San Diego State’s long-term success on the court has made them a Mountain West team to beat for years.
But a Final Four run and a spot in the NCAA Tournament championship game? That puts SDSU on a whole new level. And that’s just fine with head coach Brian Dutcher.
“Last year’s success, we’re grateful we had it, but we want expectations,” he said. “I don’t want to come into this year and say we’re not going to be as good. I want to believe we’re going to be better. And if I don’t believe that, how do we have a chance?”
The No. 17 Aztecs’ season begins Monday, against Cal State Fullerton at 7:30 p.m. at Viejas Arena. It’s a new look SDSU team, without stalwarts Matt Bradley, Nathan Mensah, Keshad Johnson and Aguek Arop, though the latter’s steady presence remains, as Arop joined the coaching staff.
Now Miles Byrd, Elijah Saunders, Demarshay Johnson Jr. join the mix, along with transfers Reese Waters and Jay Pal, while Lamont Butler, Jaedon LeDee and Micah Parrish provide the veteran presence. They’ll start the season though without Darrion Trammell, who is nursing a shoulder injury.
The standard set by last year’s team – a 32-7 record, regular-season and Mountain West tournament titles, storybook finishes to reach both the Final Four and the title game – will be tough to beat.
In their Oct. 30 exhibition, an 81-50 victory against Cal State San Marcos, Butler, Waters, Ledee, Parrish and Saunders got the start.
Dutcher’s assessment? “I liked how we played. I thought we were anxious, and I expected that. We probably shot the ball too quick. Everybody took the first shot they had, and we know over the course of the season, that’s not going to work out very well.”
As the Aztecs take on Fullerton, which went 20-13 last year, Dutcher noted the Titans’ aggressive approach.
“They draw a lot of fouls, and so it’ll be a challenge for a young team to step out there and see how they respond. The veterans I’m not worried about, but the new guys’ first game against an aggressive driving team … we’ll see if we’re able to stay out of foul trouble.”
But first, the Aztecs will enjoy the pre-game pomp – seeing a pair of Mountain West banners and its first Final Four banner raised high into the rafters at Viejas. Butler knows exactly that those honors represent.
“We have always had a target on our back. It’s just going to be even bigger now since we went on the national stage,” Butler said. “We will be ready; the guys will be ready. This will be fun for us.”
