Last Year: 32-7; Mountain West Conference Regular Season (15-3) and Tournament champions, lost in the National Championship Game
Head Coach: Brian Dutcher (Seventh Year; 151-47 at San Diego State, with four NCAA Tournament appearances)
Projected Starting Lineup
| G Darrion Trammell – 5’10”, 175 – Senior (5th) |
| G LaMont Butler – 6’2″, 205 – Senior |
| G Reese Waters – 6’6″, 212 – Junior |
| F Jay Pal – 6’9″, 185 – Senior |
| F Jaedon LeDee – 6’9″, 240 – Senior (5th) |
Projected Starters’ 2022-23 Stats
Darrion Trammell: 9.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.3 spg – 36.2% FG
Lamont Butler: 8.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.5 spg – 42.1% FG
Reese Waters: 9.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.7 spg – 43.8% FG @ Southern Cal
Jay Pal: 12.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 0.9 spg – 58.0% FG @ Campbell
Jaedon Ledee: 7.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.5 spg – 48.9% FG
Experienced Reserves
| W Micah Parrish – 6’6″, 195 – Senior |
| F Elijah Saunders – 6’8″, 225 – Sophomore |
| F/C Demarshay Johnson – 6’10”, 215 – Sophomore |
| G Miles Byrd – 6’7″, 185 – Sophomore |
Experienced Reserves’ 2022-23 Stats
Micah Parrish: 7.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.7 spg – 35.3% 3FG
Elijah Saunders: 0.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.5 apg, 27.8% FG
Demarshay Johnson: 0.9 ppg, 0.6 rpg – 60.0% FG in nine games played
Miles Byrd: 4.3 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.5 spg – 53.8% FG in four games played
Freshmen
| G BJ Davis – 6’2″, 165 – Freshman |
| C Ngwoth ‘Magoon’ Gwath – 7’0″, 190 – Freshman |
For the better part of the past two decades, San Diego State has numbered among the best programs in West Coast college basketball. The program which gave the college hoops world Kawhi Leonard, Jamaal Franklin and Xavier Thames has won the Mountain West Conference regular season crown nine times, the conference tournament six times, and qualified for 11 NCAA Tournaments over the past 16 years. Though, for all of the great names and moments, no SDSU squad had ever advanced past the Sweet Sixteen. Until last year.
Like a vision of Quetzalcoatl rising in the West, the Aztecs put it all together for five exhilarating wins at the end of March. An absurdly hot UConn team was the only force which could deny head coach Brian Dutcher’s group the natty. SDSU made memories along the way which will endure as long as college basketball is played, and fulfilled the promise of some excellent Aztec squads past; not least the Malachi Flynn-led 30-2 group from 2019, when Covid denied everyone their opportunity in the Big Dance.
Thankfully for Dutcher and Aztecs fans everywhere, the cupboard is not bare as the program reads on from the chapter entitled ‘Best Season Ever’. Three of the top four scorers from last year’s Mountain West regular season-and-tourney championship squad return, and Dutcher & Co worked in the Transfer Portal and recruiting trail to translate their incredible run into a hyped influx of new talent. The SDSU administration even felt so bold as to visibly kick the tires on trying to move on up a conference rung or two. Now, with the biggest target ever upon their backs, the Aztecs are ready to run the MWC gauntlet at least one more time.
Darrion Trammell and Lamont Butler are back for another season leading Dutcher’s backcourt, and comprise one of the more proven duos out there. This should be to Dutcher’s advantage, because it appears that this smaller Aztecs team will play at a slightly faster tempo than last year’s. With an even better-than-usual defense capable of switching most everything last year, the Aztecs slowed the pace to the tune of 68.3 possessions per game (260th nationally). Since shot-swatting anchor Nathan Mensah and other versatile veterans have gone, Dutcher is hoping that his two veteran guards can help to balance things out.
