Fresno State Athletics
Photo by: Keith Kountz
Summer Update #1 – Bulldogs soaring to new heights under Rodney Terry
6/7/2017 8:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball
There has been significant academic and athletic success under Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry, who is entering his seventh season leading the Bulldogs’ men’s basketball program.
FRESNO, Calif. --- When Fresno State head men's basketball coach Rodney Terry was hired on April 7, 2011, he shared a clear vision for establishing a championship culture for the Bulldogs' program to soar to new heights on the basketball floor and in the classroom.
"This program will never be about me - it will always be about our student-athletes," Terry said back in 2011. "Everything that you do - on and off the floor - prepares you for the postseason. We want our guys to be the complete package. When they come here, we expect them to earn a quality education and receive a degree. They are going to grow as young men in a diverse setting socially, but they must be ready to do what it takes to compete at the highest level on the basketball floor."
That vision has been exactly what has happened in Terry's first six seasons.
For the first time in 16 years, the Bulldogs have had back-to-back 20-win seasons while winning the Mountain West championship and then playing in the NCAA Tournament in 2016, and earning the highest seed of any MW program for the 2017 NIT.
Fresno State is the only team in the Mountain West with back-to-back postseason appearances (NCAA or NIT) and the 'Dogs are one of eight programs in the West to have played in back-to-back NCAA-run postseason tournaments. Fresno State, along with Arizona, Cal, CSU Bakersfield, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, Oregon and USC, are the only programs in the West to have earned invitations to play in either the NCAA or NIT in each of the last two seasons.
When comparing Fresno State to its national peers, the Bulldogs' on-the-court success over the past two years really stands out.
As a member of the Mountain West, Fresno State is one of 60 "Group of Five" institutions (American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, MAC, MW and Sun Belt), who also sponsor major college football in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
In men's basketball, Fresno State is one of five "Group of Five" schools to make back-to-back NCAA or NIT postseason appearances, along with Cincinnati, Houston, Middle Tennessee and Akron. And of those five programs, Fresno State is one of only three with at least one NCAA Tournament appearance (Cincinnati and Middle Tennessee State) during that time.
When looking at the 121 universities that comprise the country's Top 10 RPI College Basketball Conferences (ACC, Pac-12, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, AAC, MW, A-10, WCC and Big East), the Bulldogs are in a select group of 35 programs from who have had three straight winning seasons of conference play. Fresno State and Boise State are the only two MW programs to have three straight winning seasons in conference play.
During this past season, Fresno State had the most Top 50 RPI wins (2) of any MW school and had the second-most Top 100 wins (8) of any program in the conference. Over the past two seasons, Fresno State (24-12 MW) trails only San Diego State (25-11 MW) for the best overall combined league record.
As the last two MW Tournament champions, Fresno State and Nevada both lead the conference with a 4-1 record in the last two conference tournaments.
One of Fresno State's mantras has been rooted in its pride in defending its home floor.
Over the past three seasons, Fresno State has the best home conference record in the Mountain West. When playing MW opponents during league play, the Bulldogs lead the conference with the most home wins in the last three seasons (23-4) and past two seasons (16-2).
Additionally, Fresno State is 40-7 overall at home (85.1 percent home winning percentage) during the last three seasons.
This is the first time in the 14-year history of the Save Mart Center that the Bulldogs' men's basketball team has posted double-digit home wins in four consecutive seasons.
This four-year span of home dominance is also Fresno State's first four-year stretch with 11 or more home wins in four straight seasons in over 32 years.
Prior to this run, the last time a Fresno State team had won at least 11 home wins in four straight seasons was when Boyd Grant led the Bulldogs to five consecutive postseason appearances (1981-85), which included three NCAA appearances and two NIT appearances.
Since Terry arrived in 2011, 11 student-athletes have earned their degree from Fresno State and two student-athletes are currently continuing coursework while playing professional basketball. This means all 13 academic seniors (85 percent graduation rate) in that six-year period will have either earned their degree or are finishing units to complete their degree program in an allotted six-year window to count toward the graduation success rate.
The Bulldogs' Academic Progress Rate (APR) is the strongest it has ever been, with the three highest scores in program history coming during Terry's tenure. These record-setting scores included a program-best 980 score for the 2012-13 season, followed by a 978 and another 978 in the next two seasons, and then a 857 for the 2015-16 season with another strong score expected for the 2016-17 season.
For the 2017 spring semester, the Bulldogs' men's basketball program posted its highest combined team grade point average on record with a 2.91 grade point average, consisting of a record 11 student-athletes earning a grade point average of a 3.0 or higher.
In addition to the academic efforts, the Bulldogs have been extremely active in the community. In May, the team helped raise awareness for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, including the challenges faced by youth battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The 'Dogs also participated in a local camp sponsored by Fresno Building Healthy Communities, which is a coalition of residents, young people, community and faith-based leaders working together to create #OneHealthyFresno.
"I've been blessed to have the opportunity to help these guys grow, not just as basketball players, but also as young men, and help them understand how important it is to look a person in the eye, have a good hand shake, have your word as your bond and try to be about the right things in life," Terry said after winning the 2016 MW Championship. "One day that basketball is going to stop bouncing, and you've got to have something to fall back on and you'll live through some of the -- you know, the adversity in basketball. Hopefully, you'll be able to apply that in life."
