SBNation.com User Blog: Aztec85

2014 San Diego State football recruiting: Aztecs land QB Nick Bawden

Aztec85 — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:19:20 -0000

Nick Bawden, a 6'3", 215-pound quarterback from Los Gatos, Calif., committed to San Diego State, and it happened to be the same weekend that he took a trip to Utah. Last week, Bawden attended camps at Fresno State who thought they had a solid lock on him, that was until Sunday. In fact, over a dozen schools west of the Mississippi including: Arkansas, Arizona State, BYU, Cal, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, San Jose State, SMU, UCLA, UNLV and Utah plus Dartmouth and Harvard had their eyes on him.

According to Rivals.com, Bawden visited SDSU this week and really connected with the coaches. He told the recruiting website that he likes how San Diego State appears to be a program on the rise, and that with coach Rocky Long signed to a five-year contract, there's reassuring stability at the helm of the ship. His commitment came less than two weeks after the Aztecs picked up a verbal from Carlsbad quarterback Christian Chapman, who turned down offers from BYU, Colorado State, SMU and Washington State to commit to the Aztecs.

Bawden was looking for a program that would allow him to be a leader on the field and a place with a pro/spread offense to show off his arm strength whether standing in the pocket or on the run. Bawden is a pro style quarterback, has a huge arm, good footwork but not blazing speed. He likes the Aztecs offense that allows him to throw from the pocket, spread out the field, read coverages and look for options.

Bawden exudes self confidence and has stressed that the Aztec program and environment was a deciding factor:

"You know, go somewhere that will give me ties for the rest of my life with long-time friends. A place with really good guys, not just a place to go and play football."

And it looks like Nick Bawden found that on Aztec Mesa. Bawden is the tenth Aztec commitment for the class of 2014 and the second quarterback commit. What a difference a year makes, at this time last year the Aztecs only had one commitment and this year ten. Its obvious that championships help recruiting and vice-a-versa.

Here are highlights of Bawden from his junior season:

Jerry Rice Jr elects to be a Rebel Bruin

Aztec85 — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 08:30:39 -0000

In March of this year, Jerry Rice Jr. announced that he would give up his final year of eligibility with the UCLA Bruins. While the 49er legend's son is over at UCLA it has just begun at UNLV. Rice made the announcement on his Twitter account Friday night by thanking the university for their time and expressing his excitement in joining UNLV.

"Well it's been real UCLA... Ended a little sooner than I thought but will always be a bruin..That said I'm bout to be a rebel bruin at #UNLV," Rice tweeted.

Since UCLA has already granted his release the 5'11" 185 pound receiver, will be immediately eligible to play for the Rebels this fall. During Rice's three years as a Bruin, he caught 9 passes for 69 yards with a 7.7-yard average and didn't score a touch down. His longest reception went for 20 yards.

There is no guarantee that Rice will break the starting line-up at UNLV, but he certainly has a big name to live up to.

Colorado State gets much needed front court depth with transfers

Aztec85 — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 13:59:28 -0000

Colorado State surprised the Mountain West and the nation last year, but they didn't surprise coach Larry Eustachy. With their 26-9 record, second place finish and NCAA tournament invitation, losing to National Champions Louisville in the second round they exceeded all expectations. The Rams were first in the Mountain West in scoring margin at plus-9.3 points per game, scoring 73 points a game while only giving up 63.7.

They were first in the conference in rebounding margin; pulling down plus-12 more boards then their opponents in 35 games. And to no surprise, the Rams were first in offensive rebounds at 14 a game and second on defensive boards with 26 a game; attributed to one of the nations strongest front court made up of NBA bound 6'11" 260-pound Colton Iverson, and forwards Pierce Hornung 6'5" 210 pounds and Greg Smith who stands 6'6" at 220 pounds.

With Iverson and Smith looking to play at the next level in the NBA and Hornung done with his competitive basketball career, how do the Rams fill their front court void?

Well, Larry Eustachy put his hard hat on and went to work. Last June he landed a wiry 6'11" and 205 pound center, Marcus Holt transfer from Paris JC in Texas who was on the radar from top schools: Marquette, Wichita State, Washington, Mississippi State, Oklahoma and rival Mountain West, Nevada.

Most recently, Eustachy found Navy transfer J.J. Avila playing gym ball on an adult AAU team in his hometown of McAllen, Texas. The 6'7" 245 pound Avila committed to Colorado State University after he wrapped up an official visit to the school. Avila decided to transfer from Navy following the 2011-12 season and has spent the last year earning an associates degree at South Texas College

Avila was the Patriot League's Rookie of the Year in 2010-11, becoming a breakout star for Navy, averaging 11.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a freshman. The next season, he led the Midshipmen with 15.9 points and 7.2 boards. Avila is no stranger to playing defense, rebounding and scoring.

