SDSU Basketball Preview : Aztecs Appear to Be Deeper and Better : Brandenburg Faces a Number of Choices in Assembling Lineup

It was probably not the best time to talk to San Diego State basketball Coach Jim Brandenburg about prospects for his second season as the Aztecs’ coach.

His team had made an erratic debut in an exhibition the night before, losing by 9 to a touring Australian professional team, and Brandenburg was nursing the effects of a lingering cold that has slowed him for the past 3 weeks.

The circumstances made it easy for him to temper his enthusiasm.

“If you asked me 4 or 5 weeks ago, I would have said that we would be a significantly better team than last year,” Brandenburg said Tuesday. “But after watching them (Monday night), I would say I’m just cautiously optimistic.”

But for Brandenburg, known for soft-selling his chances, that almost can be considered a forceful endorsement. Despite his hesitancy to say so, the Aztecs figure to be a much stronger team than the one that finished 12-17 and seventh (5-11) in the 9-team Western Athletic Conference last year.

Not only do four starters return, but they are joined by a group of transfers and recruits who figure to give the Aztecs the depth they lacked a year ago. Proof of that can be found in the plight of Tony Ross, the team’s leading scorer and best outside shooter the past 2 seasons.

Ross, a 6-foot 3-inch guard who has averaged 16.1 points in his first 2 seasons, might find himself on the bench Saturday night when the Aztecs play Delaware at the San Diego Sports Arena. His place at shooting guard could be taken by Michael Best, a 6-4 junior transfer from Clemson.

Best, who as a freshman scored 20 points against then-No. 1 North Carolina, figures to start somewhere. It could be next to senior point guard Bryan Williams in the back court, making Ross the odd man out. Or it might be at small forward, opening room for Ross but possibly leaving the Aztecs short on muscle up front.

That choice is but one of several facing Brandenburg as he looks to finalize his starting lineup. While such questions might not be easily answered, he would rather have them then be as he was at the end of last season: only nine scholarship players left, two of them guards. Then, there was no choice.

“The more players you have, the more competition you have, and that makes players play harder,” Brandenburg said.

If that is so, the Aztecs figure to be a livelier group. Only Best and senior center Mitch McMullen appear free from much internal competition.

McMullen, second on the team in scoring (13.0 points per game) and rebounding (6.1) last season, is the Aztecs’ only proven center. Like many young, developing centers, McMullen had games when he dominated and others when he fell into early foul trouble and spent much of his time on the bench. Brandenburg is expecting a more consistent effort this time.

“The problem with Mitch is that sometimes he gets a very high anxiety level,” Brandenburg said. “It takes him a few games to settle down. Offensively, he has a lot of confidence. But we must go at him again to work on his defense.”

The sometime nervousness helped contribute to McMullen’s free-throw shooting problems. He was sent to the line more times than any Aztec last year but made only 56.9% of his attempts. The team shot 61.4% from the line, 56.7% in WAC games.

When McMullen is in foul trouble or needs a rest, the Aztecs will have to scramble. They could turn to Sam Johnson, a 6-7 senior forward who backed McMullen on occasions last season. Or they might go with Dana Jackson, a 6-8 freshman from suburban Chicago who had 4 rebounds and 6 points in 10 minutes Monday night.

Johnson figures to start at power forward, replacing Rodney Hawkins, who as a senior led the team in rebounding and was near the top of almost every significant statistical category. Brandenburg had given thought to moving Johnson to small forward, opening a spot for Jackson at power forward. For now, senior Shawn Bell, a former Morse High School player who transferred from Chicago State, is expected to start at small forward.

It all depends on Brandenburg’s plans for Best. If he is moved to small forward to allow room for Ross or Rodney Jones--a junior transfer from Panola (Tex.) College--then there would be no room for Johnson or Bell to start there. There also is the question of where to play Eeric White, a 6-6 freshman from Las Vegas. The Aztecs could use his size inside, but his outside shooting and ball handling make him a possibility at shooting guard.

The possible combinations are far from overwhelming, but they do give Brandenburg cause to ponder. They also figure to allow Brandenburg the flexibility to press and fast break more than he was able to last season.

“It is pretty tough to press and pick up fouls in a press if you don’t have any depth,” he said. “And, hopefully, we can play more up tempo than we did a year ago.”

The ability to play a more varied style is the next phase in Brandenburg’s effort to rebuild the Aztec program since he came over from Wyoming. His first season featured victories over Brigham Young and New Mexico, both ranked in the Top 20 at the time.

The team also began to rekindle fan interest. The Aztecs attracted two of their 10 biggest crowds in history last year. Season tickets sales are up slightly this season to about 2,200, and school officials are expecting one of their better crowds when North Carolina plays the Aztecs for the first time Dec. 29.

“Now we need to show a little improvement on the floor (to increase fan interest),” Brandenburg said. “We need to play hard and be entertaining. But we also need to start showing some relative success.”

That could be difficult in the WAC this season. Brandenburg figures the league, while possibly lacking teams as strong as BYU and Wyoming were last season, will be stronger overall. He selected Texas El Paso and New Mexico as the early favorites, with Colorado State and Utah not far behind.

“The league has really moved into the middle,” he said. “It’s much more compressed.”

Brandenburg hopes that still leaves some room for the Aztecs.

“When I took over, I talked about the three steps to building a program,” Brandenburg said. “I want to be competitive, a contender and then a serious contender. I want us to move up this year.”