Fresno State Athletics
Men's Basketball Signs West but Loses Todd
5/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 24, 2003
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State head men's basketball coach Ray Lopes has announced the signing of 6-foot 5-inch shooting guard Marcus West to play for the Bulldogs beginning next season.
A native of Frederick, Md., West played for San Jacinto (Pasadena, Texas) Junior College the past two years, averaging 16.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He made 43 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc last season and helped San Jacinto reach the national championship game of the national junior college tournament.
West was an all-conference and all-region pick, and was named to the All-Tournament team of the junior college national championships.
As a freshman, West averaged 14.5 points per game and finished second on his team in three-pointers made and three-point percentage. He also grabbed 5.5 boards per game during his rookie campaign.
"Marcus is a great addition to our basketball program," Lopes said. "He a good shooter and has been a part of a very successful team the past couple of years. He knows what it's like to win, and he fills a void that we had at the shooting guard position."
West is added to a class the features that following newcomers: 6-8 junior swingman Dreike Bouldin (Carl Albert State College) and 6-10 junior center Jack Marlow (Salt Lake Community College). Both were signed in November. Also joining the active roster next year will be junior forward Francis Koffi (Cowley County Community College), signed in late April, and senior point guard Shantay Legans, who redshirted the 2002-03 season after transferring from California.
In addition to the signing of West, Lopes also announced that point guard Rolando Todd will be leaving the team effective immediately to pursue a professional basketball career.
A point guard on last year's WAC championship team, Todd played in 27 games, starting 19, and averaged 5.9 points per game. He also owned a 4.3 assists average.
"I wish Rolando nothing but the best of luck," Lopes said. "This was a decision that he had to make, and we are grateful for his contributions to our team last year. We could not have won the WAC title without him."
