March 28, 2025 • 12 mins
The Voice of the Bulldogs Paul Loeffler talks about the status of Fresno State Athletics with Ck now that the basketball season is complete.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
C K on Sports Fox Sports Radio. It's been a
minute since I had my man on the voice of
the Fresno State Bulldogs, Paul Leffler. You know, so many
things going on, Paul, Fresno State baseball, basketball news, getting
ready for the spring football game, so many different things
to conversate about, the women's coach stepping down. I mean,
(00:23):
so many different things going on with Fresno State. Where
do we even start.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, let's start with you said, it's been a minute.
What's up, man? Where you've been hiding? Why are you leaving?
The hangar?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Been going NonStop. Actually, just dropped off my daughter University
of Oregon. Gonna be playing soccer for the Ducks now,
So you know, a lot of things have been going on.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
So she went from the Crimson Tide to the Ducks.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Yes, yes, and she starts her first day of school
on the thirty first.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Well, congratulations to her and you. I'm glad she's closer
to home for you anyway. Yes, boy, yeah, definitely excited
about that big time stuff.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Yeah, no, it's a lot of fun, but a lot
of things going on. I've been a little bit under
the weather as well, you know. And then March's madness.
There's so many things going on, Paul, so many things.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah, yeah, you know, I've been out of Bulldog football practice.
Fun to see some of the new bodies. Boy guys.
There's some guys on the d line that are pretty beefy.
I think the Bulldog's gonna be better against the run.
I think the defense is going to be better in general.
(01:42):
I think, you know, the quarterback battle is going to
be real fun. I don't know if they're gonna name
my starter after the spring. I think that may push
on till fall. But I've been impressed with what I've
seen from Joshua Wood. He's he's bigger, he's stronger, he's
more accurate, he's making quick decisions. I'm sure that having
(02:06):
an experienced guy like EJ. Warner in there is pushing him.
And you know, there are guys that are better in
practice versus better in games. I think that spring scrimmage
coming up on April fifth is going to be a
big test for all three quarterbacks. I mean, Jayden Mandals
is determined as anybody. So if people haven't made their
plans yet, you got that Bulldog block party. You can
(02:27):
get a twenty dollars, tailgate spot, come tailgate, watch a
little football at one. Baseball starts at three, and that's
Bob Bennett Day. So that's going to be a big,
big day a lot of his former players. I mean,
I've heard from a group of about thirty guys from
the nineteen seventies that are going to be there, well,
guys from the eighties, nineties, early two thousands, probably some
(02:47):
guys from that first team he coached to a title
in nineteen sixty seven, filling in for Pete. So if
people haven't circled April fifth on their calendar, I mean,
if there's one day where you can be at Presno State,
that's the day you want to be there.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Yeah, that's gonna be a very busy day. I know
I'm gonna be out there. I'm looking forward to this
spring football game, very excited about even some of the
things that you just mentioned. I have not had the
opportunity to go watch a practice just yet, but I
am gonna get out there. I want to see what's
going on with this defensive line. I'm excited to see
what the dogs are gonna look like. So maybe I'll
just hold off until April fifth and then get to
(03:21):
take it all in there.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Well, I heard something about you. I heard you're gonna
be on the field. Oh I'm there, coach ats during
that scrimmage, and we're gonna have a little radio covers
that day with YEP camp. So that's gonna be fun.
But I sure would love to see the red wave
out there. And you know, coach As has been making
the rounds. He spoke to the Quarterback Club this week.
He's getting out and around. He's getting to know a
(03:44):
lot of the high school coaches in the area, which
is really important. And I think he's doing all the
right things, you know, to engage this community and rally
support for what should be a really fun call.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Yeah, cannot wait. Excited for this football team, Excited to
see what's gonna happen and how it's all gonna come together.
I mean, I can't wait for the curtain to be
opened up a little bit. And that's gonna happen on
April fifth. And I really am watching this quarterback battle,
and that's exactly what it is. You have three different
types of quarterbacks, three different types of personalities. Only one
(04:17):
person's gonna be named QB one. So cannot we I
can't wait to see how this all unfolds.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Yeah, I can't either. It's it's gonna be a ton
of fun, man, And I just like I said, hopefully
the red Wave is gonna show up and hopefully the
baseball team shows up in San Jose this weekend. Yeah,
it's a really critical road series. You know, they've had
a really tough schedule to this point.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
It's gonna, in theory, get a little more manageable next
month when they played three out of the four weekends
at home. But they've had to go to BYU, who's
playing really well right now in the Big twelve that
is in that hunt. And they've had the well, they
host the BYU, that went to TCU, they went to UCSB.
