The Bulldogs Basketball Hour With Paul Loeffler, Coach Vance Walberg & Forward Alex Crawford

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
On the Bulldog Sports Network from Learfield. Welcome to the
Bulldog Basketball Hour, brought to you by Table Mountain Casino Resorts,
Lucky Days and Epic Nights, bud Late, Easy to Drink,
Easy to enjoy and buy, Pepsi, official soft drink of
Fresno State Athletics, Live from Crowing Wolf tamp Room in Clovis.

(00:24):
Cheers your host, the Voice of the Bulldogs, Paul Leffler.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Well, good evening. We're here at Crowing Wolf in Clovis.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Hey, they're howling like wolves here at Crowing Wolf in
clothes better than crowing like crows, I suppose. And they're
gonna be rooting for the dog. Saturday, Fresno State Basketball
hosting the Nevada Wolfpack. Who's Crowing Wolf.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Gonna be going against? Going for? When the wolf Pack
is here? I guess we'll find out.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
But four o'clock on Saturday, Fresno State Nevada at Save
Mart Center. And we'd love to have you join us
tonight because not only is coach Van s Wahlberg here,
not only will Alex Crawford, who's had back to back
twenty points games, be here. You can watch the Notre
Dame Penn State game during the commercials. Well, we're talking
bulldog basketball here as well. They've got that on all
the screens here at Crowing Wolf. Great place to hang

(01:12):
out any night of the week, but especially tonight. And
I know you're wondering, well, what are the food trucks tonight,
because they're different every night. I did tweet out some
pictures a moment ago. We've got Taco's Lost salsas. Anybody
having that tonight, Taco's Lost Salsae? Yeah, and angry No,
not angry spicy Birds.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Spicy Birds. Angry Birds was that game my kids used
to play.

Speaker 3 (01:32):
Spicy Birds is here, and then if you're up for dessert,
the Nano food truck is here as well, so you
can So what's that Nana Nanu, Mark and Mindy? All right, boy,
I'm dating myself here, Coach Wahlberg, save me.

Speaker 4 (01:48):
No, No, I can't save you on that. I'm way
past you.

Speaker 3 (01:52):
Well, so is Steve Alford. And I was just thinking
about that Saturday at four o'clock. Steve Alford and Nevada
come in here. You started your you started coaching here
in the valley about the time that Steve was winning
that national championship for Bobby Knight, didn't you?

Speaker 5 (02:06):
And I actually the year after they won it, I
actually went out to see Bobby Knight.

Speaker 4 (02:11):
I believe they won in.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
Eighty six eighty seven.

Speaker 5 (02:13):
Yeah, eighty six, eighty seven season, Yeah, eighty seven, eighty eight.
That year I went out. I would go see a
different coach every year for a week. In that year
I saw Bobby Knight and it was one of the
most interesting weeks of watching a coach practice. He literally,
at that time there's no living on assistant coaches, and
at that time, I believe he had nine assistant coaches,

(02:37):
thirteen managers, seventeen managers on the floor running the practice.
In the first hour of practice, he would never be
on the floor. It'll be all his assistants doing their
individual work, the drill work and so forth. And then
at the hour mark he would come out and then
they would he would start his part of the practice.

Speaker 2 (02:54):
How about that? You know that says something, and you
know so much has been said about Coach Night. Of course,
he had a.

Speaker 3 (03:01):
Militaristic nickname, and he had the West Point background. But
you think about that, because I'm sure you've seen it's
hard enough to organize fifteen players, let alone ten assistant
coaches and seventeen managers.

Speaker 4 (03:16):
They were moving.

Speaker 5 (03:17):
I mean, I still remember they had a manager on
every corner of the court, half court, underneath the basket.
They each had a ball on the towe. The ball
went out, I mean the ball went out, they would
throw the ball, go get it. Then they went down
there was a towe down there. They had two managers
doing stats, they had two filming, and then they had
their head manager who would run everything, and then their

(03:37):
assistant coaches just they did a really good job of
working everybody during that time.

Speaker 4 (03:42):
And when Bobby came out, he came out. I gave
you a little story on that.

Speaker 5 (03:47):
So second day there one of the assistant coaches, Joby Wright,
who ended up being I believe it I head coach
at Wyoming later on, Joby was an assistant and it
was they're doing a drill and Bob, he said, pick
him up at half court. So they're doing their half
court defense. Next time they come down, they kind of
picked up about five feet past half court.

Speaker 4 (04:08):
Next time it was probably about ten feet.

Speaker 5 (04:11):
And you know the way, Bobby, he says, did I
tell you get them up at half court, right, So
happens again in about maybe a minute half later, he
turns around to his assistant Joby. He says, if you
can't get there, freaking you know what up to half court?
You guys are all running the stadium, and so are you, Joby.

(04:33):
And so I went to lunch the next day with him,
and I was talking to Joby and I said, was
he just put in a show on?

Speaker 4 (04:39):
He goes, No, I've ran him before.

Speaker 3 (04:44):
I think some of your staff is getting little nervous
right now. Coaches, you tell that story, boy. See That's
why I asked the question. I know there's always going
to be a story there. And since then, of course,
Steve Walford has known a lot in the game, taking
so many teams to the tournament, including.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
Nevada last year.

Speaker 3 (05:00):
But this is a wolf Pack team that's going to
come in Saturday at four o'clock, like you, looking for
its first win in conference plays? Is that kind of
hard for you to believe that? You, you know, take
a pencil and go through their schedule and say, really,
are they really owing four with this team?

Speaker 5 (05:13):
Sem, I would have made a lot of money if
they would have bet that, you know, they've lost I
think by two to overtime, and I think the other
one might have been four. You know, so they've had
some really tough losses. I mean the one in New Mexico,
they fumbled the ball, the kid picks it up, throws
it in from the free flow line to lose. It's
just you know, been there. I've seen a lot of those.

(05:35):
Then you coach a lot of games, you're going to
see a few of those.

Speaker 3 (05:39):
Yeah, So there's no doubt we're going to have two
hungry teams at the Save Mart Center on Saturday. You
guys are coming off a road trip where the first
game you played really well, almost pulled off a big
upset at Utah State, and then the second game of
the road trip didn't play so well, couldn't put the
ball in the bucket. So when you have a road
trip like that, I know you've got all that time

(06:00):
the guys, you're spending time around each other, you're getting
a field. But when the road trip ends with a
game like that, how do you hit the reset button?
When you're back in town and when you're practicing in
preparation for another big opportunity Saturday.

Speaker 5 (06:12):
It's what we say every day you know, I thought
today we had a really you know, we took yesterday off.
I thought today we had a very good practice. You know, again,
just every day you come out. Our job as coaches
is to try and make them a little bit better
and get ourselves a little bit better. And I thought
the players today did a really good job. When I
thought our coaches did a really good job on doing that.
That's all you can do. I mean, we hope the

(06:34):
ball goes in a little bit better. You know, you
can't miss ten free throws and a half. You can't
miss you know, easy crip bucket. But again, it's been
kind of our story most of the year, but we
got to find a way.

Speaker 3 (06:47):
Well, there's an opportunity to do that Saturday at four
o'clock against Nevada. If you'd like to win tickets for
that game, you can come join us here at Crowing
Wolf tonight. We're here till seven o'clock. Crowing Wolf's just
off of Herndon A one sixty eight. You've got Taco's
Lost Salsa out there in the parking lot tonight, Spicy Birds,
and then Nano Dessert food truck as well, so plenty
to eat whatever you want to drink inside. We're here

(07:08):
till seven o'clock with the Bulldog Basketball Hour and coach
at you and I have had a few chuckles. This
year seems like every time we talked before a game,
you're giving me a roster update. Somebody's available, somebody's not available,
somebody got the flu, somebody's on mars.

Speaker 2 (07:23):
I don't know.

Speaker 3 (07:23):
I mean, it's it's been hard trying to figure out
who's playing for you this year. But it sounds like
after practice today, yes, please not uh things maybe looking
up a little bit some encouraging developments we did.

