Dare to say, these Aztecs deeper
Someone might be a few laps into the spiked eggnog to argue Aztecs basketball, coming off a 30-2 season with a No. 6 ranking, could be deeper.
It’s fair to check for a knot on the noggin at the thought of the team being a more complete wave to brace for after losing firstround NBA pick Malachi Flynn, current Australian pro Yanni Wetzell and the defensive handcuffs known as KJ Feagin.
In the wake of a grinding, relentless 73-58 dismantling of short-handed UCLA on Wednesday at Viejas Arena, that’s the pretzeled logic suddenly and surprisingly at play. This team watched 38.3 points and 14.3 rebounds per game, 301 assists and 101 steals go poof into the eligibility night — and remained every bit the complex, exasperating riddle to solve.
“We used a lot of guys, 10 guys,” Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said. “We don’t drop off much. This might be as deep a team as we’ve ever had.”
There. He said it. And he’s not wrong.
Last season’s Aztecs were brilliant at the top. Flynn is the kind of seasonshaper who shuff les onto campus once a decade or three, if you’re lucky. Wetzell operated in the high post like part ballerina, part Sherman tank. Feagin infused attitude that crept into a ball handler’s head.
This group, with lane clogger Nathan Mensah back from a blood clot in his lung, with graduate transfer scorer Terrell Gomez ready to plug and play, with Maryland import Joshua Tomaic showing offensive punch unseen in his career gives Dutcher the confidence to go 10-deep against the No. 22 team in the country.
Key talent a year older, from Trey Pulliam to Keshad Johnson, Aguek Arop and Adam Seiko, offers more seasoned tools. Freshmen Lamont Butler and Keith Dinwiddie Jr. must feel like enticing gifts parked under the tree.
In baseball terms, the Aztecs of last season featured mashers at the top of the lineup. They still have that with proven scorers Matt Mitchell and Jordan Schakel. Now, they have even more potential to hit in the middle and bottom of the order.
Batter up. There are plenty of them.
“Overall, a taller and longer team with Nate
How many programs lose The Aztecs rarely f linch most every way. Paint three starters and are at hot starts. They lean on a points: 24-12. Rebounds: picked to win their conferdefensive philosophy that 34-28. Steals: 5-1. Assists: ence anyway? burns you out from baseline 16-10. And that depth? back,” said Schakel, when Dutcher channeled to baseline. They don’t need Bench points: a bruising asked6.tocomparetheroad-predecessorSteveFisher:tocatchyou.Theyreelyou21- running Aztecs and Aztecs “We’re not a one-hit wonin like a marlin, one defenWalking off the court, 2.0. “(Mensah, Johnson, der.” sive turn at a time. San Diego State had outArop), they make a big UCLA, picked to win the “I think we just wore shot, outhustled them, difference with their length. Pac-12, buried shots early them down to the point outwilled them. The workYou can’t teach length.” despite playing without where maybe they were on ing man’s depantsing felt so The forest, full of trees. 6-foot-10 rim minder Jalen tired legs at the end of the complete, personnel issues These Aztecs may not Hill (knee) and Kentucky game,” Dutcher rightly aside, that UCLA coach prove to be better, which is transfer and marksman reasoned. Mick Cronin sounded like nearly an impossible task Johnny Juzang (foot). At By the buzzer, UCLA he might consider giving up when you follow a team that the first timeout, the Bruins had 15 turnovers and the coaching profession. lost twice in 32 games. were shooting 75 percent watched the Aztecs launch “Total regression,” They’re reloaders not reand held a 4-0 turnover 15 more shots. They led Cronin said of his team, 40 builders these days, though. margin. almost everywhere in al- minutes into the season.
Mitchell and Schakel provided steady offense with 15 points each. Gomez and Arop chipped in 10 apiece. Tomaic finished a free throw away from double digits and Pulliam a basket short of making it six in double figures against a name program that had not played on the Aztecs’ home court since 1991.
You wonder if the Bruins will again.
That depth Dutcher is molding remains fascinating wet clay. The most interesting numbers against UCLA teased along the margins: Tomaic’s nine points after averaging 1.1 as a junior, seven rebounds from Mensah, six assists from Pulliam.
The retooled rotation led to a win in 16 straight home openers, regardless of the name and pedigree on the other bench.
“As well as we played, there’s a lot of room for growth with this team on both ends of the f loor,” Dutcher said. Deeper? Than last year? Pass the eggnog.