Fresno State Athletics
Cleveland Signs George; Tchana will Transfer
4/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 23, 2008
FRESNO, Calif - Fresno State men's basketball coach Steve Cleveland has announced the signing of Paul George to a Athletic Aid Agreement and that junior James Tchana will be transferring to Long Island University.
George is a 6-8 wing man who prepped at Knight High School in Palmdale, Calif. He led his team to a 24-9 record and a 12-2 league mark. He averaged a team-best 23.2 points and 11.1 rebounds a contest. He shot 48 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line. He also averaged just over three steals a game.
George was the Golden West League and Valley Press Player of the Year. He helped lead his team to the Southern Section Division II-A championship game and he is listed as one the top two forwards on the west coast by Rivals.com.
"Paul is versatile and very long," Cleveland said. "He has the ability to play multiple positions. He can rebound and shoot the three. He has a huge upside because of his length and size. This solidifies our commitment to recruit high school student-athletes."
George is the fifth high school player signed by the Bulldogs since the early signing period in November. The four other high school players who will be coming to Fresno State are Bracken Funk, a 6-8 forward from Lone Peak High School in Utah who earned First Team All-State honors and helped lead his team to three 5A state championships.
Chris Jones, a 6-3 guard from Newark Memorial in the Bay Area, was the MVP of the MVAL league and earned All-State D1 accolades by Cal High sports.
Mychael Ladd and Reggie Moore, both high school teammates from Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, Wash won the 3A state championship this past season. Ladd is a 6-4 guard who earned All-State honors and was MVP of the state championship game while Moore is 6-1 guard who was named the 3A State MVP.
"This is a nice nucleus of players that we will have," Cleveland said. "They will have a real impact in our program over the next four years."
On the transfer of Tchana, coach Cleveland said he is excited about the opportunity the 6-8 forward will have to play quality minutes at the Northeast Conference school.
"James has been an outstanding student-athlete and a role model for this program," coach Cleveland said. "This is a great opportunity for James to play significant minutes at another level of collegiate basketball. He has a great work ethic and he is on track to graduate in the spring of 2009. It's been a privilege for me to associate with a young man with such high character on a daily basis."
Tchana played in 15 games for Fresno State this year and six last year before suffering a season-ending an injury last year. As a freshman he appeared in 17 games while averaging eight minutes a contest. During Tchana's time in Fresno he earned Academic All-WAC honors and was also named a Fresno State Scholar Athlete.
"I am very grateful for the support my teammates, coaches and the community has given me during my time here at Fresno State," Tchana said. "I have enjoyed living in the community and I appreciate how kind they have been to me during my time here in Fresno. I am on track to graduate with my degree in communications and I thank everyone for helping me further my education."