Butler is another in the long line of Aztecs who have done nothing but improve as they’ve gained experience on The Mesa. Though he’s yet to average double digits in scoring, Butler is a two-time MWC All-Defense pick whose appearance on the all-conference third team last year was just a prelude to greater heroics. Over SDSU’s nine postseason games, Butler averaged 10 points, 3.6 boards, 3.1 assists – and he made the most legendary shot in program history. Butler’s winning jumper as the buzzer sounded to beat Florida Atlantic last winter unleashed complete pandemonium across the world of college basketball and launched the Aztecs into the national title game. It was, in fact, the only buzzer-beater ever made by a player for the trailing team in the closing seconds of a Final Four game. Literally the shot that kids grow up dreaming about knocking down – and it wasn’t even his only game-winner of his junior year. Butler knocked off New Mexico on the road earlier in the year with a different shot; beating FAU simply locked in Butler’s credentials as a big-shot-maker. “I told him in Albuquerque to get to the rim too, and he shot a pull-up 3 and made it,” Dutcher chuckled after the Final Four. “I’ll quit telling him what to do and just say: Lamont, you get the ball. And I’ll live with whatever happens.”
“I’ll quit telling him what to do and just say: Lamont, you get the ball.”
– Brian Dutcher
Following his One Shining Moment, Butler tried out for the NBA and considered his options for a professional career, but returned to Dutcher’s backcourt for a chance to have his biggest season yet and cut down even more nets. With outstanding awareness and instincts, Butler has the ability to make big plays at both ends of the floor. He’s a sticky defender who uses great positioning and has the ability to put timely pressure on opposing ballhandlers. He’s also great at poking and tipping an opponent’s dribble towards a teammate or disrupting their rhythm going into a shot. Combined with his natural length and athleticism, Butler is a very difficult matchup. A defensive playmaker who gets the Aztecs out in transition for cheap points, Butler helps cover for Trammell’s lack of height by playing tough against quite a few 2-guards who are larger than he is. He has come up with 103 steals in his last 66 games and ranked fourth and second in thefts, respectively, in the MWC the past two seasons, keying SDSU’s famously excellent and aggressive perimeter defense. Offensively, Butler is hoping to find his greatest level of production and consistency this season. He’s not a bad shooter, but Butler has not been a reliable every-game scorer yet. He made 55.6% of his attempts near the rim last year, and was under 34% on both triple tries and all other 2FG’s, per Bart Torvik. Butler made significant strides, though, from his sophomore to junior seasons, especially shooting off the bounce and becoming more of a mid-range option. When his jumper is falling and Butler’s confidence is up, he glides smoothly through the lane and shows great patience and a variety of fakes and spins into good looks around the painted area. Adept at tossing lobs, Butler’s 24.8% assist rate ranked ninth in the MWC – though he will have to establish a connection with the new Aztec bigs after athletic flushmaster Keshad Johnson took his talents to Tucson. Butler has every reason to play with the confidence of a proven star this year, and Dutcher is hoping for another great season from his clutch veteran.
He may be small, but Trammell can get buckets. Without any Division I offers, Trammell became a JuCo standout in his freshman season, then spent two all-conference seasons at Seattle University before joining the Aztecs prior to last season. While he didn’t put up the huge scoring numbers last winter that he had as a Redhawk, Trammell was honored as an NCAA All-South Region selection and still wound up second on his new team in scoring average. He also proved invaluable as a guy who could create his own looks for an Aztec team which finished 188th nationally in points per game. “We value heart over height,” Aztecs assistant Jaydee Luster told The Athletic of Trammell. “He’s a pest defensively. He picks up full-court…can pass and shoot, really do it all…He is who we are.” Like a bolt shot from Huitzilopochtli’s mighty weapon Xiuhcoatl, Trammell is lightning-quick with the ball in his hands, and forces defenders onto their heels when he sees a chance to drive the ball. Often, he will turn that drive into a floater or fadeaway; and while Trammell made just 43.8% of his attempts near the rim last year, per Bart Torvik, his variety of shot types inside the arc help him to keep defenses off-balance. On the other end of the court, Trammell’s speed and tenacity make life all kinds of annoying for his opponent.
