Justin Hutson says he's coached his last game with the Fresno State Men's basketball team

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Following a loss in the Mountain West tournament, Justin Hutson said he coached his last game as head coach at Fresno State.

"I want to express gratitude to everybody I've been around during these six years," Hutson said after a 87-75 loss to no. 18 Utah State in overtime. "It was a lot of fun."

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His contract ends in April but said that he plans on staying on in a consulting role to "do whatever they want me to do and help however they want me to help."

Hutson released a full statement on X after announcing he's stepping down from head coach position. The statement reads:

"It has been an absolute privilege to coach these young men for the past six years. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity. I look back at the past six years, and I'm taken aback at how much this game has changed off the court. Between changes to Name, Image and Likeness rights, COVID protocols and the transfer portal, it has been tumultuous. I'm proud of my student athlete's achievements. We produced two 20-win seasons, but more importantly, helped create future leaders. There's no question that we haven't seen the results on the floor that we were hoping for this year."

"It's been a tough year for the program, and with my contract expiring, the University and I agreed it was time for a change. I want to help the program, and I'm appreciative of the opportunity. Many thanks to the University administration, who put their trust in me. Thank you to our Red Wave fans and to the greater Fresno community - you are awesome and I love you. Most importantly, thank you to my athletes. Working with future leaders has been a source of immense challenge and immense reward. I remain a proud member of the Bulldog Family. I wish the Dogs nothing but the best."

Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval has also released a statement regarding Hutson's departure:

"On behalf of Fresno State, I want to thank Coach Hutson for his dedication and commitment in serving as our head basketball coach over the past six seasons. During his tenure, Coach Hutson led the program with integrity and care for his student-athletes. As he transitions from his coaching duties, we thank him for his support of our Bulldog community and appreciate his willingness to continue in a temporary advisory role during the transition."

Fresno State finishes the 2023-24 campaign with an record of 12-21 & 4-14 record in MW play. The 21 losses tie for the most in program history with the 2008-09 season. The 14 MW losses are also the most since the program joined the conference in the 2012-13 season.

Hutson compiled an overall record of (92-94) during his six-year tenure, winning the 2022 The Basketball Classic against Coastal Carolina.

In 2018, Hutson was hired by Fresno State after serving as an Assistant Coach for 10 seasons at San Diego State (2006-11, '13-18). Hutson also spent two seasons at Cal Poly (2004-06), and two seasons at CSU Bakersfield (1998-2000).

Hutson, a Bakersfield native, led the Bulldogs to a (23-9) record in his first season with the program. That campaign earned him the 2018-19 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year honor. That season FS ranked 9th in the country in 3-point field goals per game (10.7), 16th in total 3-point field goals and 24th in both 3-point field goal percentage defense (225-735, 30.6 percent) and 3-point field goal percentage offense (38.1 percent). The Bulldogs' defense also led the MW in steals (228, 7.1 per game) and turnovers forced (13.7 per game).

Prior to his time in the college ranks, Hutson spent time as the head varsity coach at Bakersfield High. During his four seasons with the program, Hutson led the Drillers to four-straight playoff appearances, earning a CIF Central Section championship in 2003.

During his time as head coach, Hutson helped produced two First-Team All-Mountain West players in Deshon Taylor (2018-19) and Orlando Robinson (2021-22).

Taylor's best game came in March of 2019, scoring a career-high 37 points in a 121-81 blowout win over San Jose State. The Bulldogs set a Mountain West Conference record at the time with 23, 3-pointers made in a single game. Hutson's team also set a program record with 321-made 3-pointers in a season, and set the Save Mart Center record for most points in a game.

The 'Dogs would enter the conference tournament that year as the 3-seed, eventually falling to No. 2 Utah State in the semifinals. Fresno State failed to make it past the quarterfinals stage of the conference tournament for the remainder of Hutson's time as Head Coach.

Hutson's other First-Team All-MW product, Orlando Robinson, is widely considered his best recruit. As a Junior, Robinson averaged 19.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. He was also named MVP for The Basketball Classic championship team.

Robinson would go undrafted in 2022, but eventually earned a two-way deal with the Miami Heat in December of that year. After spending two summers in the Heat's Summer League program, Robinson parlayed his production into a 2-year, $3.92m standard contract in July of 2023.

Fresno State now searches for its 20th Head Coach in program history.

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