Speaker 5 (07:36):
You know, Pierre went to the doctor today and you
know he's taped up, but he was released, so he's
gonna have a chance to hopefully be able to go
on Saturday again. His energy just in practice, he's such
a wonderful and fun kid to have out there. You
saw the way he played against San Diego, how he
changed that whole game for us. He brings out to
practice every day and not having them really really puts us,

(07:58):
you know, way behind. So he's been I think the
last three or four weeks whatever it's been. So I
have him, and then I think DJ's going to be
ready to go. So it's gonna be really nice to
have David back out there. You know, he's fractured knees,
healing him pretty good, and he went through a good
heart practice. Not docked down a few times today, but
I thought he had a pretty good darn practice day

(08:19):
for us. So hopefully, you know, nothing else happens by Saturday.

Speaker 3 (08:24):
It is Thursday at six o eight pm, So when
we have our pregame interview on Saturday, hopefully things are
only getting better, not worse. And we laugh about it, coach,
but it's real, and I know it wears on you.
And I see your staff. I mean, John Welch is
here tonight with you, your assistant coach. I see how
hard he's working with these guys in skill development, after practice,

(08:44):
putting an extra time.

Speaker 2 (08:46):
It's not for lack of effort that the results have
been what they are. What keeps you going, what keeps.

Speaker 3 (08:51):
You believing that you can do some things with this
group of guys that we haven't quite seen yet.

Speaker 5 (08:57):
Again, just to belief, you know, I was hard. I was,
you know, giving a very good opportunity, and my whole
thing I've since been here, living in this town. I
want to see freshman say basketball succeed. I mean, that's
really you know what. Not before I even went for
the job, you know, I called John up and asked him.
I said, hey, I'm thinking about doing this. Will you
come with me? You know, and talked it over and

(09:20):
you know, he had to talk to coach Cal at
the time and so forth, And when he said yes,
that's when I definitely said I was going to do
it because I know how valuable John is and you
know what he brings in then and so forth. He's
been here, you know, he coached with Tark here, he's
from this area, and we just want to see we
want to see freshman state basketball get to where we know.

Speaker 2 (09:39):
It can be.

Speaker 3 (09:41):
Well, I'll tell you one difference he's already helped make.
I think I don't know if he's taken all the
credit for it, but I'm going to throw some of
his way. Seeing some of the players that he worked
with all those years ago come back, like raypah Alston
and Chris Jeffers, and we hadn't seen those guys in
a long time, and now they're coming to the games
hanging out. So a guy from after that era from
coach Cleaves. Eric Quinton Hosley was at your game the
other night in Fort Collins, So some nostalgia coming back,

(10:03):
and that's not a bad thing. We'll talk more about
what's happening with the Bulldogs when we come back here
to Crow and Wolf right off a Herndred at one
sixty eight. Put it in your GPS, Crow Amper sand Wolf,
I think is how they put it in the parking
lot tonight. Taco's lost salsas, plus the Spicy Birds almost
said angry birds again, spicy birds. It'll put a smile

(10:24):
on your face, not the other expression. And the Nano
dessert truck out there as well. Here till seven o'clock
talking Bulldog soops. If you can't join us, if you
don't want to come here in person and win some tickets,
you can send a question on the x app, make
sure you attached that hashtag ask fs and we'll pass
it on to Coach Wahlberg, who's here now, and Alex Crawford,
who's coming up in a little bit. It's the Bulldog

(10:45):
Basketball Hour on the Bulldog Sports Network from their field.

Speaker 6 (10:48):
Hey, Bulldog fans, basketball season is here, and SeatGeek is
here to help you experience all the actions. SeatGeek makes
it easy to find tickets so you can be a
part of all the court signed celebrations this season. Whether
you're buying or selling tickets to Fresno State basketball games
or to any other live event in your area, seed
geek is the place to do it. Seed Geek is

(11:08):
the official ticket marketplace of the Fresno State Bulldogs. The
most disruptive idea in ticketing a ticket that works expect
the expected.

Speaker 7 (11:16):
Seed Geek for me.

Speaker 8 (11:18):
FFP stands for Fun Field Banking.

Speaker 7 (11:21):
Lauren Vidia, pr specialist at FFP.

Speaker 8 (11:24):
In the marketing department. We put a lot of hard
work and creating campaigns that are engaging and fun because
we don't just want to tell you about the bank.
We want you to get involved in the bank.

Speaker 7 (11:33):
Banking means different things to different people. Find out more
at FFB Dog Bank, We've.

Speaker 8 (11:37):
Put the people in communities who bank with us at
the forefront of everything we do. They're the real reason
behind FFB success.

Speaker 7 (11:44):
FFB member FDIC equal Housing lender.

Speaker 3 (11:48):
When Fresno State athletes get injured, they get immediate attention.
You can do the same. Sierra Pacific Orthopedics Team, physicians
for the Bulldogs proudly offer an orthopedic urgent care for
any bone, joint, or muscle injury. Having hand, hip, knee, foot,
or shoulder pain. Is your back causing your problems? Skip
the er and walk into our Orthopedic Urgent Care on

(12:11):
Herndon Avenue Monday through Saturday. Learn more at www dot
spoc Ortho dot com.

Speaker 9 (12:18):
Here in the heart of California, traditions are as deeply
rooted as the abundant fields that drape our valley. They
link us across generations. They make us who we are.
So what does it mean when traditions unite? When a
beacon of hope meets a source of pride. When you
combine a place that's full of life with people who
can save the life, we call it a victory for

(12:40):
our valley, for our kids, for generations to come. Valley
Children's official healthcare partner of the Fresno State Bulldogs.

Speaker 6 (12:49):
Best Dragage, the official trunking logistics company of Presno State Athletics,
is the premier intermodal draage company in the Central Valley.
We handle imports and exports between Central Alley's farmers and
the rest of the world through the Port of Oakland.
When only the best will do best. Drayage is your
number one choice, the best service provided by the best team.
Find out more about all that best Drayage has to

(13:12):
offer at Best Drayage Company dot com. That's Best Drayage
Company dot com. Gold Bulldogs.

Speaker 10 (13:19):
Here's the thing, got adventure. It's never going to come
knocking on your door. You got to get out there
and track it down. And there's no better way to
find it. And behind the wheel of a twenty twenty
four Toyota Tacoma. The trail hungry power, legendary capability and
head turning style.

Speaker 7 (13:34):
The Tacoma is not for the secondary.

Speaker 10 (13:37):
Three hundred and twenty six horse power, four hundred and
sixty five pound feet of torque and with all the
toughness you could ask for. The Toyota Tacoma is the
adventure you've been missing. Toyota, let's go places.

Speaker 2 (13:53):
Welcome back to the Bulldog Basketball Hour. We're here live
at Crow and Wolf in Clovis, right off a.

Speaker 3 (13:58):
Herd in a one sixty eight to find and a
great place to hang out. You can hang out inside.
It's nice and toasty in here. If you want, you
can hang out outside. They've even got some heaters out there,
and the.

Speaker 2 (14:07):
Food trucks are outside.

Speaker 3 (14:09):
Tacos tonight, Tacos Lost Salsus is here, plus the Spicy
Birds truck with all kinds of chicken, and even if
you've got a sweet tooth, the Nano Dessert.

Speaker 2 (14:19):
Truck is out there as well. We're here till seven o'clock.

Speaker 3 (14:22):
If you come and you want tickets a Saturday's game
at four o'clock against Nevada, we'll take care of you.
So come hang out, have something to drink and eat.
Talks and bulldog hoops with US Coach Wahlberg is here.
Alex Crawford, coming off the first two twenty point games
of his college career, will be here shortly. If you've
got questions for him, you can send them our way
on Twitter or the x app with that hashtag askfs

(14:42):
and coach. We were just talking about John wel to
your assistant coach.

