Fresno State Athletics
Terry Adds Depth, Talent to Roster
8/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Aug. 15, 2011
FRESNO, Calif. - In order to field the most competitive roster for his style, Rodney Terry and his coaching staff searched long and hard to find the right group of individuals for success on and off the hardwood.
With seven returners from last year's squad back for the upcoming season, including leading scorer Kevin Olekaibe, Terry announced his complete 14-man roster on Monday afternoon and welcomed Grant Hefeng, Momir Gataric and Allen Huddleston to the Bulldog family.
Hefeng, a 6-8 power forward from Shenzhen, China, competed on the Chinese National Team as one of the top players in the region under the age of 20. He won the gold medal in the 17 and Under (17U) Chinese National Tournament and also graduated from the Shenzhen Sports Institute.
"Grant is a trailblazer, who is one of the first kids from China making the transition straight to Division I basketball without going to prep school here in the United States first," Terry said. "He's going to be a great part of our team."
Gataric, a 6-4 guard/small forward from Sunnyvale, Calif., has accepted his admission to Fresno State and intends to walk-on for the upcoming season. He ended his prep career as the all-time leading scorer at Homestead High School. A three-time All-Central Coast selection and two-time Santa Clara Valley Athletic League Most Valuable Player, Gataric averaged 23 points per game in high school.
"Momir had scholarship opportunities to play elsewhere, but wanted to be a part of our program and we are excited to have him," Terry said.
Huddleston, a 6-2 guard originally out of Merced, Calif., will redshirt the 2011-12 season as a D-I transfer from the University of Pacific. Last year, he finished second on the Tigers in scoring with 11.1 points per game and led the team in steals with 1.2 per game. Huddleston had earned honors as a CollegeInsider.com Freshman All-American during his first season in Stockton.
"Allen is a great addition to our program," Terry said. "He is a high character guy and gained experience at this level that will help us. He is going to work very hard over the next year to be ready to join us when we move to the Mountain West. We want to have a strong presence of recruiting top local high school players and this is one of the ways that we are building our program."
Hefeng, Gataric and Huddleston complete the Bulldogs' roster for 2011-12, along with the previously announced additions of Julius Builbrew, Daquan Brown, Kevin Foster and Larry McGaughey. The seven newcomers fill the roles vacated by Givon Crump, Bracken Funk, Nedeljko Golubovic, Bennie Rhodes, John Ryan, Greg Smith and Tim Steed.
"With change, it's to be expected that young men often look for a new start and opportunities and the right fit for them," Terry noted. "As we are moving forward, we want the total package where individuals are looking to get a quality education and are really good basketball players."
The first change to see the team in action at the Save Mart Center is Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. during Fresno State's annual free Red and White Hoops Night. The Bulldogs will also host Fresno Pacific for an exhibition game on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. prior the home and season opener against Illinois State on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m.
ESPN'S Andy Katz: Rodney Terry's Arrival Comes at Perfect Time for Fresno State
Andy Katz, who is ESPN's senior college basketball writer and a former Bulldog basketball beat reporter at the Fresno Bee, talked with Rodney Terry about becoming Fresno State's head coach after nine seasons as an assistant under Rick Barnes at the University of Texas.
"This is a college town," Terry told Katz. "Everything is in place to take this program to a conference championship and try to advance in the NCAA tournament. We can attract the best players in California and throughout the country.'"
To read the full story, you can visit: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/katz_andy/id/6863301/career-assistant-rodney-terry-gets-shot
"We Are Your Team!" - Stay connected with Fresno State Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@FSAthletics). Join the Bulldogs at the Save Mart Center on Oct. 25 for Red and White Hoops Night. To learn more about season ticket opportunities, you can contact the Bulldog Foundation at 559-278-7160 or www.bulldogfoundation.org.
