Fresno State Athletics
Cleveland Inks Johnson to NLI
4/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
FRESNO, Calif. - With his latest addition during the spring signing period, head coach Steve Cleveland has elevated the Bulldogs' backcourt by inking Division II Cal-Hi Sports State Player of the Year Tyler Johnson to a National Letter of Intent to attend school and play basketball for Fresno State in the upcoming 2010-11 season.
"Tyler is a combo guard that has the ability to attack off the dribble and shoot the midrange jumper," Cleveland said of the San Francisco Bay Area native.
Johnson, a 6-1 combo guard from St. Francis High School in Mountain View, Calif., the same high school that Fresno State assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Senque Carey attended, led the Lancers to the 2010 CIF state championship game. He averaged 13.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, two assists and two steals per game during his senior season and converted 70 percent of his free throw attempts. With the ability to play throughout the backcourt, Johnson sports a 35-inch vertical, smooth 3-point stroke and draws on his passionate explosiveness in transition and halfcourt sets.
"Tyler has a great feel for the game and as he develops, his strength will make him a very explosive offensive player," Cleveland said. "He is also a solid defender with great anticipation skills."
He was named a 2010 Player of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle Peninsula (Regional), Western Catholic Athletic League (WCAL), Palo Alto Daily News, San Jose Mercury News and Central Coast Section. Johnson also received recognition as the ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com State Athlete of the Week on Jan. 31, 2010. In his junior campaign, he averaged 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and two assists per game while stroking 40 percent from beyond the 3-point arc en route to first-team WCAL honors. Last season, Fresno State added Jerry Brown III, the 2009 WCAL Player of the Year, and he contributed immediately in his freshman Bulldog season.
Johnson is the most recent member of a deep 2010-11 recruiting class. Cleveland has already signed freshmen Bracken Funk, Kevin Olekaibe and John Ryan and expects to continue to fill the rest of his roster for the 2010-11 season during the remainder of the spring signing period that runs until mid-May.
Cleveland also announced that redshirt freshman guard Taylor Kelly, a walk-on to the 2008-09 men's basketball team, has decided to transfer to a Division II or NAIA school. Kelly, a three-time President's List honoree with a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average, earned an athletic scholarship for this past school year for his dedication to the classroom and game of basketball.
"Taylor personifies everything you want in a student-athlete," Cleveland said of Kelly. "He has a great work ethic, attitude and has been an outstanding student in the classroom. I am working closely with Taylor to find the very best opportunity for him to excel academically and athletically at a Division II or NAIA institution. I have enjoyed coaching him every day and know he will be successful on and off the floor."
On the hardwood, Kelly earned playing time in eight games for a total of 34 minutes. He scored three points, grabbed two rebounds and recorded one assist and one block. He drained his first collegiate basket, a 3-pointer, against WAC regular season champion Utah State on Jan. 21, 2010 and contributed a career-high nine minutes on the road at San Jose State on Feb. 27, 2010.
2010-11 Fresno State Men's Basketball Recruiting Class
-Bracken Funk, F, 6-8, Fr., Highland, Utah (Lone Peak High School)
-Tyler Johnson, G, 6-1, Fr., Mountain View, Calif. (St. Francis High School)
-Kevin Olekaibe*, G, 6-1, Fr., Las Vegas, Nev. (Cimarron-Memorial High School)
-John Ryan, F/C, 6-10, Fr., El Segundo, Calif. (El Segundo High School)
* - Pronounced: O-lay-key-bay
"We Are Your Team!" - The Bulldogs, with a talented slate of nationally honored returners and highly skilled newcomers, is scheduled to open the 2010-11 season at No. 22 Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, on Nov. 12, 2010. For the latest Bulldog coverage and all-access to Fresno State Athletics, make sure to continue visiting www.gobulldogs.com.
