Fresno State Athletics
A Fab Five Farewell
3/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 4, 2011
FRESNO, Calif. - Three WAC regular-season championships.
Three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
Ninety-four wins.
Never before has a senior class had such an impact or left such a lasting imprint on the basketball court at Fresno State. But together, Emma Andrews, Marnique Arnold, Taja Edwards, Hayley Munro and Jaleesa Ross have done the unthinkable.
They came from near and far - from the corners of California to the outer reaches of Australia - and in four short years transformed the Bulldogs into one of the strongest programs on the West Coast. And on Saturday, they will play their final home game of the regular season at the Save Mart Center, bringing an emotional end to an unprecedented run.
"We always had the same goal; all five of us," Edwards said. "Emma and H (Munro) came do make a difference in a new country. Jaleesa, Marnique and I came to make a difference in a new program. ... This is not a farewell or a goodbye; it's a celebration."
To be sure, these five women have given the Central Valley plenty of reasons to cheer. Since arriving at Fresno State in 2007, they have helped orchestrate one of the biggest rebirths in program history, taking the Bulldogs from a relatively unknown entity to a regular conference champion.
"I'm incapable of describing the class and passion and respect they've brought to Fresno State women's basketball," Bulldogs coach Adrian Wiggins said. "They're like daughters to me. I'm excited for their futures, but I'm sad they're leaving me."
Still, the transformation was gradual. During the quintet's freshman year, the group got off to a rocky 0-6 start. They took their lumps, and in the beginning had no idea of what was to come.
"At first, we didn't know what to think," Arnold said. "It was like, `Oh, we're a terrible program.' It humbled us. I think it made us who we are now. We took some good lessons from it."
According to Ross, it was during those trying times the bond between them began to grow. She readily recalls an early nonconference trip to BYU during the 2007-08 season that didn't quite go the Bulldogs' way.
Fresno State fell behind early, and Wiggins decided to toss Andrews, Arnold, Edwards, Munro and Ross onto the floor together, offering one simple directive.
"Just go play."
Before long, those losses were a thing of the past.
Fresno State's stunning resurgence reached its apex during the 2009-10 season, when it blazed through WAC play undefeated and in the process put together a staggering 19-game winning streak, an unheard of feat for the team.
The Bulldogs capped off the historic run by nabbing their first at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament.
"What we have accomplished is more than I ever expected," said Ross, who earlier this season became the leading scorer in Fresno State women's basketball history. "I came here wanting to play, get to the NCAA Tournament and help turn the program around. Going undefeated (in the WAC) never crossed my mind."
That said, even Ross concedes those accomplishments aren't what these players remember most about their time at Fresno State.
Indeed, they remember Munro hitting that crazy, game-winning 75-foot shot at New Mexico State during their freshman season.
They remember the joy they felt seeing Ross make history and break the Fresno State scoring record against San Jose State earlier this season.
Even getting stuck in New Mexico during yet another unglamorous trek to Las Cruces last month gives them reason to smile.
"Even though it was a bad road trip," Arnold said, "we still always had fun. We're all making the best of it right now and enjoying these last few games. I'm hoping for a few more memories."
Munro concurred.
"This last game is coming quicker than we know it," she said. "All we can do is celebrate it. We've got a lot more basketball to come."
But as the curtain on their decorated careers begins to close, the players have had plenty of time to think about what it will mean to play at the Save Mart Center one final time. There is even a running bet among the group on who will shed the first tear Saturday night.
So far, all bets are on Andrews.
"They're all hard," Andrews said with a laugh. "I'm telling you, someone else is going to cry before me. ... It's been pretty amazing. We've grown really close over the years. That's hard to find, and I think that's why we've been so successful. Our friendship is genuine."
Regardless how these final games unfold, the legacy Andrews, Arnold, Edwards, Munro and Ross leave behind is already assured.
"We've been together four years," Arnold said. "It's been a blast."
"We Are Your Team!" - Be at the Save Mart Center on Saturday to celebrate both the men's and women's basketball senior classes, get your favorite former Fresno State football player's autograph and win fabulous prizes. Games are at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
