Fresno State poised for more progress as Vance Walberg’s influence deepens
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Fresno State improved to 9-9 overall and 3-4 MW, up from 6-26 last season.
- Walberg’s recruits embrace his system and boost defense and timely scoring.
- Younger roster bought in; Heidbreder, Stickman and Douglas were key contributors.
No matter how the Fresno State men’s basketball season concludes, there’s no denying the substantial progress made under second-year head coach Vance Walberg.
The Bulldogs notched their second consecutive victory with a 63-60 win over Wyoming in front of 6,549 fans at the Save Mart Center during Saturday’s Mountain West Conference action.
With the win, Fresno State’s record stands at 9-9 overall and 3-4 in conference play — markedly improved from last season’s finish of 6-26 overall and 2-18 in the Mountain West.
The improvement under Walberg is obvious.
His team has now secured back-to-back victories, including an impressive 79-69 win over Colorado State on Wednesday.
Fresno State began the season strong at 6-2 but then stumbled, dropping six straight games before rebounding with a road win against San Jose State.
Patience has paid off, particularly for a young Bulldogs squad.
Walberg, in his first full recruiting cycle, is already seeing tangible results. He’s getting strong defensive contributions from former Clovis West standout DJ Stickman and clutch shooting from Jake Heidbreder, who is connecting on 42.7% of his field goals. DJ Douglas Jr. has also stepped up, hitting 5 of 6 free throws in the Wyoming game.
Most importantly, Walberg’s new recruits have all bought into his system.
“Being a team,” Walberg said to Paul Loeffler and Marc Jones after Saturday’s win. “One thing I’ve said all year is this group of kids works their tails off. We’re finally beginning to see the results of that hard work. I’m just very proud of them. Very proud.”
With 13 games left in the regular season, plus the Mountain West Tournament, Fresno State has already surpassed last year’s win total.
Now, the Bulldogs will aim to continue their upward trajectory under Walberg and finish strong in the Mountain West before making their move to the Pac-12 next season.
This story was originally published January 17, 2026 at 7:03 PM.