They played a really tough schedule and a lot on
(05:01):
the road. Yeah, this road weekend in San Jose, I
think is a potential get over the hump moment for
this team.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
A little bit about this San Jose State baseball team.
What are we looking forward to in this series?
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Well, looking forward to the Bulldogs trying to pull off
some Spartan bats because they you know, they really took
it to Air Force last weekend. There's that new thing
in the conference this year where there's a mercy rule
after seven innings for every single game, even on a
Friday night, and you know San Jose State mercy rules
air Force Friday and Saturday. Yeah, gett at home, and
they've stayed home, so they're feeling momentum. They're the hottest
(05:40):
team in the league with a four game win streak.
They're tied for first. The Bulldogs are a game back.
So I mean, what else you're asking for? U's big
time college baseball.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Yeah, this is a pretty good San Jose State baseball team.
I haven't seen very many of their games, but I
did get to catch them against Utah earlier this year.
They can play baseball, man, they know, not hit for sure, No.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
They do. And and you know, a couple of their
guys that I thought were out of eligibility are actually
playing for Michigan now. Yeah, in their sixth year of
actually playing games. I don't know how that works and
how you could still be eligible, but I'm glad they're
not in Arthek anymore. But no, they do. They've got
some good hitters and a couple of pitchers. You know,
Nolan George has been really good for him. They've got
(06:22):
some arms there and this is going to be one
of those games where Fresno State has to do what
so far the Diamond Dogs haven't done as well as
they could of, which is do all the little things
that it takes to win. When you've got a runner
at third with less than two outs, you got to
get them home, right. I mean, they had a chance
Tuesday night, and they'd won a couple tuesdays in a row.
(06:42):
I thought there maybe turning a Tuesday night corner. They
get the bases loaded, nobody out on top of their
lineup coming up right seniors, and one senior grounds into
a double play on the first pitch, and then the
next one on the second pitch has a check swing
ground out that strands the tying run. So it was,
you know, it was not what you expected in that moment.
(07:04):
You know, they're capable of more. Yes, they're down two
of their top four pitchers and they're probably not gonna
get either one back. But they have some other pitchers
who are coming along, who are growing, and they've got,
you know, a young shortstop who's pushing for playing time.
They've got guys that are getting it done at the
bottom of the order, but they needed just a real
good team weekend where everybody does something. And if they
(07:27):
pull that off this weekend, I think they'll carry a
lot of momentum into a month of April where they're
gonna be home most of that month.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Let's talk about this before we let you go, because
I know you have to get going up to as
many as ten could be leaving Frisne State men's basketball.
Jamie White, de party of the Frisne State women's team.
Mia Jacobs is in the portal as well. Your thoughts
about what's going on with the basketball programs as a whole.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
You know, it's it's really disappointing in the big picture
that this is what college basketball has turned into. Who
is it really serving? Is it serving the best interest
to the student athletes? It's pretty hard to make that case.
You know, when you see people go into the portal
(08:19):
but never come out have a landing spot. That's hard.
That said, you know, let's see what happens. What does
Garrett Classy do with the women's basketball higher what happens
on the men's side. You know, they've given Vance Wahlberg
a vote of confidence to this point when does he
assemble a roster. You know, I think they're probably a
(08:42):
lot of fans who are disappointed to see some of
those guys leave, because even though the record was atrocious,
the worst in school history, they saw how that team
fought and lost a lot of close games where you know,
you got a freshman with double doubles and pretty much
averaging a double double the second half of conference play,
somebody like Alex Crawford taking over a game at Utah State,
(09:03):
one of the toughest places in the country to play,
and giving them a chance to win. You saw what
Brian am Unique did offensively down the stretch, and I
know Bulldog fans saw a lot of potential there. So
to see those guys in the portal is hard. It
doesn't mean they can't come out of the portal. Doesn't
mean there might not be some other, you know, local
products who decide to come back home. But I think
(09:25):
it's gonna Advance has another year. It's gonna behoove him
to assemble a roster in short order that can at
least supply a little confidence to the Red Waves because
you know, it's not what anybody expected, and you can,
you know, you can throw some rationale in there, and
(09:46):
this happened, and that happened, but ultimately it's just not
what you need from men's basketball at Presno State. So
there needs to be significant improvement next year. That's what
coach Wahlberg wants. I'd say that's what his players want,
but right now he doesn't have any players. Yeah, and
that's the crazy thing with this sport. That would never
be the case before. So when you talk about you
(10:07):
need time to build, well, you know if you have
you ever dug a hole at the beach for your
daughter's c K. Yeah, you know, when you think you're
making progress and then somebody steps on the edge and
it all caves. And that's college basketball today. It's really
hard to build something over time if someone's knocking all
(10:28):
the sand back in your hole every year. And that's
what it's come into with this roster turnover. So hopefully
there will be some developments that give people some hope.
