The NIL and transfer portal have changed the landscape of college sports. And, first-time head coach Vance Walberg of the Fresno State men’s basketball team has a front-row seat to witness how much money and visibility can impact a program.

“The way it is nowadays, the more money you have, the better team you’re going to get,” Walberg told GV Wire at Monday’s open media practice. “We lost out on four or five players (where) if we had a couple $100,000 more at the time, we could have got.”

Those donations mean a great deal to bring in players and keep them. “We actually had one donor give us half a million (dollars) a week ago,” Walberg said.

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New Coach, New Team for Fresno State

The 2024-2045 season is drawing closer where The Red Wave will see what Walberg can do to revitalize the program. He was hired on April 6, replacing Justin Hutson, who led the Bulldogs to a 12-21 record (4-14 in conference) in his final season. Hutson, it should be noted, often complained about a lack of university support for the program.

The roster is filled with fresh young talent, 14 new players and only two returners. Walberg is implementing his trademark dribble-drive offense into the playbook. There’s much optimism going into this campaign.

“The young men are excited. They’re working their tail off. They’re doing a really good job,” said Walberg.

They loaded up at the guard positions to help get the offense in motion. There’s the 2024 NJCAA DI Player of the Year junior Amar Augillard from Triton College in Illinois and junior Jasir Tremble, a NJCAA Division III Second Team All-American this year from Prince George’s Community College.

“The guards are going to have to make a major contribution to the dribble-drive offense. It’s a guard-oriented offense,” said Walberg. “I want all my players to play like a guard. Be able to handle the ball, shoot the ball, penetrate and create. That’s the one thing that’s going to be different.”

Walberg highlighted redshirt freshman forward Elijah Price as a standout who can contribute greatly to the team. He said that Price, at 6-9, can be deployed as a hybrid guard/forward operating on the perimeter and inside.

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Adapting to New Offensive Strategy

The team has officially been practicing since Sept. 27. The Bulldogs open the season at home on Nov. 8 against Sacramento State. They’ve been using that time to adapt to the new offense, and the players are embracing the new philosophy.

“I feel we’re doing pretty good. During summer workouts, it was rough and getting used to each other. Now we’re getting to pick up on things and everything is starting to come together,” said senior guard Jalen Weaver. He’s one of the two returning Bulldogs along with junior forward Pierre Geneste Jr.

Their biggest test perhaps will come on Dec. 4 at the Save Mart Center against NCAA Tournament contender San Diego State. It’ll be an interesting matchup to see if Walberg’s fast tempo offense can keep up with the Aztecs’ slow pace and methodical approach that has established them as the top team in the Mountain West Conference.

Weaver on playing the Aztecs: “I feel our offense will apply well. We’re playing up and down a lot. We’re constantly going, and I feel that when we play anybody it’ll be hard to keep up with us because we’re always on the go.”

Related Story: Fresno State Hires Local Legend Vance Walberg as Men’s Basketball Coach

National Exposure and Second Chances

The Bulldogs are one of four men’s teams competing in the Acrisure Holiday Invitational in front of a national television audience during Thanksgiving week in Palm Springs. They’ll open with Washington State on Tuesday, Nov. 26. Other schools in the tournament are Cal Baptist and SMU.

The invitational is an opportunity for exposure but most importantly it’s generating excitement amongst players excited to show the country the progress and potential of the team.

“It’s exciting. I love playing in environments like that on television. It brings the best out of me. I feel everybody else on the team is excited for that as well,” said Weaver.

For some of the players this is their chance to be play Division 1 ball. It’s another story for sophomore Guard Zaon Collins. For him, putting on a Bulldog uniform is a second chance.

Collins pleaded guilty last summer to a felony for reckless driving that resulted in the death of 52-year-old Las Vegas native Eric Echevarria. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail as part of a plea deal but was released after 56 days. Collins was also fined $1,000 for the manslaughter charge and is in the midst of three years’ probation.

There was trepidation on Walberg wanting to bring in the former UNLV commit. He said he sat down with Collins, his parents, athletic director Garrett Klassy and President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval to see what the best decision would be. And now Collins is a Bulldog.

Building Community Support

Walberg has called this place home for quite some time. His name is a familiar one in the Central Valley as he served two stints at Clovis West High School (1990-2002) and (2017-24) and at Fresno City College (2003-06). He has roots here, the community’s connection to him can prove beneficial when it comes to NIL opportunities and filling the often empty stands at the Save Mart Center.

Fresno State ranked No. 8. with an average of 3,834 fans a game in the Mountain West last season, a 24.3 % drop from the previous season.

“If we put a good product on the floor and the people see hard working kids giving back to the community we’ll get the help from the community,” said Walberg.

That process starts now. They are taking the necessary steps to bring more fans to the games through outreach.

Walberg on their strategy: “We’ve been doing camps up and down the Valley. Free clinics in Visalia, Hanford, and Corcoran. We got a free camp coming up for kids in Fresno and Clovis. We’re trying to build it from the ground up. Playing exciting basketball and when we win people will come.”

Junior guard Amar Augillard believes The Red Wave will be impressed with this team when they take the court. “This year I feel we’re going to fill the arena very well. I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people with the new team and coaching staff. I think we can be the best team in the Mountain West,” said Augillard.