SDSU, COLORADO CALL AN AUDIBLE
The Aztecs football team will face the Colorado Buffaloes today at 2 p.m. at Folsom Field in Boulder in a nonconference game. Both SDSU and Colorado had their original matchups canceled this week after COVID-19 issues surfaced in their opponents’ program
San Diego State coaches knew. The players knew. The NBA scouts who attended practice knew.
Now everybody knows.
Keshad Johnson could be a special player at San Diego State.
The 6-foot-7 sophomore forward who wears No. 0 — resembling the letter “O” for his hometown of Oakland — else erupted for 13 points in less than two minutes in the second half Friday as the Aztecs blew open a previously tight game against UC Irvine for an easy 77-58 victory at Viejas Arena.
Consider: Johnson’s former career high was seven, and he managed only 34 total points over 18 games last season.
But potential magically morphed into performance when opportunity knocked with 17:05 left after starting forward Aguek Arop was whistled for three successive fouls. Between the 15:59 and 14:06 mark, Johnson had three 3s, a lob dunk and two free throws after another attempted dunk.
He finished with a teamhigh 14 points, four rebounds and one steal in just 17 minutes against the Big West preseason favorite, underscoring why coach Brian Dutcher keeps saying this might be the deepest team in his two decades at SDSU.
There are the five starters, all juniors or seniors. There is a four-year junior
and two fifth-year seniors off the bench.
Now you have to worry about a sophomore who averaged 1.9 points as a freshman?
“Last year was a learning process,” Dutcher said. “He was more worried about where he had to be all the time and trying to please the coaches, and now he’s playing freer. He knows where he’s supposed to be, knows what he’s supposed to do, and he’s opened up his offensive game a little bit because he’s comfortable.
“That’s a credit to Keshad and the work he’s put in.”
That’s also a credit to the assistant coaches who pulled him aside at halftime after he had missed all three shots he attempted and one of two free throws.