In preparation for the upcoming season, the Fresno State men’s and women’s basketball teams took the court at the Save Mart Center for Red and White Hoops Night.
The teams entertained fans with intrasquad scrimmages, three-point and half-court shooting contests and a dunk contest.
The three-point contest came down to the wire, as forwards Marvelle Harris from the men’s team and Alex Sheedy from the women’s squad battled back and forth for the crown. Harris edged Sheedy by one point, despite Sheedy closing in and hitting her last five shots.
Forward Cezar Guerrero won the half-court shooting contest after knocking in five shots in a row.
Seven celebrity judges were a part of the dunk contest: Joyce Capequick, a member of the first women’s basketball team in 1963; Paul Ladwig, Fresno State senior associate athletic director; Jaleesa Ross, the ‘Dogs’ all-time women’s basketball leading scorer; Teresa Sardin and George Takata from KSEE’s “Sunrise”; former men’s basketball forward Shannon Swillis; and Victor E. Bulldog II.
Sophomore forward Karachi Edo took the dunk-contest crown after winning a dunk-off with freshman guard Isaiah Bailey.
Edo first wowed the crowd after dunking over the 6-foot-7-inch Swillis. Bailey punctuated the first round of the contest with a 360-degree windmill dunk.
In the dunk off, Edo worked in tandem with teammate Julien Lewis to knock his jam in. But Bailey was unable to capitalize, although he tried to use three fans to help him with his attempts.
Women’s team enjoys good chemistry
The women’s team won its second-straight Mountain West Championship last season under former head coach Raegan Pebley.
A new face leads the women’s program this season with first-year head coach Jamie White taking over. The Bulldogs traveled to Australia in August, where they played four games in three different cities in a span of 11 days. White said that experience benefitted her team, because it gave them an opportunity to come together and form some chemistry before the season.
“We went to Australia earlier, so there’s nothing like being thousands of miles away from home to help with the bonding,” White said. “I think the chemistry has been really good. [The players] really seem to like each other, and I’ve had a great time with them.
“It’s easy to coach them. They’re competitive, they work hard, they’re always ready to go, and they’re ready to win. They’re extremely excited to compete.”
This year’s team is missing key components from last year including guards Taylor Thompson and Bree Farley. Losing experienced players like Thompson and Farley hurts, White said, but there is still a good number of returners, and they are ready to embrace larger roles this season.
“We have 10 returners and two of those are starters,” White said. “What’s been nice, is that a lot of those returners haven’t played that much, but they’ve been competitive and working hard to find their place on the team.”
Bulldog men look to continue momentum
The men’s team will look to build on its 21-win season from last year, in which they reached the finals of the College Basketball Invitational.
Fourth-year head coach Rodney Terry said he likes the talent of this year’s squad, but what will determine their success is how they play among each other.
“I think this year chemistry is going to be a big part,” Terry said. “We have a lot of guys that can play this year, and being great teammates is going to play a big part of this team’s success this year.”
This year’s team features eight returners from last year’s postseason squad. It is headlined by upperclassmen Cezar Guerrero, Marvelle Harris and Alex Davis. Terry will not only turn to those guys to lead the pack but also to help the younger guys come along.
“It’s always good to have continuity in the program and having guys coming back that have experience,” he said. “They know what to expect. We have four starters coming back, and those guys have valuable experience. It definitely helps to have those returning guys coming back to help the younger guys.”
Both squads will take part in exhibition matches on Nov. 9 at the Save Mart Center. The women’s team will take on Notre Dame De Namur at 2 p.m., and the men’s squad plays against UC Santa Cruz at 4 p.m.
“Our guys are really excited to play against someone in a different colored jersey,” Terry said. “They’ve been having intrasquad scrimmages, so they’ll be excited to play against a new opponent.”