Men's Basketball Looks to Continue Perfect Start

Dec. 9, 2002

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

vs. Pacific
7 p.m., Selland Arena
TV: None
Radio: KMJ AM 580 (Bill Woodward, Dave Severns)

at Oklahoma State
11 a.m., Gallagher-Iba Arena
TV: KFRE WB 59 (Ralph Wood, Randy Rosenbloom)
Radio: KMJ AM 580 (Bill Woodward, Dave Severns)
Live audio also available on gobulldogs.com

What's Coming Up
Off to their best start since the 1996-97 season, the Bulldogs play two games this week, one at home and one on the road. On Wednesday, Fresno State welcomes longtime rival Pacific into Selland Arena one final time. Tipoff is 7 p.m. The Bulldogs head into Big 12 territory this weekend when they take on Oklahoma State on Sunday at 11 a.m., a contest that will be televised by KFRE WB 59.

What Just Happened
Fresno State ran its record to 4-0 with victories over a pair of West Coast Conference opponents. The Bulldogs opened up the week by taking out Santa Clara 70-55 behind 20 points from Rolando Todd, who helped Fresno State score a season-high 44 points in the second half. On Saturday, the Bulldogs picked up a 74-71 win over San Francisco on their first road trip of 2002-03. Jonathan Woods had a team-high 18 points and eight boards.

Scouting Pacific
The Tigers return just one starter and four lettermen from last year's 20-10 (11-7 Big West) team. They are led by senior guard Demetrius Jackson, an honorable mention all-conference pick last year who entering Saturday's game against Nevada led the team with a 16.3 scoring average. Pacific has been picked to finish fifth in the Big West Conference in a preseason vote of media and conference coaches. The Tigers have started the year 1-3, their lone victory coming in overtime against Lamar on Nov. 24. Pacific is coached by Bob Thomason, who has an overall record of 273-215, including 223-188 in his 14-plus years in Stockton, Calif.

Fresno State All-Time vs. Pacific
The Bulldogs-Tigers series has spanned 142 games, making it the longest running rivalry in Fresno State's history. Pacific leads 74-68, although the Bulldogs have won the last five in a row, including last year's 73-65 victory at the Spanos Center. Fresno State began playing the Tigers in 1923, the third year the Bulldogs had a men's basketball program. Since, the two teams have played every year with the exception of 1934, '44, '59 and '64. Both were members of the same conference for several years before Fresno State moved to the Western Athletic Conference in 1992. Of the 142 meetings, only one has come in the postseason, that being a 73-70 victory by the Bulldogs in the 1998 National Invitation Tournament. Fresno State is 45-29 all-time against Pacific at home, including a 16-4 mark since 1978.

Pacific Recent Action
The Tigers enter Wednesday's game 1-3 and on the heels of an 83-54 loss at Nevada on Saturday. Pacific shot just 33 percent in the game and committed 20 turnovers while the Wolf Pack went 9-of-16 from beyond the arc. Demetrius Jackson led the Tigers with 20 points while Christian Maraker added 10 points and nine boards. Meanwhile, Nevada had six players in double figures, led by Terrance Green's 15.

Long Time Rivals
Wednesday's game against Pacific will be the 143rd time the rivals have played, the most times Fresno State has taken the court against an opponent. Following are the Bulldogs' longest running series:

Team             Times Played     First Mtg      Series RecordPacific               142           1923         Pacleads 74-69San Jose State        138           1922         FS leads 70-68San Diego State        97           1940         SDSU leads 50-47UC Santa Barbara       95           1938         FS leads 50-45Long Beach State       75           1954         FS leads 41-34

Scouting Oklahoma State
The Cowboys, currently 4-1 on the year, return six lettermen and four starters from last season's 23-9 (10-6 Big 12) team that was upset by Kent State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. They have been picked to finish sixth in the conference's preseason poll. Oklahoma State, which is receiving votes in both the coaches and media polls, is led by junior guard Tony Allen, who is averaging 15.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Senior guard/forward Melvin Sanders chips in 14.4 points per contest. The Cowboys are coached by Eddie Sutton, who has a 706-279 overall record, including a 276-115 mark in his 12-plus years in Stillwater, Okla. He has led Oklahoma State to five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

Fresno State All-Time vs. Oklahoma State
The Bulldogs won the only meeting in the all-time series, that coming last year when they upset No. 14 Oklahoma State 58-52 at Selland Arena. Damon Jackson had 24 points and Travis DeManby set a school record with 11 steals to lead Fresno State to the win on national television.

