April 24, 2009
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State's incoming men's basketball recruiting class enjoyed a successful 2009 campaign, their last prior to stepping foot on Montezuma Mesa this coming fall. The five-man group, which inked this past November during the early signing period, has received rave reviews and is among the best in NCAA Division I, according to multiple media outlets.
When the signing period closed, The HOOP SCOOP Online rated SDSU's class as the 15th best in the nation and No. 1 among non-automatic qualifying BCS schools and Rivals.com rated the class as the best among non-automatic qualifying institutions. The Aztec 2009-10 incoming class includes Kawhi Leonard, Chase Tapley, Malcolm Thomas, Eric Lawton and Alec Williams.
Leonard, a product of King High School in Riverside, Calif., averaged 22.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.0 blocks. The Los Angeles Times Player of the Year had at least 20 points and 20 rebounds six times as a senior for a team that went 30-3, won the CIF-Southern Section Division I-AA title and finished in second place in the Southern California Regional. In addition to being named L.A. Times Player of the Year, the CalHiSports.com Mr. Basketball State Player of the Year was one of seven Los Angeles-area players to receive the John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year Award (CIF-SS Div. I). Leonard was also a CalHiSports.com all-state first-team pick, a Collision All-Star Game participant and ended the year ranked No. 56 on ESPNU's Top 100.
Tapley, from Sacramento High, averaged 23.2 points while leading his team to the Northern California state finals and a 27-7 overall record. As the team's leading scorer, Tapley finished the season ranked 39th in scoring in the state, according to MaxPreps.com, and was the NorCalPreps.com Division III Player of the Year. Tapley was also selected to the CalHiSports.com all-state second team and the NorCalPreps.com first team.
Thomas, who spent this past season at San Diego City College after playing his freshman campaign at Pepperdine, ended his sophomore year as SDCC's team leader in points (21.1), rebounds (12.9), blocks (3.8), field-goal percentage (60.6) and free throws (178). A native San Diegan, Thomas was named the 2009 California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Co-MVP and the Pacific Coast Conference Player of the Year while helping San Diego City College to a 28-5 record and to the CCCAA quarterfinals.
Lawton, out of West Valley High in Hemet, Calif., completed his senior season by averaging 22.5 points, the 60th-best scoring average in The Golden State, according to MaxPreps.com. Lawton helped West Valley to a 21-8 (10-0 Sunbelt League) overall record and a Sunbelt League title. In the process, West Valley earned a berth in the CIF-Southern Section Division I-A playoffs where it advanced to the quarterfinal round.
Williams, a native of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and JSerra High Catholic, will step foot on campus at San Diego State carrying a 21.3 scoring average from his final season at JSerra. The 6-6 Williams finished the year ranked No. 88 in California in scoring, according to MaxPreps.com. Williams helped JSerra reach the CIF-Southern Section Division IV-AA playoffs where they advanced to the second round.
Joining the quintet in 2009-10 will be Tyrone Shelley and Brian Carlwell, who both sat out this past season due to NCAA transfer guidelines.
Prior to joining the SDSU program, Shelley starred at Pepperdine as a freshman with his high school teammate Thomas. The 6-5, 217-pound guard averaged a team-best 15.1 points in 32 games, while making 19 starts in 2007-08. The Crawford High product also averaged 5.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Shelley connected on a team-high 167 field goals, while ranking second on the team in rebound average, steals (52), three-point field goals (48), free throws (100) and free-throw percentage (.763). At season's end, Shelley was named a 2007-08 CollegeHoops.net Mid-Major Freshman First-Team All-American.
Carlwell, meanwhile, will be eligible after a two-year stint at Illinois. The 6-10 Carlwell appeared in 26 games, averaging 7.0 minutes per contest on a team that finished 23-12 (9-7 Big Ten) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament as a freshman. In his second season at Illinois, Carlwell played in three games before suffering an injury early in the year forcing him to miss the majority of 2007-08. In two seasons at Illinois, the Maywood, Ill., native played in 29 career games and averaged 1.5 points and 1.2 rebounds.
If The Hoop Scoop Online were to include transfers in their rankings, the media outlet said San Diego State's class would have garnered a top-5 ranking.
The Aztecs are coming off a 2008-09 season where they won a school-record 26 games and advanced to the postseason NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York City. SDSU has won 20 or more games and advanced to the postseason four straight seasons and returns two-time all-conference performer Billy White and significant contributors D.J. Gay and Tim Shelton.
San Diego State 2009-10 season tickets start at $99 for reserved chair-back seats and $50 deposits are currently being accepted. To make a deposit, contact the Aztec Ticket Office at (619) 283-7378.