With former Fresno State guard Rafer Alston landing with the New Jersey Nets after last week's trade, the Nets now have two links to Fresno area basketball.

Former Memorial High center Brook Lopez is preparing for life after Vince Carter and good friend Ryan Anderson*, two of the players dealt to Orlando for Alston, Courtney Lee, and Tony Battie last week. Lopez averaged 13 points, 8 rebounds and finished 3rd in rookie voting last season.

And though Alston definitely still has connections to Fresno that won't be forgotten, especially because he has a child living in the area, I really don't think Fresno State can claim him and write about him on their sports website like they did when he helped the Magic reach the NBA Finals this year. I don't really think you can kick a player out of school (read this fourth 'graph from the bottom) and then claim him years later when he does something good.

* I thought it was ironic that Anderson and Lopez were friends despite Lopez playing at Stanford and Anderson hooping at Cal.

Fresno State men's basketball guard/forward Paul George stood out nationally among freshmen this past season and was rewarded with an invite to the USA U19 National Team trials, which begin June 16 in Colorado Springs, Co.

The soon-to-be sophomore was one of several players invited to the trials, where coaches will whittle the competition down to the 12 players who will compete in the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championships July 2-12 in Auckland, New Zealand.

George, though, is still recovering from offseason bunion surgery and will be unable to participate.

"It is humbling to be included with such great basketball players," George said. "While I wish I could participate, I need to focus on getting ready for next year and rehabbing from surgery. Our team is working hard in the off-season to get stronger and elevate our game to compete for a WAC Championship."

The quote that stood out to me most when talking to Steve Shepp tonight was this one:

"I'm not really a fan, I'm more a student [of the game]. I watch [Steve] Nash and Chris Paul and watch games as if I'm trying to learn. It's like I'm in a classroom, sitting down on the couch and they're my teachers."

Shepp's signing to Fresno State adds some excitement to the Bulldogs fan base because the Bulldogs will have a new point guard to be hopeful about (the point guard corps struggled a bit last season) and also because of the flair he supposedly brings to the game.

I say supposedly because I haven't seen it yet. Shepp (6-foot-1, 175-pounds, 7.4 ppg, 5.8 apg) said he used to be called "Baby Jason," after former Sacramento Kings point guard Jason Williams. But Shepp says he gets his on-court swagger from his AAU coach Craig Boothe, who is from New York City. If you know me, you know I'm all for a little well-controlled street ball livening up the action.

Fresno State has been looking for a point guard and forward to fill their last two scholarships and those two recruits might just be PG Steve Shepp and forward Daequon Montreal.

Shepp is a 6-foot-1, 175-pound guard from Allegany Community College (Maryland) and Montreal is a 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward who hails from the College of Southern Idaho.

Both of these JUCO programs have produced some quality players in the past. Allegany has pumped three players into the University of Maryland, including former NBA guard Steve Francis, and put several other players into DI programs. The College of Southern Idaho has produced NBA players as well, but may be known more for its coaching standouts that include Eddie Sutton and Fresno State's own Boyd Grant. Two recent CSI players of note for Bulldogs fans are Joey Shaw (at Nevada right now) and former Bulldogs guard Kevin Galloway. He was here for only a couple months in 2007 before it was apparent academics might be a problem. Man he was good. Where is he now? Kentucky ...

Fresno State basketball signee Jerry Brown was named the San Francisco Chronicle's San Francisco region player of the year.

Wrote the Chronicle:
"Jerry Brown (Sacred Heart Cathedral): The 6-foot-7 Brown ended his four-year varsity career with a Division III state title to cap a 29-4 season. He averaged 16 points and eight rebounds and was named West Catholic Athletic League Co-Player of the Year. Brown will bring his slashing offensive game, improved mid-range jump shot and all-around intensity to Fresno State next season."

Interestingly, it was a player from F. State asst. coach Senque Carey's former high school (St. Francis) that split the WCAL co-player of the year award: Shawn Grant.

Paul George is still on one mock draft board, sitting at No. 9 for the 2010 NBA Draft. He's no where to be seen on the other boards though. 2010 seems a bit early, plus he has to work on his handles and his strength.

The NCAA men's basketball recruiting dead period ends Thursday at noon and Fresno State basketball coaches will take advantage immediately, hitting the road to recruit.

Coaches will be on the road this week and next weekend (there's a recruiting dead period April 13-16) with hopes of finishing evaluations and home visits. Priorities, as we've talked about before, are a point guard and a forward.

With the group of current players Steve Cleveland and his staff have already, I'd bet on a junior college point guard coming in. They need an experienced point guard to run next year's team, not one who's learning how to play at a higher level AND who is learning the system. But we'll see.

The signing period begins April 15 and ends May 20.

Nevada men's basketball coach Mark Fox is headed to Georgia, leaving the Wolf Pack after helping recruit some of its best players.

Fox was on Trent Johnson's staff and helped recruit Kirk Snyder (former NBA player, now in jail, yikes), then recruited Nick Fazekas (three-time Western Athletic Conference player of the year) and JaVale McGee (Washington Wizards), who might have put Nevada over the hump in the WAC this season had he stayed in school instead of leaping to the NBA.

With him gone, the Bulldogs might be able to jump up in the WAC. We'll see who Nevada brings in or promotes.

P.S.: Some in Georgia are NOT excited about his hiring.

So intense New Mexico State guard Jahmar Young appeared to rip (literally tear) his jersey off at the end of the game and throw it into the stands.

Utah State clipped NMSU on a winning shot by Tyler Newbold with 3.1 seconds left. Newbold slipped behind a pick from a post player to get the shot. The Utah State team whipped it around to him for an open 10-foot baseline jumper to take the lead. This after NMSU led nearly the entire second half.

Utah State coach Stew Morrill called Newbold a bunch of things after the game: solid, steady, stable, bluecollar. He may be those things but he may have been a little dirty during the game, too. It looked like he might have been purposely putting his feet under NMSU players on jump shots. Not cool. That crap is actually how you cause opponents to sprain ankles. Definitely not cool.

There was also some good mascot conflict during the game.

Here are a couple more notes from the WAC tourney:

Utah State's 13 3s against Fresno State was a season-high and tied for the second most in school history. In addition to Stavon Williams hitting 6 of 8, Jared Quayle hit 4 of 9. The Aggies shot 62% from 3 ... ridiculous.

Some of that had to do with being hot, some of it had to do with Fresno State allowing them to get hot. The Bulldogs used a match-up zone and man to start the game. It didn't go well. The Bulldogs played good defense at times, but the zone rotated too slowly, and in man, sometimes they didn't get through screens. How the Aggies were shooting it though, it may not have mattered.

It's long been rumored that Utah State has the best student section in WAC men's basketball.

It's not a rumor anymore. It's fact.

More than a hundred Utah State students traveled to Reno, Nev. for the WAC tournament.

And they just didn't sit. They were loud. REALLY LOUD. Utah State forward Gary Wilkinson said the fans call themselves "the Spectrum on wheels," a reference to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, in which USU plays its games.