Can you point me to a guard, please?

So is this who Steve Cleveland's Fresno State squad will turn to at point guard next season? Fresno City College's Sultan Toles-Bey?

If you've watched Toles-Bey play this year, we'd love to hear your opinion...is he the right guy to bring in?

Interesting thought, and one that hadn't occurred to me before (mainly because all we ever hear about Ed Madec's FCC teams are that they dominate the state miraculously without any Division 1 talent. Well, maybe that's not the case this year?

Toles-Bey was the Central Valley Conference MVP and knocked down 113 3-pointers. And goodness knows Fresno State needs more out of the position than what freshman Bryce Cartwright offered down the stretch.

Cartwright still has plenty of tools and potential, but the mental mistakes and crucial turnovers late in tight games are pretty much the worst thing a point guard can do. He's supposed to be the least mistake-prone guy on the floor. Brandon Sperling isn't a starting option unless he shows improvement ball-handling and passing.

Either way, getting some new blood at the position is a must if the 'Dogs are going to win the WAC in 2009. And don't laugh, that's a legit possibility with Sylvester Seay, Paul George and incoming center Greg Smith as arguably the conference's most talented trio.

'Dogs hoops just can't finish it

If the Fresno State men's basketball team had a lead in the final moments of a game and the opponents all walked off the court, the Bulldogs might still find a way to lose. For some reason, this team just cannot finish -- which has led to quite a bit of reflection on my part.

Let's pretend for a moment that I have multiple personalities (but that both were rational, of course). Now, if I were to have a conversation with myself about the topic, it would go a little something like this:

Me: Why does this team keep making so many mistakes in crunch time?
Me: Well, the youth excuse can only take you so far. The 'Dogs are full of inexperienced players in key roles in Paul George, Bryce Cartwright and Mychal Ladd, but they've all logged crazy minutes this season and can't claim to be strangers to the college game anymore. They should have adjusted enough by now to know how to handle pressure situations down the stretch. Didn't they learn by example from blowing what should have been an easy win at home over San Jose State, losing nail-biters against Utah State twice and at Nevada and blowing a huge opportunity hosting UNLV?

Me: Why is Cartwright so impressive at times and so mitake-prone in crucial times?
Me: He's young, but making mistakes such as throwing the ball away after an in-bound pass when intead of dribbling the ball upcourt like a point guard is supposed to, he tried to toss it 20 feet to a forward...is exactly the type of thing that has fans wondering if he's going to keep improving and be a fixture at point for the next three years, or if the 'Dogs need to recruit someone to start in front of him? And get this, after the errant turnover, Cartwright fouls the shooter down low and let's him make the basket -- one or the other please!

Me: Are you serious with all those 3s dwon the stretch Seay?
Me: Tell me about it. Instead of running the clock down and taking their time on each possession, the 'Dogs took quick shots (including multiple 3s by Seay) and missed pretty much all of them. When you're up by 6 points with less than 2 minutes left, and you've been controlling the game, there is no excuse not to win.

Me: So who's to blame? The youth?
Me: That's the go-to excuse these days, but at some point you've got to wonder if the coaches are doing their jobs? I don't mean to suggest Steve Cleveland isn't a good coach, but we're seeing the same mental mistakes and carelessness over and over now. Maybe the coaching staff needs to take a more proactive approach next time Fresno State has a late lead? You can't tell me a timeout up by 6 to tell the guys to stay calm, don't rush it and make every possession count wouldn't have been beneficial. Maybe the coaches did do this? If that's the case, then you've got to discipline the players who ignored that advice.

OK, I feel a little bit better now after talking myself through this Valentine's heartbreaker, well, except for the fact that the 'Dogs might be on their way to their worst record since the Ron Adams era in 1989-90. But let's hope that blog never has to be written...

Hardwood news & notes

I don't know about you, but I feel refreshed. After the debacle that was this past Thursday's 34-10 halftime deficit at Hawaii, Fresno State came out and straight manhandled the evil boise state broncos (sorry, but I've decided to no longer capitalize that school name).

The strange thing about this young Bulldogs squad is they crate athletic mismatch havoc for most WAC opponents -- save for New Mexico State and maybe Nevada. boise state was one of those obviously at a disadvantage from the get-go. (Just wait 'til next year's recruiting class doubles Fresno State's athleticism)

And now for the long-awaited news & notes from tonight's Fresno State win:
Paul George: A career-high 29 points...that's what happens when he plays aggressive offense.

Sylvester Seay: If 'Dogs had a winning record, George and Seay would both deserve first-team All-WAC.

Bryce Cartwright & Mychal Ladd: Fresno State hasn't had two leapers like this who can flatout hang in the air since Damon Jackson and Noel Felix circa 2002. Great to see Ladd doing a little more ball-handling tonight and the 'Dogs getting him more touches on offense.

