A day after having their season came to a premature end, the Fresno State Bulldogs received their first positive news in a week. Coach Ray Lopes, guard Damon Jackson and forwards Hiram Fuller and Renaldo Major were given all-WAC honors.
Coach Ray Lopes – Don Haskins Coach of the Year
In his first season at the Division I level, Ray Lopes took a team that finished fifth place in the 2001-02 season and made champions out of them. Ray Lopes lost two players to the first round of the NBA draft and were picked to finish fifth in the preseason rankings yet he turned a team that few expected much from into a team that an entire conference feared. After taking over for the legendary Jerry Tarkanian, he led the Bulldogs to a 20-8 (13-5 WAC) record and would have surely earned a post-season berth had the Fresno State administration not banned his team from post season play for the ills of past players.
Damon Jackson – First Team All-WAC
He led the team in scoring and more than likely led the nation in game-winning shots. The electrifying shooting guard averaged 13.1 ppg and was the Bulldogs answer whenever they needed instant scoring. Jackson shot 39% from the field and 35% from behind the 3-point arch and had a season high 28 points in a 107-99 victory over Nevada in a game that clinched the WAC Regular Season Championship. Jackson’s senior leadership and deadly range will be missed on next year’s squad and his last-second heroics will never be forgotten. JD, as he’s known to his teammates, finished second in votes for WAC Player-of-the-Year behind SMU’s Quinton Ross.
Renaldo Major – First Team All-WAC Newcomer
An unknown commodity at the beginning of the season and a sparse contributor throughout the early season, Renaldo Major came alive once conference season began. Only averaging 6.4 ppg in the first half of the year, Major increased his average to 11.7 ppg in WAC play. Renaldo scored a career-high 22 points in a disappointing 59-62 loss to Tulsa on March 5. Major caused opponents problems because he had the ability to penetrate defenses or shoot over them. His athleticism on the offensive and defensive ends of the court was a valuable asset to the Bulldogs and he will be counted on to carry a large part of the scoring load next season.
Hiram Fuller – Second Team All-WAC
Hiram Fuller arrived in Fresno from Wabash Community College as a Junior College All-American and failed to live up to the hype. However, faced with his last season of collegiate basketball, Fuller elevated his game and was a major force in the Bulldogs success all season. Second on the team in scoring at 10.0 ppg and first on the team in rebounds with 7.4 rbg Hiram became an integral part of the team and left a lasting impression on WAC coaches as they searched for ways to contain his dominating presence in the paint. In a victory over San Jose State on February 19 Fuller scored 15 points pulled in 16 rebounds and tied a school record with eight blocked shots. If the conference offered an award for Comeback Player or Most Improved, Hiram Fuller would have surely taken home the award.
Two Bulldogs forgotten in the conference awards who deserved mention are Travis DeManby (left off All-Defensive team) and Terry Pettis (lost out in Freshman-of-the-Year balloting). DeManby was the answer to every prolific perimeter scoring threat the Bulldogs faced this season. His tenacious defense and unstoppable work ethic allowed the Fresno State to hold teams to the lowest opponent scoring average in the WAC (66 ppg). Terry Pettis, runner up to Mr. Basketball in the state of Minnesota as a senior in high school last year, was forced to move from his natural shooting guard position to point guard and finally settled in once conference play began. In WAC play, Pettis averaged 9.4 ppg and 4.4 assists but had his biggest performance in the Bulldogs biggest game of the year – against Nevada in the WAC title clinching game, Pettis poured in 21 points and dished out ten assists for his first career double-double.
Having started the year with a high degree of uncertainty, the Bulldogs season can now be considered a triumph.