Fresno State, looking to generate new revenue and interest in its basketball program, has moved its Nov. 30 game against Cal State Bakersfield to the downtown Selland Arena.
The throwback game in the venue the Bulldogs called home before the opening of the Save Mart Center will be the team’s first at Sellland since a Dec. 1, 2009, loss to Pacific.
“This place holds some of the most electric moments in our program’s history, from Boyd Grant’s Grant’s Tomb era to the 1983 NIT championship to Jerry Tarkanian’s return home and that unforgettable 2000 (Western Athletic Conference) championship right here on this floor,” Fresno State athletics director Garrett Klassy said on Friday, at a press conference on the arena floor.
“When we announced this (Thursday), I’ve seen all the comments on social media, the stories, the photos, the memories of people who came here with their parents or grandparents. That energy, that nostalgia it’s what makes this moment so special and we’re going to lean into it.”
Fresno State, Klassy said, is working on throwback elements to add to the game, including retro mascots and bringing back the high-five tunnel.
“We definitely want to make this night special on Nov. 30 for all fans that want to come back here,” Klassy said.
The throwback game may become an annual event for Fresno State and the city.
“We’ll open Selland Arena as often as Fresno State wants to come, whether that’s for men’s basketball or women’s basketball,” Mayor Jerry Dyer said. “We want to be a good partner. Ruth Quinto, my assistant city manager, has done everything she can to reduce the cost quite frankly for Fresno State to come in here and make it profitable for them, and we want to do that because we know that when people come downtown for an event like this they’re also stimulating our other parts of our community in terms of our economy. We’re going to have the doors open as often as Fresno State wants to be going through them.”
Fresno State started playing at Selland Arena in the 1967-68 season, and it was home to championship teams coached by Grant and Tarkanian. The Bulldogs under Grant had a .869 winning percentage in the building, when Selland Arena became known as Grant’s Tomb. At one point, Fresno State also had 49 consecutive sellouts at Selland Arena. The Bulldogs’ all-time record there is 390-135.
Athletics department officials have been working on moving a game out of the Save Mart Center for months. Klassy told the Bee in June that he had discussions with Dyer, not only about the potential upside for the university and community in a basketball game at Selland Arena, but also a baseball series at Chukchansi Park.
“I will tell you, the city gave us an incredible deal to make this a reality because the reality is these games aren’t cheap to put on,” Klassy said. “To have great partners that recognize the value for both sides, it’s going to be a win-win for both sides, and we’re excited to play here.”
The Bulldogs this season scheduled eight non-conference games in Fresno and will play 18 times at the Save Mart Center or Selland Arena, which is technically a neutral floor, including their Mountain West Conference games. That is four more games in Fresno than the Bulldogs played last season when going just 6-26 in the first season under coach Vance Walberg.
Fresno State last played 18 games at home in 2021-22.
“I’m asking the people of Fresno and all throughout the Valley, the Green V, the Red Wave, to show up to Selland Arena, because what we want to do is bring back that Bulldog spirit right here downtown Fresno, Selland Arena, and we want to sell out Selland,” Dyer said. “That’s our goal, to sell out Selland for this game. We want to build on the momentum we already have here in downtown Fresno.
“We’re doing a lot of things that are causing businesses to come back downtown, to cause people to live downtown. This is where people should live, work and play and part of that playing is Bulldog basketball.”