San Diego State made the Final Four of The Athletic’s Fan Fiction NCAA Tournament. ”I loved it,” Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher says. “I just wish it were real.” Dutcher truly believes that his team, which finished 30-2 and most likely was in line for a No. 2 seed in the West Region, could have advanced to Atlanta had the actual tournament played out.
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We’ll never know, of course. But San Diego State fans won’t soon forget one of the best seasons in program history, one that’s right up there with the Kawhi Leonard-led team that went 34-3 and made the Sweet 16 in 2011. He has talked with school officials about hanging a banner in Viejas Arena, perhaps with the final record and a map, signifying that the Aztecs were the last unbeaten team in the country after starting 27-0.
“We still want to recognize what this team was to San Diego State and the city of San Diego,” Dutcher says.
The season was extra special because it was so unexpected. Now the question is, can the Aztecs continue to be nationally relevant — and come close to matching that surprising success? Dutcher spoke to The Athletic on Friday, just a couple of hours after star Malachi Flynn declared for the NBA Draft. He fully supported Flynn’s decision, knowing the junior guard needed to capitalize on a season in which he earned second-team All-America and Mountain West Player of the Year honors.
Yet that means San Diego State must replace three starters, including its leading scorer and assist man. The good news is, Dutcher still has a veteran roster with many of the same attributes.
“I like the fact we’re still old,” he says. “We were older last year than most teams, and I think we will be again this year.”
Biggest holes to fill
Making up for Flynn’s production is obviously a concern. The Washington State transfer averaged 17.6 points and 5.1 assists while recording a true shooting percentage of 58.2. He had outstanding awareness of the defense and situations, knowing when to take over with his scoring versus when to set up teammates. Meanwhile, fellow guard K.J. Feagin fulfilled the glue-guy role. The Santa Clara grad transfer was an excellent defender and unselfish player who did all of the little things.
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Dutcher is hoping to strike gold in the backcourt with another experienced transfer who’s hungry to find some team success. The Aztecs signed Terrell Gomez, a grad transfer from Cal State Northridge who averaged more than 19 points per game the past two seasons. Gomez is only 5-foot-8 and played a lot of 2-guard for the Matadors, but he’ll slide over to point guard duty for San Diego State. That’s also the preferred position for senior Trey Pulliam, who backed up Flynn this year and scored 18 points in a comeback win at UNLV late in the season.
“We had three guys on floor at times who had over a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio,” Dutcher says. “I like having multiple point guards on the floor. With the way the game’s played now, with all the spacing, I like guys who make good decisions. We played small last year — we played basically four perimeter players around (center) Yanni (Wetzell). I could see us doing the same thing again.”
The scoring and go-to-guy void could be filled by senior Matt Mitchell. After dropping 20 pounds in the offseason and improving his endurance, Mitchell showed the ability to take over games at times. He memorably poured in 28 points in a heat-check performance against Utah State. The 6-6 wing made first-team All-Mountain West, and Dutcher says the goal this time around is for Mitchell to win the player of the year award. Senior Jordan Schakel also returns as the team’s resident sniper. He connected on 43.6 percent of his 3-point attempts this season. Mitchell made 39.3 percent of his 3s, and Gomez shot 44 percent from behind the arc for Northridge. The Aztecs ranked 11th nationally in 3-point percentage, and Dutcher says, “I anticipate that we’ll be the same shooting team, if not better this year.”
The other, and possibly even more important, missing piece is Wetzell. As a grad transfer from Vanderbilt, the 6-10 center from New Zealand was the team’s main post player over the final 2½ months. His ability to score, rebound and pass out of double-teams made the offense a pick-your-poison proposition. But Dutcher hopes to get a fully healthy season from 6-10 junior Nathan Mensah, who missed the final 20 games with a respiratory issue. Mensah finished fifth in the conference in blocked shots as a freshman and helped hold Luka Garza to a season-low nine points in San Diego State’s win over Iowa in November.
Mensah had resumed practicing in March and most likely would have been available for the team’s first-round NCAA Tournament game.
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“That makes things even more bittersweet, knowing that we would have added our starting center back,” Dutcher says. “Not a lot of people had the ability to add that kind of piece at that time. He’s athletic and skilled. If his season hadn’t been cut short, people would be saying, wow, Mensah had a great year.”
Sophomore big man Joel Mensah – who is not related to Nathan even though they are both from the same city in Ghana – entered the transfer portal over the weekend. Though Joel Mensah was considered a developmental player, his departure means Nathan Mensah is the only Aztec who is over 6-foot-7.
How the recruiting class fits in
If you’re looking for five-star, can’t-miss blue-chippers, you’ve come to the wrong place. San Diego State has long built its program with guys who are a little underrated and have chips on their shoulders.
That looks like the case again with the three-man signing class. Keith Dinwiddie, a 6-1 guard, was named co-city player of the year in Los Angeles while playing for Fairfax High School. Lamont Butler is a point guard who was a late bloomer in Inland Empire, an area that fed the Aztecs both Leonard and Mitchell. And Dutcher’s staff went all the way to Baltimore to land 6-6 wing Che Evans Jr., who was rated as a five-star prospect early in his career before suffering a leg injury.
All three incoming freshmen can score and contribute offensively right away, Dutcher says. “But the way guys get on the floor for the Aztecs is, they have to guard,” he says. “That’s the way it’s always been here.”
Don’t overlook the team’s only high school recruit from last year’s class. Keshad Johnson is a 6-7 wing with length and athleticism. He pulled down 10 rebounds in the season opener against Texas Southern. But with so many veterans in front of him, Johnson struggled to get minutes most of the year. This could be a breakout season for him.
“I anticipate that he’ll be the type of player where people will say, where did he come from?” Dutcher says. “We as a staff will know that he just needed the opportunity. And he’ll get that opportunity.”
Offseason priorities
San Diego State will have two scholarships available if Joel Mensah leaves, and the staff will scour the country for immediate big man help. The Aztecs were in the mix for 7-foot-3 Loyola Marymount grad transfer Mattias Markusson and 6-10 Long Beach State big Joshua Morgan. But Markusson decided to stay put, while Morgan chose USC. More big men could be up for grabs if the NCAA allows players to transfer once without penalty for next season. The Division I council will vote on the issue on May 20, though, if approved, the rule change may not be put into place until 2021-22.
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“Much as everyone thinks the portal is about full, there will be another 100 to 200 players in there if that rule goes through,” Dutcher predicts.
Wetzell didn’t sign with the Aztecs until last May, so there is still time to find help in the post. Dutcher also says he’d be fine adding another guard or wing and rolling with what he’s got. His team will have enviable depth at most spots.
This is a big offseason for Mitchell to take control of the team as a leader. Junior guard Adam Seiko, mostly a defensive specialist to this point, could make a leap this summer. And Aguek Arop, a 6-6 energy guy off the bench, had surgery recently to correct a troublesome shoulder that limited his effectiveness as a sophomore.
Given the personnel losses around the league, San Diego State figures to be the preseason favorite in the Mountain West. Had Flynn stayed, the Aztecs most likely would have been a preseason top-15 team. Instead, they will have to prove themselves all over again. But Dutcher has most of the same formula that led to 30 wins in 32 tries last season: an experienced bunch that will play tough defense and space the floor with shooting.
“Coach (Steve) Fisher always told me that if you’re hard to guard, you’re hard to beat,” Dutcher says. “We have a lot of good offensive players, and we will be hard to guard again.”
(Photo of Matt Mitchell: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)