Sacre bleu!

Eleven new Fresno State Bulldogs men’s basketball players joined the team at its first practice this week, marking another wholesale roster turnover — a common theme in the new era of college athletics.

Second-year coach Vance Walberg recruited six international players, including three from France — Bastien Reiber, Wilson Jacques, and Nathan Zulemie. Walberg said he has a connection with international agents. All three played well in a French Under-20 league, with Jacques winning MVP honors.

“We may not be as super athletically, but I think we’re going to make that up with our smarts. We’ve been sharing the ball and shooting the ball much better,” the optimistic Walberg said.

The International Recruits

Walberg said he preferred international recruits. American commitments, he said, could find better NIL deals (name, image, likeness) outside of Fresno.

“The American agents could be their brother, their uncle, their best friend — whatever it is. With the international agents, you’re dealing with bona fide professionals. And everything we said and they said was upheld. I’ll be honest with you, the international kids were a lot easier to deal with,” Walberg said.

These observations are similar to what Walberg told the media at last year’s first practice.

Other international recruits include Gasper Kocevar (Slovenia), Matteo Porto (Italy), and Aram Soqui Urbano (Mexico). Walberg said visas came in later than hoped, but all are in camp. They are joined by Makhan Diouf, a returning player from Senegal.

Transfers include Cameron Faas (UMKC), Jake Heidbreder (Clemson) and Jac Mani (UC Davis).

Freshmen DeShawn Gory and DJ Stickman are also on the roster.

“A lot of foreign guys who come over probably have a slightly different perspective than a lot of the guys from America. But we’re just trying to make sure they fit in here and are excited. I think we’ve gelled pretty well together,” Heidbreder said.

The fact that legendary coach John Calipari ran Walberg’s dribble-drive offense was a plus.

“That kind of intrigued my interest, for sure, because I grew up Kentucky fan,” Heidbreder said.

Heidbreder, a guard from Floyds Knobs, Indiana, said he was looking for a bigger role. Richmond, Rhode Island and UC San Diego were other options.

Walberg: Last Year the Toughest

Walberg is entering his 48th season, having coached from high school to the pros.

“Year 47 was the toughest of my life. Not even a question, hands down. I hate losing. And with all the stuff that happened last year between the injuries and the off-the-court garbage, it was tough,” Walberg said.

The Bulldogs finished last year at 6-26 and 2-18 in the Mountain West, second to last place. The team hasn’t had a winning season since 2021-22, and haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament in 10 years.

Walberg dealt with easing Zaon Collins onto the roster. Collins is a talented player with a controversial past — he served 56 days for a felony reckless driving conviction that killed a person. He sat out the first practice with an injury.

In May, a civil jury awarded the family of his victim $15 million, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

The Bulldogs are also dealing with the fallout from a gambling controversy. Jalen Weaver and Mykell Robinson are gone after an NCAA probe found them placing prop bets on their performance.

Walberg said he was not aware of the specifics until the report came out recently. He said the controversy is behind him now.

“You never expect to come in and find out that you got something like that going on behind your back, and again, the key is to make sure you bring in good quality kids,” Walberg said.

He believes the international recruits will be of high character. Walberg said they talked to the players, agents, coaches, family via Zoom.

The NIL Reality

Walberg wanted to keep Brian Amuneke, Elijah Price, and Alex Crawford in the Fresno State program. However, they transferred to Wichita State, Nevada, and Rhode Island, respectively.

“We paid them a total of about $150,000. This year, they’re making $1.15 million between the three of them. It’s a whole different beast now,” Walberg said.

He hopes for better luck with a more internationally-flavored team.

“We might be able to keep them a little bit more than the American kids,” Walberg said.  “We gave (Amuneke) $1,000 a month, and he got $35,000 a month this year. How do you tell a kid not to take that kind of money? It’s really tough. I mean, there’s loyalty and there’s stupidity.”

The season starts Nov. 3 at Save Mart Center against Fresno Pacific. The Bulldogs play their first seven games at home.