Brandon Webster: Decent effort, please B-Web, if you're reading this, go all out all the time the rest of the year, I promise it'll pay off.

Brandon Sperling: Sperl, please stop taking bad shots. Be an in-your-face defender and stick to that role unless you're too open not to shoot (which you weren't tonight, especially behind the backboard).

Refs: Stop sucking. Good first half, but you really did let boise state back in the game down the stretch with bad calls and no calls. Full-court press doesn't mean fouls are allowed. And when the ball goes out of bounds off a boise state player on the baseline, that means Fresno State should get it out of bounds. Please keep this in mind in future Save Mart Center games.

High praise for incoming hoops recruits

Ran across some nice nuggets of info on the Parsing the WAC blog, which I must say is a very active and informative one. Kevin McCarthy talks Fresno State quite a bit in it, which is cool with me.

So let's get to the point...McCarthy talked 'Dogs recruiting with Carl Foster, who's been around a few of the soon-to-be Fresno State players, and he had some pretty impressive things to say.

Should be encouraging to Fresno State fans who witnessed one of the program's all-time most embarrassing losses last night at Hawaii, a game in which Fresno State had just 10 points at halftime. Bryce Cartwright had one of his most error-prone games, Ned Golubovic (despite being named Academic All-America for his region) was never in the right place at the right time, Sylvester Seay reverted to his old attitude problem and drew a technical foul before fouling out with 12 minutes left and Brandon Sperling got absolutely overpowered by bigger, stronger Rainbows.

But rest assured, help is on the way in the form of Greg Smith (as long as this suspension doesn't mean any bad news), Jerry Brown, Garrett Johnson and Chris Jones.

Merry Christmas Bulldog Bouncers!

First, let me start off by wishing all the readers a very Merry Christmas. Hope you all had a fantastic holiday with your loved ones. In addition, hope Santa was very kind to you. Here's a list of a sleigh full of gifts I'd like to see some of those in Fresno State athletics receive:

To: Tom Brandstater
We, the Red Wave, hereby revoke all boos you ever encountered. We had some good times and tough times together, but you're still a Bulldog QB, and that should forever entrench you into our hearts for being the team's leader and one tough son-of-a-gun. And please know this Tommy B., many of us never, ever booed you, and in fact got quite upset when we heard the minority of fans who did. So Merry Christmas Turlock Tom. Your Bulldog Born, Bulldog Bred card lasts forever!

To: Pat Hill
A time machine and a reminder. The time machine would allow our great coach to travel back to 1997, his first year, through 2005. All during those years Hill couldn't stand excuses. He was no-nonsense and never made them. He was all about proving it on the field and answering to the critics if his team fell short of those goals. We, the Red Wave, want that attitude back Coach Hill. And the reminder we'd like to give you, there are plenty of us out here who are standing true to you and arguing tooth and nail with anyone who says you can't get the job done. Some of us are the ones who have gotten a close look at the inner-workings of the program and have built up some insight. And we continue to believe in and support you Coach. Pat Hill is Fresno State!

To: 2008 Diamond 'Dogs
A big, giant hug. All the great words in Paul Loeffler's book, the great sounds on the DVD set, the T-shirt and hat sales at the Bulldog Shop, the parade and the ceremony at Beiden Field cannot even begin to explain just how special the 2008 season was to those of us who've followed and attended Fresno State baseball our entire lives. Or even those who have had season tickets for a decade or more. Your Bulldog spirit, fight, fun charisma and effort are what makes being a Fresno State student, alum or fan so unique to the college sports landscape. Justin Wilson said it best. No, we are not Cinderella. We are Bulldogs.

To: Steve Cleveland
All our support and some Bulldogs history lessons. We know you're fighting an uphill battle Coach Cleve. But many of us are confident you're winning that battle. Many of us are stoked about the young kids you've brought in like Paul George, Mychal Ladd, Bryce Cartwright and Ned Golubovich. And many of us are so glad you were able to convey the meaningful difference a hometown guy like Greg Smith can make by choosing the Valley's university. We'll be at the Save Mart Center night in and night out yelling as long as the lights are on. And we'll get anyone we can to join us. In the meantime coach, please accept our advice to make darn sure every young man who puts on that Bulldog Red uniform understands the history and tradition of Fresno State basketball. Make sure they know Boyd Grant, Rod Higgins, Ron Anderson, Tyrone Bradley, the Bookend Forwards, Grant's Tomb, Tark, Melvin Ely, Chris Herren, Rafer Alston, Meechie, T-Robe, Courtney Alexander, etc. Make sure they understand where Fresno State basketball has been on the national scene, so they are confident they can get back there and give it a cleaner image this time. Make sure it means something to be a 'Dog!