Oklahoma State's Recent Action
The Cowboys improved their record to 4-1 behind a 77-51 victory Sunday over Northwestern State. Four Oklahoma State players scored in double figures, led by Melvin Sanders' 16 and Tony Allen's 15. The Cowboys shot 52 percent from the floor and held NSU to just 39 percent.

Starting Out Fast
Fresno State is 4-0 for the 13th time in the 81 years the school has had a men's basketball team. A win Wednesday over Pacific would give the Bulldogs wins in their first five games for just the sixth time in program history. Until this year, the Bulldogs hadn't started 4-0 since the 1996-97 season. Here is a breakdown of the best starts ever at Fresno State:

Year     Coach           Start   Finish   Notes1980-81  Boyd Grant       10-0    25-4    PCAA champs, lost 1st round NCAA's1929-30  J. Flint Hanner  8-0     11-5    Best ever start by a first-yr coach1981-82  Boyd Grant       6-0     27-3    PCAA champs, lost 2nd round NCAA's1931-32  J. Flint Hanner  5-0     6-9     Hanner's final yr. as head coach1996-97  Jerry Tarkanian  5-0     20-12   Lost first round NIT

The Schizophrenic Bulldogs
Fresno State may be 4-0 at the moment, but the ride hasn't always been smooth. Several times through the season's first four games, the Bulldogs have taken turns playing exceptionally well with periods of mighty struggle. Following is a breakdown of Fresno State's split personalities thus far in 2002-03:

SAINT MARY'S (WON 67-65)
First Half: Hold SMC to 33 percent field goal percentage and just 25 points
Second Half: Gaels shoot 56 percent, score 40 points

SANTA CLARA (WON 70-55)
First Half: Shoot 40 percent, score just 26 points, a season low in a half
Second Half: Shoot 52 percent, score 44 points, a season high in a half

SAN FRANCISCO (WON 74-71)
First Half: Shoot 65 percent, led 42-27 at halftime
Second Half: Nearly lose a 21-point lead, end up winning by three

Tenacious D
A staple of Fresno State's 4-0 start has been the stifling defense about which head coach Ray Lopes has preached since the first day of preseason practice. The Bulldogs are second in the WAC in scoring defense at 61.0 points per game, just behind Tulsa's 60.0. Fresno State is also first in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents just .401 per game. Only San Francisco has scored more than 65 points against the Bulldogs this year, that coming in Saturday's 74-71 Fresno State victory.

Solid From the Charity Stripe
Through the first four contests, Fresno State has shown a remarkable ability to make its free throws. The Bulldogs are 44-of-53 from the line this year for a WAC-leading percentage of .830. Fresno State has missed as many as four free throws in a game just once, that coming in the season opener against Idaho State, when the Bulldogs went 15-of-19.

Victory in San Francisco
Fresno State's 74-71 win at San Francisco did more than just improve the team to 4-0 on the year, it gave the Bulldogs their first ever victory at War Memorial Gymnasium. Fresno State was 0-8 entering Saturday's game, which it won despite blowing nearly all of a 21-point second half advantage.

Whatever it Takes to Win
Travis DeManby may not open eyes with fierce rejections, ceiling-scraping rebounds or high-flying dunks. But what he does do every single time he takes the court is help the Bulldogs win. During Fresno State's 4-0 start, the senior guard has done something different in nearly every game to help lead the Bulldogs to victory. Here is a look at the many talents of DeManby, many of which go unnoticed:

He Scores: DeManby led the Bulldogs with 15 points against Idaho State on 5-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc. He is currently second in the WAC in threes made (12) and fifth in three-point percentage (.480).

