Sept. 9, 2003
2003-04 San Diego State Men's Basketball Roster (Sept. 9)
Download Free Acrobat Reader
SAN DIEGO - One week into the 2003 fall term, San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher announced the addition of Brandon Heath and Shawn Weinstein to the Aztecs' basketball program.
Heath, a 6-3 guard from Westchester High in Los Angeles, and Weinstein, a 6-1 guard from Rancho Pales Verdes who played his prep career at Peninsula High, are both freshmen that are eligible for competition immediately. The two players join 6-8 forward Marcus Slaughter as three new additions to the 2003-04 Aztec squad.
In addition, Fisher announced that sophomore guard John Sharper would receive a scholarship for the 2003-04 season.
Heath originally signed a National Letter of Intent with San Diego State in the early 2001-02 signing period before electing to sit out last season. By sitting out a year, the NLI expired and Heath was considered a recruitable athlete until attending classes at San Diego State last week.
Heath played his prep basketball at Westchester High, a team that was ranked number one nationally during his senior season. He was selected to Street & Smith's third-team All-America prep team, the same squad to which former Aztec player Evan Burns was named. He was listed as the nation's 68th top recruit by PrepWest Hoops and the 19th best shooting guard in the country by Athlon Sports. A three-time all-state and all-city selection, Heath scored a team-high 17 points in the Southern California regional championship and followed that up with a 20-point effort in leading Westchester to the 2001 California state championship.
"We are very excited after a year of waiting to have Brandon Heath at San Diego State," Fisher said. "He will be a wonderful asset to our team in every regard. He brings athleticism, a great competitive spirit and a championship background to our program."
Weinstein, an invited walk-on, was named a second-team prep All-American by the Jewish Sports Review after an outstanding senior campaign at Peninsula High in Rolling Hills, Calif. He posted a South Bay-leading 28.5 scoring average while leading the Panthers to the state playoffs the final three years of his prep career. He was named to the all-CIF Division I-AAA second team and also earned all-Bay most outstanding player and Daily Breeze (Torrance, Calif.) all-area team honors. He connected on 45 percent from the floor, including 44.8 percent from three-point range, and 81 percent from the line in a senior campaign that saw him average 5.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.1 steals in addition to leading the area in scoring. A McDonald's All-American nominee, Weinstein turned down collegiate scholarships and follow highly recruited players that walked-on at San Diego State (Al Faux and John Sharper).
"Shawn is a walk-on with a reputation of being a great scorer and we are glad to have him in the program," Fisher said. "We have shown that walk-on players have an equal opportunity to play here and they have had outstanding success in the program. We are hopeful that Shawn will be another one of those success stories."
The two freshmen join 6-9 forward Marcus Slaughter as three newcomers on the 2003-04 San Diego State team and increase the roster to 13 players. A Street & Smith's honorable mention All-American, Slaughter signed a NLI with SDSU last November. As a senior last season, Slaughter averaged 21.1 points and 14.5 rebounds. Slaughter was rated as the 80th top recruit in the country by Insiders.com and as one of the top two power forwards on the West Coast by PrepWest Hoops, which also placed the prep as the 16th best prospect at his position nationally.
"Marcus brings size along with athleticism and versatility to score both inside and outside," Fisher said. "Right now we need to get him in the weight room and get him stronger. The position he plays will provide him with an instant opportunity."
Sharper, who saw action in 28 games as a freshman walk-on last season, has been placed on scholarship for the upcoming campaign. A native of Oakland, Sharper averaged 1.9 points last season while connecting on 14-of-32 three-point field goal attempts. He averaged 8.4 minutes per contest.
"We are happy to reward John for his play last season and his continued hard work during the off-season," Fisher said. "We know that he will continue to be a daily contributor to our success this season."
San Diego State posted a 16-14 record last season and advanced to postseason play for the second consecutive year. The Aztecs recorded the first Division I postseason victory in school history when SDSU defeated UC Santa Barbara in the opening round of the NIT. San Diego State returns eight letterwinners, including senior forward Aerick Sanders, who started all 30 games last season. Added to the mix this season will be the return of junior forward Chris Walton and the addition of junior guard Wesley Stokes, a transfer from Missouri.
Season tickets are currently on sale through the San Diego State ticket office and are available by calling (619) 283-SDSU.
-SDSU-