April 27, 2009

Steve Megargee
Rivals.com College Basketball Staff Writer

Perhaps no program in the country felt more disappointed on "Selection Sunday" than San Diego State.

San Diego State had the best RPI (34th) of any team left out of the NCAA tournament. Of all the schools that failed to crack the 65-team field, maybe only Saint Mary's - which beat San Diego State in the regular season - could make a better argument that it belonged.

"We were all disappointed," San Diego State coach Steve Fisher recalled. "We thought we were going to get in. We thought we should be in."

The Aztecs responded to the snub advancing to the NIT semifinals in a postseason run that may have reflected the end of an era. San Diego State's relative lack of tradition would make it seem unlikely that the Aztecs could overcome the loss of four senior starters.

That would be selling Fisher's program short.

Quietly, San Diego State has made itself the type of consistent winner that might be able to withstand a dramatic roster turnover. San Diego State, UCLA and Gonzaga are the only West Coast programs to put together four consecutive 20-win seasons. Other than the Aztecs, BYU is the only Mountain West Conference school to accomplish that feat.

That's why the Aztecs remain confident they can return to the postseason, even when they don't return a player who scored in double figures this season. Forward Billy White, the Aztecs' lone returning starter, averaged 8.8 points and 3.8 rebounds.

"We've won 20 or more four straight years, and we think we've got a program that should be competitive every year like we were this year," Fisher said.

San Diego State went 5-23 in Fisher's first season in 1999-2000. The Aztecs won more than 16 games just once in Fisher's first six seasons. But patience with Fisher has paid off. San Diego State has averaged 23 wins over the past four seasons, though the Aztecs have only one NCAA appearance to show for it.

"I think now everyone expects San Diego State to do big things," Aztecs forward Lorrenzo Wade said after the 76-62 NIT semifinal loss to Baylor that ended his college career. "With guys like Billy White, Tim Shelton, D.J. Gay returning ? guys that have been in the trenches ? they know what it's like, and they are also going to expect big things out of themselves. I'm sure Coach is going to bring the best things out of these guys in the years to come."

San Diego State's newcomers offer even more reason for optimism. The Aztecs welcome 6-foot-10 center Brian Carlwell, an Illinois transfer who was rated by Rivals.com as the No. 77 overall prospect in the 2006 recruiting class. Tyrone Shelley, a 6-5 guard, arrives from Pepperdine after leading the Waves with 15.1 points per game during the 2007-08 season.

San Diego State's freshman class is headlined by 6-5 forward Kawhi Leonard of Riverside, Calif., the No. 48 prospect in the nation. He's just the second top-50 recruit signed by a Mountain West team since 2005.

"He's able to guard at different positions; he's a slasher and he's a very strong rebounder," said Jerry Meyer, a national recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. "He brings toughness and versatility. I don't know if he necessarily comes in and puts up huge scoring numbers.

"He'll be a solid scorer, but he's a coach's dream because he contributes in so many different ways and because of his toughness."

San Diego State's freshman class also features two three-star prospects: 6-1 point guard Eric Lawton of Hernet, Calif., and 6-2 shooting guard Chase Tapley of Sacramento, Calif. The Aztecs' other arrivals are 6-9 forward Malcolm Thomas of San Diego City College and 6-6 forward Alec Williams of San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

"Lawson is very, very fast with the basketball," Meyer said. "He's a great penetrator ? very quick. If he had better size, he'd have been recruited at a higher level. He's a great pickup for San Diego State.

These newcomers certainly have the credentials to continue San Diego State's streak of 20-win seasons, but they still must prove they can match the accomplishments of the four departed starters. Wade and forward Kyle Spain earned second-team All-Mountain West honors this season, while guard Richie Williams was a third-team all-conference selection who departed as the league's leader in career steals. The departure of 6-8 forward Ryan Amoroso also leaves a hole in the frontcourt.

That quartet showed its leadership this season by overcoming the disappointment of the NCAA snub to help the Aztecs get to Madison Square Garden. This season marked the first time San Diego State had reached the semifinals of any postseason tournament since it won the 1941 NAIB (now known as the NAIA) title. The group has left San Diego State's newcomers with a hard act to follow.

"On paper, they're good," Fisher said. "I think we have a chance to be good, but we've got uncertainty. We've got three guys who played a lot ? D.J. Gay and Shelton and Billy White ? so I think we're going to be good. But we don't have the proven players who've already done it."

Even with all that uncertainty, San Diego State still has enough talent to get right back in the NCAA hunt. Don't be surprised if the Aztecs are picked to finish near the top of the Mountain West standings again. Consider those expectations part of the legacy left by those departing seniors.

"It's like anything else," Fisher said. "When you win, you feel like you're supposed to win. The expectations are raised by everybody ? internally and on the outside. I think the perception has been created that we've got a good program, which we do. Now the pressure internally is to make sure you don't let people down and don't let yourself down."

The Aztecs will spend the season trying not to let themselves down. And then they'll hope the NCAA selection committee doesn't let them down again.

Steve Megargee is a national writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at smegargee@rivals.com.