Fresno State Athletics
Men's Basketball Signs Two to Letters of Intent
11/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 13, 2003
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State head men's basketball coach Ray Lopes has announced the signing of Dwight O'Neill and Hector Hernandez to letters of intent. Both will begin playing for the Bulldogs in the 2004-05 season.
"I am very pleased to welcome Dwight and Hector to our basketball family," Lopes said. "I think that both players are fierce competitors and highly talented athletes who will be wonderful additions to our team."
A native of Fresno, O'Neill is considered one of the top high school players in California. The 6-foot 3-inch guard averaged 25.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and nearly four steals as a junior at Washington Union High School. He was named the Fresno Bee Player of the Year.
At Washington, O'Neill played for Vonn Webb, who this year was hired as an assistant coach with the Bulldogs.
"I feel Dwight embodies the kind of player that I look forward to coaching here," Lopes said. "He's tough, he's a talented athlete and a proven winner.
"Just as important is the fact that he's a local product, and as we build this program in the years to come, certainly the players in this region are going to be very important to Fresno State basketball. And in signing Dwight, I think this gets us off to a good start to recruiting and landing the best local talent we can get."
Hernandez, a forward who moved to Denver from Chihuahua, Mexico, prior to his sophomore year of high school, is ranked by many recruiting publications as one of the nation's top 50 high school recruits. The 6-foot 9-inch, 225-pound Hernandez averaged 23.3 points, 12.3 boards and 3.4 blocks per game last year en route to being picked All-Colorado by the Denver Post.
Hernandez enters his senior year at Abraham Lincoln High School as an honorable mention All-America by Street and Smith's magazine.
"Hector is as skilled as a guard but has the size to play a post position," Lopes said. "He is hungry and dedicated to becoming the best player he can become. We are excited about his attitude toward academics, the kind of player he is and his enthusiasm toward being a Bulldog.
"He's a player who has a big ceiling above his head. I think he's a sleeper that could become a very good player in our program."
