Head coach Rodney Terry (left) has brought a defensive
mentality to Fresno State and the transition has been
easier with former mentor Jerry Wainwright (far right)
being a part of his coaching staff.
Esteban Cortez / The Collegian
The new era of Fresno State men’s basketball has officially begun with the face of the program, head coach Rodney Terry, trying to change the direction the Bulldogs plan to head toward.
One of the reasons the transition has appeared to be easy is because of the coaching staff Terry has surrounded himself with in his first head coaching job.
Associate head coach Jerry Wainwright was brought in to help Terry build the basketball program back up to the success that both coach’s have enjoyed before in previous stints leading some of the nation’s top competitors.
Wainwright comes to Fresno State with a steady head coaching pedigree where he posted winning career records at UNC-Wilmington and Richmond before moving on to DePaul.
Under Wainwright’s direction, his team’s reached the NCAA Tournament on three separate occasions and also added four NIT bids.
Before taking over the reigns at DePaul, Wainwright had brought a winning attitude to two lower-tier basketball programs since his team’s never finished lower than fourth place in any conference they competed in.
As an assistant, Wainwright brings 16 years of head coaching experience and knows what it will take to bring Fresno State back to the respectability it has enjoyed in afterthought years.
With Wainwright bringing a winning mindset, Terry hopes that it will translate into the Bulldogs being more successful on the hardwood.
“He has a great basketball mind in terms of offense and defense,” Terry said. “He brings a wealth of experience to what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to build here.”
The two coaches are trying to build something similar to what they did in their previous coaching stints together at UNC-Wilmington and Richmond. UNC-Wilmington reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament during its final season by winning the team’s first ever NCAA Tournament game, beating USC 98-89.
Terry joined Wainwright’s staff during his fifth year as the face of the program at UNC-Wilmington and in their four seasons together at the school where the duo reached the NCAA Tournament twice as well as an appearance in the NIT.
“He’s been more like a mentor for me throughout my career,” Terry said.
Wainwright was out of coaching for a year before Terry brought him into his current position at Fresno State, bringing the two together once again, this time with the latter leading the way.
Terry believes that his regime has the opportunity to be something special with the Fresno State program as he has brought a sense of accountability that stems from his previous coaching experiences.
Under Terry, the coaching staff is designed to have all the coaches on the same page in respect to expectations of the team and players.
“Everywhere I’ve been we’ve had great staffs,” Terry said. “Without question we have a very experienced veteran coaching staff that has had a lot of success at a high level.”
The ‘Dogs will look to become a winning program that competes at the NCAA’s highest stage, as well as compete for conference championships on a consistent basis.
Although the season hasn’t exactly started off in Terry’s favor, the ‘Dogs are looking to start pushing the program in the right direction with the help of the men at the helm.
“Winning breeds winning,” Terry said. “And when you have guys that have been in that position it only enhances our chances of building a successful program here.”