Next season’s MBB team

[tecsonthebeach]

I dunno, I don’t feel all that excited about the prospects of the ‘24/‘25 Aztecs’ men’s basketball team.

For the last few (or several) years, over the course of the months prior to the season beginning, I usually feel a degree of excitement about the season coming up. I usually have confidence — before even seeing the next iteration of the team play their first game — that they will make the NCAA tournament.

The Aztecs this next season are going to be a relatively young team and we did not kill it in the portal. I think this could be more of rebuilding season than any other in recent history.

Are others feeling the same?

[mySTRAS]

I don't think there will be any more 'rebuilding' years for any team/school. You either swim... or sink into non-relevance.

[fisherville]

I do not feel the same way

[benaztecfan]

Despite being relatively young, I think we have some great pieces that will play aztec basketball and am optimistic that we'll make it back to the NCAA tournament.

[aztech]

I'm curious about how much leeway Dutch gives his new coach, Ryan Badrtalei. Our offense had become too predictable. To me it seemed like our conference teams knew how to defend us. Overall they weren't the better team as evidenced by their usual one and done play in MM.

[chris92065]

It's clear to me that the conference is keeping us down. We play at a disadvantage yearly by playing at elevation and with biased refs. I don't care what anyone says, but the conference higher-ups could give two squirts about SDSU. We are an outlier to their conference. We don't fit it in at all. We have no rivalries that should anchor us to the conference. For whatever reason, Boise is the favored son. Makes no sense to me.


If I were the ad, I would be on the phone daily pimping sdsu. Finding creative ways to get out of this septic tank full of sheet conference.

I would be definitely be on the phone with the acc discussing a national conference once they fall apart.


Orgen St
Cal
Stanford
Wash at
SmU
Sdsu
Colorado st


Geogira tech
Syracuse
Boston college
Virginia tech
Pitt
Wake forest
Nc state


2 divisions and the winner of each division can okay for title.’


F.u.ckkk Boise

[Frantic]

Last year's team with multiple veteran starters finished in a three-way tie for 5th in conference, and almost finished with a .500 record.

It's a brand new team. The only returning players with a start as an Aztec are Reese-Waters (23 starts out of 37 games) and Heide (1 start).

[zurac315]

Jun 16, 2024 17:12:52 GMT -8 chris92065 said:

It's clear to me that the conference is keeping us down. We play at a disadvantage yearly by playing at elevation and with biased refs. I don't care what anyone says, but the conference higher-ups could give two squirts about SDSU. We are an outlier to their conference. We don't fit it in at all. We have no rivalries that should anchor us to the conference. For whatever reason, Boise is the favored son. Makes no sense to me.


If I were the ad, I would be on the phone daily pimping sdsu. Finding creative ways to get out of this septic tank full of sheet conference.

I would be definitely be on the phone with the acc discussing a national conference once they fall apart.


Orgen St
Cal
Stanford
Wash at
SmU
Sdsu
Colorado st


Geogira tech
Syracuse
Boston college
Virginia tech
Pitt
Wake forest
Nc state


2 divisions and the winner of each division can okay for title.’


F.u.ckkk Boise

I've always felt like we were outsiders in this conference.

[docmm]

I'll still have irrational confidence in them until they prove otherwise.

I specifically think J-C-J will score in the 15-20ppg range.

I think Tag and Boyd will be pleasant surprises and Heide takes another step-up to 6-8 ppg with 6-7 rebounds.

I think Gwath and Compton will need more time and work.

I sincerely hope Waters and Davis will do something well but I won't be totally shocked if they don't.

Byrd could either be an All-MWC guy or a turnover machine next year.

Dutcher will have a pretty good team by half-way through the MWC season but I'm afraid playing such a brutal OOC schedule with a team with so little experience playing together. We may need to win the MWCT to get MM.

[jpaztec]

Jun 16, 2024 20:27:45 GMT -8 docmm said:

I'll still have irrational confidence in them until they prove otherwise.

I specifically think J-C-J will score in the 15ppg-20ppg range.

I think Tag and Boyd will be pleasant surprises and Heide takes another step-up to the 6-8 ppg with 6-7 rebounds.

I think Gwath and Compton will need more time and work.

I sincerely hope Waters and Davis will do something well but I won't be totally shocked if they don't.

Byrd could either be an All-MWC guy or a turnover machine next year.

Dutcher will have a pretty good team by half-way through the MWC season but I'm afraid playing such a brutal OOC schedule with a team with so little experience playing together. We may need to win the MWCT to get MM.

I think this a very fair assessment. We’ve certainly got some good pieces, but how quickly those pieces can learn to play together and learn to play our brand of ball will sort of determine what needs to happen in conference play.


Dutch has his work cut out for him again, but I don’t know why people doubt him, he’s proven to everyone over and over why he’s the coach and we are not haha.

