Tim Steed’s departure opened the doors for junior
Garrett Johnson (above), who has averaged 3.2 points
per game off the bench.
Dalton Runberg / The Collegian

Fresno State battles ex-Bulldog Tim Steed in a
non-conference game Wednesday at the Save Mart Center

A familiar face to the Bulldogs’ men’s basketball team will take the court, but this time on the opposite end in Wednesday night’s nonconference game against Cal State San Marcos at the Save Mart Center.

Former Bulldog Tim Steed, who transferred to San Marcos after former Fresno State head coach Steve Cleveland was fired at the end of last season, is now the leading scorer for the Cougars, averaging 16.1 points per game. Steed was the third-leading scorer on last season’s squad, averaging 10.7 points per game for the ‘Dogs. He started in 21 of the season’s 26 games.

“I’m very excited to come back to Fresno and play against my former teammates. It feels great to know that I’ll be playing against my friends,” Steed said.

“I’ve talked with them and there’s been some trash talking back and forth, but it’ll be a serious game, just like any other one on the schedule.”

The Bulldogs are treating this game like any other and are confident in holding off Steed and the Cougars in their brief break from conference play.

Senior Jonathan Wills hopes to keep Steed off the glass as Fresno State looks for its second win in a row and ninth overall this season. Wills has become a staple for the ‘Dogs at the foul line, making 88.9 percent of his free throws.

“It’s always good to play another game, no matter who the opponent is. You just get excited about another chance to get on the court and get better as a team,” Wills said.

“From knowing Tim personally, he’s a good friend still. But when you’re on the court, you don’t look at anything like that. You look at it as the opponent that will line up across from you that you have to go out and play against,” Wills added.

And Wills’ mentality matches that of head coach Rodney Terry, who said the game will be approached like a conference game, even though San Marcos is not a Division I school.

“We’re treating this game just like a conference game and to be honest with you, they’re going to be the same type of team we’ll see with Nevada,” said Terry.

It’ll be a contest for the ‘Dogs, who look to close out their three-game homestand on a winning note against a San Marcos team that ranks 24th nationally in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

“We’re going to have to do a great job in getting back, and really protecting the paint, being physical with our blockers. We’re going to have to match their intensity and their energy level when they come in this building,” Terry said.

It’s also a homecoming for Cougars head coach Jim Saia, who was an assistant at Fresno State from 1990-94. Saia went on to be an assistant at UCLA and USC, where he was interim head coach before being named head coach at Fresno Pacific University. Saia was hired as the men’s basketball coach at San Marcos in May of 2011.

“Fresno is a good place to me and it’s always good to come back and play Fresno State, because Fresno State is a special place to me,” Saia said.

But no matter how special Fresno may be to Steed and Saia, Terry reassured the ‘Dogs’ focus remains on the court.

“We’re not getting caught up in all that. Right now we’re treating like it was a conference game with conference folk,” Terry said.

“Our guys know that we have to work the game for 40 minutes. You can’t control how well you’re going to shoot the basketball any given night, but you can control your defense and your effort.”