Steve Cleveland makes emotional return to BYU

Steve Cleveland coached his last game in the Marriott Center on March 5, 2005.

A few weeks later, he left his head coaching job at BYU for the same post at Fresno State, and he didn't think he would ever be back on the Cougars' home hardwoods — certainly not on the opposing bench.

"Never," he said when asked if he had previously envisioned the game that will take place Friday, when Cleveland's Fresno State Bulldogs visit BYU, the program he took from a 1-25 shipwreck to a team that would win multiple conference championships and earn three NCAA Tournament berths during his eight seasons on the sidelines.

"Initially, I was a little bit reluctant," Cleveland said regarding the prospect of a home-and-home series that began last season with a BYU win in Fresno. "I didn't know if I wanted to put myself through that."

Dave Rose, who went from assisting Cleveland to replacing him at the BYU helm, said he "was a little surprised that Steve actually suggested it. That was my first reaction, 'You really want to do that?' "

Cleveland acknowledges that coming back to BYU as an opposing coach "wasn't something on my top-10 list, but it's a good thing for Fresno State."

Making the trip easier for Cleveland is the fact that there are so many happy recollections of his years in Provo.

"It's hard not to have really, really fond memories of what we did because it was a special time," said Cleveland.

The former Cougars' coach, who left BYU ranked fourth in all-time victories and second in Marriott Center wins, is sure that those memories will come to life the moment he steps foot in his old workplace.

"There aren't many arenas I'm going to go into where I'll have emotions so close to the surface," said Cleveland. "The BYU experience changed my life: physically, spiritually, temporally and every other way.

"The opportunity to come to BYU and be a part of those special eight years was something that I never imagined would happen in my life. I grew from the experience; I became a better coach, and I became a better person."

At Fresno State, Cleveland has been faced with a second consecutive rebuilding effort, inheriting a Bulldog program recovering from NCAA sanctions and scholarship restrictions. It is a relatively inexperienced team that Cleveland leads into one of the country's toughest home arenas on Friday night.