Anyone who expected Fresno State to have an easy time with San Francisco State in its season opener better think again. The Bulldogs trailed their Division II opponent 32-31 at halftime Friday night at the Save Mart Center.

Paul George scored Fresno State's first eight points and finished with 12 in the first half. He and Brandon Sperling are the only Bulldogs doing much offensively.

But it's on the defensive end where the Bulldogs are struggling. San Francisco State shot 53.8% in the first half, led by 11 from Marquel Hoskins, a transfer from Reedley College.

It's premier night for Fresno State men's basketball as the Bulldogs open the 2009-10 season against San Francisco State at the Save Mart Center.

The Division II Gators, despite a fairly successful early season, shouldn't provide much of an obstacle. (If they do, it could spell trouble for the Bulldogs, who are coming off a 13-21 campaign and last-place finish in the WAC.)

Fresno State's projected starting lineup includes senior Sylvester Seay and freshman Greg Smith inside, sophomores Paul George and Mike (no Mychal this year) Ladd on the wings and sophomore Brandon Sperling at point guard. Sperling and JC transfer Steven Shepp are expected to share time there.

The men's and women's Fresno State basketball team's will hold open practices and autograph sessions tonight at the Save Mart Center from 6-7:30 p.m.

The women's basketball team will have its court session at 6 p.m. with the men to follow at 6:30 p.m. The autograph session will be held from 7-7:30 p.m.

Men's coach Steve Cleveland and women's coach Adrian Wiggins will both show the public how they run their practices during the open sessions. Admission and parking are free; Concessions food is $1.

Both teams play Fresno Pacific at home Wednesday with the women beginning at 6 p.m. and the men at 8 p.m.

With practice for the 2009-10 season about to begin, coach Steve Cleveland had plenty to say about the Fresno State men's basketball team.

But as is usually the case, there wasn't nearly enough space in the paper for all the interesting and relevant stuff.

So thanks to the limitless boundaries of cyberspace, we present more of Cleveland's thoughts. (We spoke on Tuesday, three days before the Bulldogs opened fall camp.) Cleveland, 62-62 in four seasons at Fresno State, spoke like a coach who understands that his program still has a ways to go coming off a 13-21 season, including a 3-13, last-place finish in the WAC.

On primary areas that need improvement: "We need to be way better defensively. We need to be able to get stops. The success of this team can't be based upon us having great shooting nights. You can't be consistent like that."

It's a little more than a month until the Fresno State men's basketball team plays its first exhibition game Nov. 4 against Fresno Pacific.

Fans should have much, much, much more to be exicted about this season as compared to last. The Bulldogs finished last (ninth) in the WAC last season with a 3-13 conference record. Fresno State was picked to finish fourth in the league this week by the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.

They picked NM State, Utah St. and Nevada to finish (in that order) above the Bulldogs. No Bulldog was a first-team all-conference player and Nevada's Luke Babbitt was the preseason POY.

The key players for the Bulldogs this season will be forwards Sylvester Seay (pictured above) and Paul George. The newcomers who need to step up most in order for the Bulldogs to succeed are juco transfer PG Steve Shepp and freshman F Greg Smith.

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.