Last week the Rams got a commitment form former Southern Illinois forward Dantiel Daniels. Daniels has dealt with ankle and groin injuries for much of his sophomore season but averaged 7.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in 27 games. As a freshman the 6'5" 230 pound forward led the Missouri Valley Conference with an average of 1.6 blocked shots per game.

According to Matt L. Stephens of The Coloradoan, Daniels knew that he would fit in at Colorado State before the completion of his official visit to the school:

"I really liked the community, and the town of Fort Collins is really nice. We went down to the strip (Old Town), and I was comfortable. I got a really good vibe from the coaches, too," Daniels said in a phone interview.

"But I was sold on the town. It was crazy, because Friday, I hadn't even seen the basketball part of it - just the town. I knew then and there, that this is a place I feel really comfortable with. I got to talking with coach (Larry) Eustachy and all the coaches and decided this was the best situation for me to be in."

The Rams are really hoping that Daniels is the second coming of Pierce Hornurg or Greg Smith both whom are aggressive off ball defenders and tenacious rebounders. Holt, Avila and Daniels can't replace Iverson, Smith and Hornung. But they do provide the Rams some much needed front court help. Don't be surprised if Larry Eustachy finds an additional big man that can play immediately to fill his final scholarship.

Colorado State also returns three key role players from last years team: forward 6'9", 210-pound Garson Santo out of Brazil, Arizona transfer Sophomore, Daniel Bejarano guard who has size at 6'4" and 200 pounds and an athletic scorer in Jonathan Octeus who is a 6'4" 170 pound shooting guard.

These additions look to help build off Colorado State's success last season, and keep them near the top of the Mountain West.

2014 San Diego State football recruiting: Aztecs land Louisiana DB Jerrell Jackson

Aztec85 — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:06:03 -0000

It took less than five days from offer to commitment for defensive back Jerrell Jackson to say "yes" to San Diego State. Jackson is a 6'1" 170 pound defensive back prospect from Haynesville, La. Oddly enough Jackson has never been to California but he will be in "America's Finest City" at SDSU for the fall semester.

The Aztecs can thank defensive back coach and recruiting coordinator Tony White, whois one of the nations top recruiters, for landing Jackson as he stayed in touch with Jackson while providing a lot of helpful information about the city and school, and Jackson "fell in love with it." Jackson has his family's support and his parent's plan on attending as many Aztec games as they can.

Once again, the Aztecs were able to open up their Southeastern pipeline and get a pledge from a player who ranks No. 67 in Louisiana, and most of his counterparts in the area considering SEC schools. Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Georgia State, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana Monroe and others were recruiting the high school senior who became the Aztecs ninth commitment on Tuesday night.

More: Follow SDSU recruiting 2014 MWC complete recruiting coverage

Jackson describes himself as a type of guy who gives 110 percent no matter what position he played. He played many in high school; quarterback, safety, receiver and returner, plus even punted the ball a few times. He was All-State on both offense and defense, and Rivals has him as as two-star rating.

Rocky Long's 3-3-5 defenses was a big lure for Jackson, whose constant blitzes places a constant pressure and challenge on the defensive backs. Jackson's speed, athleticism and length will be the key to his success and will most likely play cornerback, but could see some time at safety for the red and black.

Jackson describes himself as a "country boy" and will visit the beaches of San Diego over the summer and make his official visit in December.

Jackson spoke with Aztecs Sports Report shortly after he committed, and said that he is with no doubt going to sign with San Diego State in February:

I'm going to sign with San Diego State. I've been hearing from a lot of coaches for a long time and they never offered me and kept asking questions. Coach White sees something in me and I see something in him. We have a good connection. I also want to let the people in Louisiana that didn't offer me know that I can go somewhere else and prove them wrong.

[...]

I'm going to look them [other schools] in the eye or if we're on the phone I'm going to tell them that I made my decision. I think it's kind of messed up that they are going to feed off another team and try to offer me later because of it.

Here are highlights from Jackson's junior season:

LeBradford Franklin officially transfers from San Diego State

Aztec85 — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:30:59 -0000

As expected, junior point guard LaBradford Franklin, is transferring out of San Diego State upon the completion of his current summer school courses. Franklin played only three games and 20 minutes last season before he left the team in mid-December for what was described as "family issues." Franklin was rarely shown attending any San Diego State games and there was no press surrounding the departure.

