San Diego State Aztecs
2019-2020 Overall Rank: #99
Conference Rank: #4 Mountain West
San Diego State has won 20+ games in each of Brian Dutcher’s two seasons as head coach. The Aztecs won their conference tournament in 2018 to earn their way into the NCAA Tournament, but failed to make a postseason appearance last year. San Diego State enters this season without their top two players from a year ago, but some talented and experienced transfers will ease the transition. Utah State is the team to beat in the Mountain West, but the rest of the conference feels wide open and San Diego State should be right near the top of the standings.
2018-19 Record: 21-13, 11-7
2018-19 Postseason: None
Coach: Brian Dutcher
Coach Record: 43-24 at San Diego State, 43-24 overall
Key Departed Players:
Devin Watson, Guard, 16.0 ppg
Jalen McDaniels, Forward, 15.9 ppg
Jeremy Hemsley, Guard, 9.2 ppg
Ed Chang, Forward, 1.6 ppg
Jalen McDaniels, Forward, 15.9 ppg
Jeremy Hemsley, Guard, 9.2 ppg
Ed Chang, Forward, 1.6 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Matt Mitchell, Junior, Forward, 10.3 ppg
Jordan Schakel, Junior, Forward, 7.4 ppg
Nathan Mensah, Sophomore, Center, 5.6 ppg
Jordan Schakel, Junior, Forward, 7.4 ppg
Nathan Mensah, Sophomore, Center, 5.6 ppg
Aguek Arop, Sophomore, Forward, 3.1 ppg
Nolan Narain, Senior, Forward, 2.9 ppg
Adam Seiko, Sophomore, Guard, 2.2 ppg
Joel Mensah, Sophomore, Center, 1.1 ppg
Nolan Narain, Senior, Forward, 2.9 ppg
Adam Seiko, Sophomore, Guard, 2.2 ppg
Joel Mensah, Sophomore, Center, 1.1 ppg
Key New Players:
KJ Feagin, Senior, Guard, Transfer from Santa Clara
Malachi Flynn, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Washington State
Keshad Johnson, Freshman, Forward
Trey Pulliam, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Junior College
Yanni Wetzell, Senior, Center, Transfer from Vanderbilt
Malachi Flynn, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Washington State
Keshad Johnson, Freshman, Forward
Trey Pulliam, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Junior College
Yanni Wetzell, Senior, Center, Transfer from Vanderbilt
Projection:
The Aztecs only lose four players from last season, but three of them were full-time starters, including their top two scorers. Matt Mitchell is the leading scorer returning after starting 33 games as a sophomore. Mitchell averaged 10.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Nathan Mensah and Jordan Schakel are the only other returning players who started any games last season. Schakel started 16 games as a sophomore and averaged 7.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists. Schakel is a high-level shooter who shot 41.5% from three and 84.1% from the free throw line. Nathan Mensah started the final 20 games of the year as a freshman. Mensah averaged 5.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks, and he could be primed for a breakout sophomore campaign. Aguek Arop, Nolan Narain, Adam Sieko and Joel Mensah all return to add experience and depth to the roster. Where the Aztecs may have the most upside for this season is with the addition of transfers. The top addition to the team is Washington State transfer Malachi Flynn. Flynn averaged 15.8 points, 4.3 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals as a sophomore two seasons ago. As a fourth-year junior, Flynn should step in from day one and be one of the best players in the conference. KJ Feagin is a grad transfer from Santa Clara who was hurt for all but two games last season. Two seasons ago, Feagin averaged 17.5 points, 4.0 assists and 2.1 rebounds, earning him first-team All-WCC honors. Yanni Wetzell is a grad transfer from Vanderbilt who started his career in junior college. Wetzell started 10 games for the Commodores last year and averaged 5.9 points and 3.8 rebounds. Trey Pulliam is a junior college transfer who averaged 11.6 points, 4.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds in his career. Lastly, Keshad Johnson is a 6-7 forward who is a three-star freshman addition. Brian Dutcher has done a solid job in his two seasons at San Diego State and has a deep, experienced team to lead this season. The Aztecs should find themselves in the thick of the Mountain West race, as they usually are.
Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 71.7 (200th in nation, 7th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.4 (64, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.6 (220, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.0 (38, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.7 (179, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.2 (89, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.6 (146, 5)
Rebound Margin: 1.7 (123, 4)
Assists Per Game: 14.3 (94, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.5 (129, 4)
