Fresno State Athletics
Terry Strengthens Roster with Five Spring Recruits
6/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Stephen Trembley
strembley@csufresno.edu
www.GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. --- The Fresno State men's basketball program's roster has been strengthened by the addition of three junior college players, a Pac-12 conference transfer and a high school guard this spring, Bulldogs' head coach Rodney Terry announced Tuesday.
With the additions, Terry has completed his 2015 recruiting class, which includes Nate Grimes (who signed this past November), as well as the five spring recruits Lionel Ellison III, Torren Jones, Cullen Russo, Jaron Hopkins and Sam Bittner.
The three junior college players are Ellison III, Jones and Russo, which gives the Bulldogs an immediate influx of older and experienced talent options in the backcourt and frontcourt.
Ellison III, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound versatile guard from New Orleans, La., spent the last two seasons starring at Coffeyville Community College. As a sophomore this past season, Ellison averaged 10.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He led the highly competitive Kansas Jayhawk Community College conference and ranked tenth nationally in the NJCAA with a 2.1 assist to turnover ratio.
"Lionel is a really strong and tough guard, who played in one of the better junior college leagues at Coffeyville Community College," Terry said. "His versatility of being able to play both guard spots will bring value to our team, especially on the defensive end of the floor. His competitive spirit and coming from a winning program will be a great addition to our program."
Jones, a 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward from Chandler, Ariz., comes to Fresno State from Midland College, where he earned all-conference honors during his sophomore season. He averaged 18.3 points and 10.6 rebounds while playing 29.1 minutes per game. As a freshman, he played in the SEC at Missouri, where he led the Tigers in rebounding per minute with a team-best 11.4 rebounds per 40 minutes of playing time.
Jones was a Top 100 recruit out of high school, where he averaged 11 points and nine rebounds per game as a senior at prep school power La Lumiere in Indiana and helped his squad to a 26-6 overall record and a Top 20 ranking in the final ESPN National poll.
"Torren is coming off of an all-conference year at Midland College," Terry said. "His ability to score in the paint and rebound the basketball will fill some needs we have been looking for over the past few years. He is extremely athletic and runs the floor very well. His experience of playing Division I basketball in the SEC at Missouri has helped him prepare to play at a high level."
Russo, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward is originally from Bloomington, Minn., earned All-Western Junior College Athletic Conference honors as a sophomore this past season. He averaged 11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists, making 51.4 percent of his shots, 33.3 percent of his three-pointers and 58.4 percent of his foul shots.
As a freshman, Russo played at the College of Southern Idaho and averaged 8.5 points and 4.3 rebounds.
Russo chose Fresno State over Wichita State, who reached the Sweet Sixteen in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, and the Big Ten's Minnesota.
"Cullen had an all-conference season at New Mexico Junior College," Terry said. "His versatility and ability to play multiple positions really fits what we like to do here at Fresno State. He can score the basketball inside and out, with the ability to make plays for his teammates. The Mountain West Conference thrives on players of his size and ability and we expect Cullen bring that to our program."
Along with the junior college transfers, Terry has also brought in Hopkins (a Division I transfer from Colorado, who will redshirt the 2015-16 season due to NCAA regulations) and Bittner, a high school recruit.
Hopkins, a 6-foot-6, 200-pound guard, is originally from Mesa, Ariz., and played his first two collegiate seasons at the University of Colorado. As a sophomore, Hopkins played in 32 of the Buffs' 34 games and started 17 of those contests. He averaged 5.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and a steal per game as Colorado advanced to the second round of the College Basketball Invitational last season.
As a freshman in Boulder, Hopkins played in all 35 games with nine starts and averaged 4.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and an assist per game. Out of Dobson High School, he was a Top 30 shooting guard prospect and averaged 22.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.4 assist and 2.1 steals per game.
"Jaron joins us from one of the better programs in the Pac-12 Conference in Colorado," Terry said. "His size and ability to handle the basketball will really benefit us when he becomes eligible after this season. He really excels in the open court and he is able to read defenses very well. He will be a big plus in our practices this season. Big guards with his talent level are hard to find and we're very fortunate to have Jaron join our program."
Bittner, a 6-foot-6, 195-pound high school guard, is from Las Vegas, Nev., where he played at Trinity International and earned 2014-15 National Christian School Athletic Association (NCSAA) Boys' Varsity Basketball first-team All-American honors for the Division 3 small-school division. Bittner was also honored by the NCSAA as a member of the 2014-15 Far West Super-Regional team.
"Sam brings the ability to shoot the ball as a bigger guard," Terry said. "Sam is a really good addition to our program and his ability in the open court with good decision making brings a skill set to our team that we need. He is a great student and will be a wonderful ambassador for Fresno State."
The five spring recruits join Grimes, who committed back in November during the early signing period, to complete Terry's recruiting class for this upcoming season, with the possibility always remaining open for future updates.
The newcomers join a Bulldog roster for the 2015-16 season that features the return of its five leading scorers from last season, including four starters.
Four Bulldogs, who are all returning for the 2015-16 season, averaged double digits last season: first-team All-Mountain West guard Marvelle Harris (16.4 ppg), point guard Cezar Guerrero (11.7 ppg), guard Julien Lewis (11.3 ppg) and forward Paul Watson (11.1 ppg).
The Fresno State rotation for the 2015-16 season also includes junior forward Karachi Edo (8.0 ppg), sophomore center Terrell Carter (3.6 ppg), versatile sophomore guard Jahmel Taylor (transferred to Fresno State from the University of Washington in January) and redshirt freshman forward Eugene Artison.
The 'Dogs went to work this past season on building off a successful postseason run in 2014 and delivered an exciting campaign that featured a breakout season by Harris and a strong showing by the team in league play.
The Bulldogs' steady ascent under the direction of fourth-year head coach Rodney Terry included 10 wins during Mountain West action, which marked the program's most league wins in eight seasons and the third straight season with more conference wins than the previous year.
The 2014-15 season also included victories over four teams that reached the 2015 NCAA Tournament: then-No. 25 San Diego State, Boise State, Wyoming and UC Irvine.
Fresno State is slated to open the 2015-16 regular season on Nov. 13 at home against Pepperdine.
"Be Bold!" --- Season tickets for the 2015-16 Fresno State men's basketball season are on sale now by calling 559-278-DOGS. Full season packages start at $149.
