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Coaches lead Bulldogs to success

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Ray Lopes
Photo courtsey of www.dadphoto.com

New basketball coaching staffs led to successful season for both the Fresno State men's and women's teams this year.

Ray Lopes took over for the Bulldogs, taking the place of legendary Jerry Tarkanian, and didn't miss a beat, guiding Fresno State to an outright WAC title and a 20-8 (13-5 WAC) record. He is the Bulldogs' first rookie coach to lead his team to a conference title since Ed Gregory did it in 1965.

Following the season, Lopes leadership was rewarded when he was named the Don Haskins Award winner as WAC Coach of the Year. He also was named CBSSportsline.com's Rookie Coach of the Year.

On the women's side, Stacy Johnson-Klein had a daunting task: Take over a team that had lost 20 games one season prior and make it a winner. For Johnson-Klein, it was mission accomplished, as the Bulldogs made a miraculous turnaround with virtually the same team that went 9-20 (4-14 WAC) in 2001-02.

This season, Fresno State went 19-12 (11-7 WAC), advanced to the championship game of the WAC Tournament and received a berth in the Women's National Invitation Tournament, where it defeated Santa Clara in the first round and Oregon in the second round.

The turnaround from 20 losses to 21 wins is the single greatest improvement in Fresno State women's basketball history. The 2002-03 squad became just the fifth team in program history to reach the 20-win mark.

Stacy Johnson-Klein
Photo by Cary Edmonson

Back to University Journal, 4/03 Issue