Trammell shot just 31.4% from the land of trey, but hit 50 triples – third on the balanced Aztecs – and for the season, scored in double figures 18 times. And when the lights were brightest, Trammell stepped up in a big way. He averaged 11.5 points and shot 35.7% from distance in the NCAA tourney, and the littlest dude on the floor went for 21 on 9/16 shooting against mighty Alabama as the Aztecs kinda sorta beat up a team which spent 11 weeks ranked in the top five of the AP poll last year. And when the kid who wasn’t able to go the Division I route out of high school got a chance to shoot free throws to send SDSU on to the Final Four, Trammell first missed; then he regrouped and got it done, launching his team into glorious, uncharted territory. “Just my journey and what I’ve been through, it’s a blessing,” Trammell reflected with Dutcher at his side, as confetti, praise, and a few tears flowed post-game. “I’ve been dreaming of this my whole life…I’m just grateful to be here.” The Aztecs are grateful that Trammell will be back for a second season, as he will be using his ‘Covid Year’ for one last ride. Trammell may even be the team’s leading scorer this time around, as Matt Bradley – SDSU’s leader the past two years – is out of eligibility, and Trammell has both the experience and skill to assume the mantle.
It took three seasons and as many teams for Jaedon Ledee to find just the right fit, but as he climbed a ladder to cut down a piece of Final Four net in his hometown, it must have left like he had finally found his spot. “It ain’t that long from Kinkaid [Ledee’s high school],” LeDee told Paper City Magazine from the Final Four. “It’s about five, six miles away. So I know life is kind of ironic, kind of funny like that. I put all that work in to be here on this stage. It’s kind of crazy.” After coming off the bench last year, the veteran will be undisputed top dog up front for the Aztecs this season. The Houston native was a consensus Top 100 recruit back in the before-time of 2018, and chose Ohio State to begin his career, averaging just 6.6 minutes in Columbus prior to a transfer to TCU. After two years as a reserve closer to home, Ledee had to spend a year waiting to become eligible as an Aztec, and didn’t disappoint once he got onto the court. Ledee averaged career-highs nearly across the board last season, adding a genuine offensive option up front when Dutcher went to his bench. With his NBA-type 6’9″ frame, Ledee looks the part of a bruiser, but he’s more a skilled modern forward than a throwback pivot. Ledee knocked down an excellent 73.1% of his shots around the rim last year (with 18 dunks) per Bart Torvik, but he actually attempted more of his 2FG’s from further away. “I’ve worked on the mid-range my whole life,” Ledee has said. It showed in the most extended playing time of his career, as Ledee knocked down 47 longer two’s, including a pair late against Florida Atlantic to bring the Aztecs back.
“To be honest with you, he is capable of doing way more than he is doing for us right now,” Dutcher said at the Sweet Sixteen last year. “If we’re fortunate enough to have him back next year, I think you’ll see an even better version of him. He is a tireless worker. He devotes a lot of hours in the gym to work on every aspect of his game.” Ledee finished fifth in the Mountain West in offensive rebounds, and Dutcher believes that he has significant untapped scoring potential near the cup. Though he has never been a true center, Ledee will play the closest thing to one he can for this Aztec team. Ledee will have to keep up the good board work – he ranked ninth in the league in total rebounds despite playing just 18.1 minutes per game – while showing that he can hold up defensively for more like 25+ minutes per tilt. Ledee is a different player than defensive ace Mensah, whose MWC-high block totals each of the past two years are gone, and thus he must win with his great strength and the awareness and understanding of SDSU’s system which three years’ marination has brought. Dutcher loves when his bigs can switch most defensive matchups, and Ledee does have good footwork and awareness. If he can prevent a dropoff and maintain the Aztecs’ high standards by playing his own game, the stage should be set for a big breakout year from Dutcher’s third veteran star.
