Fresno State Athletics
Men's Basketball Adds Two More to Recruiting Class
5/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 23, 2002
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State men's basketball coach Ray Lopes has announced the signing of two more players to the 2002-03 recruiting class. Rolando Todd (Detroit, Mich./Garden City CC) and Reggie Butler (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly High School) have both agreed to play for the Bulldogs beginning next year.
"I'm very exited about this group," Lopes said. "This is a very solid group that will help our team be as good as it can possibly be this coming season."
Todd, a 5-10 junior guard, averaged 21 points and four assists per game last year in leading Garden City to a 20-10 record. He was named first-team All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference for his efforts. The KJCCC is considered one of the top junior college leagues in the nation. Todd originally submitted his name for entry into the NBA Draft but later removed it from consideration.
"Rolando is an extremely talented and athletic combination guard," Lopes said. "He will bring a lot of scoring punch to our backcourt and has a chance to be one of the best guards in the WAC in his career. He gives us versatility because he can play both the point and off-guard spots.
A 6-6 forward, Butler averaged 12.7 points, six rebounds and two assists per game for Long Beach Poly. He helped lead his team to a 30-4 record, a Moore Conference championship a berth in the CIF Division 8 regional finals. Butler was voted first-team all-conference, All-South Coast and second-team All-CIF Division 8.
"Reggie is a terrific athlete," Lopes said. "He is a long, slender slasher type of player whose ceiling to become a great player is very high. He's the type of young man and athlete that we were looking for from a high school.
"I know that over his career he's only going to get better and one day I think he'll become one of the premier wings in our conference. Reggie comes from an outstanding high school program. It was important in our first recruiting class to get a young man of his caliber from the Los Angeles area."
