. Known for having good basketball instincts, he creates matchup problems due to his good inside-outside game.
Terry Pettis: The only freshman on this year's team, Pettis led his Patrick Henry High School team to three consecutive state championships. The guard was also runner-up in the voting for Minnesota's Mr. Basketball. Pettis should help provide depth to the point guard position.
Shantay Legans: A senior transfer from California, Legans established himself as one of the top point guards in the Pac-10 in his Golden Bear career. He will sit out the 2002-03 season in compliance with NCAA transfer guidelines, but should step in next year and make an immediate impact.
Ashley Knowlton: A junior transfer from West Valley (Saratoga, Calif.), Knowlton injured his knee during preseason practice and will miss the entire 2002-03 season. He was expected to provide depth at the point guard position.

The 2002-03 Schedule
A schedule Ray Lopes says "should challenge us for WAC and potential postseason play," has been pieced together by the new coaching staff. Highlighting this year's ledger are non-conference road games at Washington State and Oklahoma State and home games against in-state rivals Santa Clara and Pacific. The Bulldogs will also be participating in a Bracket Buster Saturday on game Feb. 22. Fresno State's opponent will be announced Feb. 3. The idea of the game is to match top mid-major conference teams together just three weeks before Selection Sunday. The Bulldogs' first regular season game is Friday against Idaho State in the McCaffrey Classic. They will also play in the championship or consolation game Saturday.

Television Schedule
A total of 11 games are scheduled to be broadcast on KFRE WB 59 (cable 5) this year. The first contest on local TV is Fresno State's game in the McCaffrey Classic. One other home game, Jan. 1 against Tulsa, is on the docket. A non-conference road game against Oklahoma State on Dec. 15 is scheduled to be televised, as are WAC road games at Hawai'i, SMU, Louisiana Tech, UTEP, Boise State, San Jose State, Tulsa and Rice. Fresno State's WAC Tournament contests will also be featured on KFRE.

Curtain Falls on Selland Arena
With the Save Mart Center opening next year, the Bulldogs are in the 36th and final year playing in Selland Arena, the team's home since 1968. Fresno State has gone 392-135 (.744) at the venerable facility in downtown Fresno, including a 102-20 (.836) record over the past seven years. Selland Arena has hosted numerous NIT games and nationally ranked teams, but perhaps the greatest moment came in 2000, when the Bulldogs hosted and won the WAC Tournament, defeating 14th-ranked Tulsa in the championship game, causing fans to storm the court in delirium at the final buzzer. Fresno State will bring the Selland Arena Era to a close with its home finale March 1 against Nevada.

First-Year Coaches
Ray Lopes is the 16th head coach in the history of Fresno State men's basketball, currently entering its 80th year as a varsity sport. Three of the last five first-year coaches have come out of the blocks strong, with three - Ed Gregory, Boyd Grant and Jerry Tarkanian - all winning 20 games in their inaugural year. Eight of the 15 coaches began their first year with a winning record, including five of the last six. Following is a list of the Bulldogs' coaches and how they fared in their first season:

Coach             First Year      First Year Record    Overall Record (Yrs)Jerry Tarkanian     1995-96            22-11               153-80 (7)Gary Colson         1990-91            14-16                76-73 (5)Ron Adams           1986-87             9-20                43-62 (4)Boyd Grant          1977-78             21-6               194-74 (9)Ed Gregory          1965-66             21-8              172-142 (12)Harry Miller        1960-61            14-12                93-39 (5)Bill Vanderburgh    1954-55            11-13                89-63 (6)Clark Van Galder    1953-54            13-16                13-16 (1)Dutch Warmerdam     1948-49            14-16               55-107 (6)Pix Pierson         1942-43            6-6-1                6-6-1 (1)Hal Beatty          1939-40             8-11                49-57 (5)Stan Borleske       1934-35             12-8                43-61 (5)Leo A. Harris       1932-33              7-7                 7-7 (1)J. Flint Hanner     1929-30             11-5                27-26 (4)Arthur W. Jones     1921-22*             6-5                70-53 (8)* First year program was in existence

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