Stay tuned to www.GoBulldogs.com for another Fresno State Men's Basketball summer update as the Bulldogs' 2017-18 roster is finalized in the near future, as well as other program news.
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
"This program will never be about me - it will always be about our student-athletes," Terry said back in 2011. "Everything that you do - on and off the floor - prepares you for the postseason. We want our guys to be the complete package. When they come here, we expect them to earn a quality education and receive a degree. They are going to grow as young men in a diverse setting socially, but they must be ready to do what it takes to compete at the highest level on the basketball floor."
That vision has been exactly what has happened in Terry's first six seasons.
Postseason and Competitive Success
For the first time in 16 years, the Bulldogs have had back-to-back 20-win seasons while winning the Mountain West championship and then playing in the NCAA Tournament in 2016, and earning the highest seed of any MW program for the 2017 NIT.
Fresno State is the only team in the Mountain West with back-to-back postseason appearances (NCAA or NIT) and the 'Dogs are one of eight programs in the West to have played in back-to-back NCAA-run postseason tournaments. Fresno State, along with Arizona, Cal, CSU Bakersfield, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, Oregon and USC, are the only programs in the West to have earned invitations to play in either the NCAA or NIT in each of the last two seasons.
When comparing Fresno State to its national peers, the Bulldogs' on-the-court success over the past two years really stands out.
As a member of the Mountain West, Fresno State is one of 60 "Group of Five" institutions (American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, MAC, MW and Sun Belt), who also sponsor major college football in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
In men's basketball, Fresno State is one of five "Group of Five" schools to make back-to-back NCAA or NIT postseason appearances, along with Cincinnati, Houston, Middle Tennessee and Akron. And of those five programs, Fresno State is one of only three with at least one NCAA Tournament appearance (Cincinnati and Middle Tennessee State) during that time.
When looking at the 121 universities that comprise the country's Top 10 RPI College Basketball Conferences (ACC, Pac-12, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, AAC, MW, A-10, WCC and Big East), the Bulldogs are in a select group of 35 programs from who have had three straight winning seasons of conference play. Fresno State and Boise State are the only two MW programs to have three straight winning seasons in conference play.
During this past season, Fresno State had the most Top 50 RPI wins (2) of any MW school and had the second-most Top 100 wins (8) of any program in the conference. Over the past two seasons, Fresno State (24-12 MW) trails only San Diego State (25-11 MW) for the best overall combined league record.
As the last two MW Tournament champions, Fresno State and Nevada both lead the conference with a 4-1 record in the last two conference tournaments.
Save Mart Center Dominance
One of Fresno State's mantras has been rooted in its pride in defending its home floor.
Over the past three seasons, Fresno State has the best home conference record in the Mountain West. When playing MW opponents during league play, the Bulldogs lead the conference with the most home wins in the last three seasons (23-4) and past two seasons (16-2).
Additionally, Fresno State is 40-7 overall at home (85.1 percent home winning percentage) during the last three seasons.
This is the first time in the 14-year history of the Save Mart Center that the Bulldogs' men's basketball team has posted double-digit home wins in four consecutive seasons.
This four-year span of home dominance is also Fresno State's first four-year stretch with 11 or more home wins in four straight seasons in over 32 years.
Prior to this run, the last time a Fresno State team had won at least 11 home wins in four straight seasons was when Boyd Grant led the Bulldogs to five consecutive postseason appearances (1981-85), which included three NCAA appearances and two NIT appearances.
Academic Excellence and Community Service
Since Terry arrived in 2011, 11 student-athletes have earned their degree from Fresno State and two student-athletes are currently continuing coursework while playing professional basketball. This means all 13 academic seniors (85 percent graduation rate) in that six-year period will have either earned their degree or are finishing units to complete their degree program in an allotted six-year window to count toward the graduation success rate.
The Bulldogs' Academic Progress Rate (APR) is the strongest it has ever been, with the three highest scores in program history coming during Terry's tenure. These record-setting scores included a program-best 980 score for the 2012-13 season, followed by a 978 and another 978 in the next two seasons, and then a 857 for the 2015-16 season with another strong score expected for the 2016-17 season.
For the 2017 spring semester, the Bulldogs' men's basketball program posted its highest combined team grade point average on record with a 2.91 grade point average, consisting of a record 11 student-athletes earning a grade point average of a 3.0 or higher.
In addition to the academic efforts, the Bulldogs have been extremely active in the community. In May, the team helped raise awareness for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, including the challenges faced by youth battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The 'Dogs also participated in a local camp sponsored by Fresno Building Healthy Communities, which is a coalition of residents, young people, community and faith-based leaders working together to create #OneHealthyFresno.
"I've been blessed to have the opportunity to help these guys grow, not just as basketball players, but also as young men, and help them understand how important it is to look a person in the eye, have a good hand shake, have your word as your bond and try to be about the right things in life," Terry said after winning the 2016 MW Championship. "One day that basketball is going to stop bouncing, and you've got to have something to fall back on and you'll live through some of the -- you know, the adversity in basketball. Hopefully, you'll be able to apply that in life."
Stay tuned to www.GoBulldogs.com for another Fresno State Men's Basketball summer update as the Bulldogs' 2017-18 roster is finalized in the near future, as well as other program news.
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
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