Speaker 2 (14:45):
You told him.

Speaker 3 (14:46):
It sounds like you were saying that was a prerequisite
for you really pursuing this job, was if you could
have him on your staff.

Speaker 4 (14:51):
Definitely.

Speaker 5 (14:53):
Again, like I said, you know, I've been lucky enough
to note John when he came here. The first time
with coach Tark and then you know, he's one of
those basketball guys. We're both that way. We love to
talk x's and o's. We used to play in my
backyard all the time, be played down at Clovis, West, Hoover,
you name it. We played all over and then you know,
when he went on to the NBA and so forth,

(15:15):
we stayed in touch. And then he was actually the
one who got me the opportunity to coach with coach
Carl at Denver, and then we came back together again
at Sacramento.

Speaker 3 (15:27):
Well, and Coach Welch just threw a headset on. So
he's with us now as well. Let's get your half
of that.

Speaker 11 (15:32):
Coach.

Speaker 3 (15:32):
When Vance called you, I'm sure there are a lot
of things that were going through your mind. What was
it that made you say, you know what, this is
worth it? This is something that I want to be
a part of.

Speaker 12 (15:43):
I just thought there couldn't be a person more deserving
of this opportunity than coach, and if I could do anything.

Speaker 11 (15:50):
To help, I wanted to be a part of it.

Speaker 12 (15:52):
You know, I think I've been fortunate and I've worked
for Broddingo six seven Hall of fame coaches, and I
probably learned more basketball from Coach than you know, any
of them. You know, when I was here with coach
Tarcaney and Coach Tarcanian recognized Vance's you know, ability as
a coach, and you know, his son Danny and I
were young assistants at the time. He called us and

(16:13):
he said, if you guys, you know, I think have
a great opportunity here. You should learn as much from
Vance as you can. He goes his style of play
is going to be the future of basketball. And Coach
tark you know, he recognized that, and you know, he
would have bands over at our practices.

Speaker 11 (16:29):
We'd go over watch.

Speaker 12 (16:30):
Him, and even myself more so I you know, I
had lived kind of by Clovis West, so he would practice,
you know, from five to eight. We'd practice three to six,
so I'd stopped buying my way home, and then even
the daytime sometimes would be implemented, you know, one of
his h concepts. I'd be over there, you know, on
his prep hour taking notes, and I could see the
other teachers always thinking, why is the college coach over

(16:52):
here with the high school coach?

Speaker 2 (16:54):
And uh so.

Speaker 12 (16:56):
No, I've I've always respected you know coaches knowledge, and
you know, I think as part of working as a
coach as there is, so I just thought it'd be
a great basketball opportunity for myself.

Speaker 3 (17:08):
Well, I can speak for a lot of people when
I say we're glad to have you back. And you
describe yourself as a young assistant coach back there with
Danny Tarkanian. But I've been watching you after practices working
these guys, and it looks like you're still.

Speaker 2 (17:21):
Moving just as quick there.

Speaker 3 (17:22):
I mean, at least for a few steps. Your defensive
stands is spot on. Coach John can play. John can play.

Speaker 5 (17:30):
We used to play against each other and still to
this day defensively. You know, when we get the new
recruits in, he'll go out there and see that time
can you score on me? And half the time he
ships the ball from the guy before they even get
it up. He's got great hands and he was a
heck of a player.

Speaker 12 (17:46):
I attribute that to coach Tarkanian.

Speaker 2 (17:48):
I thought he was the best teacher.

Speaker 12 (17:50):
Of individual defense, and I don't think he quite gets
gets the credit that he deserves. You mentioned Coach Knight earlier.
Coach Knight was very good friends with coach Pete Nowell,
who is a legend and him and him and coach
Knight were very close. But he was he was friends
with coach Tartanian and one of the assistants, Tim Gerderich,

(18:10):
and you know, he would come to our practice. It
was amazed at you know, the individual defense, and he'd
go tell, you know, Coach Knight, if you want to
learn about defense, you should go watch coach Tark's team
play in practice.

Speaker 3 (18:23):
Amen, and Bulldog fans would love to see a little
defense Saturday at four against Nevada.

Speaker 2 (18:31):
Well, you know, Nevada.

Speaker 3 (18:34):
Is a team that was in the tournament last year
and was really gifted offensively.

Speaker 11 (18:38):
Last year.

Speaker 3 (18:39):
They had a veteran point guard in black Year who's
no longer there, and they don't seem to have adjusted
to his absence yet. Kobe Sanders an oversized point guard
the transfer from cal Poly.

Speaker 11 (18:50):
He's getting a lot of time.

Speaker 3 (18:51):
They still have Nick Davidson in the black. They've got
an outstanding defender in Trey Coleman. But for whatever reason,
the record isn't clicking yet. What are the things you
guys have seen from Nevada on film that make the
wolf Pack dangerous?

Speaker 12 (19:04):
Well, they're ten points away from being four and oh
is that crazy? So that's uh, you know, they have
great positional size. You know, they're they're they're a big team,
and obviously you know they're making a few lineup adjustments.
H and I think they're you know, they're they're trying
to figure things out.

Speaker 2 (19:23):
But but they're a very good team.

Speaker 12 (19:25):
And uh, you know, like I said, there are a
few baskets away from you know, being in the top
of the conference, and they're when when everything you know
comes comes to an end, I think you're going to
see them at the top top of things.

Speaker 11 (19:36):
That they're one of the better.

Speaker 4 (19:37):
Teams in the conference. And when John talked about size,
he's not kidding.

Speaker 5 (19:41):
There are two guards that they start are six six
and six nine or six eight, and then they go
to two six ten and the six seven. So they
put a pretty darn big lineup out there with with
good beef with them.

Speaker 3 (19:54):
Which is one of the reasons, as you shared earlier,
you're excited to have Pierre Geneste available for Saturday at
four o'clock against Nevada. Now, I'm of the opinion that
of all the teams in the league, with Fresno State
right now, I mean, I know there's more history, you know,
more years behind the rivalry with San.

Speaker 2 (20:12):
Jose State and San Diego State.

Speaker 3 (20:14):
Bulldog fans, especially in football, love to hate Boise State,
but when it comes to the action on the floor,
whether it's here or at the Lawlor Center, I think
the games with Nevada over the last twenty years have
been more intense than any of the rivalries in the league.
And I probably wouldn't have to twist coach Welch's arms
about what he sees when that Navy Blue comes in.

Speaker 12 (20:33):
Huh, Coach, Uh, yeah, it's a it's a it's a
you know, it's a big game for us, and uh,
you know we're trying to get any win weke along
the way.

Speaker 4 (20:43):
Now, do you know Paul? You know John played at Reno.

Speaker 3 (20:47):
But I'm just wondering how he's going to feel about
it now.

Speaker 12 (20:51):
I just want the fans know so long ago, Yeah,
who is your coach back then? Sunny Allen though the
father of the fast friend who you know, Paul west
Head at Royal and Marrimont. He basically like in his videos,
he gives all the credit to Sonny Allen.

Speaker 2 (21:07):
M HM, did Tark ever give you a hard time
about that. Uh No, I think he.

Speaker 12 (21:14):
You know, Sunnywood is at Reno at the time, and
we had some great games with you, and LV and
Fresno State and Nevada have had some absolute thrillers.

Speaker 3 (21:23):
We've seen double overtime, We've seen triple overtime. We've seen
conference championship clinchers against the wolf Pack. And we're hoping
for another installment of a fun rivalry Saturday at four
o'clock time to catch another break. If you've got a
question for us, send it our way on Twitter or
the x app with the hashtag ask FS and even better,
come join us here at Crow and Wolf here till
seven o'clock tonight the Bulldog Basketball Hour on the Bulldog

(21:44):
Sports Network.

Speaker 2 (21:45):
Come there too.

