(Entering 2023-24 season)
Dave Velasquez enters his 22nd season at San Diego State and 11th as an assistant coach. Prior to his appointment as an assistant coach, he spent six seasons as the program’s director of player development.
Velasquez’s responsibilities to the program include recruiting, on-court coaching, skill development and academics.
With an emphasis on the defensive side of the ball, he’s played a critical role in the team finishing the past four seasons ranked No. 1 in the MW in scoring defense, allowing five fewer points per game than any other team in the league since the start of the 2019-20 campaign. In addition, overall, his defenses have ranked No. 2 and No. 4 nationally in each of the last two seasons, respectively, and have ranked in the top-10 in three of the last four, according to KenPom.com
In three of the last four campaigns, SDSU led the conference in steals and in two of the last four led the league in turnover margin and scoring margin, holding opponents, on average, to double digit points per game less than it scored. In addition, the Aztecs were either first or second in the league in field goal percentage defense in the 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons.
The conclusion of 2022-23 campaign saw Nathan Mensah garner his second straight Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year award and inclusion for the third straight year on the league's All-Defensive Team. In addition, Mensah was a third-.team All-Mountain West performer. Lamont Butler earned his second straight All-Defensive Team designation from the Mountain West, and among the writers who regularly cover the league, he was named the Defensive Player of the Year.
At the end of the 2021-22 regular season, San Diego State had the No. 2-rated adjusted defensive efficiency in the nation according to KenPom.com. Nathan Mensah was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, earned inclusion on the All-Defensive Team and was an honorable mention designee. Lamont Butler, who ranked No. 2 in the MW with 46 steals, and No. 61 in the nation with an average of 1.87 steals per game, was a member of the league’s all-defensive team.
Following the 2020-21 campaign forwards Nathan Mensah and Matt Mitchell earned inclusion on the league’s All-Defensive Team, and in 2019-20, Malachi Flynn was honored as the MW Defensive Player of the Year, as voted on by the league’s coaches..
Nationally, in the past three seasons, the team ranked in the top-ten in scoring defense (No. 3, No. 8 & No. 2) and in the top-15 in field goal percentage defense (No. 10, No. 12 & No. 4), and in two of the last three years in the top-20 in scoring margin (No. 3 & No. 13), and turnover margin (No. 20 & No. 12).
Velasquez also plays a large part in the performance of Aztecs in the classroom. The Bay Area native works directly with San Diego State’s academic advisors, tutors, and mentors to ensure standards are met and exceeded.
What may go unnoticed is his relationship with players. As a former SDSU men’s basketball student-athlete and recruit host, Velasquez understands all of the virtues that an Aztec basketball player possesses, which allows him to relate to the entire roster.
In his first season as an assistant, Velasquez helped ink a consensus top-15 recruiting class, while helping the Aztecs enjoy one of their finest seasons ever, which culminated in 31 wins, a Mountain West regular-season title and an NCAA Sweet 16 berth. He was also key in the development of Xavier Thames, who was a 2014 All-American, Mountain West Player of the Year and NBA draft pick.
In 2014-15, he helped coach SDSU to 27 victories, a second straight MW regular-season crown and an appearance in the third round of the NCAA tournament. Velasquez was also key in the Aztecs inking two four-star players for 2015-16, which resulted in 28 wins, another MW title and an appearance in the semifinals of the NIT. In ‘16-17, Velasquez helped secure another four-star player and three Division I transfers, while bringing in a three- and a four-star player for the 2017-18 campaign.
The aforementioned campaign saw Velasquez help San Diego State win 22 games, capture the program’s Mountain West-leading 11th conference championship and return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2015. On the recruiting trail, Velasquez helped sign five players, including four four-star athletes and Malachi Flynn, one of the top Division I transfers on the market, who sat out the 2018-19 campaign.
As SDSU’s director of player development, Velasquez assisted the basketball coaching staff with video breakdown, film exchange, travel, community service and handled many of the day-to-day office duties.
Prior to working as the director of player development, Velasquez was a student manager in 2002-03 before serving as head manager from 2003-07.
In 2002-03, San Diego State earned a berth to postseason NIT, where the Aztecs picked up their first Division I postseason tournament victory en route to an appearance in the second round.
Then in 2005-06, San Diego State won the Mountain West with a 13-3 league record before winning the MW tournament. As a result, the Aztecs advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time under head coach Steve Fisher and won a then school-record 24 games.
Velasquez was awarded a scholarship in December 2006 and added to the active roster in January 2007.
As an official playing member of the team, Velasquez played in four games and recorded a steal. He was a member of a team that finished with a 22-11 record and advanced to the second round of the postseason NIT.
In Velasquez’s five seasons as manager, the Aztecs went to the postseason three times and won 22 or more games twice.
Following his graduation from San Diego State in May 2007, Velasquez was hired at the University of the Pacific later that month. As the Tigers’ graduate manager, he assisted with UOP’s camps, created highlight tapes and coordinated film exchange before returning to his alma mater.
Since his return, SDSU has recorded 10 more 20-win seasons and reached the postseason in nine of the last 11 years. More recently, Velasquez has helped the Aztecs earn an NCAA tournament berth in seven of the last 10 years, win the first six NCAA tournament games in program history and reach at least the second round of the Big Dance in five of its last seven appearances, including two Sweet-16 appearances.
Velasquez is married to the former Lindsay Ward. The couple’s son, Marcus, was born in 2018 and daughter Harper in 2020.
David Velasquez