Goaztecs.com covered today's story with Steve Fisher notifying the press that LB3 has elected to transfer:

"LaBradford has chosen to transfer after spending three years as an Aztec," Fisher said. "We value his contribution to the program. We will miss him and wish him good luck."

Then according to the San Diego Union Tribune, Franklin added:

"I'm not too concerned with everyone understanding it, I can't worry about that too much,"

"My family matters outweighed what was going on. I wasn't able to perform at the best of my abilities. I decided to step back from the team for the rest of the year to take care of more immediate emergencies, get my mind right and get my grades up....I'm not looking too much for sympathy. It was tough. But it's part of life. I've grown from it. I'm very, very hopeful moving forward."

Steve Fisher and San Diego State successfully petitioned the NCAA to allow Franklin to have a full two years of eligibility left. If he transfers to a Division I school he would have to sit out a season. But Franklin is still unsure where he will land and is exploring all options that would include both Division II and NAIA schools.

In three seasons at SDSU, Franklin played 17 games as a freshman and averaged 2.1 points, .9 assists and 1.4 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, Franklin was the back up point guard playing in 33 games and averaging 12 minutes of floor time. His numbers increased to 2.8 ppg, 1.6 apg and 1.4 rpg on the team that won the Mountain West title and qualified for the NCAA tournament.

Franklin's departure gives the Aztecs six available scholarships and four of them have been accepted. Two by incoming freshman Dakarai Allen and D'Erryl Williams from Sheldon High School in Sacramento and two to transfers Josh Davis out of Tulane and Angelo Chol from Arizona.

Early this month Baylor transfer L.J. Rose was on campus and Aztec fans are hopeful that he will commit. LB3 was the only true point guard backing up Aztec Senior, Xavier Thames. D'Erryl Williams plays point but is a freshman and has some learning to do. Rose is a 6'4" pass first point guard, a hard nose defender and was a 4 star recruit out of Houston's Westbury Christian High. He is Steve Fisher latest transfer target. We can only cross our fingers.

Mountain West Basketball 2013-2014 Non-conference pre-preview

Aztec85 — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 21:03:13 -0000

Some would say that the Mountain West Conference was the media darling going into the 2013 NCAA tournament with a total of five NCAA bids. As you recall New Mexico (No. 3 seed), UNLV (No. 5 seed), San Diego State (No. 7 seed), Colorado State (No. 8 seed) and Boise State (No. 12 seed) received invites to the big dance, while ACC only received four bids, which irritated both Virginia and Maryland coaches who voiced their concerns about being snubbed by the committee. It was the perfect storm for the Mountain West.

Mountain West fans and the media justified the five bids since the conference had the highest conference RPI .5803 and went 87-26 against all Division 1 programs in non-conference games. Factor in there were only nine teams in the conference and no real poor programs, the conference RPI was led by its top teams. Add in Wyoming who went 13-0 in November and December before having to release star player Luke Martinez for a bar room brawl, and factor in Air Force who finished with 18-14. The Mountain West finished with seven of nine programs well over .500. The only two teams finished below .500 in conference were newcomers Fresno St and Nevada.

2013-14 will be different year. Don't expect five tournament bids. Especially after the Mountain West's collapse in NCAA tournament; winning just two games (SDSU beat Oklahoma 70-55 and Colorado State defeating Missouri 84-72) and losing five, with no teams reaching the Sweet 16. The five losses were all disappointments for the Mountain West especially Harvard's 68-62 upset win over third seed New Mexico and a lesser Cal team ousted UNLV 64-61, which busted many brackets.

Boise State couldn't win their play in game against a very good La Salle team losing 80-71. And in the second round national champs Louisville pounded Colorado State 82-56 and Cinderella Florida Gulf Coast upset San Diego State 81-71. The critics take away; the Mountain West Conference was overrated.

The big question will be how can the Mountain West keep its RPI amongst the nations best after losing so much talent in conference? Lets take a look at the current 2013-2014 pre-season non-conference key games and holiday tournaments to see how that may impact the conference RPI.

New Mexico

Holiday Tournament - Charleston Classic: Clemson, Davidson, Georgia, New Mexico, UMass, Nebraska, Temple and UAB

Non-Conference - Kansas, Cincinnati, Marquette and New Mexico State

UNLV

Holiday Tournament - Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic: Mississippi St, Santa Clara, South Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida A&M, Radford and Sacred Heart.

Non-Conference - Arizona, Arizona State and Illinois.