Speaker 9 (21:46):
Here in the heart of California, traditions are as deeply
rooted as the abundant fields that drape our valley. They
link us across generations. They make us who we are.
So what does it mean when traditions unite of hope
meets a source of pride? When you combine a place
that's full of life with people who can save the life,

(22:07):
we call it a victory for our valley, for our
kids for Generations to Come, Valley Children's official healthcare partner.

Speaker 7 (22:14):
Of the Fresno State Bulldogs.

Speaker 13 (22:18):
It's a busy time of the year and if you're
taking kids from school to practice, you probably have a
long to do list when you get home. Let SuDS
Laundromat take care of the laundry.

Speaker 2 (22:29):
Just schedule a pickup at.

Speaker 13 (22:30):
Subzclean dot com and SuDS will wash, dry, fold, and
neatly package your clothes and get them back to you
one day later.

Speaker 2 (22:40):
That's it. Life is too busy. Let SuDS handle the
dirty laundry.

Speaker 14 (22:47):
Every January for sixty five years, Fashion Furniture is hosted
the single largest furniture clearance in Central California.

Speaker 15 (22:54):
All the best names Flex Deal, Bess Stanton's Omnia, Jonathan
Lewis and Moore and savings of twenty thirty even forty
percent plus zero percent financing on every recliner, sofa, love seat,
dining room, office, sending furniture, one of a kind items
up to fifty percent off. The sixty fifth annual January
clear and sit Fashion Furniture across from River Park. There's

(23:14):
nothing like it in all of California Bulldog fans.

Speaker 2 (23:18):
It's the old culture.

Speaker 16 (23:19):
Pat Hill here to tell you about our friends at
Table Mountain, two thousand slot machines, Hi Gal, Blackjack and
Mini baccarac on a smoke free floor, head to sky
the rooftop Tapanaki Restaurant with unbelievable views, or eagles landing
a one of a kind steakhouse, sing along with headliner
entertainment before returning to one of the luxurious suites.

Speaker 4 (23:42):
Have your own.

Speaker 16 (23:42):
Lucky day followed by an epic night at Table Mountain
Casino Resort.

Speaker 17 (23:48):
Producer's Dairy, your hometown favorite, is now the official milk
par number of Fresno State Athletics. For over ninety years,
they've nourished our community with the freshest, most wholesome milk
straight from Valley fires. In having the privilege of serving
generations of Red Wave supporters, they're also committed to fielding
our local legends on and off the field. Producer's Dairy

(24:10):
official milk partner of Freshville State Athletics. Wish is the
Bulldog's a truly legend dairy season at Save Mart.

Speaker 18 (24:19):
Being part of each community we serve is at the
core of who we are and is a proud partner
of the Fresno State Bulldogs. We're your headquarters to help
you cheer on your favorite team. Shop any of your
local safe marts to score big savings with our Bulldog Bundle.
Just look for the sign shop and save plus explore
a collection of Fresno State gear that showcases the spirit

(24:40):
and pride of the Bulldog community. Go Bulldogs, Save Mart Valley, Fresh, Valley,
Made Valley Proud.

Speaker 3 (24:51):
Welcome back to the Bulldog Basketball Hour. We're here crowing
wolf in Povis tonight here till seven o'clock. If you
don't have tickets for the game Saturday yet, go Bulldogs
or drive over here and we'll make sure you have
one Saturday four o'clock. Then about a wolf pack in town.
Our pregame coverag will started three point thirty. Alex Crawford
just walked in. He's coming off back to back twenty
point games. We're gonna hear from him in a little bit.

(25:12):
We have coach Wahlberg and assistant coach John Welch here,
and guys, let's talk about that tall young man over
there who's heading out to see if he wants Taco's
lost salsas or spicy birds or what he's feeling tonight
at Crow and Wolf coach Wahlberg, Let's start with you,
because when you got this job, you had to put
a roster together in short order. It's a little different

(25:34):
doing it these days, you know, in the transfer portal era,
so a lot of guys were out there, and obviously
Alex Crawford caught your eye. What was the first thing
that caught your attention with Alex?

Speaker 4 (25:45):
I think he's athletic, says something.

Speaker 5 (25:46):
You watch him just move and play, you know, he
jumps out of the gym.

Speaker 4 (25:50):
Really good kid.

Speaker 5 (25:51):
And then you know for Junior College last year he
shot forty from the three. And anytime theybody can shoot,
and that always lights my eyes up. And then just
if I remember, I think Ac was the first one
we signed, wasn't he John, Yes, Yeah, he was the
first one I think we signed, coming from San Diego
City College. You know, his jac coach used to be

(26:11):
an assistant out here at COS. So you know, I
talked with him and he told me what type of
person Ac was in his character, and he was truelan.
You know, for us, we know AC's got the ability.
It's not even a question. It's just you know, and
I think a big part of that is probably a
little bit of my fault of not getting involved in

(26:31):
the offense more. I think you've seen the last two games,
we've kind of gone to him a little bit more,
and he's done a heck of a job for us.

Speaker 2 (26:38):
He has.

Speaker 3 (26:39):
He had a career high twenty six at Utah State,
followed that app with twenty one in Colorado State last
time out, So he'll look for a third straight twenty
point game when the Nevada Wolfpack come to Fresno Saturday
for that four o'clock tip. And coach Wahlberg got correct
me if I'm wrong, But a big reason you wanted
coach Welch on your staff was you've seen firsthand and
know his reputation for skill development, right taking a player

(27:02):
who's here and getting them to hear.

Speaker 4 (27:04):
Big time John does. He's the best.

Speaker 5 (27:07):
Like I said, you talk to anybody in the NBA
and you say John, well, I sh I'll tell you
right now, he's the best workout coach around. And you
talk to our players, that'll be the first one to
tell you how hard he works with them, how much
time he spent with them to get their shot better,
get their ball handling better. And you know, that's honestly
probably our biggest selling point here. You know, because all

(27:27):
these guys want to go to the next level, you know,
whether it's NBA or whether it's pro ball overseas. And
if you can't shoot, if you can't handle the ball,
you're not going anywhere. And John's the best at working
with them.

Speaker 3 (27:39):
Well, I asked you, so now I can ask him.
Let's talk about Alex Crawford. Take us in the lab
a little bit, because you know, my grandfather used to
have a saying if you gave him a compliment, he'd say, well,
the butcher gave me a good piece of meat, right,
And sometimes you start out with a sculpture and the
wood cracks on you have to start over. I mean,

(28:00):
you're you're starting with a young man in Alex who
appears to have a lot of potential. So where do
you come in and maybe give us a taste of
how far you've seen him come so far, but how
far you think he can go from here?

Speaker 12 (28:14):
I think one of Alex's biggest strengths is is versatility.
And actually our whole coaching staff works with players and
coach Baarfield's probably spent more time with Alex than anyone
and I think, you know, one thing he's worked with
Alex on is attacking the basket and just you know,
playing off two feet and.

Speaker 11 (28:30):
Getting on balance.

Speaker 12 (28:31):
And he's done a great job of getting in the
paint and finishing.

Speaker 4 (28:34):
Uh.

Speaker 12 (28:35):
You know a big thing in basketball now is you know,
used to just be athleticism. Now you know, what you
want is your skill level in IQ and and your efficiency.
And Alex is you know, probably is our most efficient player.
And that's you know one thing that just we're trying
to get our whole team to to play more efficient basketball.

(28:56):
And you know, Alex what you know, whether you know
he was playing thirty minutes of fifteen minutes, it's been
a fish.

Speaker 7 (29:01):
In all season.

Speaker 12 (29:03):
And I think a lot of his success I think
he'll agree with is the fact that I beat him
up a little bit before the games and you know,
get him ready to go. I think that's my main
contribution with Alex is just you know, giving him a
good four arm shriver and you know, getting them get
him fired up.

Speaker 3 (29:22):
Because we've certainly seen, especially in the last game, that
if if you can't finish through contact in this league,
it's not gonna be easy, right, not.

Speaker 4 (29:29):
Even a question, And it's gonna get more physical.

