The most important player Gross has returning is the remarkable sophomore John Shaft er Michael Cage.  Cage is truly a man among boys in the WAC.  Cage has the body of a bodybuilder and the look of a pimp. You combine those two and the fact he goes six nine and a chiseled 224 and Cage is one intimidating man. Born and raised in West Memphis Arkansas, the city of San Diego had no idea what was coming their way when he was convinced to come West last year (Dutcher’s first big get). Cage was the most dominant force in the conference last year and with three more years to play coaches of this conference are not looking forward to defending this monster.  Cage is so dominant underneath rebounding that the Aztecs set up some plays just so he can crash the boards.  Not as gifted with his post moves yet and a god awful three point shooter, the Windexman makes his living cleaning the glass and throwing down dunks.  His spin move has become potent but he is best just crashing the boards for followups he can slam back through the nets.  Cage led the conference in rebounding and probably is the closest thing this conference will ever see to a true matinee idol (though of course we are talking Blacksploitation movies here).  Every man wishes they could look like Michael Cage and every basketball player wants to play like he does!  That’s not hyperbole because that Cage is a bad mother …(shut your mouth)! 

The aforementioned seniors who put this program on the map but saw their playing time slowly drip away with the youth movement. Milton ‘Milky’ Phelps was once the superstar of San Diego State with his incredible ability to seemingly score whichever and whatever way possible.  He led the team in scoring for two years (and of course led them to that national title)  and had plans to make it four in a row until the injury bug hit him. He sat out the last ten games and will miss at least the first month this year. Is this program snake bit or what because can you imagine this cat playing next to Cage and all the talent up front for a full year which was of course was Gross’s plan!  Phelps like his brethren in glory is a San Diego native and was voted team captain for the second straight season. This special talent changed the world when he brought his one handed shot to Kansas City in his first year here. Only he and the great Hank Luisetti of Stanford were shooting it then but Milky was much more than a one trick shot pony.   He has a hesitation head fake that literally makes opponents fall out of bounds as he goes the other way to the hoop.   

You might think the Aztecs were loaded up front with the Cage but they are not. Part of the strategy of the rebuild is about using the Juco ranks to infuse some much-needed talent.  This state has the best juco schools in the country and the Aztecs plan to take advantage this year.  A group of returning players rotated through the other slot up front next to Cage depending on their strengths and where Gross felt the team needed at the time.  Juniors Joel Kramer and Steve Copp as well as sophomores Leonard Allen got minutes up front bringing a variance of strengths and weaknesses. Allen can play center and let Cage play his more natural power forward position.  Allen is a terrific shot blocker who does not score much but this gangly Texas (Port Arthur) kid at six eleven has huge upside and plays well next to Cage (and some say better when he is not).  Kramer does everything solidly except scoring but he is improving there.  He is coming off some major injuries from last year but improved dramatically as the season progressed and is a solid contributor when called upon.  And he can leap and might be the best defensive player on the roster.  Fellow junior Copp is one smart player but is not the most athletic guy.  He goes about six seven and is better suited for the paint but can take his game out mid-range.  He is a gamer and uses his head more than most but might get caught behind the influx of freshmen talent coming in at the forward position. 

The back court for the Aztecs was a different story.  Senior Bob Brady and Sophomore Anthony Watson provided a majority of minutes in the guard spots and they formed a very cohesive unit though their skills are similar. Both are good scorers and their ball distribution was ok and their defense was solid.   Brady has been a high scorer since he got here from York PA and has been as solid as they come.  Watson took a similar route to get to ‘America’s Finest City’ traveling all the way from Cooley High (yes that Cooley High) in Detroit so that he could play right away. He played High School with Roy Tarpley at Cooley and most thought he would go to Michigan with him because after all he was All-State and he averaged almost a triple double in High School. Instead he came West and did get to play right away (and played well) but some events before the season took place set Watson back for a minute or two.  Watson was ruled academically ineligible to start this season due to not having enough valid ‘points’ for classes though he had a sufficient GPA.  He enrolled at a HC and worked at a gas station to become eligible which he achieved but ended up missing 4 games and was a bit rusty coming off the bench for a few more.  He was not quite the player he had been in High School but exploded down the stretch averaging over 14 a game for the final 12 games including an Aztec season high of 24 points against Wyoming.  Watson, like his sidekick Brady, is more of a two guard who at six three can do a bit of everything on the court but is best scoring the ball.  He has range but is better getting to the hoop and finishing with his great quickness and toughness amongst the big guys and can really draw fouls.  He can also pass and averaged over three assists a game for the year and got his scoring average up to almost 13 a game for the season and can also guard bigger guys though he is better guarding perimeter players though quick point guards (Tiny Archibald anyone) can be tricky for either him or Brady.  Both kind of shared the point spot which was a bit of a problem. The best point option was a baseball scholar shipped player who is a little pudgy but can sure dish the ball.   Sophomore Tony Gwynn got some serious minutes and had some solid efforts early on dishing the ball but could not hang with the super quick point guards of this conference.  This hometown kid is a huge crowd favorite with his great passing, everyman’s physique (he is a bit pudgy for a point guard) and affable personality.  Oh and he might have the best hand eye coordination in the country!  This lefty with the big heart dazzled the fans for the Aztecs but the only ‘show’ he wants to play in involves a diamond and gloves.  It was almost a blessing for Coach Gross when Gwynn left to join his baseball brothers in February so that he could get a look at some more serious options at the one spot as Gwynn is not in it for the long haul on the basketball court.  But boy was he popular and boy can he pass the ball.  Watson really stepped up to the plate when Gwynn left and took over the leadership role in the backcourt.  The only other guys that got any minutes in the back court were juniors Mike Dodd and Chris Marlowe.  These are two tremendous athletes but their first love is volleyball (they led the Aztecs to a final four on those nets) but did moonlight to help out the lack of depth at this position.  Dodd played sparingly but has size and handles and can defend though scoring is not his forte. His season ended after the San Diego game when he and Torero Mike Whitmarsh spiked one of Dodd’s attempted dunks sending him to the ground.  He could have come back but was not going to risk his future in the sand.  The talkative Marlowe is a natural point guard but barely played with Gwynn and company around and did not seem to mind as he kept his teammates entertained with his never ending play by play during games and practices. There is a rumor there is some immense talent coming down the pipeline that Gross has recruited in the back court but for now this group will battle for the minutes behind Heath and Brady. Gross will keep developing guys here but there is no Archibald or Andre Miller on the roster. As of yet!

The San Diego State Aztecs made it through another up and down season by the ocean.  An incredible first season by stalwart Michael Cage highlighted the year. There is hope for the future as Coach Morris Gross got to look at a lot of different players this year and most all of them returning.  Now if Gwynn decides to make basketball his full time sport next year they may have something.  And there is talk football stud Marshall Faulk may join the team as a two guard.  Of course the birthplace of California has much going for it but has always lagged behind it’s brethren to the North as far as sports dominance and this city is thirsty for a champion they can claim as their own .  With the Clippers and beloved Chargers relocating to the hated City of Angels it leaves only the Padres as a San Diego major sports team and they have not exactly been the Dodgers in baseball.  Maybe the biggest thumb in the eye is when San Diego born and bred basketball prodigy did not even consider one of the local schools as he committed to another LA team, the UCLA Bruins. They do have a former Aztec hoping to change this cities’ reputation and this kid was not only a .399 hitter for SDSU but was one hell of a point guard.