SDSU

Holiday Tournament - Wooden Legacy: Arizona St, Creighton, Marquette, Miami, George Washington, Charleston and CS Fullerton

Non-Conference - Arizona, Washington and Kansas

Boise State

Holiday Tournament - Diamond Head Classic: Akron, Boise St, George Mason, Hawaii, Iowa St, Oregon St, Saint Mary's and South Carolina

Non-Conference - Kentucky

Colorado State

Non-Conference - Colorado and Denver

Wyoming

Holiday Tournament - Global Sports Classic - Laramie: TBD

Nevada

World Vision Classic - Reno: TBD

Five Mountain West schools - Colorado State, Air Force, San Jose State, Utah State and Fresno State haven't been announced as playing in an early-season tournament or round-robin field. The CBE Hall of Fame Classic, Barclays Center Classic, Hoops for Hope, 2K Sports Classic, Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and the NIT Season Tip-off are the major non-exempt tournaments that have established host teams but still have vacancies.

We all anxiously await the non conference schedules and holiday tournament bids that are forthcoming.

2014 San Diego State football recruiting: Carlsbad QB Christian Chapman is Aztec bound

Aztec85 — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 08:51:11 -0000

Christian Chapman from Carlsbad High School received an offer from San Diego State and decided to stay close to home to play quarterbacl in "America's Finest City" this fall. Chapman had early offers from Washington State and then Arkansas State, BYU, SMU and Colorado State all jumped on board.

He was also getting serious consideration from Pac-12 schools Washington and Colorado and Mountain West rivals Boise State, San Jose State and Fresno State. Some FBS schools were a bit skeptical on his size to be able to play at the next level. Chapman is listed at 6'1" and just 190 pounds.

Chapman chose the Aztecs because their pro-style offense would suit him best. At Carlsbad they run a lot play action and bootleg plays for the high school senior. Aztecs quarterback coach. and former NFL Cleveland Browns signal caller, Brian Sipe made the offer to Chapman who became the Aztecs eighth player to commit in the class of 2014.

The Aztecs were hoping that Brad Kaaya of West Hills, Calif., Chaminade High School would come to Montezuma Mesa when they made an offer in April. Since then the 6'4" 208-pound quarterback committed to the University of Miami. He operates out of a spread at Chaminade that enables him to air it out and show off his strong arm.

The Aztec depth chart at Quarterback has been depleted from last year after losing Ryan Katz, the fifth year senior from Oregon State, to a broken leg last year and capable back up Jake Bernards to graduation.

Adam Dingwell will continue to be slated as the Aztec starting quarterback this fall with Chad Jeffries likely being the backup.

Here are some highlights of Chapman:

2014 San Diego State football recruiting: Aztecs land defensive end Noble Hall

Aztec85 — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 07:14:34 -0000

San Diego State landed additional help on the defensive side of the football and new recruits are coming from an unlikely place, Las Vegas

Las Vegas' Valley High School defensive end Noble Hall (previously known as Eric Burrell) received a scholarship offer on Friday, May 31 and committed to play for Aztecs on Saturday June 1, according to the Las Vegas Sun.

"Going there is a good fit for me because it is so close to home," he said. "It's a big relief. Now, I can focus on football and keeping my grades up."

Hall is a 6'4' 235 pound defensive end who also had scholarships extended from Army, Northern Arizona and Idaho, and also from Mountain West rivals Boise State and UNLV showing a lot of interest.

More: Follow 2014 MWC recruiting Aztecs land ILB Cameron Griffin SDSU earns a commit from DB

Hall recently changed his name to honor his father who was shot and killed before his birth, so the recruiting world still knows him as Eric Burrell. Noble is the sixth ranked athlete in Nevada and plays both defensive end and tight end. He runs a 4.8-second 40-yard dash and is considered an elite quality FBS prospect.

Hall is the 7th Aztec player commitment for the class of 2014.

2013 NCAA baseball tournament: San Diego State vs. UCLA

Aztec85 — Fri, 31 May 2013 02:11:47 -0000

UCLA will host the NCAA Western Regional's this weekend and teams include the No. 4 seed San Diego State Aztecs, No. 3 seed University of San Diego Toreros, No. 2 seed Cal Poly Mustangs and the No. 2 UCLA Bruins. The double elimination tournament begins Friday at Jackie Robinson Stadium on the campus of UCLA. This will be the Aztecs 10th overall appearance in the post season and first NCAA birth since 2009.

The Aztecs earned the automatic bid after an impressive appearance in the MWC Tourney. In an interview with Coach Tony Gwynn said, "the team finally put it all together, and even though the offense struggled all year, they did great job and didn't give in."