Speaker 5 (29:32):
You know, as the season goes on, it becomes a
lot more physical too, and the refreeze let a lot
more go.

Speaker 3 (29:38):
Maybe I should ask both of you the question this
way when you know you mentioned his athleticism Coach Wells,
but you talked about how the basketball IQ is even
more important these days. If you guys had a dunk
contest and Alex needed a couple of props for the
dunk and he was gonna leap over both of you

(29:59):
guys standing straight up, how far away from the basket
would you two stand and trust that he was going
to clear you and still throw it down?

Speaker 12 (30:08):
Go ahead, John, I'm not sure if Alex could take
off from the free throw line or not, but that
that would be the mark I'd pick.

Speaker 2 (30:19):
Laying down the gauntlet. Yeah, no, you see it in
the picking rolls.

Speaker 12 (30:23):
Even with Alex and the lobs, you know, we're we're
discovering better ways to use him, and you know, even
the last few games is you know, we feel that,
you know, the more we can keep him involved, he's
a threat in so many, you know, different areas you
know two games ago, like you know, we showed the
highlights of him, you know, popping to the three point line,

(30:45):
and because he's a good shooter, they.

Speaker 2 (30:46):
Close out on him.

Speaker 12 (30:47):
He's able to attack the rim for highlight dumps.

Speaker 4 (30:50):
You know.

Speaker 12 (30:51):
His his ability to score basically at the rim, at
the three, and even in the paint.

Speaker 2 (30:56):
It, you know, makes him very valuable.

Speaker 3 (30:59):
We've got coach Wahlberg, Coach Welch in a moment, will
take a break that we'll bring on Alex Crawford for
the rest of the show. Coach, I want to give
you a chance to say anything else about the matchup
Saturday and what it means to you. But let's go
here too. If it's okay with Alex. I mean, he's
sitting right here listening to you. I'm sure you're not
going to say anything you haven't already said to him
in practice. But I get the sense and there are

(31:20):
a few guys on your team that I think are
in this realm who haven't played a ton of Division
one basketball yet, who you guys are seeing in the
course of the season, there are moments where they realize
they can do something in a game that maybe they
hadn't done before, not even a question.

Speaker 5 (31:37):
Alex is one of those guys, but we know what
his ability is and then sometimes we ask him.

Speaker 4 (31:43):
Does he really know how good he can be? Because
he has that ability?

Speaker 5 (31:46):
Like John said, I mean, you know, he very good
shooter from outside, can take it a back.

Speaker 4 (31:51):
I mean Utah State. When he took that ball from.

Speaker 5 (31:54):
The free from line to one dribble dunk on them,
I go, where's that been all year? You know, because
I watched him do certain things and we know he
can do it now. I know earlier he had some
knee problems and he's starting to feel a little bit
better that way. That's that's actually been helping him quite
a bit. But if we have a chance to be
anything by the end of the year, he's got to

(32:15):
continue doing what he's doing.

Speaker 3 (32:17):
And again, set me straight if I'm out of line here,
Coach Welch. I think there's probably a couple of times
throughout the year, maybe more than that, where he gets
the ball in a certain spot and maybe you say afterwards, hey,
you could probably have just gone up and dunked on
him as opposed to what he decided to do.

Speaker 12 (32:35):
Yes, no, he When Alex plays with physicality.

Speaker 2 (32:39):
He's unstoppable.

Speaker 12 (32:40):
And it's interesting because he's probably at different times are
one of our best players at playing through contact. And
you know, he's shown that ability and what he's doing
now is doing at a more consistent level. And if
he could do that consistently, you know his you know,
his future is unlimited. He probably has the highest ceiling

(33:01):
on our team as you'll you know the ability. Like
I said, of his versatility, he can do so many
different things and does them all well.

Speaker 3 (33:09):
And I hope I asked those questions the right way.
Maybe it's just that when I see him jump, I think, boy,
if I could jump like that, I would try to
kunk out somebody.

Speaker 4 (33:17):
I would too if I could do that. It's very
He's got a very special gift well.

Speaker 3 (33:23):
And that gift will be on display at the Save
Mart Center four o'clock Saturday against Nevadi three thirty our
pregame show, Coach Walberg, anything else you want to say
about the opportunity in front of you Saturday and what
you're playing for.

Speaker 2 (33:34):
Why the fans should come out and check it out.

Speaker 4 (33:35):
It's just another game, you know.

Speaker 5 (33:37):
Again, we appreciate everybody coming out and you know, the
players are working hard, and it'd be great. Uh, we'd
love to see them. They able get a win and
the home crowd always helps. You saw what it was
like at Utah State. How much fun that was. I
know the players really enjoyed it, you know, having ten
thousand people scream at them and so forth.

Speaker 4 (33:55):
So it'd be great to get that here one day.
It really would.

Speaker 3 (34:00):
Baby, even Saturday at four o'clock, he's Coach Wahlberg, Coach Welts,
thanks for jumping in. Ye, we'll have Alex Crawford with
us when we come back. Come hang out at Crowing
Wolf here till seven o'clock tonight at the Bulldog Basketball
Hour on the Bulldog Sports Network from their.

Speaker 7 (34:13):
Field here in the heart of California.

Speaker 9 (34:16):
Traditions are as deeply rooted as the abundant fields that
drape our valley. They link us across generations. They make
us who we are. So what does it mean when
traditions unite? When a beacon of hope meets a source
of pride, When you combine a place that's full of
life with people who can save the life, we call
it a victory for our valley, for our kids, for

(34:38):
generations to Come Valley Children's official healthcare partner of the
Fresno State Bulldogs.

Speaker 19 (34:44):
Kasparians Paint Center has been the valley's local source for
paint and codings for over thirty five years. Family owned
and operated in Fresno, Casparius Paint Center serves property owners
and managers, contractors, farmers, manufacturers, and food processors. Kasparians carries
a full line of FPG industrial, commercial and residential paint
and specialty codings. They understand your time is valuable and

(35:05):
offer on site consultations and delivery value wide call experience.
Paint Center five five nine, two two, two, three, one
three one for all your painting needs for me.

Speaker 8 (35:15):
FFP stands for fun Filled Banking.

Speaker 7 (35:17):
Lauren Vidilla pr specialists at FFP.

Speaker 8 (35:20):
In the Marketing department, we put a lot of hard
work and creating campaigns that are engaging and fun because
we don't just want to tell you about the bank.
We want you to get involved in the bank.

Speaker 7 (35:29):
Banking means different things to different people. Find out more
at f FB dot Bank.

Speaker 8 (35:34):
We put the people in communities who bank with us
at the forefront of everything we do. They're the real
reasons behind FFB success.

Speaker 7 (35:40):
FFP member FDIC Equalialsing Lender.

Speaker 15 (35:45):
Today, we have two very special guests on our program,
introducing Letters and Live.

Speaker 1 (35:50):
Hello for story Lemon Lime Soda.

Speaker 17 (35:52):
Thanks for having us.

Speaker 9 (35:53):
What is Storry Lemon lime soda.

Speaker 17 (35:54):
It's a cris clear burst of lemon love flavor and
it's caffeine free.

Speaker 8 (35:58):
Between us, one of you be a little more important
to Starry than the other.

Speaker 2 (36:02):
Who is it?

Speaker 15 (36:03):
We're both important, so we could just as easily be
Starry Lime Lemon Soda.

Speaker 11 (36:07):
No, that doesn't sound right.

Speaker 4 (36:08):
Oh I like it?

Speaker 7 (36:09):
So you saying hip hop could be hop hit works
for me.

Speaker 2 (36:11):
Starry Lemon lime Soda.

Speaker 20 (36:13):
Storry Pit's different, just like your Fresno State Bulldogs. Sunmade
raisins are all about Valley pride. For more than one
hundred years, Sunmade has produced the world's best raisins, and
they're grown and harvested under the California sun, right here
in the valley. The sweet, wholesome and delicious taste and
the little red box that reminds everyone of childhood couldn't

(36:34):
have come from anywhere else, and that should make you
proud too. Find out Laura's Sunmad dot com. Sunmade is
proud to be the official wholefruit snack of Presno State Athletics.

