:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/17894381/20130109_kdl_se9_341.0.jpg)
Robert Upshaw, the highly-touted hometown recruit who was expected to be an important building block for the Bulldogs this upcoming season, has been dismissed from the team.
The dismissal, first reported by the Fresno Bee's Robert Kuwada, follows a 2012-13 campaign in which Upshaw showed promise. Upshaw played in 22 games and, despite starting only five contests, led the team in blocks. He also averaged 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 16.4 minutes.
Upshaw's first transgression forced the 7-footer to miss games against Mountain West powers UNLV, San Diego State and New Mexico last Feburary, and the second suspension coincided with the Bulldogs' defeat in the conference tournament at the hands of Colorado State. No details were given for the offense that led to Upshaw's ouster, but it seems likely that other universities will be interested in his services because, as Kuwada notes, the Bulldogs won the recruiting battle against major universities like Washington, Cal and USC.
Fresno State will now be hard-pressed to put legitimate height on the court, as sophomore Tanner Giddings is now the only player on the roster listed at center and forwards Braeden Anderson and Alex Lewis are the only other Bulldogs to stand 6-foot-9. Upshaw is the second player to leave the Bulldogs program this summer, following Kevin Olekaibe, and now coach Rodney Terry will be further pressed to close the gap the the class of the conference.