And if if the administration is still thinking about making
a change there, they don't have much time to do it.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Yeah, they got to be quite an.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Easy situation for anybody. So you know, if he's your guy,
give him everything he needs to succeed. If he's not,
you get somebody else in here soon. And what I've heard,
you know so far is the administration saying, yeah, we
gave him an opportunity with the contract that guarantees them
two years. So we're all in on year two and
let's get in this together and build the best program
(11:06):
we can build. And you've heard the same names I'm
sure I have for the women's job, some people with
local names, you know, some people are pretty fired up about.
But you know, Garrett Classy, I'm sure has had some
folks on his radar two and I'm looking forward. This
is a big i think an audition for him too
(11:26):
at the fan base to say hey, this is how
I see it. We saw what he did with the
football coach, and I can see the energy that Matt
Ntz has and the organization and why he drew the
athletic director's attention. And hopefully in the fall we'll see
the kind of results that say, yeah, this is why
(11:46):
he needed to be the coach. But this is another chance.
Women's basketball is a high profile sport. It's been a
long time since the ladies have been to the tournament,
and when you're going into a new conference with some
teams that are well funded and have good resources and
good history. You want to be able to compete for
spots in the tournament. So I'm looking forward to seeing
(12:06):
how that process unfolds and who gets that opportunity there.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
He is the voice of the Fresne State Bulldogs, Paul Leffler. Paul,
it's always great catching up with you. We will talk
next week leading up to the spring football game.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Okay, sounds like a play with my friend.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
A lot of moving parts happening with Fresne State athletics
right now. Always great to catch up with the voice
of the Frisnee State Bulldogs, Paul Leffler ck on Sports
Fox Sports Radio
C K on Sports Fox Sports Radio. It's been a
minute since I had my man on the voice of
the Fresno State Bulldogs, Paul Leffler. You know, so many
things going on, Paul, Fresno State baseball, basketball news, getting
ready for the spring football game, so many different things
to conversate about, the women's coach stepping down. I mean,
(00:23):
so many different things going on with Fresno State. Where
do we even start.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, let's start with you said, it's been a minute.
What's up, man? Where you've been hiding? Why are you leaving?
The hangar?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Been going NonStop. Actually, just dropped off my daughter University
of Oregon. Gonna be playing soccer for the Ducks now,
So you know, a lot of things have been going on.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
So she went from the Crimson Tide to the Ducks.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Yes, yes, and she starts her first day of school
on the thirty first.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Well, congratulations to her and you. I'm glad she's closer
to home for you anyway. Yes, boy, yeah, definitely excited
about that big time stuff.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Yeah, no, it's a lot of fun, but a lot
of things going on. I've been a little bit under
the weather as well, you know. And then March's madness.
There's so many things going on, Paul, so many things.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah, yeah, you know, I've been out of Bulldog football practice.
Fun to see some of the new bodies. Boy guys.
There's some guys on the d line that are pretty beefy.
I think the Bulldog's gonna be better against the run.
I think the defense is going to be better in general.
(01:42):
I think, you know, the quarterback battle is going to
be real fun. I don't know if they're gonna name
my starter after the spring. I think that may push
on till fall. But I've been impressed with what I've
seen from Joshua Wood. He's he's bigger, he's stronger, he's
more accurate, he's making quick decisions. I'm sure that having
(02:06):
an experienced guy like EJ. Warner in there is pushing him.
And you know, there are guys that are better in
practice versus better in games. I think that spring scrimmage
coming up on April fifth is going to be a
big test for all three quarterbacks. I mean, Jayden Mandals
is determined as anybody. So if people haven't made their
plans yet, you got that Bulldog block party. You can
(02:27):
get a twenty dollars, tailgate spot, come tailgate, watch a
little football at one. Baseball starts at three, and that's
Bob Bennett Day. So that's going to be a big,
big day a lot of his former players. I mean,
I've heard from a group of about thirty guys from
the nineteen seventies that are going to be there, well,
guys from the eighties, nineties, early two thousands, probably some
(02:47):
guys from that first team he coached to a title
in nineteen sixty seven, filling in for Pete. So if
people haven't circled April fifth on their calendar, I mean,
if there's one day where you can be at Presno State,
that's the day you want to be there.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Yeah, that's gonna be a very busy day. I know
I'm gonna be out there. I'm looking forward to this
spring football game, very excited about even some of the
things that you just mentioned. I have not had the
opportunity to go watch a practice just yet, but I
am gonna get out there. I want to see what's
going on with this defensive line. I'm excited to see
what the dogs are gonna look like. So maybe I'll
just hold off until April fifth and then get to
(03:21):
take it all in there.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Well, I heard something about you. I heard you're gonna
be on the field. Oh I'm there, coach ats during
that scrimmage, and we're gonna have a little radio covers
that day with YEP camp. So that's gonna be fun.