More: FAQ of UCLA baseball FAQ of Arizona State baseball College World Series coverage

Second baseman Mark Zier told the Mighty 1090 radio, that they peaked at the right time and had to scrap to get the four victories in a row and come out of the losers bracket to win the MWC Championship. The Aztecs finally played to their potential and after a victory against Air Force in the opener; they lost to UNLV placing them in the losers bracket. The Aztecs had to come back and play 4 elimination games beating Fresno State 4-0, then winning a Saturday double header 6-2 vs. UNLV and beating New Mexico in the night cap 8-7 with a bases loaded, game ending double play.

Aztec pitching and defense had carried the team all year,year; however, they were hitting a league low .265 going to in to the tournament. Meanwhile the Lobos lead the nation with a team high batting average of .338 and averaged 8.56 runs per game. The Aztecs faced the Lobos again for the Championship game beating them handily 9-4 to earn their NCAA bid.

Aztec freshman third baseman Ty France of West Covina's South Hills High School was named a National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. During last week's MWC Tournament he went 16-for-21 over six games for a .726 batting average. His 16 hits were a MWC tournament record. He also parked 2 home runs.

During the six games at last week's MWC Tournament SDSU compiled a .364 batting average with a 4.08 earned run average and .982 fielding percentage.

Pitching and defense may win championships, but the Aztecs will need to continue timely hitting and the ability to score runs to advance in the NCAA's.

First pitch is at 9 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN3.

Running back Ronnie Daniels elects to not pursue football career with San Diego State

Aztec85 — Tue, 28 May 2013 21:06:07 -0000

Former Texas Tech Red Raiders running back Ronnie Daniels was supposed to be a key piece of the 2013 San Diego St. Aztecs recruiting class. Plus, he was going to compete on the depth chart to be the number two back up to all-conference tail back Adam Muema. But according to Rivals.com, Daniels is now done with college football.

The 6'2", 210 pound back signed his Letter of Intent with San Diego State in February after being dismissed from the Texas Tech program as a three-striker. Daniels called the dismal a "misunderstanding' and there was no formal reason from the Red Raiders for his dismissal.

Daniels sent a text message to the AztecsSportsReport.com saying, "All I have to say is I am sorry to all my fans and friends." Daniels has been attending Grossmont City College and was suppose to be enrolled at San Diego State this fall.

Daniels last played football at Texas Tech in 2012 and had nine carries for 43 yards and one touch down, he was a three-star recruit out of La Cueva high schools out of Albuquerque, N.M., and a member of the Texas Tech 2011 recruiting class.

2013 MWC Transfers, Who is In & Who is Out?

Aztec85 — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:28:02 -0000

With only a little over a month out from March Madness and Final 4, the NCAA transfers list exceeds 400 student athletes. With so many players switching uniforms it will be hard to follow teams with out a roster. Once again SDSU lands two high impact transfers. Steve Fisher has a history of taking dis-guarded kids and building winning teams and successful students who graduate with their degrees. Perhaps its the teacher in him. The current Aztec Roster looks like a who's who in college basketball with players transferring in from Washington State, St. Johns, Virgina, Utah, CSUN and now local San Diego native Angelo Chol from Arizona and Josh Davis from Tulane.

Here is a cheat sheet for the MWC, a sort of snapshot in time tracking player movement:

Who is in?

Angelo Chol, 6-9, PF, Soph., Arizona -- SAN DIEGO STATE

Josh Davis, 6-8, PF, Jr., Tulane (can play immediately) -- SAN DIEGO STATE

Jerron Granberry, 6-5, G, Sr., North Florida (can play immediately) -- WYOMING

Who is Out?

Kory Alford, 6-4, G, Fr., New Mexico - UCLA

Aaron Anderson, 6-3, G, Fr., Fresno -- CENTRAL OKLAHOMA

David Andoh, 6-7, F, Fr., San Jose State -- WAGNER

Riley Bradshaw, 6-2, G, Fr., Utah State - MONTANA

Alex Brown, 6-11, C, Jr., San Jose State

Jerry Brown, 6-7, F, Jr., Fresno -- SANTA CLARA

Jordan Burris, 6-7, SG, Jr., Nevada

Devonte Elliott, 6-10, F, Jr., Nevada

Louis Garrett, 6-6, F, Jr., San Jose State -- DIXIE STATE

Marvin Jean, 6-4, G. Jr., Utah State

Xavier Jones, 6-4, G, Jr., San Jose State

Matt Lopez, 6-11, C, Soph., Utah State

Mike Moser, 6-8, F, Jr., UNLV (will graduate) -- OREGON

Kevin Olekaibe, 6-2, G, Jr., Fresno

Kevin Panzer, 6-9, F, Jr., Nevada

Stephen Smith, 6-8, F, Soph., San Jose State

Demetrius Walker, 6-2, G, Jr., New Mexico (will graduate)

My biggest surprise is that there are as many big names leaving the MWC then who are coming in. The MWC has been an accepting conference and turned marginal or troubled players into college athletes and NBA hopefuls. I don't see MWC schools landing transfers...yet...but there is still time.

