Fresh Faces Will Determine Future of Aztec Season

by Brad Best

The 2003-04 San Diego State Aztecs enter the season with a lot of question marks and not a whole lot of answers. Can the newcomers and bench players make up for the loss of four starters from last season? Who will be the go-to scoring guy? Can players overcome injuries and off-season surgeries and play up to their potential? Can a team without a legitimate center compete against conference rivals BYU and Colorado State who have established big men? The list goes on.

If the Aztecs can find the right answers to these questions, they’ll go further than the experts predict. The pre-season Mountain West Conference poll has the Aztecs finishing 6^th in conference as does Sporting News. ESPN anticipates a 7^th place finish. These predictions, while disappointing for Aztec fans, do seem fairly realistic considering the quality and depth of the rest of the conference and the fact that the Aztecs are returning only one starter from last season.

Experience and leadership will need to come from lone senior starter Aerick Sanders along with juniors Wesley Stokes and Chris Walton. Sanders was one of the conference leaders in rebounds from last year but is not a real scoring threat. Stokes is an exciting transfer from Missouri who will lead the team from the point. His decision-making ability will be one of the keys to the Aztecs’ success. He has already been projected to make the All-MWC team by ESPN.com, even before suiting up for a single game as an Aztec. Chris Walton, son of Bill and brother of Luke, took a redshirt last year following his sophomore season. With added bulk and maturity, Walton should figure prominently into Coach Fisher’s plans this year.

Three more juniors who could see significant minutes are Travis Hanour, Tommy Johnson and Chris Manker. Hanour’s game is suited for the wing position, and the faithful are hoping that the tendonitis that plagued him all last year has been remedied by off-season surgery. Seven-foot Manker prefers shooting the three to banging down low, but his height alone almost assures him minutes on this small Aztec lineup. Tommy Johnson showed flashes of what he can do last year but will likely have to play his way into a starting role.

Talented freshmen Marcus Slaughter and Brandon Heath have been impressive in practice and in the first exhibition game and may soon become starters. Heath actually led all players in scoring with 16 points against the L.A. Stars. He is a fearless shooter and has the speed and skill to finish on the break. Slaughter will be active on the boards and will give a small Aztec team some much needed rebounds. His athleticism and quick moves around the basket should provide some scoring punch as well. These two high school standouts should help replace some of the excitement lost by the departure of Evan Burns, last year’s MWC freshman of the year, who was dismissed for academic reasons.

The Aztecs recently added Gary Grant to their coaching staff. He is a former All-American guard from Michigan and 13-year NBA veteran. His mission will be to transfer his tenacious defensive skills to this year’s crop of athletes and to recruit top talent for future years.

With Steve Fisher firmly at the helm and an extended contract in place, the Aztecs will be prepared for battle each time they take the court. Their overall team speed and athleticism should help keep them in many ballgames with a chance to win. How successful they’ll turn out to be is just one of the many questions about this unproven but talented team.

Visit the San Diego State Directory on CHN for the roster, schedule, and more.