San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
TEAM MEETING HELPS SDSU FOCUS ON THE ROAD AHEAD
Arop’s players-only meeting spurs team to beat Boise State
Three thoughts on No. 22 San Diego State’s 72-52 win against Boise State on Friday night:
1. Meeting agenda
When officials summon captains to the center circle during pregame warmups, other teams often send two or three players, usually starters. SDSU sends one: Aguek Arop, who has started only seven of 119 career games and none this season.
“He does a lot for our team, all the little stuff,” guard Darrion Trammell said. “He keeps us together as a leader.”
So when, after a film session before Thursday afternoon’s practice, Arop asked the coaches to leave so he could host a players-only, closed-door meeting, they willingly obliged while they twiddled their thumbs on the Viejas Arena court for a half-hour.
“I’m glad he didn’t ask me for any of my salary,” coach Brian Dutcher said. “He probably did a better job than I do at some things. But he’s a leader, and when he wants to talk to the team, he has an open mic to do so.”
The trigger was Tuesday’s 75-66 loss at Nevada in which the Wolf Pack shot 65.2 percent in the second half and scored on 14 of they final 15 possessions. Arop offered a harsh assessment in post-game interviews: “We just can’t have that happen.”
Every player stood up and spoke, taking accountability for their shortcomings and addressing areas that need improvement. They reasserted their roles, recommitted, refocused.
“We all felt we had something more to give,” Trammell said.
“We all were truthful with ourselves,” Nathan Mensah said, “what we can do to bring the team up to the standards that San Diego State is known for.”
The last players-only meeting came before the season, when they watched the Lebron James documentary on Netflix together and outlined their goals and roles for the year. That was
planned in advance; this was not.
The results Friday night were palpable — a 22-point halftime lead and maintaining that energy through the second half, not letting the Broncos get closer than 16. The blowout win raised their metrics to 22 in Kenpom, 20 in the NET, 16 in KPI and nine in Bart Torvik’s T-rank.
“The players took more ownership in the direction of the season, and that’s what has to happen,” Dutcher said. “Player-driven teams are always better than coach-driven teams. I told them after the game: ‘You’ll make out of the season whatever you want to make out of it. We’re here to facilitate that, to make it what you want it to be.’
“If they invest in the season, invest in the team, invest in themselves, then we’re going to have a really good year.”
2. Still here
One of the first people who raised his hand and spoke Thursday was senior center Mensah, who was outscored 19-4 by Nevada counterpart Will Baker on Tuesday.
“I felt like the previous games, I let the team down defensively,” Mensah said Friday night. “I felt like any time I play well, the opposing team can sense my presence throughout the games. None of the guys I was guarding had that threat. The Nevada game was a wake-up call.
“I took it personally, being Mountain West defensive player of the year. If someone would have watched me, they wouldn’t have considered me a defensive threat. I felt like this coming game, I had to make a statement that Nathan is still here.” Duly noted.
Mensah had 17 points, a career best against a Mountain West opponent, going 4 of 4 from the field and 9 of 12 from the line. He had six rebounds. He blocked two shots. He committed only one foul.
But the stat that really defined his dramatic resurgence was an obscure one: fouls drawn. Mensah drew 10, a crazy number.
Four came against Tyson Degenhart, Boise State’s leading scorer — three in 3½ minutes in the first half and his fourth with 16:02 to go. That, more than anything, changed the game, taking the Broncos’ best player off the floor during the big first-half run and defusing any designs on a second-half comeback.
Through 11 conference games, only one player had drawn more than six in a game — Trammell with eight against UNLV. But that was in 34 minutes. Mensah drew 10 in 25 minutes.
“It’s because he was aggressive,” Dutcher said. “Two or three of them were because he was gomountain ing to the offensive glass and they had to push him to box him out. When he plays with that kind of energy and assertiveness, it’s not only when he catches the ball, it’s when he pursues the ball. He did a great job of that.
“I thought he played as good a game as he’s played all year.”
3. The road ahead
The Aztecs (18-5, 9-2) are alone in first place with seven regular-season games remaining. They’re all important, but the season essentially comes down to three, starting Wednesday night at Utah State (7 p.m. PST, CBS Sports Network). Here’s how it may shake out: The Aztecs have three home games remaining against UNLV, Colorado State and Wyoming, all teams in the bottom five. You figure they win those.
Then there’s a road game at Fresno State (8-14, 4-7), the worst West team in the Kenpom metric at 166. The Kenpom metric gives SDSU a 79 percent chance of winning.
That leaves three road games against the upper echelon of the conference: at Utah State (8-3) on Wednesday, at New Mexico (6-4) on Feb. 25, at Boise State (8-3) three days later. Steal one of those three, and the Aztecs finish 14-4 — enough, you’d think, for at least a share of the regular-season title.
Boise State, Utah State and Nevada can all get to 15-3, but that requires running the table in what Dutcher calls the most competitive, tightly bunched conference in its 24-year history. And Boise State and Nevada both still have games at Utah State.
Kenpom sees the Aztecs doing exactly that, getting to 14-4 and winning the title outright by one game over Boise State and Nevada at 13-5. Metrically speaking, the New Mexico game is viewed by the computer as the best chance to steal a road win, rating it a 50-50 prospect. The Aztecs are given a 48 percent chance of winning at Utah State and 42 percent chance at Boise State.
What the computer can’t see is ticket sales and geeked up student sections. The Boise State game is Senior Night and should be close to a sellout at 12,480-seat Extramile Arena. The Pit in New Mexico (capacity 15,411) is already sold out for SDSU and rated by Kenpom as the nation’s eighth most daunting road venue.
Utah State’s Dee Glen Smith Spectrum? It holds only 10,270, but nearly 4,000 of that is occupied by “The Hurd” student section. It’s ranked No. 5 in road venues by Kenpom.
“We’re a leg up now,” Dutcher said, “but there’s a lot of work to be done.”