Speaker 21 (36:45):
There's nothing better than watching your hometown team and eating
your hometown pizza. It just feels right to root on
the local voice while enjoying a slice that is made
of freshly made, hand tossed dope, mouthwatering ingredients and of course,
their signature sauce White. The Pizza Factory is a proud
partner of the Bulldogs. Visit them at any of their
over one hundred locations up and down the great State

(37:06):
of California, including in Fresno, Clovis, and Madeira.

Speaker 4 (37:11):
Them there are awesome.

Speaker 3 (37:19):
Welcome back to the Bulldog Basketball Hour. We're here Crowing
Wolf in Clovis till seven o'clock talking Bulldog hoops. If
you don't have your tickets for Saturday's game yet, that's
a four o'clock tip against Nevada, a family friendly four
o'clock tip on a Saturday afternoon three thirty our pregame show.

Speaker 2 (37:34):
If you don't have those tickets yet.

Speaker 3 (37:35):
Go Bulldogs dot com is where you can find them,
or just come over here to Crowing Wolf. Come talk
to me at the table and we'll get you situated
with tickets for that Saturday four o'clock game. Food trucks
are out in the parking lot. Tacos Los Salsas is
bringing the spice tonight, so is Spicy Birds. And if
you need a sweet tooth, the Nano Mini Dessert truck
is out there as well. Alex Crawford joins us NOW

(37:57):
Bulldogs six ' eight forward coming off back to twenty
point performances on the last road trip to Utah State
and Colorado State. Alex, did you check out those food
trucks outside?

Speaker 11 (38:07):
Yes, sir, I did look pretty good. Good food out there.

Speaker 2 (38:10):
What are you going with tonight?

Speaker 11 (38:12):
I'm getting the Nashville Chicken sliders?

Speaker 2 (38:14):
Uh huh? So little spice on there, A spicy guy.

Speaker 11 (38:17):
I am. I love spice, So doing a little hot
one hot one medium.

Speaker 3 (38:22):
Well, you were hot on the road trip, even though
it was snowing outside. You put up a career high
twenty six at Utah State, followed that up with twenty
one at Colorado State. And I'm sure a few people
have been asked to you, Okay, what made the difference?
Where did that big time production, the top two scoring
games of your.

Speaker 2 (38:38):
Division one career, Where did that come from? What do
you think made the difference for you?

Speaker 11 (38:42):
I would just say my mindset, just knowing to be
more aggressive, you know, in certain situations, and really just
using my gifts and you know, the skills I've been
working on, and I realized that no one could really
stop me. So just that change of mindset, being more
aggressive and just attacking the rim and then making the

(39:05):
read from there. But but yeah, it was just a
mindset thing.

Speaker 3 (39:09):
That is a game changer, isn't it When you realize
that if you decide to do something, nobody can stop me,
it is Yeah, it is. Well, so we haven't we
haven't seen that kind of game from ye at home
yet and Saturday at four o'clock is a chance and
we'll look forward to that against Nevada. I just thought
of a question. I don't think I've asked you before.
Do you remember the first time you dunked?

Speaker 11 (39:32):
Vividly? It was in the ninth grade, well, going into
the ninth grade that summer. It wasn't like a crazy
dumb maybe a little rim grazer or something, but that
was the first time I dunked. And then my freshman
year in high school that was like my first end
game but from there, just like little by little, got
a little more hops in my game.

Speaker 3 (39:54):
You probably weren't quite as tall as you are now
as a freshman in high school either.

Speaker 2 (39:57):
Huh.

Speaker 11 (39:57):
No, I wasn't, but I was pretty tall, a little lengthy,
a little skinnier, but I was probably like six foot
so huh, decent size.

Speaker 3 (40:05):
But yeah, it's been fun talking to some of your
teammates and coaches this year about you know, who you
guys all grew up watching. Who was a player who
maybe inspired you and and who helped you fall in
love with the game of basketball. How far back does
it go for you? When did basketball become a big
deal in your life?

Speaker 11 (40:24):
Well? Really young? My dad loves basketball, so I've always
been around it since, you know, growing up, So I'll
say like maybe around five or six, you know, playing
at the YMCA that's you know, where it really started,
and just being around it all the time, you know,
really made me fall in love with it. And watching Kobe.
Kobe's my favorite player growing up, so watching him on

(40:46):
you know, TV made me want to, you know, be
in his spot. So just yeah, I would say that
would be the main thing which YMCA was at just
the went by the house.

Speaker 2 (41:02):
In San Diego.

Speaker 11 (41:03):
Yeah, in San Diego, yes, sir.

Speaker 2 (41:05):
And how old were you the first time you beat
your dad one on one?

Speaker 11 (41:09):
I don't even think I played my dad one on one,
to be honest, but uh, yeah, I never played in
one on one, but I could probably could have beat
him when I was like, may ten, is he listening
right now? He might be. I'm not sure totally.

Speaker 3 (41:26):
God, you know my uh this is an aside, but
my good friend Steve Josey has a great story. Steve
was an All American baseball player here at Fresno State,
first round pick of the Giants, still in our community
running CBMC.

Speaker 2 (41:37):
But his younger brother is Paul Pierce.

Speaker 3 (41:39):
Okay, and so you know, Paul couldn't beat Steve one
on one until about the time Paul was going to Kansas.
And once he finally beat Steve one on one, Steve said, well.

Speaker 2 (41:50):
I'll wait for my turn to get a rematch.

Speaker 3 (41:52):
He never played him again the whole time he's playing
in Kansas Hall of Fame career, never asked for the rematch,
right knows better than that. Then, when Paul finally has
to have surgery and is in a boot Steve walks
by and says, hey, I'm ready for that rematch, So
don't ever get hurt because your dad may want to
play at one on one at that point. Yeah, I
asked coach Wahlberg earlier about, you know, why he was

(42:15):
so determined to have you join the program.

Speaker 2 (42:17):
Here, walk me through things for you.

Speaker 3 (42:19):
Because you've had kind of a different path since you
finished high school. You moved to the other side of
the country, then you came back home, and now you're
here in the valley. Maybe give us a taste of
what that journey's been like, what you've learned along the way,
and why you wanted to be a bulldog.

Speaker 11 (42:36):
Yeah, my journey has been pretty crazy, but you know,
going to Stetson it it opened a lot up for me,
just experience whise being so young. I went in at
seventeen as a freshman, so I was still, you know,
pretty young, and just being alone by myself on the
other side of the country was quite an experience. So

(42:57):
forced me to grow up a little bit quicker. And
then going to Juco I helped. That helped me really
just like find my grittiness and a little bit more toughness.
And I really enjoyed Juco. But the reason I went
to Fresno it was really the coaching staff. You know,
great staff with you know, coach Wahlberg, Coach Welts and

(43:20):
even all the assistants. They're all bought into the program,
and you could tell they really want to, you know,
help develop the players and get them, you know, to
the best situation they can be in. And I felt
they trusted in me and my game and and we
see that, you know now, you know, they put their
trust in me and then just let let me play.

(43:41):
So that was really the main reason I came, was
like the trust in the and the staff.

Speaker 3 (43:49):
I'm wondering if anybody here at crowan Wolf knows the
nickname for the first college that Alex played for, Stetson University.

Speaker 2 (43:56):
Anybody know their mascot?

Speaker 3 (43:58):
Tell them Alex Hatters. Did they give you a Stetson hat?

Speaker 11 (44:05):
They did not know? I did not get a stets
And hat. No same.

Speaker 3 (44:13):
Playing at the Save Mart Center. So far for you,
you guys, get the next game. Next two games there
Saturday at four against Nevada than the following Friday night
against air Force. What have you appreciated about playing in
front of the red Waves so far this year help
us understand what it's like to be a player in
your home arena.

