Mountain West Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)

By Joey Loose | Jun 26, 2020

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 01: San Diego State Alumni Kawhi Leonard participates in his jersey retirement ceremony with former college coach Steve Fisher during half time of the game against the San Diego State Aztecs and the Utah State Aggies at Viejas Arena on February 01, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 26: Head coach Brian Dutcher of the San Diego State Aztecs (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

6. Brian Dutcher – San Diego State (2017-2020)

Prior to taking over as head coach in 2017, there were likely dozens of opportunities for Dutcher to become a head coach. He had spent nearly three decades as an assistant at Michigan and San Diego State under Steve Fisher. Dutcher helped recruit the Fab Five and assisted Fisher as he completely built this Aztecs program. Anyone who spends 18 years as an assistant at one program is clearly committing to building that brand, and he sure has done that in his brief time as head coach.

In his first two seasons, the Aztecs finished fourth in the conference and won at least 21 games, winning the Mountain West Tournament in 2018 and returning to the NCAA Tournament. This past season was markedly improved, as the Aztecs barged onto the national scene following a 26-0 start to the season. Had the Tournament not been canceled, the Aztecs would likely have done great damage, probably grabbing a 2-seed.

Dutcher isn’t some young coach building his profile. He’s shown his commitment to San Diego State and has done dynamic work throughout his coaching career. He built this incredible roster that won 30 games and should have the Aztecs near or at the top of the conference for years to come. There’s no telling what would have happened in this postseason this past year, but it’s fair to say that Dutcher has kept San Diego State on the map.