Here is a cheat sheet for the MWC, a sort of snapshot in time tracking player movement:

Who is in?

Angelo Chol, 6-9, PF, Soph., Arizona -- SAN DIEGO STATE

Josh Davis, 6-8, PF, Jr., Tulane (can play immediately) -- SAN DIEGO STATE

Jerron Granberry, 6-5, G, Sr., North Florida (can play immediately) -- WYOMING

Who is Out?

Kory Alford, 6-4, G, Fr., New Mexico - UCLA

Aaron Anderson, 6-3, G, Fr., Fresno -- CENTRAL OKLAHOMA

David Andoh, 6-7, F, Fr., San Jose State -- WAGNER

Riley Bradshaw, 6-2, G, Fr., Utah State - MONTANA

Alex Brown, 6-11, C, Jr., San Jose State

Jerry Brown, 6-7, F, Jr., Fresno -- SANTA CLARA

Jordan Burris, 6-7, SG, Jr., Nevada

Devonte Elliott, 6-10, F, Jr., Nevada

Louis Garrett, 6-6, F, Jr., San Jose State -- DIXIE STATE

Marvin Jean, 6-4, G. Jr., Utah State

Xavier Jones, 6-4, G, Jr., San Jose State

Matt Lopez, 6-11, C, Soph., Utah State

Mike Moser, 6-8, F, Jr., UNLV (will graduate) -- OREGON

Kevin Olekaibe, 6-2, G, Jr., Fresno

Kevin Panzer, 6-9, F, Jr., Nevada

Stephen Smith, 6-8, F, Soph., San Jose State

Demetrius Walker, 6-2, G, Jr., New Mexico (will graduate)

Football recruiting heats up for SDSU

Aztec85 — Tue, 14 May 2013 21:29:08 -0000

Football recruiting heats up for SDSU

Aztecs, 5 Hard Commits most in the MWC!

2013 NFL Draft by Conference

Aztec85 — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:07:14 -0000

The draft is complete and players will be in the locker room for summer work outs, but which conference will send the most drafted players into the pros? The SEC by far had more drafted players then any other conference. Here is the actual breakout: SEC 63, ACC 30, PAC 12 28, BIG 12 22, BIG East 21, BIG 10 20, CUSA 8, Mountain West 7, Indy's 7, WAC 6, MAC 6, Sun Belt 3.

MWC Drafted Players:

Boise State: DB Jamar Taylor (No. 54 overall, Miami Dolphins)

Fresno State: DB Phillip Thomas (No. 119 overall, Washington Redskins)

Nevada: DB Duke Williams (No. 105 overall, Buffalo Bills), DB Khalid Wooten (No. 202 overall, Tennessee Titans)

San Diego State: TE Gavin Escobar (No. 47 overall, Dallas Cowboys), DB Leon McFadden (No. 68 overall, Cleveland Browns), WR Brice Butler (No. 209 overall, Oakland Raiders)

MWC Drafted Players:

Boise State: DB Jamar Taylor (No. 54 overall, Miami Dolphins)

Fresno State: DB Phillip Thomas (No. 119 overall, Washington Redskins)

Nevada: DB Duke Williams (No. 105 overall, Buffalo Bills), DB Khalid Wooten (No. 202 overall, Tennessee Titans)

San Diego State: TE Gavin Escobar (No. 47 overall, Dallas Cowboys), DB Leon McFadden (No. 68 overall, Cleveland Browns), WR Brice Butler (No. 209 overall, Oakland Raiders)

Ranking the MWC 2013 Basketball Recruiting Classes

Aztec85 — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:33:56 -0000

2012-2013 was a breakout season for the MWC sending five teams to the NCAA Tournament. No MWC team reached the second weekend, but what’s more startling is the list of teams that eliminated the league’s team from the tournament: No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast, No. 14 Harvard, No. 13 La Salle and No. 12 Cal. Only Colorado State could leave the tournament holding its head up high, and the eighth-seeded Rams lost in the round of 32 to Louisville. Biggest disappointments: NMU losing to Harvard, so long Steve Alford and UNLV to Cal, so long Anthony Bennett and Mike Moser. Only SDSU and Colorado State had a respectable tourney.