But I sure would love to see the red wave
out there. And you know, coach As has been making
the rounds. He spoke to the Quarterback Club this week.
He's getting out and around. He's getting to know a
(03:44):
lot of the high school coaches in the area, which
is really important. And I think he's doing all the
right things, you know, to engage this community and rally
support for what should be a really fun call.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Yeah, cannot wait. Excited for this football team, Excited to
see what's gonna happen and how it's all gonna come together.
I mean, I can't wait for the curtain to be
opened up a little bit. And that's gonna happen on
April fifth. And I really am watching this quarterback battle,
and that's exactly what it is. You have three different
types of quarterbacks, three different types of personalities. Only one
(04:17):
person's gonna be named QB one. So cannot we I
can't wait to see how this all unfolds.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Yeah, I can't either. It's it's gonna be a ton
of fun, man, And I just like I said, hopefully
the red Wave is gonna show up and hopefully the
baseball team shows up in San Jose this weekend. Yeah,
it's a really critical road series. You know, they've had
a really tough schedule to this point.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
It's gonna, in theory, get a little more manageable next
month when they played three out of the four weekends
at home. But they've had to go to BYU, who's
playing really well right now in the Big twelve that
is in that hunt. And they've had the well, they
host the BYU, that went to TCU, they went to UCSB.
They played a really tough schedule and a lot on
(05:01):
the road. Yeah, this road weekend in San Jose, I
think is a potential get over the hump moment for
this team.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
A little bit about this San Jose State baseball team.
What are we looking forward to in this series?
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Well, looking forward to the Bulldogs trying to pull off
some Spartan bats because they you know, they really took
it to Air Force last weekend. There's that new thing
in the conference this year where there's a mercy rule
after seven innings for every single game, even on a
Friday night, and you know San Jose State mercy rules
air Force Friday and Saturday. Yeah, gett at home, and
they've stayed home, so they're feeling momentum. They're the hottest
(05:40):
team in the league with a four game win streak.
They're tied for first. The Bulldogs are a game back.
So I mean, what else you're asking for? U's big
time college baseball.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Yeah, this is a pretty good San Jose State baseball team.
I haven't seen very many of their games, but I
did get to catch them against Utah earlier this year.
They can play baseball, man, they know, not hit for sure, No.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
They do. And and you know, a couple of their
guys that I thought were out of eligibility are actually
playing for Michigan now. Yeah, in their sixth year of
actually playing games. I don't know how that works and
how you could still be eligible, but I'm glad they're
not in Arthek anymore. But no, they do. They've got
some good hitters and a couple of pitchers. You know,
Nolan George has been really good for him. They've got
(06:22):
some arms there and this is going to be one
of those games where Fresno State has to do what
so far the Diamond Dogs haven't done as well as
they could of, which is do all the little things
that it takes to win. When you've got a runner
at third with less than two outs, you got to
get them home, right. I mean, they had a chance
Tuesday night, and they'd won a couple tuesdays in a row.
(06:42):
I thought there maybe turning a Tuesday night corner. They
get the bases loaded, nobody out on top of their
lineup coming up right seniors, and one senior grounds into
a double play on the first pitch, and then the
next one on the second pitch has a check swing
ground out that strands the tying run. So it was,
you know, it was not what you expected in that moment.
(07:04):
You know, they're capable of more. Yes, they're down two
of their top four pitchers and they're probably not gonna
get either one back. But they have some other pitchers
who are coming along, who are growing, and they've got,
you know, a young shortstop who's pushing for playing time.
They've got guys that are getting it done at the
bottom of the order, but they needed just a real
good team weekend where everybody does something. And if they
(07:27):
pull that off this weekend, I think they'll carry a
lot of momentum into a month of April where they're
gonna be home most of that month.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Let's talk about this before we let you go, because
I know you have to get going up to as
many as ten could be leaving Frisne State men's basketball.
Jamie White, de party of the Frisne State women's team.
Mia Jacobs is in the portal as well. Your thoughts
about what's going on with the basketball programs as a whole.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
You know, it's it's really disappointing in the big picture
that this is what college basketball has turned into. Who
is it really serving? Is it serving the best interest
to the student athletes? It's pretty hard to make that case.