[Cwag]

I’m very excited. Dutch and the staff will have the lads playing to the best of their ability and they will bring us fun and enjoyment next season .

[longtimesdsufan]

The new measure of programs is how much NIL they can spend. Looking at the MW, I think we are somewhere around the middle. I don't think this years' team will be better than last years' team. Until we fix our NIL problem, we can not expect our underclass players to stay for their entire collage careers.

I do expect us to out coach other teams and the players to be entertaining.

[gamer2101]

In Dutch, I trust.

[PAC12 Aztec]

I had similar thoughts, and I really considered dropping my tickets after decades. I blame Tex for keeping me in the fight and renewing.

I will say this, I talked to Dutch a bit a couple weeks back at the SDSU tournament. Only for a brief moment, but he looked right at me and said we have some players, and the new guys are really good. I didn't get the sense it was Coach talk or being positive. I got the sense he was genuinely excited about this team and what they are capable of. He said we will surprise some people this year. I actually walked away thinking we may have an opportunity to be really good again if the team is healthy.

I had this same doubtful feeling last year and we had a Sweet 16 run! I would take a repeat of last year with a Sweet 16 appearance.

Also, last year we had a "5" playing out of position taking the college basketball by storm and a 7' pogo stick weight 120 lbs. I just feel like this coaching staff can figure out how to be successful. They figure out how to put players in positions to be successful. Last year, we couldn't rebound, shoot 3's, bring the ball up court under pressure at times, players out of position, etc. Yet, we still had one of the most dominant basketball players in all of the NCAA and made it to the Sweet 16. I considered that a down year after our play in the MGC! I feel like offense will be better this year.

Honestly, I am actually looking forward to this season. I am not as excited about a March Madness run as much as I am in seeing how this team comes together and how far they can get.

[aztecking]

In my view this will be our weakest team on paper since 2019. Although we have a couple of unknowns (Gwath in particular) that could elevate the team beyond that trajectory.

[aztecm]

It's a different feeling this year for sure, mainly because last two years we've been heavy with Aztecs with multiple years experience in the program. You could basically count on getting better iterations of returning players that got a lot of experience in the prior year.

This year likely all 3 transfers are likely to start or get major minutes and we're going to need the younger guys (especially down low) to develop and be ready for major action early in the season. Less of a sure thing in what we're going to get from this upcoming team. My excitement is more so building up to see how this coaching staff can get the new pieces in place. Thankfully we have one of the best in the nation.

[azdick]

I’m excited as I am every year. Even in so-called down years it’s interesting to watch the development of the young guys and to see leadership develop amongst them. I think we will see big leaps in the games of the two Miles men and anotherMM appearance. Of course, with our coaching staff, we’re always in Dutch. 🥳

[jp92grad]

Jun 17, 2024 8:46:00 GMT -8 aztecking said:

In my view this will be our weakest team on paper since 2019. Although we have a couple of unknowns (Gwath in particular) that could elevate the team beyond that trajectory.

This coming season could be an interesting season IF Bryd and Waters come together and put up some numbers. Just think what could have happened last year if Parrish and Waters had better numbers (they were a serious let down last year!) 


This team could surprise some people or they could be just a run-of-the-mill rebuilding team but you know Coach Dutch will have them playing Defense and just maybe the new coach changes up a few things on Offense for the better.



Go Aztecs!

[aztech]

Jun 17, 2024 8:46:00 GMT -8 aztecking said:

In my view this will be our weakest team on paper since 2019. Although we have a couple of unknowns (Gwath in particular) that could elevate the team beyond that trajectory.

Keep in mind that the new coach (Badrtalei) will either tweak or radically change our offense. So it may not make any difference whether a player is a frosh or a returnee, if they have to learn a new system. Who knows, some may flourish or some may spend time on the bench. I think the talent is there to make it work.

[hoobs]

Jun 17, 2024 8:46:00 GMT -8 aztecking said:

In my view this will be our weakest team on paper since 2019. Although we have a couple of unknowns (Gwath in particular) that could elevate the team beyond that trajectory.

I think it's entirely possible that the combo of Nick Boyd & Wayne McKinney3 could be better than Butler & Trammell (esp. their 2023-2024 season performances). Rounding out the perimeter rotation... we'll have Waters with one more season and hopefully we see more of him from the first ~third of last season, and for me Byrd > Parrish, and Davis as a backup with another year of experience. Degourville could see some backup minutes like Davis, and Compton & Gwath are BIG upside talents but make for a couple very young PFs unless we get an experienced transfer, which is the main TBD. Heide with another year of experience and JCJ down low... obviously there's no replacing LeDee's presence but JCJ has good size and a very intriguing offensive skillset.

Honestly, even without an experienced transfer PF there's an argument to be made that *if everyone comes together as a team* this could be an even better squad than last season -- esp. being far more balanced on offense vs. relying so much on a single scorer.