April 20, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. -
With three simple words, head coach Steve Cleveland and the Fresno State men's basketball team embarked on their mission to reestablish a storied Bulldog program as "Built to Last."
Five newcomers played significant minutes with four freshmen solidfying the base for the future of the storied program. By focusing on academic and athletic excellence, Cleveland has instilled a distinct focus into the new brand of Bulldog Basketball.
During the 2008-09 season, a young, but dynamic roster gained valuable experience and earned national recognition as the Bulldogs expect to compete for the 2010 Western Athletic Conference title and the program's fifth NCAA appearance.
While the offseason provides a time to continue to practice and prepare on getting stronger and more efficient, the time for reflection is a critical point in the learning process.
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Here is a look Bulldog-by-Bulldog at the seasons of each of the 11 student-athletes who took the floor during the 2008-09 campaign. For full student-athlete biographies and statistics, click here to view the roster page.
STARTERS
#2 Bryce Cartwright, Freshman, Guard, 5-11, Compton, Calif. (Dominguez)
As a talented, athletic freshman point guard, started 20 games and appeared in all 34 contests ... averaged 4.9 points, 3.2 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game... led team in free-throw shooting percentage while completing 34 of 46 attempts (73.9%) ... second on team with 109 assists ... on the season, finished with the sixth-best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.60) and the ninth-best assist average (3.21 assist per contest) in the WAC ... recorded a career-high 20 points to spark thrilling 90-87 overtime road victory at Cal Poly on Dec. 29, 2008 ... reached double figures in scoring during six contests ... in WAC contests, averaged 5.4 points and 2.9 assists per game ... led team with 46 assists (2.88 per game) against conference opponents for the sixth-highest mark in the WAC.
#5 Dwight O'Neil, Senior, Guard, 6-3, Fresno, Calif. (Washington Union)
As the lone senior leading a young and energetic roster, finished his Fresno State career as the 41st highest scorer in Bulldog history with 876 points for an average of 9.2 points over a 95-game career ... after spending the vast majority of his collegiate career solely on the wing, split time at the point and wing while helping direct the Bulldog offense to top the WAC for the third straight year with the most 3-pointers made per game (7.2) with a team-high 117 assists ... started 23 of 25 games played ... averaged 12.9 points, 4.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game for his best complete season as a Bulldog ... recorded a career-high 22 points against San Jose State on Jan. 10, 2009 ... scored a game-winning fall-away jumper off an inbounds pass from freshman point guard Bryce Cartwright with 0.9 seconds left for the `Dogs first road victory of the season, 66-64, over the Pacific Tigers on Dec. 6, 2009 ... delivered a clutch 20 points in thrilling 90-87 overtime win at Cal Poly on Dec. 29, 2009, including a critical set of 3-pointers and five vital free throws ... knocked down the `Dogs biggest shot of the season by softly lofting a 15-foot go-ahead jumper with 21.7 seconds remaining to lift Fresno state ahead for good in 62-58 opening round victory against Hawai'i in the 2009 WAC Tournament.
#15 Nedeljko Golubovic, Sophomore, Forward, 6-8, Pjevlja, Serbia (Findlay Prep)
Accolades:
2009 Academic All-District VIII
2008-09 Academic All-WAC
During his sophomore campaign, earned the first recognition in program history as an Academic All-District VIII honoree and a candidate for the Academic All-American team ... the selection marked the only Western Athletic Conference honoree and the only student-athlete from a California college in the University Division ... received his second straight Academic All-WAC honors ... in his first three semesters at Fresno State, collected a cumulative 3.76 grade point average, including a distinction on the President's List for a 4.0 grade point average in the Fall 2007 semester ... one of only two Bulldogs to start all 34 games ... averaged 7.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game ... logged 30.1 minutes per game, the third highest of any Bulldog ... scored a career-high 18 points to lead `Dogs to 68-66 victory over the second-place Nevada Wolf Pack on Feb. 26, 2009 ... grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds as the Bulldogs beat Hawai'i 62-58 in the opening round of the 2009 WAC Tournament ... reached double figures in scoring during seven games ... in WAC contests, averaged 7.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 42.4 percent from the field.
