FULLERTON — Out with the old and in with the new has become a yearly tradition for the Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball program.
The transfer portal has made the Titans both a departure and destination hub for players across the country, and this season’s roster is no different, as all but one player from last season’s 6-26 team moved on.
Fullerton coach Dedrique Taylor restocked his program with seven transfers and seven true freshmen and they have coalesced well so far, evident by their 83-69 victory over visiting Pepperdine on Saturday afternoon at Titan Gym.
“This year, I think we hit the jackpot, but last year I didn’t think we hit the jackpot,” Taylor said. “Having good guys, first and foremost, that are talented, always helps.”
Joshua Ward, who played two seasons of NAIA basketball at Life University in Marietta, Georgia, and last season in Division II at Palm Beach Atlantic in Florida, scored 19 points to lead the Titans (3-5) in Saturday’s win.
“I had a good journey because I learned along the way,” Ward said. “It prepared me for when I got here.”
Landon Seaman, who played the past four seasons at Menlo College in Atherton, California, which transitioned from NAIA to Division II while he was there, scored 17 points in 20 minutes off the bench.
“Out of high school, just like every other kid, [wanted] to play Division I basketball and I didn’t get that chance,” Seaman said. “I got blessed to have that extra year to play Division I, so it just worked perfectly.”
Taylor said the portal will never work in favor of smaller programs like his, but there is some reward in finding players like Ward and Seaman, and he was quick to credit assistant coach Ryan Hamm for his astute eye.
“That’s the beauty of the portal, in terms of being able to find those guys that are diamonds in the rough, but more so finding guys that fit your culture, fit your system with your style of play,” Taylor said. “(Hamm) hit the nail on the head with this group of guys.”
Taylor is also finding more success luring local players from top high school programs.
One of his freshmen is starting guard Bryce Cofield, who helped Sierra Canyon win a CIF Division I State title last March, scoring a key basket to give the Trailblazers the lead for good with just under a minute remaining.
Looking on was Lakers star LeBron James, whose son, Bryce, also played for Sierra Canyon.
Cofield battled foul trouble against Pepperdine and was limited to eight points in 13 minutes, but he was coming off a 27-point performance in a 97-93 loss to Northern Colorado last Sunday in the Portland Invitational.
“It’s uncanny in terms of how we were able to get (Cofield) and what went into all of that,” Taylor said. “Now that we have him, everybody is taking notice of who he is and what he is.”
Taylor said lower-profile programs like Fullerton are gaining an edge when it comes to high school recruiting because the big programs are too busy mining the transfer portal.
“They’re not really concerned about some of the freshmen and they go by the wayside,” said Taylor, whose team next hosts Cal Poly in a Big West Conference opener on Thursday night. “Hopefully, we can continue to pick them up that way.”
The Titans fell behind 18-11 to Pepperdine early in the first half, but they took the lead for good at 26-23 when Christian Williams hit a baseline 3-pointer in transition with 6:52 left in the half.
Fullerton expanded the lead to 40-33 at halftime and took its first double-digit advantage at 51-40 on a drive by Ward with 15:43 left in the game.
The Waves (3-5) managed to cut the deficit to four with 12:53 left, but Fullerton answered with a 6-0 run and Pepperdine didn’t get closer than nine the rest of the way.
“This group, they played with an edge,” Taylor said. “I was proud of them, they rebounded the ball, especially with Pepperdine having the size advantage that they had. Our guys really bought into understanding how important it was to get stops and finish them with rebounds.”
Javon Cooley and Luka Vudragovic each scored 13 points to pace Pepperdine. Styles Phipps and Danilo Dozic each added 11 points.
UP NEXT
Cal Poly (SLO) at Cal State Fullerton, Thursday, 7 p.m.
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