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San Diego State Adds Four New Members
Malachi Flynn leads a new San Diego State offense
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Aztecs set to bring offensive firepower
San Diego State’s men’s basketball team has been busy trying to replace the players they lost in the offseason. They lost their starting backcourt of Jeremy Hemsley and Devin Watson. The Aztecs will need to replace 25.2 points from their graduating backcourt. Also leaving is forward Jalen McDaniels, who will be heading off to the NBA. McDaniels was the team’s second leading scorer, behind Watson, and team leader in rebounds.
In order to mitigate their losses the Aztecs have four new players seeing the court this upcoming season. The San Diego State coaching staff brought these players on in order to fill in what the team would be missing.
Malachi Flynn is poised to be the next great Aztec. The former Washington State Cougar transferred after his sophomore year and sat out last season. In his final season in Pullman, Flynn scored 15.8 points per game and shot 41.3% from the field.
A 6-2 guard, Flynn can score and facilitate, which makes him dangerous on an Aztec team with more help than that in Pullman. Flynn will likely spearhead the offense and get everyone involved. He will be the catalyst of the Aztecs.
Adding to the backcourt the Aztecs brought in a graduate transfer from Santa Clara, Ke’Jhan Feagin. Feagin was hurt in his senior year at Santa Clara after two games, and decided to sit out the season, heal, and find a new place to finish his senior year.
He chose the Aztecs and will bring his shooting and toughness to the backcourt. Feagin was a high scorer on a bad Broncos team, averaging 17.5 points per game. While most players at smaller schools are volume shooters, Feagin was a good shooter, shooting 44.3% from the field. Even though Feagin is 6-1, he is stout and is able to use his body in the paint, which bodes well for easy baskets and assists.
Rounding out the backcourt is a junior college player, Trey Pulliam. Pulliam played two years at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas. While his stats do not pop out, Pulliam is a solid player who can do everything well as a point guard.
A true point guard, he is adept at setting up his teammates and running the offense. Do not let that fool you, he can score when he needs to. Pulliam has two years left and should be a big part of the team this upcoming season.
The Aztecs revamped their backcourt adding three exciting players, however, there was still much to do in replacing their top player (McDaniels) who was leaving early.
His offense would be missed, but more importantly, the rebounding needed to be addressed. Even with McDaniels rebounding was an issue all year long. San Diego State’s coaching staff addressed the issue by adding Keshad Johnson. Johnson is a 6-7 forward from Oakland, California.
A superb athlete, Johnson has a high motor and was a beast on the boards. This will come in handy for a team that performed under expectations on the glass.
San Diego State still has two scholarships and are looking to fill those two via transfers. Already they have had two players visit this offseason as California transfer Justice Sueing came for a visit as did Vanderbilt graduate transfer Yanni Wetzell.
Also the Aztecs are still in contention for five-star forward Jaden McDaniels, however he is nowhere near a decision and the Aztecs can not really afford to wait. Some interesting names that have popped up in the transfer portal include Jemarl Baker from Kentucky, Miles Norris from Oregon, and Warren Washington from Oregon State. Add to that former Buffalo commit Andre Allen who heard from the Aztecs and it seems likely that the Aztecs will get those two spots filled up.
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