Fresno State taps into familiar San Joaquin Memorial pipeline and lands a top hoops recruit

Fresno State received a verbal commitment on Friday from 6-foot-5 guard Joseph Hunter, tapping into city and San Joaquin Memorial High pipelines that have been so hot the past few weeks.

First, Brook Lopez wins an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks. Then, Jalen Green is selected by the Houston Rockets with the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft.

And now Hunter, a 4-star prospect as rated by 247Sports, decides to stay at home as one of the Bulldogs’ highest-rated recruits ever, and those glitzy stars are validated by a long list of scholarship offers including Arkansas, Nebraska, Ole Miss, San Diego State, USC and Washington.

For Hunter, remaining in the Valley was a critical piece to the recruiting puzzle.

“The big deal with Fresno State, they were my first offer back in the eighth grade,” Hunter said. “Obviously, the old staff was there with Rodney Terry. But when coach (Justin) Hutson came over he just made it a point to really contact me every day up until now, every day.

“I take loyalty into account and he has a great past history with Kawaii (Leonard) and players of that sort.”

Hutson cannot comment on Hunter nor the commitment until a national letter of intent or grant in aid agreement has been signed and validated. But he fits perfectly a recruiting profile that includes Valley ties, whether from the prep ranks or transfers.

The Bulldogs’ roster includes San Joaquin Memorial product Deon Stroud, who transferred to Fresno State from Texas-El Paso. Center Braxton Meah also played in the Panthers’ program.

Point guard Isaiah Hill is from Bakersfield, transferring in after one year at Tulsa. Guard Junior Ballard is from Stockton, a transfer from Cal Poly.

“A great staff and some great players, a great family atmosphere, actually,” Hunter said.

The most recent 4-star recruit for the Bulldogs was 7-foot center Robert Upshaw, another San Joaquin Memorial product, who had a brief career at Fresno State and is playing basketball overseas.

Hunter said it was a relief to have the recruiting process over and out of the way, freeing him to work on his game and future. That could include Name, Image and Likeness marketing prospects in Fresno and the Valley, which is another plus to playing college basketball at home.

Hunter said he has paid attention to how well Bulldogs stars Haley and Hanna Cavinder have done in that marketplace, taking advantage of partnerships between Fresno State and Opendorse to maximize their NIL value.

“Staying home, that’s a plus,” Hunter said. “That for sure played a factor, also. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”