In the spirit of recruiting...

We did a full length article a while back at the Silver and Blue Nevada site on this subject but let's break it down a bit further with individual team posts.

First up is Fresno State.

Hey there are reasons to be optimistic if you are a Fresno State men's basketball fan. APR purgatory is concluding and a bushel full of new and talented recruits have arrived.

Incoming are:

* wing Jerry Brown
* wing Garrett Johnson
* point Steven Shepp
* center Greg Smith
* backcourter Shawn Willis (who will redshirt in 2009-2010)

Now consider the above batch with who was rounded up in the previous recruiting batch (including walk-ons):

* point Bryce Cartwright
* forward Paul George
* forward Justin Johnson
* guard Mychal Ladd
* forward Bryan Seals
* backcourter Brandon Sperling

The excellent play of Paul George notwithstanding, it's apparent a serious upgrade in potential -- a peculiar but accurate term -- has been landed even though the newest collection has yet to play a minute for the Bulldogs. Granted, 'po' isn't production but that's still the early near unanimous judgment.

However, an asterisk is needed because the recruiting rhythm for the 2008-2009 newcomer class was thrown off by the decision of Reggie Moore to ask out of his signed letter of intent. The timing of Moore's request proved troublesome because the Bulldogs had stopped recruiting other points and the unexpected need for then finding another WAC-level talent to run the team was never satisfactorily fulfilled.

Ultimately, it is the head coach who will bear the brunt of criticism when a team doesn't perform as the fans wish but it's a stretch to somehow nail Cleveland for Moore's opting out and when he did so. Getting Moore to wear a Bulldog uniform would have brought righteous kudos from the fans and certainly more wins last season. Moore's betterment between when he said yes and then signed and when he changed his mind put him at a level of competition above the WAC (he went east for prep school and eventually signed with Washington State) and he simply chose not to honor his commitment. That is a gamble coaches take.

As background, each head coach has a preference for the players he recruits. Some like recruits with shooting/scoring as the top talent. Others want tough muscle guys who will compete, still others prefer raw potential types who, if they pan out, pay huge dividends.

Cleveland's preference has generally been for skill-based talent, primarily shooters and scorers. Paul George is a prime example. By the way, does anyone remember his recruiting history? He verbaled to Santa Clara, reneged and signed with Pepperdine but ultimately landed in Fresno after Vance Walberg resigned as coach of the Waves. Hey, you win some and you lose some.

Sylvester Seay is another example of a Cleveland prototype recruit. Even 6-foot-8 Nedeljko Golubovic's best skill is as a shooter. Newcomers Brown and Johnson also seem to fit that mold.

But besides the Moore situation, what has also hindered the Bulldog revitalization was a couple of 'misses' -- if you will. Louisville transfer Bryan Harvey never really panned out (the last we heard was that he was playing for Cal State East Bay). Rekalin Sims' legal entanglements were ultimately none too serious but similar preceding problems with other players -- primarily footballers -- eliminated his opportunity to ever wear a Fresno State uniform. Those two also seemingly fit into Cleveland's ideal recruit.

So it appears Cleveland has returned to his recruiting roots with this season's haul.

But we offer this absolutely unsolicited advice: it's best that Cleveland very carefully determine the attitude and academic stability of any available transfers he considers in the future. There really is no need for him to reach or gamble any longer. Fresno State can land enough talent -- high school or junior college level -- to be WAC competitive without taking further big chances. He may get tempted with this possibility or that probability but here's hoping he holds fast. Having 13 scholarships to hand out is a necessity to get and remain in the upper tier of the WAC.