SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Tony Bland Transfers To San Diego State--(June 14, 2000)

Tony Bland (6'-4" So. SG) from Syracuse, one of our favorite players from Westchester's State Championship team in 1998 (the one with USC's David Bluthenthal, Brandon Granville, UCI's Albert Miller Chris Osborne who signed with ASU out of high school,  Memphis signee Lou Wright,  current Mater Dei rising senior Jamal Sampson,  Eric Knight, Jacob Durrett,  Ben Davis and Mackenzie Dent), has transferred  to San Diego State.  While he was also getting some interest from USC and UCLA, which would have made it a lot more convenient for his LA friends and family to see him, as well as Arizona State and Oregon State, he chose San Diego because it was one the West Coast.

Bland, who started all 32 games for Syracuse University last season, told the Associated Press, he chose San Diego because "It's just two hours away. My dad, my grandfather, my aunt and uncle, they can all see me play. I'll be a lot closer to home."  Tony averaged 6.8 points and 1.7 rebounds as a sophomore for the 26-6 Orangemen, but a shooting slump late in the season led to a significant drop in his playing time. In the NCAA tournament, Bland scored 3.3 points in just 13 minutes per game.

Bland joins a San Diego State program which just finished its first year under former Michigan coach Steve Fisher, going 5-22 overall and 0-14 in   Mountain West Conference play. "They were real bad," Bland said. "But I've seen a lot of the new guys play. It won't be that bad for long."

Fisher has signed seven new players, including Tony.   Earlier Fisher signed Aerick Sanders (6'-9" Sr. F) from Gardena Serra and local San Diego favorite Chris Walton (6'-8" Sr. F) from USDHS,  both of whom signed in the fall, and then after cleaning house in the spring with the departure of seven others, Fisher signed Randy Holcomb (6'-8" Jr. F) from LA City College,   Curtis Washington (6'-5" Jr. F) from Porterville JC,  Karlo Kovacic (6'-4" Jr. G) from Modesto JC (via Croatia), and former Compton standout and Vanderbilt transfer Deandre Moore (5'-9" So. PG). 

Bland will have to sit out the 2000-01 season under the NCAA's transfer rules. He was given his release from Syracuse in April.

 
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