Southern Cal transfer Reese Waters has come aboard looking to do his own share of the scoring, and may just be poised for his own turn as a breakout player. Last year’s Pac-12 6th Man of the Year, Waters nearly averaged double figures off of the Trojans’ bench. With stars aplenty in the USC backcourt, Waters hit the Transfer Portal looking for a chance to shine – and where better than a program coming off of a Final Four which has wanted him from the start? “Reece Waters, obviously Sixth Man of the Year in the Pac-12, dynamic scorer, somebody we recruited out of high school, so we know his game well, is just ready to become the player he wants to be,” Dutcher told reporters at a press conference this August. “He’s ready to make the next step and he’s doing it.” Waters was rated a Top 100 freshman when he reclassified and joined USC for just ten games as a freshman, and has improved his game and physique significantly in the three years since.
After turning down UCLA and Texas to be an Aztec, Waters is expected to at least equal the 21.5% usage rate he saw last year. Though his outside jumper wasn’t reliably there to start last season and he ended up at 29.6% after shooting 46% in his first full year, Waters figured things out and ended up averaging 11.7 points and shooting 45.6% from distance over USC’s final seven games. Dangerous in transition, Waters can spot up to stretch a defense or thunder down the lane and drop the hammer. The real improvements Waters showed offensively last year were in his ability to put it on the floor, get to the foul line, and make mid-range shots. Waters made 65.4% of his tries near the rim, and a strong 44% on in-between attempts. He moves subtly without the ball, looking to open up a good look from deep, and Waters showed enough last year getting down the lane to make his runners and turnaround jumpers a threat once he’s isolated a defender. If he can return to somewhere near 40% once more from deep, and keeps making his freebies at his 80.9 career rate, Waters should explode offensively. He’s a big guard whose quickness and solid frame will be very helpful when Dutcher needs to go bigger, and Waters paired with Butler will instantly give the Aztecs a good-sized pair. “He really competes on the defensive end and he doesn’t take anything for granted. He’s out there, trying to guard guys, playing very hard,” Butler detailed his first impressions of Waters this summer. “He’s a high-level defender…He doesn’t really know our defense yet…I think it’s going to be really good and really dangerous on that side.”
| Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks) |
| 63.6 – Opponent Points Per Game (36th) |
| 49.3% – Effective FG Percentage (239th) |
| 28.2% – Opponent 3FG Percentage (3rd) |
| 6.6 – 3FG Made Per Game (253rd) |
| 10.5 – Opponent Assists Per Game (22nd) |
Dutcher’s other Portal addition will enhance a cast of long, skilled youngsters looking to carve out roles up front and on the wing. Like Ledee, Jay Pal is joining his third Division I program – and Pal had a year in junior college, too. After showing quite a few flashes of becoming a highly versatile and impactful player over the past three years, Pal began to put it together last season at Campbell. With length and a mobility level which makes Pal seem like he’s bigger than 6’9″, he gets end to end in a hurry and can make plays with or without the ball in his hands. Defensively, Pal is a shot-blocker who can make it look easy to eliminate opposing attempts both on the wing or nearer the rim. With his terrific reach and nimble feet, Pal has a lot of what Dutcher looks for in a switchable defender around the paint, and if Pal can pick up the schemes as quickly as he rotates over to cover for his friends with a swift rejection, Pal should play a big role.
His active athleticism plays well on the boards as well; despite weighing in at under 200 pounds, Pal ranked fifth in the Big South in rebounding average and grabbed the seventh-most offensive boards to go along with finishing third in blocks. “He’s skilled. He’s talented. He can play multiple positions, which is usually the sign of being a good Aztec. He’s got versatility in his game. So, we’re excited to have Jay Pal here,” Dutcher told reporters this summer. Offensively, Pal has range on his jumper and can finish easily near the basket with his natural gifts and nose for the rim. He shot a blistering 77.8% on up close attempts last season, with 29 dunks. And since Pal knocked down 40% from mid-range and dropped in 26 triples a year past, he can be a pop or roll option off of screening action. After averaging just four points across his first two Division I campaigns, Pal jumped up to 12.3 per game last year – and did so at a potentially-repeatable 19.9% usage rate. If Pal is physically ready for Mountain West competition, his versatility and shot-blocking should be a valuable fit into the Aztec rotation.
| Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on |
| @ Gonzaga – December 29 |
| N – Saint Mary’s – November 17 |
| N – Xavier / Washington – November 19 |
| N – California – November 25 |
| @ Grand Canyon – December 5 |
Though Aztec fans are hoping for good things from both of their experienced additions, it’s possible that the biggest splash on this year’s team will be made by a guy who’s already a familiar face. Smooth-operating wing Micah Parrish arrived on The Mesa last year after two seasons at Oakland University, and immediately joined Ledee in providing vital support scoring. Parrish averaged 10.5 points, 5.9 boards and 1.7 steals across his first two campaigns, and last year provided double digit scoring in nine contests. Unfortunately, Parrish lost his jumper down the stretch, and ended up shooting just 26% overall for the Aztecs’ final ten games. A 48.4% shooter at Oakland, Parrish made just 37.8% of his shots overall last year, but his 3FG rate of 35.3% was in line with his career mark. As much as his jumper going cold in March hurt, a significant dip in efficiency also came from mid-range, where Parrish bottomed out at 30% last winter after making 47.5% of those attempts at Oakland. The former Horizon League All-Defense pick was valuable enough on the other end to actually average more than his season’s average of minutes down the stretch, and if Parrish can rediscover his scoring confidence this year, he could be in line for a significantly larger role. A 3-and-D wing whose high level of energy and activity are attributes which Dutcher craves, Parrish has enough length and rebounding ability to function as the forward in a 4-out look, or should pair well with Pal – who has solid vision and passes well – and Ledee when Dutcher wants a larger, disruptive group.
With the deep, veteran rotation which carried the Aztecs to Houston last year, there weren’t a great deal of minutes available for anyone else. As a result, SDSU’s coach couldn’t help mentioning time and again a pair of youngsters who couldn’t get onto the floor, but who were developing behind the scenes. “I had two freshmen, they’re as good as any freshmen I have had in my program, couldn’t get on the floor. They’re going to contribute next year,” Dutcher told the assembled press after UConn drubbed his team in the championship game. “People are going to say ‘Why didn’t he play last year?’ Well, we were really good last year.”
Miles Byrd and Elijah Saunders are those former freshmen, and they will get their opportunity this winter. Saunders is a solid, wide-shouldered big with serious deep shooting ability, and may give the Aztecs a look they haven’t had in a few years. He only made two of the 11 triples he tried last year in limited minutes, but Saunders has fluid form and will lure defenders out of the paint. As he spaces the floor for his friends, Saunders also exploits defenders who close out aggressively with his dribble, and won’t waste an opportunity to bully towards the rim when he sees an advantage. Saunders also has good footwork that he’s worked hard to make great, and plans to show off improved agility on both ends of the floor this year. The effort Saunders has put in on his game this summer has been mirrored by his effort to get into best-ever playing shape. By the end of last season, Saunders was close to 260 pounds after not seeing the floor much down the stretch. Now, he’s closer to 230 and looking ready to roll. After learning and observing what Dutcher demands of his bigs, Saunders will be counted on for meaningful minutes next to Ledee this winter.
