April 18, 2001
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher announced that Mike Mackell, a 6-9, 230-pound center from Washington D.C., has signed a national letter of intent to enroll at San Diego State University and play basketball for the Aztecs next season.
Mackell averaged 22.4 points and 10.6 rebounds as a sophomore at Porterville College in Porterville, Calif., last season. Before deciding on San Diego State, Mackell, who was named the state's player of the year, took official trips to Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh and Oregon. He also received "legitimate interest" from Kentucky and Connecticut according to an ESPN.com story published on April 9.
"Mike brings size and strength and those are areas where we have been lacking," Fisher said. "He has basketball skills. He brings toughness that all good teams need. He doesn't mind pushing people around and he doesn't complain if someone tries to push him."
Mackell led Porterville to a 62-5 record during his two seasons, including a California state championship during the 1999-2000 season. Mackell prepped at Eastern High in Washington D.C.
"He doesn't care about personal stats as much as he does winning," Fisher said.
With the signing of Mackell, the Aztecs now have 13 scholarship players for the 2001-02 season, the maximum allowed under NCAA rules. The Aztecs have signed three players since the spring signing period began on April 11. In addition to Mackell, San Diego State has inked Trimaine Davis, a 6-8, 215-pound forward from Bay Point, Calif., and Tommie Johnson, a 6-4, 190-pound guard from Los Angeles.
"I am cautiously optimistic about the future," Fisher said. "We feel like we have the ability to start playing with people in our league."
San Diego State finished the 2000-01 season at 14-14, marking just the second .500 or better record for the Aztecs in the last 16 seasons. In Fisher's second season at San Diego State, the Aztecs were one of the five most improved teams in the country, according to the Sagarin Ratings, and enjoyed a 73.3 percent attendance increase over the 1999-2000 campaign.
Steve Fisher's first full recruiting class at San Diego State in 1999-2000, was rated as one of the 40 classes nationally and featured the The Sporting News Mountain West Conference Newcomer of the Year and United States Basketball Writers Association District 9 member Randy Holcomb.
San Diego State returns eight of its top nine scorers for the 2001-02 season.