SAN DIEGO – With its second straight Mountain West regular season title secured last Wednesday, after a 71-62 victory at UNLV, and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming 2021 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Men's Basketball Championship, award season is upon us and four San Diego State Aztecs received recognition from the media that cover the league on a regular basis.
Senior forward Matt Mitchell earned first-team designation, his second honor from the media in as many seasons. Senior guard Jordan Schakel was named a second team performer, and senior guard Trey Pulliam and junior forward Nathan Mensah received honorable mention designation. All three are first time honorees.
A native of Riverside, Calif., Mitchell finished the regular season averaging 15.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 44.7 percent from the floor, 38.0 percent from long range. and 81.6 percent from the line. In league games he matched his season total with 15.4 points but improved on all three shooting percentages, 45.0 percent from the floor, 40.0 percent from the bonus distance and 85.1 percent from the charity stripe. In addition, he averaged 1.9 assists and 1.6 steals, and upped his rebounds to 6.3 boards per game. Earning a starting assignment in each of the 21 games in which he appeared, he scored in double figures 19 times, led the team in scoring eight times, in rebounding nine times and in assists three times.
During the season, Mitchell joined Winston Shepard and Trey Kell as just the third Aztecs to score 1,000 points, grab 500 rebounds, dished out 200 assists and have 100 steals in his career. He ranks in the top-10 of nine of the program's career categories including No. 6 in points (1,408) and No. 3 in conference victories (51). He is in the top-15 of 14 categories and in the top-20 of 18. At the end of the regular season, he ranked No. 8 in scoring in the Mountain West, No. 4 in free throw percentage, No. 4 in steals, No. 10 in defensive rebounds and No. 13 in total rebound. He won the Mountain West Player of the Week on Nov. 30, 2020 and was included on the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Preseason Watch List as well as its Midseason Final 10. Mitchell received 139 votes, which were the third most in the poll.
Schakel, is a two-time Mountain West Player of the Week honoree this season, and led the league in three-point percentage (46.4 percent), three-point field goals per game (2.96) and total three pointers made (71), and was the No. 15 scorer in the league. Schakel averaged 14.4 points (47.2 percent from the floor, 46.4 percent from long range, and 90.2 percent from the line), 4.2 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.0 assists in the 2020-21 season. The Torrance, Calif., native's three-point field goal percentage is the highest for a senior season in Mountain West history.
The 6-6 guard ranks fifth nationally and first in the Mountain West in points per possession at 1.194. Nationally, his three-point percentage ranks No. 3, his 71 treys are No. 16 and his 2.96 threes per game are No. 21. Schakel sank eight threes against Colorado State (Jan. 4) which are the most in a game by any Mountain West player this year and a career high. He hit a three in every game (24) this season, recorded multiple three pointers in 17 games and in those contests SDSU was 15-2. Schakel made three or more treys in 13 games, four or more in nine games and five or more in four games. He is the fifth player in program history to reach and pass 200-career three pointers. Schakel scored in double figures in 18 games (SDSU was 16-2 in those contests), and in 12 games scored 15-or-more points (SDSU was 12-0 in those games). Schakel enters the Mountain West Tournament 22 points from 1,000 career points, and if he reaches the milestone will be the 35th player in program history to do so. His 96 points tied for the most on the second team.
Pulliam averaged 6.5 points, 3.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals this season. He ranks second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.16:1) and seventh in assists per game (3.4). When the team got into conference play the Bryan, Texas native, upped his averages to 6.8 points, 3.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals and his assist-to-turnover ratio was 2.10:1. According to Synergy he led the Mountain West in points allowed per possession (0.649) with a minimum of 150 possessions. In the biggest games, Pulliam displayed some of his best work. Against Boise State (Feb. 25) he had 18 points and four rebounds, hit the game-winning shot as the clock expired to defeat Nevada and had a career-high eight assists in the team's conference crown clinching game at UNLV (March 3).
Mensah had career-highs in points (8.8) and blocks (1.4) and led the team with 6.3 rebounds per game. The 6-10 forward is the anchor of the best defensive team in the Mountain West which ranks fourth nationally (60.0 points per game) and is fifth in defensive field goal percentage (38.6 percent). A native of Labadi, Accra, Ghana, he ranked second in the conference in blocks (1.42 per game) and fourth in rebounds per 40 minutes (11.8). Earlier this season he scored a career-high 18 points in a win over Saint Mary's (Dec. 22), grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds in a victory at No. 23 Arizona State (Dec. 10). He is the only Aztec in the last 25 years to record 18 points, 13 rebounds and block six shots in a game (vs. Saint Mary's on Dec. 22). He had eight double digit scoring efforts and two double doubles.
Voting was conducted independent of Mountain West oversight, by the media directly covering teams in all 11 league markets. In markets where more than one outlet covers a team closely, beat reporters from competing publications or outlets submitted a joint ballot, giving each market one vote.
Voters ranked players 1 through 15 for first-, second- and third-team All-Mountain West with the top player getting 15 points and on down to the 15th player receiving one point.
San Diego State opens play in the MW Championship on Thursday in Las Vegas as the No. 1 seed. The Aztecs will face the winner of the matchup between eighth-seed Wyoming and ninth-seed San Jose State. The game tips at 12 p.m. PT at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center.
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