New signee plays guard, post position still in question
Matt Weir/Collegian File Photo
After being named the successor to Steve Cleveland, new men’s basketball coach Rodney Terry has had a long to-do list on his agenda.
One of Terry’s major tasks will be replacing the 6-foot-10 center Greg Smith who opted to forgo his junior and senior seasons and test the NBA waters.
Terry also has embarked on the recruiting trail to find players that would fit the team’s needs in coming years.
The new basketball leader also has the looming task of filling out his coaching roster, which has yet to come to fruition.
Now, after almost three weeks on the job, Terry has accomplished a couple things on his to do list.
First, he got a commitment from Julius Bilbrew, a combo guard from Inglewood High School in Southern California.
The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds in his final season at Inglewood High School.
A promising sign was that he stepped up his game during the most critical times: the CIF state playoffs.
During the tournament, he scored more than 20 points in every game.
Terry also brought in his first assistant coach in former Miami Hurricane assistant Michael Schwartz to help the movement toward the new era.
Even though, coach Terry has accomplished several tasks since being in charge of the Fresno State basketball program, there are still some things on the table.
With Greg Smith firm on his decision to play professionally, voids in the frontcourt are now apparent.
On April 12th, Smith signed with an agent, officially ending his college eligibility and cementing his name in the NBA Draft.
After two seasons at Fresno State, Smith averaged a little more than 11 points and seven rebounds per game.
This isn’t the only replacement Terry faces as he also lost the only other center on last season’s roster.
Center John Ryan also is not returning for next season according to Scout.com after his first year at Fresno State. During this past season, Ryan averaged 1.1 points and 1.1 rebounds after playing in 17 games.
With these two players leaving at a crucial position, the real question is what is the next step for the new Fresno State coach?
The former Texas assistant has to find a couple post players that will rebound and block shots, an answer he will likely have to find on the recruiting trail.
If Terry and the Bulldogs don’t sign a big man, then Fresno State fans should expect seeing forward Bracken Funk down on the low block for the 2011-12 season.
As the power forward in waiting to step in next season for the departing senior Ned Golubovic, Funk may be forced to restructure his game to fill Smith and Ryan’s shoes.
With Funk possibly moving over to the center position, look for the ‘Dogs to use a three-guard lineup with another small forward type player like Bennie Rhodes to complete the starting lineup for next season.