You know, when you see people go into the portal
(08:19):
but never come out have a landing spot. That's hard.
That said, you know, let's see what happens. What does
Garrett Classy do with the women's basketball higher what happens
on the men's side. You know, they've given Vance Wahlberg
a vote of confidence to this point when does he
assemble a roster. You know, I think they're probably a
(08:42):
lot of fans who are disappointed to see some of
those guys leave, because even though the record was atrocious,
the worst in school history, they saw how that team
fought and lost a lot of close games where you know,
you got a freshman with double doubles and pretty much
averaging a double double the second half of conference play,
somebody like Alex Crawford taking over a game at Utah State,
(09:03):
one of the toughest places in the country to play,
and giving them a chance to win. You saw what
Brian am Unique did offensively down the stretch, and I
know Bulldog fans saw a lot of potential there. So
to see those guys in the portal is hard. It
doesn't mean they can't come out of the portal. Doesn't
mean there might not be some other, you know, local
products who decide to come back home. But I think
(09:25):
it's gonna Advance has another year. It's gonna behoove him
to assemble a roster in short order that can at
least supply a little confidence to the Red Waves because
you know, it's not what anybody expected, and you can,
you know, you can throw some rationale in there, and
(09:46):
this happened, and that happened, but ultimately it's just not
what you need from men's basketball at Presno State. So
there needs to be significant improvement next year. That's what
coach Wahlberg wants. I'd say that's what his players want,
but right now he doesn't have any players. Yeah, and
that's the crazy thing with this sport. That would never
be the case before. So when you talk about you
(10:07):
need time to build, well, you know if you have
you ever dug a hole at the beach for your
daughter's c K. Yeah, you know, when you think you're
making progress and then somebody steps on the edge and
it all caves. And that's college basketball today. It's really
hard to build something over time if someone's knocking all
(10:28):
the sand back in your hole every year. And that's
what it's come into with this roster turnover. So hopefully
there will be some developments that give people some hope.
And if if the administration is still thinking about making
a change there, they don't have much time to do it.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Yeah, they got to be quite an.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Easy situation for anybody. So you know, if he's your guy,
give him everything he needs to succeed. If he's not,
you get somebody else in here soon. And what I've heard,
you know so far is the administration saying, yeah, we
gave him an opportunity with the contract that guarantees them
two years. So we're all in on year two and
let's get in this together and build the best program
(11:06):
we can build. And you've heard the same names I'm
sure I have for the women's job, some people with
local names, you know, some people are pretty fired up about.
But you know, Garrett Classy, I'm sure has had some
folks on his radar two and I'm looking forward. This
is a big i think an audition for him too
(11:26):
at the fan base to say hey, this is how
I see it. We saw what he did with the
football coach, and I can see the energy that Matt
Ntz has and the organization and why he drew the
athletic director's attention. And hopefully in the fall we'll see
the kind of results that say, yeah, this is why
(11:46):
he needed to be the coach. But this is another chance.
Women's basketball is a high profile sport. It's been a
long time since the ladies have been to the tournament,
and when you're going into a new conference with some
teams that are well funded and have good resources and
good history. You want to be able to compete for
spots in the tournament. So I'm looking forward to seeing
(12:06):
how that process unfolds and who gets that opportunity there.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
He is the voice of the Fresne State Bulldogs, Paul Leffler. Paul,
it's always great catching up with you. We will talk
next week leading up to the spring football game.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Okay, sounds like a play with my friend.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
A lot of moving parts happening with Fresne State athletics
right now. Always great to catch up with the voice
of the Frisnee State Bulldogs, Paul Leffler ck on Sports
Fox Sports Radio
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Decisions, Decisions
Welcome to "Decisions, Decisions," the podcast where boundaries are pushed, and conversations get candid! Join your favorite hosts, Mandii B and WeezyWTF, as they dive deep into the world of non-traditional relationships and explore the often-taboo topics surrounding dating, sex, and love. Every Monday, Mandii and Weezy invite you to unlearn the outdated narratives dictated by traditional patriarchal norms. With a blend of humor, vulnerability, and authenticity, they share their personal journeys navigating their 30s, tackling the complexities of modern relationships, and engaging in thought-provoking discussions that challenge societal expectations. From groundbreaking interviews with diverse guests to relatable stories that resonate with your experiences, "Decisions, Decisions" is your go-to source for open dialogue about what it truly means to love and connect in today's world. Get ready to reshape your understanding of relationships and embrace the freedom of authentic connections—tune in and join the conversation!