He Rebounds: Despite just hitting 3-of-8 shots against Santa Clara, DeManby pounded the glass to tie his career high with 10 rebounds. His board work helped Fresno State outrebound SCU 41-28.

He Steals: DeManby is close to entering the school's top 10 in career steals. He notched four in the opener against Idaho State, but never was he more impressive than against Oklahoma State last year when he set a school record with 11 steals.

He Dribbles: The senior got a look during preseason practice as the point guard and can serve in that capacity if needed. At times last week against San Francisco, DeManby helped bring the ball upcourt with the Bulldogs facing a full-court press.
Musical Lineups
For matchup considerations and disciplinary reasons, Fresno State has yet to start the same lineup in back-to-back games. The most popular lineup has been Todd, DeManby, Jackson, Felix and Fuller, who have been the starters twice.

Out of the Shadows and Into the Woods
Although Fresno State has been blessed with production from all of its newcomers, no first-year Bulldog has made more of an impact thus far than junior Jonathan Woods. A transfer from South Plains (Levelland, Texas) College, Woods had his biggest game at Fresno State on Saturday against San Francisco, against which he scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, both team highs. On the year, the Harvey, Ill., native leads the Bulldogs in scoring with a 12.3 average and rebounding with a 6.5 average. He has scored in double figures the last three contests.
Spreading the Wealth
The backbone of Fresno State's 4-0 start has been the ability of each player to produce on any given night. One look at the season highs is a strong indicator of that. In four games, the Bulldogs have had four different leading scorers - Travis DeManby, Damon Jackson, Rolando Todd and Jonathan Woods. They have also had three different players lead the team in rebounding.
Starting in Style
Ray Lopes has started his coaching career in a big way, leading the Bulldogs to their first 4-0 start since the 1996-97 season. Lopes is just the second first-year coach in program history to win his first four games, the other being J. Flint Hanner in 1929-30. Hanner got his three-year tenure off to an 8-0 start, the second best beginning to a season in Fresno State history.
More Firsts For Lopes
With Fresno State winning the McCaffrey Classic crown Nov. 30, head coach Ray Lopes accomplished another first. He became the only coach in program history to win the Classic in his first year at the helm. Ron Adams (1986), Gary Colson (1990) and Jerry Tarkanian (1995) were Lopes' predecessors who couldn't pull off the feat. However, one category where Lopes is in line with past Fresno State coaches is in winning their debut. The Bulldogs' win over Idaho State meant five of the past six Fresno State head coaches won their first game, the exception being Jerry Tarkanian in 1995.
All Broken Up
Fresno State head coach Ray Lopes constantly calls for his players to play hard and be tough. Lopes displayed during practice Nov. 27 that he acts as he preaches when he broke his left middle finger during a drill but kept coaching, not missing a beat. Lopes will wear a cast on the hand for a few weeks but will not miss any games.
Better Late Than Never
Few teams in the nation started their season on a later date than the Bulldogs. In fact, the only other team who began after Fresno State was Ohio University, which opened Nov. 30. The Nov. 29 opening date is Fresno State's latest start since the 1992-93 season, which began Dec. 1.
Bulldogs Win McCaffrey Classic; Jackson Named MVP
Fresno State picked up its 14th McCaffrey Classic title, and seventh consecutive, with its 67-65 victory over Saint Mary's on Nov. 30. The Bulldogs have won 14 in a row in their tournament, the longest streak in Classic history. The Gaels took second, Sam Houston State third and Idaho State fourth. The all-tournament team consisted of Donald Cole of Sam Houston State; Scott Henry of Idaho State; Tyler Herr and Chase Poole of Saint Mary's; and Jonathan Woods. Damon Jackson, who hit the game-winning shot with 0.5 seconds left to beat SMC, was the tournament's most valuable player.
DeManby Cleared For Launch
Travis DeManby tied his career high with 15 points on five three-pointers against Idaho State on Nov. 29, helping lead the Bulldogs to a 65-53 victory over the Bengals. Through four games this year, DeManby has proven quite fond of shots from beyond the arc. The senior has 28 field goal attempts in the five games, 25 of which have been threes. DeManby has made 12 of those attempts and appears to have reclaimed the shooting touch that saw him nail 41 percent of his three-point attempts his sophomore year. The Medford, Ore., native ranks ninth on Fresno State career three-pointer list with 128.