While Saunders has been sculpting his shape over the past few months, his buddy Byrd has been packing on all the poundage he can. An ultra-long & thin kid who showed up on The Mesa weighing less than 170 pounds, Byrd wants to hit 200+ before play tips for the new season. “I wish we could have just done a transfusion to make it happen,” Dutcher quipped to the San Diego Union-Tribune this summer of the physical journey his two youngsters had been on. “Obviously, it happened with a lot of hard work.” Byrd was too frail to make the necessary defensive impact which Dutcher wanted to start out last year; then the freshman picked up a nagging injury, spent time ill, and ended up playing parts of just four games. His light weight didn’t make it any easier to show off his scoring skill – but Byrd is undaunted. “Me being a little underweight made me tougher last year, going against those guys. They saw me and called me a little stick. They were trying their hardest punk me. I was getting bumped every time I tried to drive,” he told the Union-Tribune. Byrd has great range and can make shots off the bounce or catching on the perimeter. If the lefty has added enough strength to handle the physical defense he will see, Byrd should add a shot-creating element to Dutcher’s bench. “There’s so much to like in what San Diego State is getting in Miles Byrd. I’d even call it a robbery by the Aztecs,” said Travis Branham of 247 Sports last year. With his tidy handle, Byrd is a guy with great vision at his height who can drive to score or create for others, and should be able to both break down or shoot over defenders further out. Though the rough stuff has been a problem in the past, Byrd can hang and hit acrobatic shots around the lane. He uses his reach extremely well to both open up chances when he’s well-guarded and to bother opposing ballhandlers on the other end, and Dutcher would love to see Byrd should step into a role similar to that which Parrish occupied last year.
Joining Saunders in the attempt to replace quality veterans will be Demarshay Johnson, Jr – another freshman who hardly played last year – and Miles Heide, a newcomer in whom Dutcher has taken a particular interest. Johnson has seen the benefits of Strength & Conditioning Coach Daniel Marshall’s guidance. “Demarshay has put a lot of work in and transformed his body and is looking good too. So just because he’s in his third year, redshirt sophomore. We’re expecting big things from Demarshay too,” Dutcher praised the young pivot this summer. With the bounce and mobility with length which Dutcher – as well as his iconic predecessor Steve Fisher did – has identified as necessary for his scheme, Johnson’s physical tools are in place. He isn’t the shooter that Saunders is, but Johnson gets end-to-end in a hurry and will flush anything he gets his hands on in the painted area. So long as Johnson keeps the ball high and makes assertive moves to the goal, the rest of his offense will have time to develop. Johnson moves his feet nimbly, and if he’s picked up a thing or two from Mensah over the last couple of years, the hope is that Johnson can provide 10+ minutes of solid defense and active glasswork as the backup pivot this season. Heide may redshirt, but the coaching staff is excited to see what the skilled Washingtonian can do as his body becomes Mountain West-ready. Dutcher sees great floor-spacing potential in a future pairing of Saunders and Heide, and seems to think quite a bit of the young stretch big man’s potential.
Brendan ‘BJ’ Davis is the highest-ranked of this year’s new freshmen, a talented combo guard from Modesto, CA. A 4-star recruit who should be a great fit in Dutcher’s high-pressure defensive system, Davis is expected to compete for a spot in the Aztec rotation right away. Ngwoth ‘Magoon’ Gwath is just turning 18 around the start of the season. He’s a big, super-long prospect out of Texas who already has Aztec fans envisioning his potential as a rim protector at the heart of SDSU’s defense. He’ll need to add a significant amount of strength in order to earn big minutes, but Gwath’s potential is immense. “I wanted to get to San Diego State now so I can get better developed. I can get situated and get used to college,” Gwath told the San Diego Union-Tribune this summer. On whether he will redshirt? “There’s a big difference between high school and college. I’m still growing into my body, getting used to my body. We’ll see.”
It’s going to be incredibly difficult to replicate last year’s success in March, but the Aztecs have felt like they were a bit overdue for a real, defining performance in the Big Dance. With three strong pillars from that group back to lead the way for young talent that’s been marinating and learning, there is no reason for the Aztecs to expect anything other than similar success.
“We want expectations,” Dutcher told the San Diego Union-Tribune this fall. “Last year’s success, we’re grateful we had it. But we want expectations. I don’t want to come in here this year and say we’re not going to be as good. I want to believe we’re going to be better. If I don’t believe that, how do we have a chance?”
San Diego State is used to being the big fish in the Mountain West pool, and has been steadily gaining steam on the national stage. Their newfound tourney success is something that the Aztecs could sure get used to, and this team wants to establish another new level for Dutcher’s program.
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