#24 Paul George, Freshman, Guard, 6-7, Palmdale, Calif. (Pete Knight)
A dynamic, game-changing freshman who made an immediate impact as the core of the foundation for the Bulldogs' storied program ... delivered one of the most impressive freshman performances in Bulldog history ... ranked as one of the top 15 freshmen scorers in the NCAA ... one of only two Bulldogs to start all 34 games ... during his freshman campaign, averaged 14.3 points, a team-high 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a team-high 1.7 steals per game while shooting 47 percent from the field ... recorded the third-best season 3-point field goal percentage (63-141, 44.6%) in Bulldog history ... led team with six double-doubles (Nov. 17, Nov. 25, Dec. 20, Dec. 29, Jan. 3 and Feb. 9) ... on the season, led the WAC in minutes played (1176) and finished second in the WAC in 3-point shooting (63-141, 44.7%), steals (59) and steals per game (1.74), third in the WAC in minutes played per game (34.59), fifth in the WAC in defensive rebounds (149) and 3-pointers made (63), sixth in the WAC in 3-pointers made per game (1.85), seventh in the WAC in rebounds (212), eighth in the WAC in defensive rebounds per game (4.38), ninth in the WAC in points scored (487) and scoring per game (14.3), and tenth in the WAC in blocked shots (34) and blocks per game (1.00) ... scored a career-high 29 points, the fifth highest scoring WAC performance in a conference game, with a perfect tally (8-8) from the charity stripe, one of ten perfect WAC performances from the free throw line on the season, and the fifth highest field goal percentage in a 2008-09 conference game by drilling nine of eleven field goal attempts (81.8%) to lead the `Dogs to an 88-82 victory over Boise State on Feb. 9, 2009 ... forced a career-high five steals in the Bulldogs' quarterfinal bout with the top-seeded Utah State Aggies in the 2009 WAC Tournament ... earned ESPN's Sportscenter's No. 1 "Play of the Day for Nov. 18, 2009 with an emphatic one-handed slam dunk on the road at Saint Mary's College during ESPN's College Hoops Tip Off Special ... in WAC contests, averaged 14.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per games while shooting 42 percent from the field ... in the final WAC-only regular season rankings, finished second in the WAC in 3-point shooting (28-63, 44.4 %), third in the WAC in minutes played (573) and minutes per game (35.81), fourth in the WAC in steals (27) and steals per game (1.69), eighth in the WAC in blocked shots (16) and blocks per game (1.00), ninth in the WAC 3-pointers made (28), 3-pointers made per game (1.75), and tenth in the WAC in points scored (229), scoring per game (14.3), rebounds (97), rebounds per game (6.1), defensive rebounds (66) and defensive rebounds per game (4.13).
#30 Sylvester Seay, Junior, Forward, 6-9, San Bernardino, Calif. (Arizona State)
Accolades:
Second-Team All-WAC
WAC Player of the Week (Feb. 23-Mar.1)
Over the course of the season, emerged as the Bulldogs' primary threat from the low post with the ability to also knock down shots from all over the floor ... appeared in 34 games with 31 starts ... earned second-team All-WAC honors ... led team with 15.3 points and 1.7 blocks, grabbed 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 46 percent from the field ... recorded a team-high 521 points ... swatted the tenth-most blocks (58) in a single season by a Bulldog ... soared to a career-high with 32 points on the road at Utah State on Jan. 15, 2009 ... recorded three double-doubles ... scored 20 or more points in five consecutive games (Feb. 14 to Feb. 28, 2009) ... hit a 60-foot buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send the `Dogs home date with the first-place Utah State Aggies into overtime on Jan. 31, 2009 ... on the season, finished third in the WAC in blocked shots (58), fifth in the WAC in blocks per game (1.71), sixth in the WAC in field goals (177), seventh in the WAC in points scored (521), eighth in the WAC in points per game (15.3) and tenth in the WAC in 3-point field goals made (50) ... in WAC contests, averaged the third-highest scoring clip with 17.4 points and added 6.9 rebounds per game while shooting 45.1 percent on field goal attempts... in the final WAC-only regular season rankings, finished second in the WAC in points scored (279), third in the WAC in scoring (17.4), fourth in the WAC field goals made (93), blocked shots (29) and blocks per game (1.81), sixth in the WAC in rebounds (110), defensive rebounds (76), rebounds per game (6.9) and defensive rebounds per game (4.75), seventh in the WAC in 3-pointers made (29) and 3-pointers made per game (1.81).