With that said, will the MWC reload for the 2013-2014 and recruit top prospects, unfortunately at this point of the year the answer is "No."

Let’s take a look at who is entering in to the Nations No. 11 RPI conference this fall. I use that No. 1 loosely after being disappointed in March and fear that the chants of overrated may have been dead on.

The best teams get better and then there is everyone else. San Diego State appears to have the strongest incoming class with two 4 star wings: Dakari Allen 6’5" and RS freshman Matt Shringly 6’6" wing players and PG D’Erryl Williams a solid 6’3" PG from Sheldon HS. The Aztecs need to replace 63% of their total scoring; as they lose NBA bound Jamaal Franklin and senior starters Chase Tapley, Deshawn Stephens and James Rahon. Jamal Jones a 6’8" juco wing has narrowed down the Aztecs to his top choices.

The Running Rebels have no loss of talent either with three incoming recruits, 4 star 6’10" Christian Wood from hometown Findlay Prep, 3 star Kendall Smith SG and 6’5" Juco transfer Jelan Kendrick. But the Rebs lose 60% of their offense with the loss NBA bound Anthony Bennett; Udub bound Mike Moser and 3 4 year seniors. UNLV and SDSU will fight in out for Shabazz Muhammad’s little brother Rashad another 6’4" SG.

Lobo Nation won’t fair much better not only is Head Coach Steve Alford in Westwood but Bryce Alford is coming along with dad. Bryce a 3 star SG was Mr. Basketball New Mexico. Tony Snell applies for the NBA draft as well leaving a hole at SG. Will Cullen Neal follow his dad to Albuquerque now that team Alford is gone? Cullen is a 6’4 SG who has spent his HS career in the shadow of Bryce Alford. Currently, Cullen is the #1 recruit at St Mary’s but I assume dad will ask him to reconsider. UNM also brings in 6’7" PF Tim Myles.

The Rams lose 5 senior starters and over 80% of scoring with NBA fence sitters Colton Iverson and Dorian Green. Will 6’11 JC transfer Marcus Holt fill the shoes of Iverson? And will recruit guards David Cohen and Carlton Hurst get playtime? Both are 3 star players.

Boise State should be strong as the current squad is made up of freshman and sophomores. They have 3 recruits coming in, 2 star Dezmyn Trent just committed in March.

Three players to watch for are Fresno State PF Soma Edo 6’5" 225, UN Reno’s SF D.J Fenner out of Seattle Prep. He won’t however make up for the loses of Jordan Burris 6’7" and Devonte Elliott 6’10 who want out of the program. The last on the watch list is 6’4" SG Joe McGlaston who has committed to Utah State.

Here’s how the rest of MWC look for incoming recruits: Wyoming 67, Utah St 67, Fresno State 65, San Jose State 58, Boise St 55 and AF 55 (Average player rating.)

These will all change once the list of transfers comes out and players look to the MWC for more playtime and better competition. So far 100 players have decided to make the move, last year a record 450 transfers players changed schools and I expect more of the same this year.

With that said, will the MWC reload for the 2013-2014 and recruit top prospects, unfortunately at this point of the year the answer is "No."

Boise State should be strong as the current squad is made up of freshman and sophomores. They have 3 recruits coming in, 2 star Dezmyn Trent just committed in March.

Here’s how the rest of MWC look for incoming recruits: Wyoming 67, Utah St 67, Fresno State 65, San Jose State 58, Boise St 55 and AF 55 (Average player rating.)

MWC Bracketology 2013 By the Numbers

Aztec85 — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 08:59:33 -0000

The MWC is the #1 RPI conference for the past few weeks running. Yet, ESPN only has 4 MWC schools (UNM, CSU, UNLV and SDSU) making the Tournament, while CBSSportsline has 5 (Boise St included.) We still get little respect while the Big 10 and Big East will send 7-8 schools.

Teamrankings.com analyzes and projects out the 2013 field. Here's a short list of MWC schools and other western schools (targets.) The metrics I am writing about are the projected seed, the estimated final record, and the % possibility to receive a bid. The MWC is as follows:

UNM projected 2 seed, finishing 25-5 with 100% bid, UNLV #5 seed, 23-8 99%, CSU #6 seed, 24-7 99%, SDSU 22-8 #11 seed 22-8 and Boise State 20-10 and 25% chance of a bid. Wyoming is projected with 19-11 and 1% chance and Air Force 17-12 with a 2% chance.

