San Diego State basketball making additions to roster after departures
Aztec Coach Dutcher taps into European market for experience
There’s never any rest for a full time college coach. Maneuvering recruiting, the TP (Transfer Portal), NIL and any other myriad assortment of responsibilities, a coach’s job can be 24/7/365. Enter Brian Dutcher, who like a myriad of other college coaches, needed to endure the inevitable TP process. After key departures, the Aztecs knew a little better what their needs were going to be. Many options exists for coaches including high school, junior college or, more often, the transfer portal. But that’s not all the resources Coach Dutcher deployed. This season, he entered the European pro leagues with two acquisitions.
“These guys, I mean, they’re European pros,” Dutcher quipped. “These guys are playing professional basketball. There are buyouts in their contracts, and then you have to pay them and you have to get the paperwork done to get them over here.”
Dutcher has had to revise his coaching priorities to adapt to the changing landscape. Fewer high school players are recruited, as the development takes time that is not a luxury for mid-level programs. Experience and immediacy to play are central to a successful season. Earlier, the Aztecs signed Croation wing, 6’9” Luka Skoric. He might help in the post with the departure of Magoon Gwath who signed with DePaul. The latest and most recent signee is generating quite a bit of buzz. This is 6’2” point guard David Torresani of the Nutribullet Treviso team in Italy’s Lega Basket (LBA) Serie A. Torrresani has played with Nutribullet Treviso for four seasons with 60 games to his credit. The last two seasons he has been busy, appearing in 50 games. His numbers have been gradually improving with his growth and experience. Last season he appeared in 22 games and averaged 7 points 1.4 rebounds and 1l7 assists in 18.1 minutes. He is an average shooter hitting at a 43.6% clip from the floor, including 37.9% from three and 76.9% from the charity stripe. In addition to his season with Nutribullet Treviso, he also has international experience, playing with Italy’s U18 and U20 teams. In the recent U20 European Championship, he averaged 10l4 points, 3.4 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 26 minutes. This experience will undoubtedly help the Aztecs navigate waters this season. Also, expect Coach Dutcher and staff to work on his shot selection to improve those numbers.
International players have made their way in many areas of college ball. They also currently have Thokbor Majak, a 7’1” sophomore originally from South Sudan, but who came to the Aztecs from the United States. While this is a small success, the Aztecs still will struggle keeping up with some of the major schools. Despite having a prestigious pedigree, being a mid-major school means your budget to pay players won’t be enough to entice big names. Case in point. In the past, the Aztecs would be a logical destination for Southern California players looking to transfer. This season, two UC Irvine players decided to enter the portal. Instead of selecting the Aztecs, they opted for large payouts with North Carolina State and Virginia. The Power Conference schools will continue to attract players out of the TP. It’s the same story. Recruit player, develop player, player leaves a program for greener fields. It’s a vicious cycle that is impacting the non-power schools at an unfair clip. The Aztec exodus resulted in six players leaving this season. Miles Byrd to Providence, Magoon Gwath to DePaul, BJ Davis to Creighton, Pharaoh Compton to Oregon, Taj DeGourville to Nebraska and Miles Heide to Virginia Tech. The enticement for pay is certainly there, and the damaged parties are the mid-major schools. There has been talk to try to level the playing field, including having the larger school pay a development fee for players they sign. This would be a fantastic attempt to avoid continued severe attrition. This next season will see an increase in NCAA tournament teams to 76. The Aztecs would probably had made the tournament if this had been in place, but it does give them something to shoot for. Although, it’s a strong chance that the extra spots will likely be given to schools in the Power Four Conferences. Some things don’t change.
