San Diego Basketball was one of last year’s Cinderella squads in the NCAA Tournament by season’s end in 2022-23. They’ll look to make some more noise after making their first Final Four appearance in school history. Head coach Brian Dutcher will have his work cut out for him in 2023-24 as he looks to build a new approach in the ever-changing college basketball landscape.
Five players return from last year’s squad that lost to UConn in the National Title game. The Aztecs will look to two transfer portal additions and three freshmen as newcomers to run the tables once again in the Mountain West Conference.
Balance was the key to last year’s squad and with the return of last year’s unsung hero Lamont Butler alongside Darrion Trammell, Jaedon LeDee and Micah Parrish, the Aztecs have a solid core of return players to at least build a solid starting rotation. The acquisitions of Reese Dixon-Waters (USC) and Jay Pal (Campbell) for San Diego State have the potential to fill a few voids left by the departures of Matt Bradley, Keshad Johnson, Nathan Mensah and Adam Seiko.
The experience is apparent in the starting rotation, but depth could be an issue for the Aztecs heading into a new season. Look for freshman Miles Heide and B.J. Davis to be thrown into the fire early to offset things, but it could be tough sledding for the Aztecs if they hope to make a run in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Take a look at the projected starting lineup and depth chart for the San Diego State Aztecs heading into 2023-24.
Point Guard
Starter – Darrion Trammell (30 mpg)
Darrion Trammell is the first returning name from last year’s Final Four squad looking to make his mark once again as he closes out his college basketball career. He made quite the splash in his debut season for the Aztecs, finishing with 9.8 ppg, 2.9 apg, 2.4 rpg and 1.3 spg on 31.4 percent shooting from deep in 2022-23. He finished second on the team in assists (112) and finished ninth in the conference in defensive rating (97.6).
Without Matt Bradley on the attack, he’ll be looked upon to do a whole lot more at the lead guard role. His continued development as a two-way presence will be looked upon to handle some of the point guard responsibilities though one big strength of the Aztecs is a three-guard rotation.
Bench – B.J. Davis (10 mpg)
B.J. Davis is quite the impactful guard who should see minutes at the backup floor general spot fresh out of high school. He attended Modesto Christian High (CA) this past year where he produced 18.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.4 apg and 1.9 spg on 56 percent shooting from the field and 46 percent from deep. He’s got the potential to make an early splash in their perimeter and playmaking attack in the backcourt in Year 1.
Shooting Guard
Starter – Lamont Butler (30 mpg)
Lamont Butler is another returner for the Aztecs who should see his status grow in his final season. Butler produced 8.8 ppg, 3.2 apg, 2.7 rpg and 1.5 spg on 34.2 percent shooting from deep and 42.1 percent shooting from the floor in 2022-23. He continues to grow in the Aztecs system and with an opportunity to be a leader for them this year, he’s got the potential to turn the corner after earning third-team All-MWC honors this past season.
He was last year’s unsung hero in boosting the Aztecs to the Final Four with his buzzer-beater against Florida Atlantic and will be looked upon to play an even bigger role in 2023-24. Look for his production to grow as the primary option in this year’s rotation.
Bench – Reese Dixon-Waters (10 mpg)
Reese Dixon-Waters was a gem in the UCS Trojans rotation this past season in earning the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year award. He holds the potential to win the award in bolstering the San Diego State rotation at the shooting guard and small forward/wing role this season. He finished with 9.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 1.1 apg on 29.6 percent shooting from deep in 2022-23.
Small Forward/Wing
Starter – Micah Parrish (25 mpg)
Micah Parrish is another returning name for the San Diego State Aztecs with room to grow in the rotation this season at the small forward/wing spot. He’s a wiry presence at 6-foot-6 with the potential to attack off the bounce and knock down shots on the wing. He was quite the presence for them off the bench this past season, posting 7.4 ppg and 3.6 rpg on 35.3 percent shooting from deep across 39 appearances, just one start.
He poured in a season-high 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 from deep in a victory over Kennesaw State back on Dec. 12. With starter minutes on the table in his second season with the Aztecs, he’ll look to provide a lot more stability for them on both ends of the floor.
Bench – Reese Dixon-Waters (15 mpg)
Reese Dixon-Waters should see a bulk of his minutes at the small forward/wing role behind Pal. He’s got the bulk at 210 pounds to bang on the interior when needed and has shown he can rebound the basketball when given opportunities with his length at 6-foot-5. He’ll give the Aztecs a change of pace in the rotation with his ability to operate as their third guard with Butler and Trammell in the lineup.
Power Forward
Starter – Jay Pal (25 mpg)
The power forward spot is probably the biggest question mark for the San Diego State Aztecs this season with the departure of Keshad Johnson. Jay Pal will look to fill the void at the power forward spot for San Diego State as an addition out of the transfer portal from Campbell, formerly of the Big South. He’s a lengthy 6-foot-9 presence who should really bolster the defense for the Aztecs with his abilities. He put up 12.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.5 bpg and 1.4 apg on 32.9 percent shooting from deep and 58 percent shooting from the field in 2022-23.
He’ll look to be a presence in the rebounding and shot-blocking department after finishing fifth in the Big South in rebounds (221) and third in blocks (48). He’s also quite the efficient scorer with willing playmakers around him in Lamont Butler and Darrion Trammell. Look for him to turn heads with his addition in the MWC.
Bench – Elijah Saunders (15 mpg), Miles Heide
Elijah Saunders will be looked upon to play a role this season as he enters his sophomore season with limited experience in the rotation. He appeared in just 16 games for a total of 93 minutes in 2022-23 as a freshman. He’s a 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward prospect with the potential to bolster the paint attack for the Aztecs, but with a guard-heavy lineup that’s experienced, he won’t be looked upon too much on the offensive end to make an impact. It wouldn’t be totally surprising if DeMarshay Johnson is even inserted at the power forward role at some point.
Miles Heide is another freshman newcomer with the Aztecs who should see early minutes at the power forward spot this upcoming season. He’s got a college-ready frame already at 6-foot-10, 224 pounds, though he’ll need to add more muscle over time to be effective on both ends of the floor.
Center/Forward
Starter – Jaedon LeDee (30 mpg)
Jaedon LeDee returns for the Aztecs looking to make his presence felt in the starting rotation after making his debut off the bench as quite the frontcourt presence. He appeared in 39 games, starting just once in 2022-23 but he took home All-MWC Tournament honors by season’s end, producing 8.3 ppg and 6.0 rpg on 50 percent shooting from the field.
He doesn’t need many touches to make his presence felt in the painted and can utilize his length in a variety of ways to anchor the defensive front in their frontcourt as a starter. In their NCAA Tournament run this past season, he averaged 7.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg as well. He looks poised to have a breakout senior year in Year 2 in the MWC.
Bench – Demarshay Johnson Jr. (10 mpg)
Demarshay Johnson Jr. is another young frontcourt presence with room to grow in the frontcourt at the backup center role in 2023-24. He appeared in just nine games as a freshman in 2022-23 but with room in the rotation for minutes, there’s a chance for more playing time in Year 2 for him.
He’ll have his chances to show off what he can do this season, though there won’t be too much pressure on him just yet.