Fresno 'a really good fit' for Merced High's Huddleston

Allen Huddleston never expected so many people to care.

When Merced High's all-time leading scorer announced he'd be transferring from the University of the Pacific at the beginning of April, his only concern was what would be best for his future.

Little did he know how many people would have an opinion on which school would best fit his criteria. College basketball fans are some of the most passionate sports enthusiasts in the country, and once the rumors started flying about which way Huddleston was leaning, the sophomore guard was bombarded with opinions and questions.

"It was definitely a different experience," Huddleston said. "I didn't know that that many fans and people even knew who I was, much less cared where I went to school.

"But every day my inbox on Facebook and Twitter were full with people I didn't know asking me where I'm going.

"People I've never even seen before would approach me in the grocery store. I appreciate the fact that so many people care, but it did get annoying sometimes."

While most fans just talked up their school or told Allen they looked forward to seeing him on campus, others were more aggressive. The blogosphere ran wild with tiny little bits of information and, at one point, Huddleston had to publicly denounce the rumors that he had picked Boston College.

"We'd just sit back sometimes and laugh about what was being said," Huddleston's father and Merced College women's basketball coach Allen Huddleston Sr. said. "Allen did speak with the BC coaches in depth, but a number of his classes from UOP wouldn't transfer, so it didn't work out.

"He put a lot of effort into the process, and ultimately I think he found the perfect situation for himself."

Fresno State certainly wouldn't have been considered a contender for Huddleston's services when the transfer process began. The hiring of former Texas assistant Rodney Terry as the Bulldogs' head coach certainly changed all that.

With a glowing endorsement from his friend and current Denver Nugget Jordan Hamilton — who played for Terry while at Texas — Huddleston opted to give the school a chance.

Terry's vision for the program's future blew him away.

"I met with the coaches and heard what they had to say about the program, and their plan for where they were taking it," Huddleston said. "I was really impressed, and it just felt like a really good fit.

"Coach Terry said he thought I was the kind of player who can help the program win. I look forward to getting a chance to do that."

Huddleston was second on the Tigers in scoring with 11.1 points per game and led the team with 59 3-pointers. He'll have to sit out the upcoming season because of NCAA transfer rules, but plans to make the most of the time.

"I'm not just going to sit around and do nothing because I have to sit a year," Huddleston said. "I'm going to try and bulk up to about 195 pounds. I'm going to run the scout team as hard as I can to help my teammates win, and I'm going to get the offense and defense completely down so I can come in and contribute right away next year."

'I met with the coaches and heard what they had to say about the program, and their plan for where they were taking it. I was really impressed, and it just felt like a really good fit.'