Rodney Terry Recruiting History at Fresno State

(utepathletics.com)

New UTEP head coach Rodney Terry served in the same role at Fresno State for seven years, starting in the 2011-2012 season. To get a better idea of his recruiting, I looked at all of his classes at Fresno State, including this year’s 2018 class. I went with Rivals specifically for rankings. Here is the information:

High School

20

Junior College Transfers

7

DI Transfers

12

Rivals 150

5

Rivals 3-stars

10

Rivals 4-stars

6 (William McDowell-White signed but never played for Fresno State)

Most Frequent U.S. States

California- 15

Texas- 5

Arizona- 3

***Non U.S.- 6 (2 from Canada)

(sunsentinel.com)

Best Player

Tyler Johnson

2010-2014

Terry inherited Johnson at the beginning of his tenure at Fresno State. Johnson’s freshman season saw him average 4.4 points in 31 games for previous head coach Steve Cleveland. In his sophomore season and in Terry’s first year at the helm, Johnson more than doubled his scoring as a part-time starter. As an upperclassmen, Johnson continued to improve and thrive while becoming an all-around threat and leading scorer. Johnson’s ascent continued after graduation, going from the G League to becoming a key rotation player and double-digit for the Miami Heat. Johnson earned a 4 year, 50 million contract from the Heat in the summer of 2016. While Terry didn’t recruit Johnson, he certainly played an integral role in developing him during his time at Fresno State.

(collegian.csufresno.edu)

Best Recruit

Marvelle Harris

2012-2016

Harris was easily the most talented and productive player Terry recruited at Fresno State. Rivals ranked him as a three-star recruit, but Harris outplayed that ranking en route to becoming the school’s all-time scoring leader. He led Fresno State to the 2016 NCAA Tournament, the only appearance for Fresno State under Terry. Terry and his coaching staff did a great job of developing Harris. He arrived at Fresno State as a wing, became a combo guard then became the primary ball-handler as a senior for a NCAA Tournament team. Harris currently plays for Limburg United in Belgium.

(collegian.csufresno.edu)

Biggest Miss

Robert Upshaw

2012-2013

The 7-foot center was Terry’s signature recruit, ranking as a four-star recruit and #52 nationally by Rivals in 2012. Unfortunately, his career never panned because of off the court issues. He appeared in 22 games and started five, flashing potential as an elite rim-protector. Upshaw was dismissed from the team after one season, and he transferred to Washington. He was also dismissed there and currently plays for the Yakima SunKings of the North American Premier Basketball League.

(fresnobee.com)

Best Transfer

Deshon Taylor

2015-present

Cezar Guerrero and Jaron Hopkins drew consideration, but Taylor is the pick thanks to his scoring prowess and production under Terry. Taylor started his career at UMKC and averaged 7.5 points as a freshman in 2014-2015 as a part-time starter. After sitting out the 2015-2016 season, Taylor averaged 12.5 points and shot 40% from three last year. But he continued to improve in Terry’s final season at Fresno State this year, leading the team in scoring at 17.8 points.

UIC offers Alabama Transfer Ar’Mond Davis

In nearly three years under Head Coach Steve McClain, the Flames have seen several players transfer out of the program. For the first time, UIC is delving into the transfer market to take in players. Ar’Mond Davis, a senior wing at Alabama, is leaving as a grad transfer and UIC offered him yesterday. 

Davis suffered a knee injury this past season, forcing him to miss the entire year and redshirt. He appeared in 32 games in 2016-2017, averaging 6.0 points in just 13.8 minutes. His playing time fluctuated throughout the season, yet he still managed to score in double-figures in 10 out of 32 games.

Originally from Tacoma, Washington, Davis was a highly-touted junior college wing, ranking in the top ten in 2016 before landing at Alabama. Since announcing his intentions to transfer, Davis has picked up offers from Horizon League foes Northern Kentucky and Oakland in addition to UC Santa Barbara. 

UIC has two openings and are casting a wide net with offers to the following players:

Chase Adams from Orr High School in Chicago, IL

Tyler Cheese from Florida Southwestern State College

Tyreek Scott-Grayson from State Fair Community College

Kawanise Wilkins from Barton Community College

David Wingett from Bull City Preparatory Academy

UIC already has commitments from big men Isaac Bassey and Brandon John in the 2018 class. 

UIC Offers Kawanise Wilkins

Photo courtesy of Barton Community College Athletics

UIC continues its pursuit of filling the two scholarship vacancies in the 2018-2019 season as a new target has emerged.

Kawanise Wilkins, a 6-foot-5 wing at Barton Community College, tweeted that he received a scholarship offer from UIC yesterday. Wilkins graduated from Farragut High School in Chicago last year, which is only four miles away from the UIC Pavilion.

Wilkins is a qualifier, meaning he can transfer to a DI school next year and has three years of eligibility left starting in 2018-2019.

Wilkins has been a standout freshman performer at Barton, producing an impressive stat line for a 28-6 team. He is averaging 15.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Wilkins is shooting 49% from the field and 36% from three. But he’s stepped up his play at the right time, thriving thus far in the playoffs.

In four postseason games, Wilkins is averaging 17.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists. His strong play in the playoffs has led to surplus of scholarship offers in a short amount of time. 

Wilkins has received ten offers in the last 11 days. He has offers from Albany, Bradley, Hofstra, Indiana State, Kent State, Loyola, Milwaukee, UIC, Western Michigan and Winthrop.

He opened up about his recruitment and his timeline for a decision. "Coach McClain and Coach Brown began recruiting me a couple of weeks ago," Wilkins shared. "I like that UIC plays in a good league and their competitive nature. I haven't visited any schools yet and I plan to schedule them when my season is finished. I'll make my commitment whenever the time is right."

UIC appears to be looking for guard and wing depth based on their current offers. In addition to Wilkins, the Flames are pursuing Tyreek Scott-Grayson and David Wingett on the wing. Chase Adams and Tyler Cheese are the guard targets.

The Flames already have two commitments from big men, Isaac Bassey and Brandon John.

UIC vs Saint Francis Recap

What Happened
UIC easily defeated visiting Saint Francis 84-61 tonight at UIC Pavilion in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Tai Odiase also made history passing one of the greatest shot-blockers of all time. He surpassed Dikembe Mutombo on the all-time blocks list, swatting six shots.

It was UIC’s first game without leading scorer Dikembe Dixson, who exhausted his collegiate eligibility by turning pro.

The Flames did just fine sans Dixson. Godwin Boahen replaced Dixson in the starting lineup and handed out a season-high nine assists. Six players scored in double-figures, yet only one player attempted double-digit field goal attempts. Clint Robinson led UIC with a career-high 15 points off the bench. Tarkus Ferguson added a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

UIC’s defense severely limited the offensive production from Saint Francis. The Red Flash only shot 32.3% as a team. The top scorer’s for Saint Francis, Keith Braxton and Jamaal King, came into the game scoring 17.4 points per game and 18.3 points per game. While they both combined to score 26 points, the duo shot 9-of-31 from the field. By neutralizing Braxton and King, UIC cut off the head of the snake.

Key Sequence
UIC went on a 9-0 early in the second half which allowed the Flames to seize control with a healthy lead. Ottey and Blount dunked consecutively to give UIC a 49-33 lead with 15:09 minutes left in the game.

What It Means
The Flames played extremely well on both sides of the ball without their leading scorer. That bodes well going forward in this tournament and next year.

What’s Next
UIC moves on to the quarterfinals of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, the opponent is yet to be determined.