Fresno State locks up three transfers to start spring signing period

Fresno State coach Justin Hutson was up bright and early Wednesday morning, anticipating the start of the spring signing period.

But like everything else in college athletics these days, that, too, is different with players, coaches and schools all dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

The financial aid agreements signed by new Bulldogs Deon Stroud, Isaiah Hill and Devin Gage arrived late in the afternoon, not first thing in the morning as they might in any other year.

But the three transfer guards are all signed, serving as key pieces in a roster reset as Hutson heads into his third season with the Bulldogs.

“I think whenever you take over a new program you’re always looking to reset a little bit,” Hutson said. “That’s no knock on who is there, who was there. You’re always going to have some attrition.

“But I like the three we signed in the fall and I like the three we signed in the spring. We got a little bit of everything, and these three that we signed (Wednesday) bring a little more experience.”

The Bulldogs, needing to get older in the backcourt, added three players with experience at the Division I level to go with fall signees 6-foot-5 guard Destin Whitaker (Romeoville, Ill.), 6-7 forward Leo Colimerio (Wasatch Academy, Mount Pleasant, Utah) and 7-foot center Brandon Meah (San Joaquin Memorial High).

Gage, a 6-3 graduate transfer from DePaul of the Big East Conference, is expected to play point guard next season. Gage played off the ball and was limited to just 12 games last season because of a hand injury. But in 2018-19, he started 33 games as point guard for the Blue Demons and averaged 9.1 points and 3.9 assists per game.

“He’s very versatile,” Hutson said. “He brings a certain level of toughness and IQ, and experience. We’re looking forward to that.

“He can score it, he can assist, but he also is going to bring some needed experience to the backcourt.”

The Bulldogs also could have Hill and Stroud on the floor next season if the NCAA passes a one-time transfer rule that allows players to move without sitting out a year, or if Fresno State obtains a transfer waiver.

Hill, a 6-foot point guard, is returning to the San Joaquin Valley after spending his freshman season at Tulsa, where he played in 31 games with seven starts and 4.2 points and 2.2 assists per game.

He was a recruiting target for Hutson and his staff coming out of Liberty High in Bakersfield, where as a senior he set school records for career points (1,822) and points in a single-season (677).

“Isaiah is just a very skilled, high-IQ player who is coming home,” Hutson said. “We let him get away the first time, which I didn’t want to (happen). But he’s back.”

Stroud, a 6-5 guard, played at Memorial before finishing at Trinity International in Las Vegas. He is the nephew of former Bulldogs guard Carl Ray Harris, who scored 1,584 points from 1991-94 and ranks fifth on the all-time Fresno State scoring list.

At UTEP last season, Stroud played in 24 games with two starts, averaging 4.3 points per game.

“Deon is very athletic,” Hutson said. “I’m excited to bring another Valley guy home, a local product that can score the ball and bring some highlights to the Save Mart Center with his athleticism.”

The Bulldogs had five players leave the program after an 11-19 finish last season, opening some scholarships in this recruiting class. Only one of the players who transferred out of the program, guard Jarred Hyder, figured to get much playing time next season at Fresno State.

“To add in to what we have coming back and coming in, we wanted to have some experience,” Hutson said. “We’re very fortunate to get the guys that we wanted.

“I think the one thing we’ve added in this class is basketball IQ. I think that’s the common denominator with these guys.”

This story was originally published April 15, 2020 at 7:54 PM.