San Diego State head men’s basketball coach Brian Dutcher has signed a contract extension that will keep him on the SDSU bench through the 2027-28 season. The 2019-20 USA Today National Coach of the Year, who guided the Aztecs to the 2023 NCAA Tournament National Championship game, is in the midst of his seventh season as head coach at SDSU and 25th campaign on The Mesa.
“I’d like to thank President de la Torre and Athletics Director John David Wicker for the opportunity to continue to mentor and lead the outstanding young men that we have in our program at San Diego State,” Dutcher said. “Our success began 25 years ago when my friend Steve Fisher came to The Mesa and along with my assistant coaches, we have built a program that competes on a national level every night. I got into coaching to affect the lives of young people and to be able to do it at a school and in a city I love, is all anyone can ask for.”
The five-year extension, which runs through the end of the 2027-28 season follows the greatest season in Aztec history, one that featured the program’s 16th Mountain West title and SDSU’s and the conference’s first wins in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16, Elite 8 and Final Four on its way to an appearance in the national championship game.
“I’m excited to announce an extension to keep Brian Dutcher at SDSU through the 2027-28 season,” said Wicker. “Dutch has been an integral part to building the successful basketball program we have today and last year’s run to the national championship was a defining moment for him and our institution. But more than success on the floor, Dutch has built a program based on bringing young men in who also excel in the classroom and the community. I look forward to continuing to see the successes of our student athletes, staff and coaches under Brian’s leadership for the foreseeable future.”
In 102 previous seasons of Aztec basketball, no head coach previous to Dutcher has won 21 or more games in each of his first seven seasons or compiled more victories to date (173). Dutcher’s 75.9 percent winning percentage is the best in program history. He has earned a reputation as a big-game coach, guiding his team to the championship game of the Mountain West Tournament in each of his six years as head coach and, if the 2020 postseason had been contested, would have guided the Aztecs to the NCAA Tournament in five of his six years. In his six-plus seasons, San Diego State owns a 13-9 record against AP Top 25 teams, which is the best record nationally during that span (maximum of 22 games played).
In his time leading the program, Dutcher has been named the USA Today National Coach of the Year, United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) District IX Coach of the Year, as well as a pair of National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I District 17 Coach of the Year, and two Mountain West Coach-of-the-Year awards. In addition, he has been a finalist for the Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year.
In Dutcher’s 25 seasons on the Aztec bench, San Diego State players have received 22 All-America honors, including two consensus All-Americans, 31 NABC and 31 USBWA All-District designations, four Mountain West Player of the Year awards, as well as 75 all-Mountain West certificates. During that span, the Aztecs have also garnered 32 Mountain West All-Tournament team honors accolades, including six tournament MVPs. In addition, Dutcher has coached five conference Freshman/Newcomer of the Year honorees, eight Defensive Player of the Year designations and one Sixth Man of the Year. A total of 20 times an Aztec also landed spots on the league’s all-defensive team, while MW Player of the Week honors have been awarded to SDSU student-athletes on 71 occasions. Not to be outdone, the Aztecs have been presented with 38 academic all-Mountain West and three NABC Honors Court designations for excellence in the classroom.
https://goaztecs.com/news/2024/3/6/mens-basketball-brian-dutcher-signs-contract-extension.aspx