Shoot 'Em Up
It's one thing for a player to say they have a shooter's mentality, but it's another to actually exhibit it. So far this season, Damon Jackson has proven he is a shooter to the core. In the season opener against Idaho State, the senior suffered through one of the worst nights of his career, hitting just three of 14 attempts - including 1-of-10 from three-point territory. One day later, Jackson kept firing, and because of it, the Bulldogs defeated Saint Mary's. He scored 20 points against the Gaels, including a game-winning 18-footer with 0.5 seconds left. Jackson was named McCaffrey Classic MVP for his heroics. On Saturday against San Francisco, he responded from a 4-of-12 night against Santa Clara by nailing 4-of-7 shots, including 3-of-5 three-pointers. Jackson is shooting 32 percent from beyond the arc this year.
Moose Sighting
The 2002-03 season started on a low note for center Mustafa Al-Sayyad, who did not play in Fresno State's victory over Idaho State. But one night later, he became a vital cog in the Bulldogs' McCaffrey Classic clinching victory when he saw significant time after posts Noel Felix and Hiram Fuller got into early foul trouble. The junior, nicknamed "Moose" by his teammates, played 17 minutes and scored seven points, including two free throws with 52 seconds left that put Fresno State ahead by two. The Khartoum, Sudan, native also chipped in several solid minutes in victories last week against Santa Clara and San Francisco.
Curtain Falls on Selland Arena
With the Save Mart Center opening on campus next year, the Bulldogs are in their 36th and final year playing in Selland Arena, the team's home since 1968. Fresno State has gone 395-135 (.745) at the venerable facility in downtown Fresno, including a 105-20 (.840) record over the past seven-plus 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. Damon Jackson wrote another page in the Arena's storybook Nov. 30 against Saint Mary's when he hit a game-winning shot to give the Bulldogs a win in the final McCaffrey Classic ever in the building. Fresno State will bring the Selland Arena Era to a close with its home finale March 1 against Nevada.
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 Bracket Buster Saturday on 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.
Television Schedule
A total of 11 games are scheduled to be broadcast on KFRE WB 59 (cable 5) this year. The package opened with Fresno State's victory against Saint Mary's. One other home game, Jan. 1 against Tulsa, is on the docket. This week's non-conference road game against Oklahoma State will be televised, as will 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.
Bowl Games and Basketball
This season, for only the second time in program history, Fresno State will play a game on New Year's Day. The January games against Tulsa and Rice were originally scheduled to be played on the road, but a Selland Arena scheduling conflict for the March return contests necessitated a flip-flop. Since Tulsa will be returning home to face Nevada on Jan. 4, an extra travel day is needed, meaning the Bulldogs will ring in 2003 at Selland Arena.
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.


Bulldogs Picked to Finish Fifth in WAC Preseason Polls
Western Athletic Conference coaches and media have selected Fresno State to finish fifth in their respective preseason polls. Tulsa was chosen as the favorite to win the WAC by both with Hawai'i coming in second. No Bulldogs were picked among first or second team preseason All-WAC players.

PRESEASON COACHES POLL 1. Tulsa (7)___________ 79 2. Hawai`i (2)_________ 71 3. Louisiana Tech______ 63 4. Nevada______________ 56 5. Fresno State________ 42    SMU_________________ 42 7. Rice________________ 38 8. UTEP________________ 22 9. San Jose State______ 2110. Boise State_________ 16first place votes in parentheses
PRESEASON MEDIA POLL 1. Tulsa (19)__________ 211 2. Hawai`I (4)_________ 189 3. Louisiana Tech (1)__ 161 4. Nevada______________ 135 5. Fresno State________ 120 6. SMU_________________ 106 7. Rice________________  67 8. San Jose State______  44 9. Boise State_________  3910. UTEP________________  32first place votes in parentheses

Fresno State Athletics

Men's Basketball Looks to Continue Perfect Start

Related News

Related Videos