Speaker 11 (44:30):
The whole community is really invested in our program, and
you know, even through our you know, ups and downs
and you know our rough points, you know, they always
stick with us and you know they're always supporting us.
So that was really the main thing I've seen, really
really loyal and strong community for sure, and just being

(44:51):
around the community outside, you know, running in, running into
fans and stuff. You know, everybody's really kind and supportive.
So it's been nice.

Speaker 3 (45:00):
It's been really nice the last week, the way Alex
has been playing, averaging twenty three and a half over
his last two games. And one more question before we
catch a break here. Coach Welch was on a few
minutes ago and said that it's you know what he
does with you right before the game, just preparing you
for game speed and physicality. What does you know, whether
it's Coach Welch, Coach Bearfield, the rest of the staff,

(45:22):
what are some of the things that you see making
a difference for you to be in the right state
of mind or feeling the right way before things tip off.

Speaker 11 (45:31):
I mean, I feel like the coaches do a great
job getting me in the right mindset. And you know,
before the game, we do a lot of live stuff,
so like getting to the rim with defense. Coach Welch
will even hop in and play some defense, so you know,
get bumping me and just getting me ready for the
physicality of the game. You know, just puts you in
that game ready mindset. So I'll give a lot of

(45:53):
credit to coach Welch and you know, pushing not just
me but everybody you know in warm ups and and
and he gets active too. He can move. He can move, yeah,
for sure, So he gets you prepared and the bumps
up a little bit too.

Speaker 3 (46:10):
I guess the follow up question is did you understand
that right from the get go or was it annoying for.

Speaker 11 (46:16):
A while till you figured out the value in it.
I mean, always been the type of guy I like
to get a good sweat in before the game. I
don't like to go in you know, dry, so I always,
you know, like to get a little short workout before
the game. But with coach Welch, it's definitely a different level.

(46:39):
So I mean I'm kind of used to it, but
it's definitely taking it to the to the next level
for me.

Speaker 2 (46:45):
So one last question on that. I'm sorry, I'm getting
off on a tangent.

Speaker 3 (46:48):
I'm just curious with the level, you know, because the
reason he's doing that with you before the game is
so at game speed, if somebody hits you, you're still
gonna make the layup, right, You're gonna get an and
one instead of having to rely on making two foul shots.

Speaker 2 (47:03):
Yeah, so how close?

Speaker 3 (47:05):
How would you compare the contact in pregame with coach
Welch to what actually happens in a live situation.

Speaker 11 (47:13):
Oh, it's actually he makes it pretty realistic, to be honest.
He's bumping you quite a bit when you get to
the rim, so I mean it's a little more physical
in the game, but he makes it pretty close to
realistic for sure.

Speaker 3 (47:29):
So it's pretty close to saying if you can handle
that in pregame, you can handle whatever's coming your way
in the game.

Speaker 11 (47:33):
Yeah, I'll say that, yeah, for sure, as.

Speaker 2 (47:35):
Long as there's no blood, no blood, no all right, blood.

Speaker 3 (47:39):
He's Alex Crawford. We're here at Crow and Wolf in Clovis,
here till seven o'clock. If you've got a question for ac,
hit us up. On the XAP with that hashtag ask
CAFs here till seven o'clock the Bulldog Basketball Hour on
the Bulldog Sports Network from Deerfield.

Speaker 14 (47:52):
Every January for sixty five years, the Fashion Furniture is
hosted the single largest furniture clearance in Central California. The
best names Flex Deal, Best Stanton Omnior, Jonathan Lewis and
Moore and savings of twenty thirty even forty percent plus
zero percent financing on every requiner, sofa, love seat, dining
room office, send you furniture one of a kind items

(48:14):
up to fifty percent off. The sixty fifth ANU will
January Clay and Sit Fashion Furniture across from River Park.

Speaker 7 (48:20):
There's nothing like it at all of California.

Speaker 13 (48:22):
At Close Family Dentistry, a great dental experience is as
fundamental to our team as a good pass on the court.

Speaker 7 (48:29):
From the moment you walk in.

Speaker 13 (48:30):
We strive to make you feel comfortable and confident. Decades
of experience, convenient extended hours in advanced technology help you
escape dental pain and get back to living that happy,
healthy life. The official dentist at Cresdoe State Athletics. Give
us a call at five five to nine dentists and
see how we love to make the valley smile, one

(48:51):
patient at a time.

Speaker 10 (48:52):
Here's the thing, clut adventure. It's never going to come
knocking on your door. You've got to get out there
and track it down. And there's no better way to
find it. And behind the wheel of the twenty twenty
four Toyota Tacoma. The trail hungry power, legendary capability and
head turning style. The Tacoma is not for the secondary.
Three hundred and twenty six horse power, four hundred and

(49:13):
sixty five pound feet of torque and with all the
toughness you could ask for. The Toyota Tacoma is the
adventure you've been missing. Toyota, Let's go.

Speaker 16 (49:21):
Places, holdog fans, it's the old culture of pat Hill.
Here to tell you about our friends at Table Mountain
two thousand slot machines, Hi Gal, Blackjack and Mini Bacarac
on a smoke free floor head to sky the rooftop
Tepanyaki restaurant with unbelievable views are eagles landing a one
of a kind steakhouse, sing along with headliner entertainment before

(49:45):
returning to one of the luxurious suites have your own
lucky day followed by an epic night at Table Mountain
Casino Resort.

Speaker 21 (49:53):
Looking for the finest locally grown pistachio's. Horizon Nut Company,
nestled into Larry, is proudly owned by the farmers who
care fully cultivate these exceptional nuts. Our growers live and
work right here in the valley and are huge supporters
of the dogs and the entire Redwave community. Join the
Horizon Growers family at Horizon Nut dot com and find
their pistachios and pistachio butter online at Fitimanfarms dot com, Amazon,

(50:17):
or in Northern California, Whole Foods. Horizon Growers the official
pistachios of Fresno State Athletics at Savemart. Being part of
each community we serve is at the core of who
we are and is a proud partner of the Fresno
State Bulldogs. We're your headquarters to help you cheer on
your favorite team. Shop any of your local save Marts
to score big savings with our Bulldog Bundle. Just look

(50:39):
for the sign shop and save plus explore a collection
of Fresno State gear that showcases the spirit and pride
of the Bulldog community, Go Bulldogs, Save mart Valley, Fresh Valley,
Made Valley Proud.

Speaker 2 (50:58):
Welcome back to the Bulldog Basket.

Speaker 3 (51:00):
We've got a few minutes left here with Alex Crawford.

Speaker 2 (51:03):
Bulldog forward to average.

Speaker 3 (51:05):
Over twenty points a game on this last road trip,
and we'll be looking to keep that up on Saturday
against Nevada. That's a four o'clock tip three point thirty
our pregame show. Tickets available at Go Bulldogs dot com
or if you can get here in the next nine
minutes and come say hello, I'm at the table in
the corner here at Crow and Wolf. Come find me
and we'll make sure you have some tickets for that
four o'clock game on Saturday. Alex Crawford, this will be

(51:28):
his first time playing Nevada, but one of the Wolfpack's
best players, in fact, their biggest offseason addition the tall
six to eight point guard transfer from cal Poly Kobe Sanders.

Speaker 2 (51:38):
Sounds like you and Kobe have a little history together.

Speaker 11 (51:40):
Huh, A little bit. I really just know of each other.
You know, him being a socow guy, you know song
playing at cal Poly and that's really why I first
saw him. But but yeah, I mean good players, so
I'm excited to compete against him.

Speaker 3 (51:59):
I think the Red Waves to see an action Saturday
at four. Coach Wahlberg told us earlier, a couple of
your teammates are going to be back in action. Pierre
Jeaneste Junior and DJ Douglas will suit up on Saturday
for that four o'clock tip.

Speaker 2 (52:11):
I'm curious for you.