BENCH
#1 Mychal Ladd, Freshman, Guard, 6-5, Seattle, Wash. (Rainier Beach)
As one of the four freshmen contributing significant minutes, appeared in all 34 games, starting 15 ... averaged 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game ... tied for second on the team with three double-doubles (Jan. 28, Feb. 14 and Feb. 21) ... scored a career-high 22 points twice ... reached double figures in scoring 16 times during the season ... a passionate and hard-working shooting guard named as the team's "Outstanding Free Throw Shooter" by draining 55 of 76 attempts from the charity stripe (72.4%) ...in WAC contests, averaged 8.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 40.5 percent from the field.
#3 Jordan Ambers, Junior, Guard, 5-11, Fresno, Calif. (San Joaquin Memorial)
Appeared in ten games as a walk-on junior reserve guard and one of only five returning members of 2007-08 roster... scored first collegiate points and blocks in win over Sacramento State on Nov. 14, 2008 ... earned a career-high 10 minutes and grabbed first career rebounds at San Diego State on Nov. 22, 2008 ... completed five of eight free attempts on the season ... attempted three field goals while looking for first collegiate basket.
#11 Myles Green, Sophomore, Guard, 5-10, Los Angeles, Calif. (Capistrano Valley)
In his sophomore campaign, appeared in 20 games as a walk-on reserve point/shooting guard and one of only five returning members from 2007-08 roster ... set personal career game highs in primary statistical categories ... averaged 1.2 points, 1.5 assists and 0.6 rebounds per game ... scored a career-high eight points while hitting a pair of 3-pointers in first round of the Las Vegas Classic against Northern Colorado on Dec. 10, 2008 ... logged a career-high 20 minutes in third round of the Las Vegas Classic against Creighton on Dec. 22, 2008 ... recorded at least three points in five games.
#21 Brian Seals, Junior, Forward, 6-8, Sacramento, Calif. (Consumnes River)
As a junior college transfer, appeared in 29 games as a forward and earned three starts ... averaged 2.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game ... grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds in 72-47 victory in second round of the Las Vegas Classic over USC Upstate on Dec. 20, 2008 ... logged at least 15 minutes in six games.
#32 Brandon Sperling, Freshman, Guard, 6-3, Fresno, Calif. (Buchanan)
As a defensive specialist, appeared in all 34 games with 10 starts ... earned his minutes in the rotation for his aggressive defensive approach and strong work ethic in practice ... averaged 2.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game ... scored a career-high 11 points in 81-63 victory over Houston Baptist on Jan. 28, 2009 ... in WAC contests, averaged 2.5 points and 1.8 rebounds per game.
#42 Brandon Webster, Sophomore, Center, 6-10, Bryan, Texas (Bryan)
As the tallest member of the roster, appeared in 28 games as a center with a high basketball IQ ... one of only three returning letterwinners from 2007-08 roster ... averaged 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds per game ... logged a career-high 21 minutes against San Jose State on Jan. 10, 2009 ... registered at least ten minutes in nine games during the season.
REDSHIRTED 2008-09 SEASON:
#25 Justin Johnson, Freshman, Forward, 6-7, Phoenix, Ariz. (Brophy Prep)
#22 Taylor Kelly, Freshman, Guard, 6-3, Bakersfield, Calif. (Centennial)
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