Fresno State backcourt makeover continues with addition of California JC combo guard
Fresno State men’s basketball coach Justin Hutson has more backcourt depth with the addition on Friday of junior college guard Kyle Harding, the fourth transfer the Bulldogs have signed this spring.
“He’s a 6-foot-3 guard, brings versatility and experience,” Hutson said. “He shot 40% from three. He’s really quick and can make our guys better.”
Harding signed with Hutson and the Bulldogs without visiting the Fresno State campus due to coronavirus-related shutdowns.
It’s just part of a long road to Division I college basketball for Harding, who is from Long Island, New York, and made his way out to Hancock College in Santa Maria. He graduated from high school, went to prep school for a year and was working through some scholarship offers and working out, waiting for a best opportunity.
“My cousin, Tu Holloway, he played at Xavier, he reached out to an assistant coach at Hancock,” Harding said. “They grew up playing against each other, and had a good friendship.
“My cousin threw my name into the mix and they needed a guard so the coach reached out to me in late August, on a Sunday, and then that following Sunday I was on a flight out to California. It’s kind of a crazy story. No visit, no nothing, I just flew out and was hoping for the best and made the most of it, I guess you can say.”
Harding sat out most his first year due to an ankle injury and last season averaged a team-best 13.6 points per game with 3.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists, leading the Bulldogs to a 23-7 record and round of 16 in the California Community College Athletic Association tournament.
3-point shooter
He hit 47.1% of his shots including 40.7% from the 3-point line, an area Fresno State had some difficulties last season.
The Bulldogs ranked second in the Mountain West Conference in 3-point attempts, but ranked only sixth in 3-point percentage and had 10 games in which they failed to hit even 30% of their threes. Fresno State hit a season-low 20% in an overtime loss at San Diego (6 of 30), then again in a loss at San Diego State (4 of 20).
Harding is back home in New York but looking forward to returning to California.
“My recruitment kind of picked up right after we lost in the playoffs and that’s when the coronavirus started to break out,” said Harding, who has three years to play three seasons of basketball at Fresno State. “I was receiving calls from a bunch of schools from around the country, but I couldn’t visit and I couldn’t really get that experience of meeting the coaches in person. That was weird.
“I’ve never been to Fresno, but I had a teammate who is from Fresno (DJ Searcy, the Hoover High product who played two seasons at Hancock) and he would tell me things about the area, but I’ve never been there. It’s going to be the first time for me. But Coach Hutson, reaching out, he just sounded like a genuine guy. We built a connection right away. I just felt comfortable with him.”
Fresno State’s new Bulldogs
The Bulldogs also in the spring signing period have added DePaul graduate transfer Devin Gage, Isaiah Hill from Tulsa and Deon Stroud from Texas-El Paso, reworking a backcourt that was set back last season by injuries and inconsistent play.
Hutson in the fall signed 6-5 guard Destin Whitaker from Romeoville, Ill., 6-7 wing Leo Colimeriio from Brazil and the Wasatch Academy in Utah, and 7-foot center Braxton Meah from San Joaquin Memorial High.
“With the way they play, fast-paced and finding the best shot, really getting after it defensively and creating opportunities, I felt like if we’re playing fast and I have other guys around me that can shoot the ball and can finish, I feel like I’ll be a dangerous piece to the team, as well,” Harding said.
This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 1:31 PM.