FRESNO STATE (0-0) vs. SACRAMENTO STATE (1-0)
Nov. 8, 2024 • 7 p.m. PT • Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
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MEDIA COVERAGE
Mountain West Network / Bulldog Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Matt Norville • Analyst: Marc Q. Jones
Stream: Mountain West Network
Listen: Bulldog Sports Network
Live Stats: Bulldogslive.com
X (Twitter): @FresnoStateMBB
FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno State will open the 2024-25 basketball season on Friday evening against Sacramento State under the new leadership of Vance Walberg, the 20th head men's basketball coach in program history. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. PT at the Save Mart Center and will stream live on the Mountain West Network.
QUICK LOOK
The last time the Bulldogs opened their season at home against a Division I opponent was Nov. 11, 2016, a 69-66 win over UTSA.
With the college basketball season having officially begun on Nov. 4, Fresno State will be the last Mountain West team to open its season.
Friday's contest will be just one only three games in Fresno during the first 35 days of the season. The Bulldogs will play seven games away from home during that span (5 road, 2 neutral).
When Walberg takes the bench on Friday at the Save Mart Center, it will mark a journey of 216 days since he was hired on April 6.
Walberg isn't the only coach on his staff putting an emphasis on community when it comes to this process. His staff has deep ties the Central Valley. Three of his five assistant coaches grew up in the Valley while associate head coach John Welch was a part of Jerry Tarkanian's Bulldog staff from 1995-2002.
Walberg enters the season with the sixth-most newcomers on a roster in Division I this year with 14 new faces, a roster he and his staff worked to put together during the first 100-plus days after his hiring.
With just two players returning in Jalen Weaver and Pierre Geneste Jr., the Bulldogs rank in the Top 20 in the country in few returning minutes, points and rebounds.
WHO ARE YOU?
Fresno State will have 14 new faces on its roster when it opens the 2024-25 season. Only five programs will have more newcomers to its roster this season.
10 Division I programs enter the season with 14 or more newcomers.
Four programs (Cal, IU Indy, Louisville, U- Martin) will have a completely new roster after having to fill 16 roster spots.
THE PIECES
Following Fresno State's coaching change last spring, two players graduated while another 12 left the program for various reasons. That left just two players still a part of the program--Jalen Weaver who was a rotation player for the 'Dogs during the 2023-24 season and Pierre Geneste Jr. who was working his way back from a prior injury. That left Vance Walberg 14 spots to fill.
Walberg brought in three players from D-I programs in David "DJ" Douglas Jr. (Green Bay), Elijah Price (Drake), Mor Seck (Hawai'i). Only Douglas Jr. and Seck played last year.
Four players were brought in from the junior college ranks in Amar Augillard (Triton College), Zaon Collins (Salt Lake CC), Alex Crawford (San Diego City College) and Jasir Tremble (Prince George's CC). Augillard and Crawford were both at D-I programs prior to their junior colleges.
Enrolled at Fresno State during the 2023-24 academic year, Mykell Robinson was brought onto roster after coming to the Central Valley during the summer of 2023. He was previously at
The final pieces were six true freshmen--Brian Amuneke, Joshua Bonga, Makhan Diouf, Rippen Gill, Troy Jenkins, Pasha Shemirani.
A LACK OF RETURNING PRODUCTION
With just two players returning to Fresno State's roster from the 2023-24 season, the Bulldogs rank among the top in the country in fewest returning production.
Fresno State ranks 20th in least amount of scoring returning at 11.2%.
Fresno State ranks 14th in least number of rebounds returning at 8.8%.
Fresno State ranks 17th in least minutes returning at 11.6%.
Five programs return zero minutes played (DePaul, IU Indy, Iona, Kentucky and Louisville).
BACK IN COLLEGE
On Friday night, Vance Walberg will make his return to college basketball after more than 10 years away. But this time he will be making a dream a reality, a job he has coveted for two decades.
Walberg spent four seasons as the head coach at Fresno City College (2002-06), a season-and-a-half as the head coach at Pepperdine (2006-08) and three seasons as an assistant at UMass (2008-11).
VALLEY ROOTS RUN DEEP
When Vance Walberg was named the Bulldogs' head coach, he emphasized the community, doing things for the Central Valley because Fresno State is the Central Valley's team. That message resonates with not just Walberg, but within his staff. Of the program's six coaches, five from or have previously lived in the Central Valley.
Walberg has spent more than 20 years coaching in the Valley at Clovis West HS and Fresno City College.
John Welch was a part of Jerry Tarkanian's staff at Fresno State from 1995-2002.
Ray Barefield grew up in Fresno and prepped down the street from campus at Hoover HS, graduating in 1989. He is in the school's Hall of Fame.
Chris Stahowski played for and coached alongside Walberg. He also graduated from Fresno State in 2007.
Stamps grew up in Fresno and played at Central HS, graduating in 2012.