July 16, 2010
SAN DIEGO -
San Diego State 2010-11 Preseason Prospectus | San Diego State 2010-11 Preseason Accolades
Inside Look at San Diego State
Starters Returning: 5 - senior guard D.J. Gay, senior forward Malcolm Thomas, senior forward Billy White, sophomore forward Kawhi Leonard, sophomore guard Chase Tapley
Starters Lost: 0
Letterwinners Returning: 9 - senior center Brian Carlwell, senior forward Mehdi Cheriet, senior guard D.J. Gay, senior forward Malcolm Thomas, senior forward Billy White, sophomore forward Kawhi Leonard, sophomore guard Chase Tapley, junior forward Tim Shelton, sophomore forward Alec Williams
Letterwinners Lost: 5 - senior guard Kelvin Davis (graduation), senior guard Jason Deutchman (graduation), sophomore guard Bryan Horton (transferred mid-year), senior foward Ben Kneller (graduation), sophomore guard Tyrone Shelley (transferred)
Newcomers: 3 - sophomore guard James Rahon (Santa Clara transfer; eligible this season), freshman guard Jamaal Franklin, freshman guard LaBradford Franklin
Percentage of Points Returning: 82.8 percent
Percentage of Rebounds Returning: 80.4 percent
Percentage of Assists Returning: 86.7 percent
Percentage of Steals Returning: 76.5 percent
Percentage of Blocked Shots Returning: 86.5 percent
Percentage of Field Goals Made Returning: 83.4 percent
Percentage of 3-Pointers Made Returning: 70.9 percent
Percentage of Minutes Played Returning: 82.2 percent
* Head coach Steve Fisher returns five starters for just the third time in his coaching career. While at Michigan, the 1992-93 squad returned everyone from the season before, reached the NCAA championship game and finished with a 31-5 record. In 2008-09, Fisher's Aztecs had all five starters back and that group went on to win a school-record 26 games and advanced to the NIT semifinals.
* The 2010-11 campaign represents the 10th time Fisher has brought back at least four starters from the previous year. The other nine times have resulted in postseason appearances (6 NCAA, 3 NIT) and at least 21 victories each time. This is the fifth time Fisher has had at least four starters return while on Montezuma Mesa.
* When at least four starters from the previous season return, Fisher's teams have gone a combined 220-83 (.726).
* San Diego State enters the 2010-11 campaign in the midst of its most successful run in school history. The Aztecs have won 20 or more games and advanced to the postseason five straight years for the first time in school history.
* The 2010-11 Aztecs enter the upcoming campaign having played in 523 career Division I games, which includes 322 career starts. In comparison, last year's team entered the 2009-10 slate with 391 career games and 178 all-time starts under their belts and still managed to win 25 games.
* SDSU's projected starting lineup includes Kawhi Leonard (All-MWC first team, MWC freshman of the year, MWC tournament MVP, MWC all-tournament team, USBWA all-District IX, NABC all-district first team, Sporting News all-freshman second team), Malcolm Thomas (All-MWC second team, NABC all-district second team), Billy White (honorable mention all-MWC, three-time all-MWC pick), D.J. Gay (honorable mention all-MWC), and Chase Tapley (17 starts, 1.87 assist-to-turnover ratio). The aforementioned group combined to make 152 of the 180 possible starts (84.4 percent) last year.