Memorial High's Robert Upshaw Decides to Play Basketball for Fresno State

Memorial High School superstar Robert Upshaw and his family were all ready to move to Kansas.

When Kansas State head coach Frank Martin decided to take the head coaching job at the University of South Carolina, things changed.

Today at around 3:00 pm Robert Upshaw signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at Fresno State University.

The announcement was made at Antonio's Mexican Restaurant in Fresno, California.

Upshaw is the 12th ranked center by Rivals.com which was last updated 4-11-2012.

The 7-foot 270 pound center credited his relationship with Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry as one of the deciding factors in this huge decision.  "The real thing about it is, I had a relationship with coach Terry that's been lasting for the last four years.  That's what really turned me on," said Upshaw.

Fresno State's newest player is already confident he can help the Bulldogs.  "I felt like I can make this program better as a player and as an individual, I also feel like the team can take it to a further level," said Upshaw on one of the reasons he chose Fresno State.

Fresno State fans can thank Upshaw's mom, Ceylon Sherman, for their new face of the Fresno State basketball program.

Instead of Robert Upshaw signing a national letter of intent, she advised her son to sign a nonbinding athletic aid agreement instead.  This allowed her son to back out of his commitment to Kansas State with no repercussions. He lost no eligibility and was free to choose any school that hadn't already used up all available scholarships.

Unless otherwise noted, the quotes from this article were obtained firsthand by Gean May.