Speaker 3 (52:12):
I know your folks have been here a couple of
times from down in San Diego to watch you at
the Save Mart Center. But next month, when you guys
go to Viejas in your hometown, how many.

Speaker 2 (52:24):
People are going to be there rooting for Alex Crawford.

Speaker 11 (52:28):
It will be quite a few, for sure. My whole
family might be there, so maybe about twenty thirty people.
But this will be quite a bit for sure. So
I have a good fan based rooting for me at home.

Speaker 3 (52:41):
Good because that student section is going to be loud
and obnoxious the show, so maybe your family can counteract them.

Speaker 2 (52:47):
You weren't an Aztec fan growing up, were you?

Speaker 19 (52:50):
No?

Speaker 11 (52:50):
Not really, nah, I utterly have a college team. Just
Kobe yep, Yes, Sir Kobe, Kevin Durant. Those are my
top players.

Speaker 2 (53:04):
Tell everybody what number uniform you wear?

Speaker 11 (53:06):
Number eight? Why is that? Because of Kobe?

Speaker 2 (53:10):
That was my guest. I just wanted to make sure.

Speaker 11 (53:12):
Well, twenty four was taken because Paul George retired it,
but so next option was eight. So next closest thing.

Speaker 2 (53:20):
What number did you wear in high school?

Speaker 11 (53:22):
In high school? I wore number five? Yeah, I were
five in high school, and then Juco at Stetsan I
wore twenty four, and then at Juco I wore twenty two.
I wanted twenty four, but they didn't have it, so
I had to go twenty two.

Speaker 3 (53:37):
But you know, I think you're playing pretty well in
number eight. But I also know what kind of kui
Paul George is. I bet if you asked him, he'd
probably let you wear it. Have you ever met Paul
I have it?

Speaker 11 (53:47):
No, sir.

Speaker 3 (53:48):
Well, I'm sure he's going to be in touch with
the program and doing something soon and hopefully. You know,
it's funny and it's not fair to ever compare anybody
to anybody else, but I was thinking about Paul George
when I watched the dunk you had the other night
in Logan, because when Paul was here, he was about

(54:08):
your height when he first got here, he was definitely
skinnier than you, and I don't think he knew how
good he could be just yet. But as we watched
him grow and develop, there was one game where he
had a dunk that everybody noticed and it was on
national TV.

Speaker 2 (54:26):
It was in the middle of.

Speaker 3 (54:26):
The night at Saint Mary's, but he took off two
feet in the middle of the lane and just I mean,
he was so far up there, nobody's going to stop it,
and he just dunked on everybody.

Speaker 2 (54:35):
And it was like from that point on, he knew
what he could do.

Speaker 3 (54:39):
And he did it against Montana, he did it against
cal Poly, he did against Boise State, did it against
a lot of teams in our league. Has there been
a moment for you yet in your college career. Maybe
it was the other night where you made a play
and then you thought yourself, Hey, I can really do that.

Speaker 2 (54:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 11 (54:57):
I mean I'm always made like I've had crazy plays
for especially you know, in JUCO, and I feel like
that's when I really started to realize what I could do.
But to be able to do it at this level
really open my eyes and you know, to what I
could do. So just the level of it. I've always

(55:18):
like been able to do you know, highlight you know,
make those highlight plays and stuff. But but yeah, just
to do it at this level mean something.

Speaker 2 (55:28):
Here's one for you.

Speaker 3 (55:29):
So so we've seen you do a lot, especially the
last couple of games, but you probably have something that
you'd like to do that you haven't done yet, or
that you'd like to do more of that you haven't done.

Speaker 2 (55:38):
Enough of yet.

Speaker 3 (55:39):
What are some of the things that just in your
own mind as you think about your game and your.

Speaker 2 (55:43):
Career, that you have your eyes set on, I'll say.

Speaker 11 (55:47):
To shoot more threes. To be honest, you know, I'm
I'm everybody knows I could dunk and do all these
athletic you know, make these athletic plays, but a lot
of people don't know, you know, I could really shoot it.
So throughout my career I've always had people say, you know,
I wasn't like the best shooter, but I knew I
could shoot, but I just maybe don't show it as much.

(56:09):
So that would be one thing. And then I mean,
I always want more highlight dunks, so I definitely need
some more of those this year, for sure.

Speaker 2 (56:18):
I don't think the red wave is gonna argue with
you on that.

Speaker 3 (56:20):
I do have to ask what's more satisfying to you
the highlight reel dunk or coming out of nowhere and
just swatting the ball off the floor or to a teammate,
or just when a guy thinks he's gonna get a
bucket and you just wipe it out of there.

Speaker 11 (56:40):
Blocking the shot feels pretty good, But I'll say the
dunk because the energy it creates, it's just crazy, especially
at home when you have all your fans and you
get that dunk, you can feel the court shaking and
everybody's just going crazy. It's a crazy feeling. And then
on the opposite side, if you do it at somebody
else's placed, it just gets quiet. So it's a crazy

(57:04):
feeling either way.

Speaker 2 (57:06):
Have you ever hurt yourself thrown down a dunk?

Speaker 11 (57:10):
No? Maybe my wrist risk gets a little sore after
a while, but but not no serious injuries.

Speaker 2 (57:17):
Good, let's keep it that way.

Speaker 3 (57:18):
That's the plan that one and Logan Man, I for
sure I thought you were gonna like break a tooth
or something on the rim there for a second.

Speaker 2 (57:24):
You're up so high. Have you ever done that? Try to, like,
you know, kiss the rim.

Speaker 11 (57:29):
I have I get up there, I get close, I
could maybe the top of my head, could you know,
skin the rim? But I get I don't want to
get too close.

Speaker 3 (57:38):
Yeah again, let's keep it that way. Yeah, we're almost
out of time, Alex. Thanks for being a good sport,
Thanks for hanging out. Congrats on some awesome games, and
we know the best is you have to come. If
there's a Bulldog fan out there listening who hasn't been
to a game yet this year and they're saying, you
know what, Saturday, four o'clock, that sounds good.

Speaker 2 (57:54):
Tell them why they should come. What are they gonna see?

Speaker 11 (57:57):
Well, we're gonna put on a show for them. You know,
we're gonna play hard, and you know they might get
to see a highlight play for me. But yeah, I'm
gonna perform. I'm gonna do what I do and and yeah.

Speaker 2 (58:11):
All right, and uh, do you have any nicknames besides Ac?

Speaker 11 (58:16):
I don't even know if on it. In high school,
they just call me stretched because I was just like
real skinny and long. But nah, coach called me beast
a little bit. I like that one, all right, Beast,
I like that one.

Speaker 3 (58:31):
Well, hopefully you'll give us some reasons to uh call
you a beast on Saturday, or we can crank up
the ac. I suppose we could do that one too,
but you want to stay hot not cool?

Speaker 11 (58:40):
Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2 (58:40):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (58:41):
He's Alex Crawford and this has been the Bulldog Basketball Hour.
We'll be back here two weeks from tonight. The next
time with the men's team four o'clock Saturday, three point
thirty the pregame show with my good friend coach Mark Q.

Speaker 2 (58:53):
Jones.

Speaker 3 (58:54):
Love to see it at the Arena on Saturday at
four o'clock. Thanks to Coach Wahlberg, Coach Welch, and Alex Crawford.

Speaker 2 (59:00):
Thank you for listening.

Speaker 11 (59:01):
This has been the.

Speaker 3 (59:01):
Bulldog Basketball Hour on the Bulldog Sports Network from their field.

Speaker 1 (59:23):
Live from Crowen Wolf tap Room in Clovis. You've been
listening to the Bulldog Basketball Hour presented by Table Mountain
Casino Resorts, Lucky Days and Epic Nights, bud Light, Easy
to Drink, Easy to Enjoy and Buy, Pepsi, official soft
drink of Fresno State Athletics. The preceding has been a

(59:45):
lear field presentation of the Bulldog Sports Network