This season was tough. Real tough.
The ninth-seeded Bulldogs finished the 2008-2009 season with an 85-68 loss to top-seeded Utah State in the quarterfinals of the Western Athletic Conference tournament Thursday.
This season Fresno State (13-21, 3-13 in the WAC) had four freshmen getting serious minutes, its only senior suspended for 8 games and its leading scorer adjusting to playing center rather than forward. No one was pleased with the results. Not coach Steve Cleveland. Not the players.
Now comes the interesting part.
Next season.
The Bulldogs are expected to return all but one player, senior Dwight O'Neil.
That means leading scorers and rebounders Sylvester Seay (15.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Paul George (14.3, 6.2) along with three other freshmen who got tons of playing time this season. They're expected to add former Edision High center Greg Smith, (6-foot-9, 240-pound), 6-6 forward Jerry Brown Jr. of Sacred Heart Cathedral-San Francisco and 6-5 guard Garrett Johnson of Diamond Bar-Pomona. All three signed letters of intent in November's early signing period.
The Bulldogs are also searching for a point guard. One guy who Fresno State coaches have been recruiting for months is local -- Fresno City's Sultan Toles-Bey.
Next year the Bulldogs should be more mature (physically and mentally) and their skills should develop. A finish outside the top 5 of the WAC would be considered to many as a disappointment.
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