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“AZTECS OBSERVATION”
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It’s like being stationed in a firetower looking out into the forest.
Looking at the big picture, not just this specific San Diego State basketball game.
A strange season so far. So much expected early on.
So little consistency.
Some real questions about how long it will take this team to come together.
And in that firetower, I am looking for embers close by to catch fire and seeing what the big picture far away (NCAA-March Madness time) might look like.
The Aztecs are not yet, what I thought, you thought, Brian Dutcher imagined, so far.
The Tuesday night game at Nevada-Reno was a prime example.
So was the ugly loss weeks ago to Troy State.
And the the wild win vs Boise State that went 3-overtimes on the weekend.
Looking thru my binoculars, I have yet to see Magoon Gwath be what he was a year ago, an ascending star on the come. He looks tentative jumping, driving, rebounding. This comeback from knee surgery will take longer, maybe into the second half of the season. His confidence is missing.
Anyone seen the dynamics of Miles Byrd? At least not yet, especially from someone who practiced so well against potential NBA draft picks last summer. I expected alot more consistency.
BJ Davis has been exceptional, and looks so different from a year ago,much more explosive.
Miles Heide does all the dirty work around the basket but has his limitations, but he will give you all his minutes and fouls.
Pharaoh Compton, it’s not pretty, some nights not consistent, but he is a real grinder amongst the bigs. Can play the role and lots of games left on his docket.
Reese Waters, the time away from the game has been a challenge. Still think the best of a final season is still to come, and he is such a wide body who can lean on people.
Elzie Harrington, what a surprise. Young guys have good nights and nights they get overwhelmed by the process. That’s him. But what upside.
Taj deGourville looks so much more explosive this second year and they really need him. Huge upside about to be delivered too
Sean Newman makes me wonder sometimes, is it too overwhelming for him, this step up from Louisiana Tech. Have yet to find trust-worthy play from him coming off the bench.
Jeremiah Oden brings lots of experience to the floor but defining a role has been hard for him and his coach.
Tae Simmons is just scratching the surface, and is so young, but the stage does not seem too big for him yet.
The bench bunch has really delivered just 14-games into the season. The toughness dimension has shown its streak at times. The defensive intensity has been hit and miss. It is weird, this deep into the season, the Aztecs don’t feel like a finished product. At times you don’t know if they have the right guys in the starting lineup either.
We know they are not equal to Michigan-Arizona and the big boys they played. At this juncture they don’t resemble great teams of SDSU vintage we have seen the last couple of years.
But we also know that we’d trust SDSU’s history over say the up and down play of USC or the volatility of UCLA and their coach. Aside from all things Gonzaga and Mark Few, State still has time to make it come together.
Atop my firetower, I don’t see any blazes out there yet. I expect as they march thru this final MWC schedule, they will come together. Just not yet. Keep looking for smoke that this SDSU fire will erupt before March Madness gets here.
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