2013 MWC new comers Utah State 22-8 (WAC)and only a 12% chance. SJSU 10-19 0% is about the same as Nevada 13-17 and Fresno St 10-19 all 0%.

They also project the following# of bids from the top 10 conferences: Big East 7.6 teams, Big 10 6.9, Big 12 4.9, Pac12 4.9, ACC 4.5, MWC 4.2, A-10 3.7, SEC 3.5, WCC 2.1 and CUSA and MVC 2.0 all other AQs will be between 1.0 and 1.8.

Should the MWC earn 5 bids? Does Boise St deserve to go? Are other conferences overrated? Should the MWC look at the following targets for MWC Basketball expansion? WCC schools: Gonzaga 29-2 100%, St. Mary's 26-5 96%, BYU and Santa Clara 21-10 2% or even Denver (WAC) 21-10 48%, UTEP (CUSA) 16-14 and NMSU (WAC) 21-10.

2013 MWC new comers Utah State 22-8 (WAC)and only a 12% chance. SJSU 10-19 0% is about the same as Nevada 13-17 and Fresno St 10-19 all 0%.

Should the NCAA Crack Down on Conference Expansion?

Aztec85 — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:33:11 -0000

Given the land and money grab and the loss of historical rivalries should the NCAA have any say on Conference realignment? They certainly don't have any issues on handing out disciplinary actions or to review student athletes eligibility. However, when it comes to the expansion and the collapse of leagues we never hear anything about the NCAA, do they have a role? Or are they ok as long as they are making money off the backs of student athletes and the institutions they over see?

MWC Conference Expansion

Aztec85 — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 06:11:57 -0000

If you were Craig Thompson how would you create stability and growth opportunities in the MWC? Here's what I would do and it's all plausible. First the facts, the MWC currently is the #1 or #2 rated RPI conference in the Nation depending on the source or the weeks. The MWC RPI will be diluted when FB schools Utah State and SJSU are added in the Fall of 2013. BYU is still highly desirable as a FB or BB school to the MWC. The MWC will have 11 BB playing schools since Hawaii is FB only and plays all other sports in the Big West. The MWC CBS contract goes through 2016 and focus' on the MWC Football schedule. The MWC has allowed a secondary revenue source beyond CBS sports for MWC FB.
Both Gonzaga and St. Mary's are top 50 BB programs, while Gonzaga is a premium national brand.

The MWC should expand and include BYU, Gonzaga and St. Mary's as BB schools, plus Olympic sports. This allows all schools to be within the same geographical footprint without looking eastward to Texas and Oklahoma. The precedent has been set. Fox was willing to pay the Catholic 7 $30MM, what would the MWC BB conference receive $15MM to $20MM. Fox, NBC and ESPN are all looking for quality content. The additions of these 3 schools would restore the RPI and the conference would be the best in the west! BYU could maintain their independence in football, but would be required to play a minimum 5 to 6 MWC teams, currently, BYU has commitments with Utah St, Boise St, UNLV and Nevada. This agreement is similar to Notre Dame and the ACC. The new MWC BB league would require a separate TV deal and unlike the Big East/Catholic 7 split pay schools for both programs.

Basketball would adhere to the same divisional splits but increase he overall RPI. UNM 22-4 .6635, Gonzaga 25-2 .6432, CSU 21-4 .6405, UNLV 19-7 .6180, SDSU 18-7 .6044, Boise St. 16-8 .5942, St Mary's 22-5 .5844, Wyoming 18-7 .5711, BYU 19-8 .5644, Air Force 15-9 .5633, Utah St. 18-6 .5314, Nevada 12-12 .5238, Fresno St 6-16 .5076 and SJSU 9-16 .4564. Both NMSU 18-9 .5532 and UTEP 14-10 .5427 could be considered as both BB and FB schools.

MWC would need to negotiate an additional bid from the NCAA for the tournament and create a broadcast proposal for the sports networks and digital rights. The scenario is a win-win for the MWC and three new partners. BYU would also maintain its current FB status, the MWC would gain audience and create a rev share program to offset costs.

This blueprint expands the MWC footprint and leverages both FB and BB assets and resources. This scenario also takes into consideration the possible additions for NMSU and UTEP but rewards them for their basketball programs and does hurt the current FB schools. We also accept BYU back into the MWC, allowing them to continue on with BYU TV for football.

The WAC, WCC, Big Sky and Big West would have to realign schools at some point, however, the MWC becomes the premiere RPI NCAA BB conference and the preferred non AQ FB conference for BCS Bowls. The concept and math works, so if I was Craig Thompson I would look to secure basketball schools and look beyond the current TV deal.